I nodded as she hugged Ally again and jogged towards the parking lot.
“Were you being serious?” I asked after a few steps in silence. “Am I really doing well? I-I just remember watching Chan and Chance and how good they were from the second that they started.” Emmett held the door to the equipment room open for me as he carefully maneuvered the board inside. “Well, not the second. I was a baby when they started. I guess maybe because I never saw them in this stage, I never imagined that they went through it.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he just took my board from underneath my arm and set it back on the rack where it belonged. When he turned, his eyes shocked me—dark and flickering with heated lightning. My mouth went completely dry.
“Emmett?” My voice broke as I said his name.
A second. A step. His face was an inch from mine, his grip punishing on my chin.
He leaned in and grabbed my lip with his teeth and pulled—hard. “You think I would lie?” Black met blue. I was about to be punished.
His lips brutally claimed mine and my mouth opened, begging to be destroyed. A day and a half was all it had been, yet we kissed like we were determined to leave nothing left.
His fingers speared through my hair and locked, pulling my head back and forcing my mouth wider for his tongue. The other hand incasing my breast, kneading me through my too-many layers of clothing.
“So determined,” he rasped into my mouth, pressing my breast flat before kneading firmly again. “So stubborn.” His nail raked over my nipple—hard and flattened into my flesh from the under armor. “You know what that and your sass does to me?” He didn’t wait for me to answer before he ground his hips against me, the hard ridge of his arousal digging into my waist.
“I have an idea…” I murmured, ending on a moan.
He growled and flicked my nipple before his hand went to the waist of my snowpants, pulling at the snap and zipper. My whole body felt like kindling, waiting for him to light a match.
Too many clothes.
I whimpered. His roughness was making me so hot. My hips pushed against his hand, needing more and needing it faster. In return, his hand cupped my sex, holding me firmly as his mouth found my ear.
“You are doing so fucking incredible out there, sunshine.” My teeth dug into my lip as his palm rolled over me. “You are incredible.”
I was losing my mind. He’d barely touched me—and through so much clothing at that—and yet, I was orbiting another orgasm.
“And I’m going to show you just how much,” he promised hoarsely.
Please. I shivered. His hand released me, sliding up underneath my shirt to the edge of my leggings before diving inside.
He groaned when he reached my folds. I’ll just add these to the pile of underwear that he’d ruined for me. His fingers slid over my clit, inside me, back out… he moved so fast I was losing my mind—and my body—and my heart. God, I was losing everything.
“That’s it, sunshine.” His coarse voice was another caress on my ear. “Tell me you’re incredible.”
My eyes squeezed shut. Too much work. Too much focus. “Tell me.”
“I-I’m incredible.” My hips jerked as my orgasm began to roll through me. My breath stopped, my muscles tensed. Oh God…
I gasped, my eyes shooting open when his hand suddenly stopped—cruelly yanking me back from the release he’d brought me to.
“Now, tell me you’ll never doubt me or yourself again.” God, he was vicious.
Air raggedly tried to fill my lungs that couldn’t decide if it was time to breathe in or out. “Emmett…” I cried.
“Say it and I’ll give you incredible.” Harsh. Demanding. Electrifying.
“I-I’ll never doubt… y-you or m-myself… again.” The words punctuated with a scream—one that was swallowed by his mouth—as I came hard. At my admission, he pinched my clit, giving my body what it needed to explode. The climax wasn’t kind—it wasn’t one that built gently and released over me like water. It was hard and fast. It was painfully and exquisitely pleasurable.
Most orgasms were like lemonade—potently sweet with just a touch of tang. At least for me. At least with Dylan.
His… Emmett’s were like sucking lemon juice straight from the citrus. Strong. Unforgettable. His were the kind that burned your mouth, eroded your throat, and had you salivating for more.
It was the first time I’d thought about those moments with Dylan; it was the first time I compared what my desire had been like for him and what it was like for Emmett. And I felt guilty for never wanting lemonade again.
The rest of the week was deliciously and frustratingly similar. Chance or Tammy took me to work in the morning and Emmett always stopped in for a coffee with a side of some crude innuendo that had me counting down the minutes until it was time for my lesson.
The threat of breaking my neck on the slopes was the only thing that selectively managed to draw my attention from him while I practiced my quickly growing skills. By Thursday, Emmett actually took us all down a green-rated trail and I fell fewer-than-a-handful of times.
And then there were the secluded minutes spent in the equipment room. On the mountain, he pushed me to be better. In private, he pushed my body beyond the bounds of what I knew was possible. It was dangerous and delicious.
But also frustrating because I was the only one who ever found release.
I tried to return the favor, but somehow was always shut down. Or shut out is more like how it felt.
Buzz.
Setting my eyeliner down, I picked up my phone. The Three Amazing Butts. Also known as the group chat among Tammy, Jessa, and me. Who picked the name? You guessed it, Ladies and Gentlemen—Miss Jessa Madison.
TAMMY
HEY GUYS, I’M RUNNING A FEW MINUTES BEHIND AT THE DOCTOR’S. I’LL MEET YOU AT THE RESTAURANT.
JESSA
NO PROB. AL, I’LL BE THERE IN TWENTY.
ALLY
SOUNDS GOOD.
I began typing out the question, ‘Is everything ok?’ but then decided against it. It was something better asked in person since this was like the third time—that I knew of—that Tammy mentioned she was coming from or going to the doctor’s. I knew about her disease—we both did—and we never talked about it, just as she’d asked. But she’d never been to the doctor’s so frequently before.
Makeup complete, I took out the dress that had been hanging in wait since Sunday.
Pulling the plastic off of it and ripping off the tag, I laid it on my bed, stripping out of my sweats.
Pink… white… nude… Black.
My underwear selection wasn’t that sophisticated—not like Channing’s. But, I owned a few pair that were meant to be seen. Not that this was one of those nights, but this was also the only black thong that I had, sheer on the front, adorned with a tiny bow; the material barely covered the reason for its existence and then a thin black string all the way up the back. I wasn’t going to need a bra with this dress.
Undoing the back, I shimmied into the tight black bandage material. Turning my back to the mirror, I zipped up the zipper on the side, admiring again how the low back looked on me. The front scooped down low as well, squeezing my breasts so that it looked like the dress was almost too small to hold them in. Almost.
My hair was curled and I pulled out a pair of black heels that I’d grabbed at the last minute before I left my parent’s house in Florida.
What if I look like I’m going to a funeral in all this black? Was it too dressy for the Pub? I mean, it was Valentine’s Day weekend after all.
Spinning my Claddagh ring around my finger, I tried to calm my worries. Deep breath. It’s fine.
Opening my eyes, I smiled—approving of the final product.
“I’m coming!!” I yelled at the loud, obnoxious honking that came from outside. Jessa couldn’t hear me, but it made me feel better to say it as I threw on my statement necklace and grabbed my phone and purse.
“Happy Birthday, gorgeous!!!”
Jessa squealed as I got in the car, reaching over the console to awkwardly hug me.
“Thank you,” I laughed.
“Oh, shit,” she cursed and I followed her gaze, bursting out laughing when I saw her left boob hanging out of her dress.
“Wardrobe malfunction?” I got out between laughs as she righted herself with a huff. She’d insisted on picking out a bright purple dress—‘to go with her hair.’ Said dress had a deep V in the front with an empire waist that, billowed out into a flowy chiffon-like material. Jessa’s chest, well… it surpassed mine. So, leaning across the seat to hug me, the dress was like a paper towel trying to hold back the ocean. Not happening.
“Well,” she shrugged, “I wanted to give you a special show for your birthday, you know…” I laughed harder at her complete nonchalance. “Although this wasn’t quite how I’d planned it.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Anyway!” She smirked at me, pulling away from my house. “You look smokin’! I knew that dress was the way to go. God, I can’t wait to see Emmett’s freaking face. For some reason, I just enjoy seeing that man tortured a little bit. Alright, maybe I like seeing all of them tortured a little bit.” I rolled my eyes. “Wait, he is coming, right?”
“I mean, I think so. I didn’t exactly ask him…”
“No, he’ll be there. It’s fine.”
“Happy birthday, Ally!” Tammy appeared at our table with balloons and a small gift bag.
“Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed and threw my arms around her. “Thank you! You didn’t have to do this!”
“Of course, I did,” she insisted.
“Yeah, she had to try and show me up.”
“Oh, please,” Tammy huffed. “Don’t act like you didn’t get her a gift.”
“Oh, I got her a gift alright. And I gave part of it to her in the car.”
I started to laugh and Tammy looked at me. “She hugged me and fell out of her dress,” I explained as we sat.
“I flashed her,” Jess clarified.
“Oh my.” Tammy shook her head and joined in on our laughter.
“So, the two of us,” I motioned to her and me, “are on boob patrol tonight.” I eyed Jessa. “That means no bending over.”
She saluted me just as the waitress came over and took our drink orders. Wine, wine, and water.
“I hope you are saving your one drink for the Pub.”
Tammy just nodded, keeping her eyes on the menu.
“Hey, is everything ok?” I turned to face her. “You’ve been at the doctor’s a lot recently.”
“Yeah.” She nodded but didn’t look at me. “I’m fine. Just checking on some stuff, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
Now, her head darted up, unfettered pain written all over her face. “Yes! Positive. Now, it’s your birthday night. We aren’t going to start the evening off on my woes; that’s the last thing I need—and the last thing you two want.” She coughed to try and hide the way her voice cracked. “Now, what rolls are we ordering? I vote the Crazy Dragon Roll or the Umbrella Head.”
I held her gaze for a moment before doing as she asked; her worries fell to the wayside just for tonight, not because we wanted them to, but because she needed them to.
“Both sound good to me.”
16. I hate the way my eyes always search for him in the crowd and how I was always waiting for him to find me.
I WAS SO FULL OF sushi I wasn’t sure any amount of alcohol was going to have an effect. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try though.
The Pub was packed, mostly with couples, but there were a fair number of groups of girls and guys—both probably looking for a hook-up for one of the most painful nights for being single.
“Alright, birthday girl. What are you having?” Jessa rounded on me with a big smile. We’d snagged a high top near the stage where the band was setting up.
“My usual.” In Florida, I’d always been a light beer kinda gal. But ever since Halloween, I’d had an obsession with Dark ‘n’ Stormy—the drink and the man—and my girls knew it.
“How about you, mom?” She eyed Tammy.
“Jameson and ginger ale.” We both stared at her. First, Tammy rarely drank and when she did, it was one glass of wine.
Not one to question, Jessa smiled, “Absolutely,” and sauntered through the crowd over to the bar.
“We are going to talk about this, you know,” I couldn’t stop myself from saying.
Birthday or not. I knew my friend needed me and she needed to know that I was here whenever she was ready.
“I know,” she sighed. “But not tonight. Tonight, I just want to forget about it all and have a good time. Tonight, I want to celebrate you just like everyone else.”
“If you say so, but I would be careful with the Jameson and ginger. Those will sneak right up on you.”
“Thanks, mom,” she teased back at me. “Oh, looks like your brother is here.”
The band began to play as I followed her gaze over to the door where Chance and Nick had walked in.
Where was Emmett?
“Alice Daisy Ryder!” Chance shouted, drawing angry stares from those trying to listen to the music. “Happy birthday, little sister!”
I groaned as he squeezed me tightly, squeaking out a ‘thanks’ before he finally released me. Even Nick gave me a hug; it was cold and detached for the most part, but he didn’t have to do it, so that must mean something.
Chance glanced around; I had a feeling I knew who he was searching for. “Alright, Ally. What do you want to drink?”
“Actually—“
“One Dark ‘n’ Stormy for the birthday girl!” Jessa reappeared through the crowd and set my drink down in front of me; she wasn’t looking at me, though. She was looking at my brother with a big smile on her face.
The heaviness between them was even suffocating to me. How were they still breathing?
“Chance.” I’d never heard that tone of voice before. “Frost.” Her eyes narrowed somewhat when she mentioned Nick. I knew I was standing with my mouth wide open, taking in the scene in front of me, but so was everyone else…
“Jessa,” my brother bit out sourly. His smile was shining sharply as though he wanted it to cut her. Her name was like a curse leaving his mouth.
I was briefly distracted by the small laugh that came from Nick before he turned away from the show. Vaguely, I heard him say something to Tammy, but I was too interested in the silent war going on between Jessa and Chance to be able to focus on it.
“How have you been?” Jess answered nervously. I’d never seen Jessa nervous before. I took a sip of my drink, trying not to feel too much like the third wheel in the conversation.
“Good,” Chance clipped; the man in front of me, with a slight beard and angry eyes was a side of my brother that I rarely saw. “Really good, actually. Although, shouldn’t you be asking Frost? Or was it always both of us you were after? Nowadays, we might be up for that sort of thing.”
I choked on my drink. Oh my God. I was in shock, but all I could think about was Jessa. All color drained from her face. Her mouth parted slightly like she just realized the knife that had been stabbed into her chest.
Chance turned to me like he hadn’t just publicly humiliated my best friend and said, “When you’re done with that, I’m buying your next one, Al.” And with a sterner look, “But, that’s all you’re getting.”
And then, he and Nick were gone, disappearing towards the direction of the bar and probably towards the group of single women there as well.
“Jess are you ok?” I reached for her; she was frozen. “I can’t believe… I can’t believe he did that; he said that… I’m so sorry.”
Her face masked over. “It’s fine, Ally. After what I did, I deserved it.”
I would have been bawling my eyes out, but Jessa, she somehow pulled on this inner strength that kept her calm and composed
“No, you don’t. And it’s been what? Seven years?”
; “It’s ok, Ally. I’ve been waiting for that for seven years. Honestly, I’m just relieved that he finally had the chance to say whatever he wanted to me.” She gave me a sad smile. “It’s been a long time, but some hurts leave scars.”
The music droned on in the background. Part of me wanted to hug her, part of me wanted to scream at her for not yelling at him—for not smacking him, part of me wanted to smack him. But their fury was their own. I loved them both—no matter what hurtful things they’d done to one another.
“Did you finish your drink already, Tammy?” The old Jessa was back, like Chance had never existed.
I saw Chance and Nick at the bar talking to a group of women. He didn’t look over here again.
Whatever was between them had passed like an eclipse. A few minutes immersed in the complete darkness of their history—a darkness that was outlined with a light so bright, it could blind you. And then it was gone, both of them going their separate ways.
Tammy’s eyes went wide, looking down at her empty cup and back up at us like she had no idea how it happened.
Her expression—talk about comic relief. We burst out laughing.
“How did I… I couldn’t have…” She looked around as though someone else had been stealing sips from her cup this entire time.
“Do you want another one?” Jessa grinned at her.
My laughter stopped abruptly as chills beat up my spine.
Emmett was here.
I turned towards the door, scanning the faces, looking for that red.
I would always find him.
He would always find me.
Moisture pooled between my legs; I’d given up on any underwear being able to hold their own against him. Truthfully, the heat that poured out of me probably should have melted through the lace.
His eyes met mine—eyes that sent images of his hands on me, his mouth on me, flickering like my favorite movie through my mind.
He was with someone. I wasn’t sure how I could tell that, but I could and my heart stopped.
The Winter Games Page 60
