Free Rock Bottom by Jamie Canosa Page A

Then, he left me to shower.
    There were two different bottles of shampoo. I opened them both and sniffed until I found the one that smelled like Elijah—cinnamon and spice—and used that one. I did the same with the body wash.
    Wrapping a towel around my body, I opened the door and nearly collided with his back. “What are you doing?”
    “Waiting for you. Just in case Andy got any ideas.” He used his arms and body to shield me from any potential view from the living room as we crossed the hall.
    I rooted through my bag, pulling out a pair of jeans and an old, faded tee—I’d packed in a hurry—and turned around just in time to catch Elijah checking out my bare legs. Maybe what I wanted and what he wanted wasn’t so different, after all.
    Clearing his throat, he turned his back and folded his arms across his chest as I dressed. “You alright to drive now?”
    I considered how I felt for a moment and realized the shower had sobered me up. Almost immediately, the worry crept back in. It was late. I had no idea what time, but it was dark out. There was little hope that I’d be able to sneak back in. My parents were no doubt waiting up for me—and livid. It was going to be a very long night. I already missed the uncaring haze that had helped me decompress all afternoon.
    “Can we do this again sometime?”
    “Hang out or smoke?”
    “Both?”
    Elijah chuckled. Peeking over his shoulder to find me fully clothed, he turned to face me. “I think that could be arranged. So . . .” He stepped closer and ran a hand through my damp hair. “You’re sober now.” His minty breath washed over my face. “And I’m sober now.”
    I wasn't sure that was one hundred percent accurate, but I wasn't about to argue. He bent his head until his lips barely brushed mine, waiting for what I had no idea. Permission? He had it. He definitely had it. Pushing up onto my toes, my lips met his. And then they moved. Gripping my head and angling it so he could get the best access, his tongue traced over my lower lip. When I gasped, he dove inside. Hot damn, he tasted as good as he smelled.
    I lost track of time wrapped up in his arms and lips and hands. Those hands roamed everywhere, and so did our feet, apparently, because somehow we ended up back on the bed. When we finally broke apart, I took a ragged breath and found myself chewing a piece of gum I definitely hadn’t been chewing before. Elijah winked at me and I damn near died.

 
     
     
    Chapter Sixteen
     
    Surprise, surprise. The parental units were exactly where I knew they’d be when I got home. Mom sitting on the sofa and dad working in his office, waiting for her to sound the alarm so he could pounce. Maybe the whole ‘predictable’ thing was genetic.
    “Where have you been?”
    “I—”
    “She’s home!” And there went the alarm. I didn’t even get a chance to finish my answer when Dad barged into the living room.
    “Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how worried your mother has been all day? Do you have any respect for us at all?”
    With the barrage of questions coming my way, I didn’t know which to answer first, or if I was even meant to answer any of them. My answers wouldn’t matter anyway. Not to them.
    “What the hell is wrong with you? What happened to the girl we raised?”
    “She realized this was her life! Not yours!” I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Yelling wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “I can’t keep doing things just because they make you happy. I need to be happy, too.”
    “You were happy.” My mother looked distraught sitting on the sofa. Dark circles ringed her eyes and guilt gnawed at my stomach. I really hadn’t meant to make her worry.
    “I’m sorry I ran out earlier. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was happy before because I was making you happy, but that’s not enough anymore. I need to do what I want to do, go to school where I want to go, study what I want to study.”
    “You’re going