Free Burnout (Jack 'Em Up Book 0) by Shauna Allen Page B

way she looked into my eyes like she truly understood me, even when I tried to hold back.
    She really was my princess. I didn’t just call her that for fun. My perfect little princess, who was beginning to mean way too much to me.
    Jesse, Micah, Trace and I had gone out a couple of times to shoot the shit, and I still worked at the Super Lube, but otherwise, I spent every second I could with Delilah. At the beach, out to eat, movies, bundled up for a picnic at the park, even though it was too damn cold . . . making out in my car. But, I’d never let it go too far. I wanted to, God, how I wanted to. She had me burning up with lust. But, I’d stuck to my guns, keeping her virginity intact until I could give her what she deserved.
    Though I wasn’t sure that would ever happen.
    Tonight, the first night of Spring Break, as I let myself back into my darkened house after one of our dates—ice cream from Sonic and lots of kissing—I wondered if she’d ever get sick of me . . . of the snide looks other people gave her when she was with me, the lurking feeling that we always had to hide in public, the whole deal. She said no, but I had a hard time believing her.
    Stale cigarette smoke, quiet hopelessness, and anger greeted me as soon as I closed the door, shutting myself in with the ugliness that was home.
    “Blake.”
    That’s all my dad said, but the contempt lacing his voice had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
    I flipped on the entryway light, illuminating a portion of the living room, and saw the trash strewn across the coffee table, along with several empty beer cans. My father’s gaunt, miserable, hate-filled face shone in the dim light. He suddenly looked like a tired, angry old man and I realized how impossibly hard he’d taken my mother’s death. But I also understood that gave him no excuse to drink himself into the grave and spew venom on everyone within spitting distance.
    He clambered to his feet, a bit wobbly. “Where the fuck have you been? Huh, boy?” He approached me and all I could smell was old sweat and older liquor.
    I slipped off my leather jacket and hung it on my mom’s old coat rack. “Out.”
    He was suddenly in my face. “Out where? Or maybe I should ask, out with who ?”
    I narrowed my gaze, sensing something was off. “Just out.”
    “Well, funny, I heard from some of the guys down at the bar that you’re sniffing around the Sheriff’s slutty little daughter.”
    I inhaled, trying to calm myself. What was between Delilah and I was private. Not for public consumption, and definitely not for him to dirty up with his filthy mouth. “I said , I was out. The rest is none of your business.” Fists clenched, I spun to get away from him before I did something I’d regret, but he suddenly had my arm in a vice-like grip.
    “I’m not done talking to you.”
    “Yeah? Well, I’m done listening.”
    His grip tightened, burning his fingerprints into my flesh. “You stay away from her, Son. That little heifer is just slummin’ it with you and that’ll only cause trouble. No split-tail is worth that.”
    Lava hot shame flowed through me, slow and thorough. It crept into every crevice of my soul and began to eat away at the light that Delilah had planted.
    I yanked my arm away, fighting mad, but not willing to go there with him now. He was obviously drunk—though when wasn’t he lately? “You don’t talk about her like that. You know nothing. Nothing .” I shoved my finger into his chest, pressing until he flinched. “You don’t get to talk about her. Don’t even speak her name.”
    I hurdled past him and slammed back out the front door, letting the unseasonably cold, frozen night beat my exposed skin with pelts of sleet. I jogged to my Camaro and sped off, my father’s words chasing me no matter how fast I drove.
    I ended up in Delilah’s neighborhood, as if her beauty was a beacon in my darkness. I parked across the street from her house and glanced down at my