by A. J. Wynter
“Is this worth it?” she asked. “I mean, your friends, your family, Charlotte is being cool about it for some reason, but can you handle the pressure from everyone else?”
“They’ll understand once it’s all done and you’re gone.”
It was rational and she knew that he was right, but for some reason, those words, ‘you’re gone,’ seemed to cut into her like a knife. “Okay, as long as you can handle them.”
“I can.” Freddie reached and turned up the radio, ending the discussion.
They pulled into the driveway at Freddie’s house and he shut off the engine. “I’m sorry about your tooth,” he said.
“My tooth!” Serena realized that she had left that little piece sitting on Charlotte’s countertop.
“It’s okay, I’ve got it here.” Freddie reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled it out. “Put this somewhere safe. I texted Mike and you have an appointment first thing Monday morning to get it fixed.”
“You can text the dentist?”
“I can text everybody in this town. Mike’s on Search and Rescue, he’s the best, well, the only, dentist in town.”
As they walked into the house Serena stared up at the night sky. Had the number of stars quadrupled a million times in the last few years? She had forgotten how expansive the night sky could feel. She gripped her tooth in her hand and stared up at the sky as they walked to the front door.
“If you don’t watch where you’re going, you’re going to lose that other tooth,” Freddie joked and put his hand on her hip to guide her.
“I just... I don’t remember the stars looking like that,” she said.
“Like what?” he asked.
At that moment, a bright flash streaked across the sky, burning brightly for at least one full second before it fizzled out.
“Oh, my god. Did you see that?” she gasped.
“I did. The Perseids meteor showers start in a couple of weeks, I guess that one was early to the party.”
“That was a meteor?”
“Sure was. But most people call them shooting stars.”
Serena had never seen anything like it before. “That was incredible.”
“Have you never seen a shooting star?”
“Never.” Serena stood transfixed, staring up at the sky, her feet glued to the sidewalk in front of Freddie’s house.
“Did you make a wish?” Freddie asked. “If you make a wish when you see a shooting star, it will come true.” Freddie flexed his fingers into her hip and she shivered from the touch.“Let’s get you inside,” Freddie said.
Serena hadn’t thought quickly enough to make a wish, but at that moment she knew, if she ever saw another shooting star, exactly what she would wish for.
“Can we stay out here one more minute?” she asked.
“Sure.” Freddie nodded and rubbed Serena’s arms. She tilted her head back to stare at the sky. The friction from his hands was warming the skin on her arms, but that didn’t account for the heat pulsing in her lower abdomen. Even though her back was inches away from Freddie’s chest, she swore she could feel his presence as surely as if they were touching, the heat from his chest warming her back. She wanted to give in, to let herself relax back into his body, let him hold her and warm her from within, but that wasn’t their deal. She had to remember that. This was business.
Chapter 15
FREDDIE HAD TO KEEP his hands moving or else she would feel them trembling. His justification was that he was keeping her warm, not the fact that he just wanted to touch her. He didn’t know how long they stood on his front walkway; it could’ve been three minutes or three hours. time seemed to come to a standstill as they waited for another cosmic event to light up the sky.
It didn’t happen. Freddie was tempted to wrap Serena in his arms but kept his distance for two reasons. The first, even though at that moment, they felt like a couple, they weren’t; and secondly, she would’ve felt the raging hard-on that was straining at the zipper of his jeans. He cursed himself for going commando.
“I guess you’ll have to schedule our next meeting for August when the meteor showers are in full swing,” Freddie whispered. “Let’s go inside and get warm.”
If it were any other girl, this is where Freddie would’ve laid on the charm. He knew that if a woman came into his house at the end of a date, they would end up in his bed. It had been true one hundred percent of the time.
Tonight, Serena was going to end up in his bed, he knew that for sure, only he wouldn’t be there with her. She excused herself to get ready for bed and he grabbed a wool blanket and a set of sheets from the closet to make up the couch. He knocked on the bathroom door and spoke through it, “There are towels under the sink,” he said.
She opened the door, her toothbrush in her mouth, “Thank you,” she said.
She was wearing flannel pajamas. Not sexy ones though, she had on the kind that grandpas wear. He turned away from her, thankful that he hadn’t changed out of his jeans – the fabric was strong enough to stop his semi-hardon from standing at full mast. How the hell did she make those look sexy?
“Your turn,” she said, exiting the bathroom. “I’m just going to edit the photos from tonight and post them. Charlotte got some great shots. You know, she seemed to be the only one who was okay with all... this.” She pointed to him and back to herself and then slipped into his bedroom.
Freddie grunted. He knew why Charlotte appeared to approve, and it didn’t have anything to do with her support of their faux relationship.
Freddie glanced into his bedroom, Serena was seated cross-legged on the bed, the light from the computer screen reflected on her face.
“You could do that tomorrow,” he said.
“No, it has to be done tonight,” she replied. “This is my job Freddie, I take it seriously.”
“Okay, well...” He paused with his hand on the door handle, “goodnight Serena.”
She held up her hand, “Wait, come here and look at this shot.” Freddie stepped to the side of the bed and peered over her shoulder. It was a photo of the group. Every single person in the picture was laughing. He was looking at Serena, laughing, his hand to his chest. Lauren was wiping a tear from her eye, and Serena was looking back at Freddie. To anyone who saw the photo, it would look like, well, love.
“It’s perfect,” she said.
“You can see your missing tooth,” he jabbed at the screen.
“Oh, shoot.” Serena squinted at the screen. “I didn’t notice that. I’ll have to post another one.”
“Were you able to get a good shot of the bear?” Freddie sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yes, but they’re not great.” Serena turned the computer to face him and toggled between the shots. “Which one do you like the best?”
Freddie pressed the arrow keys with his thick calloused fingertip. “This one. One hundred percent.” The bear was slightly blurry in the background of the photo, with Serena’s face was in the foreground, her reflection gazing at the bear in the side mirror. The photo seemed to capture the awe and playfulness of the moment.
“Oh, I don’t know about that one,” she turned the computer back to face her.
“It’s real Serena, more real than any of that other crap that you post.”
Serena paused and looked up at Freddie over the top of her screen. “Excuse me?”
“I mean... that came out wrong.” Freddie started to back out of the room. The last thing he needed to do was start a real fight with his fake fiancée.
Serena interrupted, “I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
“It’s all curated. It’s not a reflection of me. It’s a picture of how I want the world to see me.”
“Maybe they would like the real version of you better.” Freddie shifted so he was sitting beside Serena and pointed to the screen. This photo was a mistake but look. You’re not posing, your hair is a little crazy from the wind, and I don’t know how to say it, but I can tell that you’ve never s
een a bear before and that it meant something to you.” Serena was silent. Freddie hesitated, but it was a well-known fact that Freddie’s mouth worked faster than his brain. “What did the bears mean to you?” he asked.
She paused, opened her mouth, but then closed it before she spoke. “Nothing, they’re just bears.” He noticed a slight slump in her shoulders and then she closed the laptop. Freddie, I know that you don’t like what I do for a living, but it pays the bills and then some. I would love to take the extra money and go back to college, but that’s not in the cards.
“College?” This was the first time that Freddie had heard anything about Serena’s background. “Why?”
“Why go back to college?” Serena scrunched her brow at Freddie.
“No, I meant, why is it not in the cards?”
“There are other things that are more important right now...” her voice cracked. She set the laptop on the nightstand and cleared her throat, “Thanks for the bed.”
“No problem,” Freddie replied and stood up and stretched. He turned to walk away, but Serena reached out to grip onto his wrist. “Hey, Freddie.”
He paused, the strength of her fingers as they wrapped around his wrist surprised him.
“Other than your asshole brother, and my tooth, I had a great time tonight.”
“Me too,” Freddie said. And it was true. After the awkward announcement was over, he had forgotten all about the contract and had simply enjoyed the night with his friends.
“Goodnight,” Freddie said.
“Goodnight,” she echoed.
Freddie turned and walked into the living room, rubbing his wrist where she had gripped it. He swore that there was heat radiating from the spot her hand had been. He shook his head and pulled off his jeans, replacing them with the boxer shorts he should’ve worn that night. He unbuttoned his shirt and eased himself down onto the couch, the leather creaking as he shifted and tried to get comfortable. He was tired but couldn’t sleep. They had nothing in common but tonight he saw a different side of Serena, and being with her didn’t feel forced. It felt good.
After what seemed like an eternity, he checked the time on his phone, he had been tossing and turned for forty-five minutes. He pulled the cushions off the back of the couch and tossed them on the floor to give himself some more space. A beam of light appeared on the floor and he sat up to see Serena was standing in the open door to his bedroom.
“We can share the bed,” she said. “If you stay on your own side.”
Freddie sat up, feeling the static snapping through his hair as it stuck to the leather. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I can hear you tossing and turning from the other room. If you ever got busy on the sofa, the whole block would know,” she laughed.
Freddie smirked. She’s right about that, he thought to himself and imagined bending her over the padded armrest, pulling down those grandpa pajama pants and letting the neighborhood know exactly what was going on.
Oh no.
That was a very inappropriate thought to have about your business partner.
“Come on,” she nodded her head toward the bedroom. We’re not going to be able to make that hike tomorrow if your back is all messed up from sleeping on the couch.
He could do this. He reminded himself that she annoyed the hell out of him seventy-five percent of the time. He rolled off the couch and onto the floor on all fours before standing to follow Serena into the bedroom. She was sleeping on his side, but at this point, he wasn’t going to split hairs. She pulled the covers back and slipped into the bed. He did the same, but took two pillows and lined them up down the center of the bed.
“Don’t you dare cross this border,” he said.
“Is that really necessary?” She snuggled down under the covers.
“I just want to make sure that you don’t take over the entire bed,” he lied. He knew the subconscious, horny man in him would come to life with a vengeance if he rolled into her warm body, or if she turned and those perky breasts of hers brushed his back, there would be no stopping him.
“Suit yourself,” she sighed and clicked off the lamp.
This was worse than the couch. Freddie stared at the ceiling, listening to the tempo of Serena’s breath as she laid beside him. He held his own breath as he listened to hers, waiting for any sign that she was slipping into sleep.
“Freddie,” she whispered. “Are you sleeping?”
“That’s the dumbest question I’ve ever heard,” he said.
“Today, with the bears...”
“Yeah...”
“My dad is in the hospital in a coma. He might never come out of it. I guess the momma bear taking care of the cubs. I don’t know. I guess... I mean, I just miss my dad.”
“I’m sorry, Serena.” He turned on his side and propped his head up on his hand, his elbow pressing into the feather pillow. He could see the silhouette of Serena lying flat on her back beside their pillow barrier. How did it happen?”
“A car accident. My mom and sister died instantly, and my dad... well, we don’t know what’s going to happen with him. A drunk driver hit us.”
“Oh no,” Freddie whispered. His own mother was currently sober, fresh out of her fourth stint in rehab. In a way, he had lost a parent too. His instinct was to reach out to comfort her, but he was thwarted by the pillows. “I know what it’s like to have a parent there, but not really there. My mom is a drunk.”
“Oh,” she said.
“She never had her license thankfully,” Freddie added on quickly. “I used to hate her for it, for leaving Logan and me to take care of her. After her second relapse, dad left and remarried. Now, I’m just thankful for every day that she’s sober, and I really don’t think that Logan or I would be who we are if we hadn’t been forced to grow up at such a young age.”
He could hear the hiccups in her breath, the kind you get when you’re trying to hold in tears.
“So, what, what are we doing tomorrow?” she whispered through strained vocal cords.
Thankful for the change in subject, Freddie replied, “I thought we could go for a hike up the mountain before the cake tasting, the wildflowers have just started blooming. There’s a little lake up there. It will be great for your photos.”
“That sounds perfect. Fred, I should’ve told you earlier, but there’s a new treatment that could help my dad. That’s why I’m doing this. Not for shoes, or exposure, or this damn ring,” she sniffed.
Freddie grabbed the two pillows and tossed them on the floor. He reached out and pulled Serena in tightly to his body, nestling her back against his chest. She was as stiff as a board and Freddie whispered into her ear, “You don’t have to hold it in.”
He felt her body relax against his, her ribcage expanding as she took in a deep breath and quietly cried in his arms. He held her closer, tighter. Serena was like an onion and as he slowly peeled back the layers, Freddie started to wonder if, underneath, this was the woman for him.
He breathed in the scent of her hair. It was citrusy and some other fresh smell.
They didn’t talk. Freddie just held her tightly. He knew she could feel his erection against her ass. He just hoped that it wouldn’t make an unexpected appearance through the slit of his boxers if he moved the wrong way. He was a red-blooded man, after all; she had to understand that. She reached up and brushed the tears off her face with her hands. Freddie stiffened and held his breath as she maneuvered in his arms so that she was facing him, her breath hot on his chin. Was she going to kiss him? Should he kiss her? He wanted to. He would only have to shift his face and her full lips would be on his.
Freddie had never been in a situation like this. The old Freddie would’ve had those grandpa pajamas in a pile on the floor and had her writhing on the bed with his face between her legs, but this paralysis, this was new. What was wrong with him?
Chapter 16
AM I GOING TO HAVE to make the first move? Serena thought to herself.
She couldn’t believ
e that she had let herself cry in front of Freddie. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable, but there was something about the strength in his arms, the way his body fit with hers, that felt like a cocoon. He wasn’t judging her, he understood her.
When he hugged her, she wondered if he was just being sweet and kind. After all, they both knew what it was like to have a shell of a parent, but then she felt it. The unmistakable warmth of his cock tenting out his boxer shorts against her ass. Suddenly, she was filled with the want and desire to feel Freddie inside of her.
His breaths were raspy against her cheek; she knew that he wanted her. She reached out her hand and rested it on Freddie’s side, feeling his taut lats under her fingertips. She squeezed her fingers into his muscular waist and then trailed her fingertips down over the elastic band of his boxer shorts to grip his toned ass and then pulled his hips to hers, pressing his hard cock against the front of her pajamas, his manhood standing hard and tall between them.
This seemed to be the permission he needed. He grabbed her face and kissed her hard. She pulled on his ass tighter and pressed her hips into his. The warmth of him and the feel of his lips on hers sent tingles through her body, the kind that originated between her legs.
He rolled on top of her, brushed her hair off her face, then he leaned over and turned on the lamp.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I want to see your face.” He kissed her hard again and started to rock his hips in time with his kisses. Serena kissed him and bit his lower lip. Her eyes grew wide as the friction of their movements through their clothes quickly brought her to the brink of a surprise orgasm.
“Freddie,” she gasped. “You’re going to make me come.”
“Good,” he whispered into her ear and bit at her earlobe.
“Wait,” she murmured. “We shouldn’t...” she gasped as the sensation built between her legs, sending a shiver over her body. She couldn’t believe that dry humping like teenagers would bring her so close. She knew that they should stop, that it was wrong, but it felt so good.
