Grasping Air (Flipped Book 2)

by Carrie Aarons

  The center stone is a two and a half carat diamond, set in an antique gold setting with smaller baguettes running down the band. It almost looks bohemian in its rustic design, and I knew as soon as we got married in that chapel that Peyton should wear this ring, that this was the one I’d always wanted to give to her.

  My mom was giving us, our marriage, her blessing. She wasn’t going to come gushing out about it, nor would she wrap Peyton up in a hug and shower her with kisses. But by her leaving my grandmother’s ring outside my door, to give to my wife on Christmas day, she’s accepted us in her own way. This is how she shows it.

  “Well come on then, let’s go join the caroling troops.” Laughter and singing and the scent of freshly brewed coffee fills the air as Peyton wraps her arms around my waist.

  Love, raw and mighty, squeezes all of the ventricles of my heart before I drop to one knee in front of her.

  “Jared, what’re you doing? You know … we’ve already jumped the broom if that’s what you’re getting at.” She giggles as she wipes the sleep out of her eyes.

  Her black hair is still stuck up a little on one side, and she’s adorable as she gawks at me. I pull the open jewelry box out from behind my back and present it to her, the diamond gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the curtains.

  “Peyton Hargrove … I realize I never got down on one knee. I never asked you, properly, to be my wife. And I surely never presented you with a ring. This was my grandmother’s engagement ring, and I knew from the moment I asked you to marry me that I wanted to give this to you. I love you, and you’re a part of the Hargrove family now. We are your family, and now you have a part of us too.”

  Strong arms and wet tears envelop my neck, and Peyton’s muffled words are spoken into my body.

  “Can I put this on your finger?” I chuckle as I kiss her temple and she mumbles how much she loves me.

  She comes up for air. “Holy crap, how and why do you keep coming back to me? I think some divine force of nature is intervening in my life.”

  “Don’t curse. And I’m the lucky one. I love you.” Gently, I take her left hand and slide the ring on, nestling it right up to the band we bought in Vegas.

  The rings twinkle together, and look perfect on her slim finger.

  “It’s perfect.” She mirrors my thoughts.

  “If you two newlyweds are about done, the kids would like to open their Christmas presents.” Maggie’s husband pops his head into my bedroom and winks at us.

  I stand up, Peyton hanging all over me as I hug her close. I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present, just being with her is all the gift I need.

  “Let’s go see what Santa brought us.” I set her down, lacing my fingers through hers and pulling her into the hall.

  “There are more presents! I’m a spoiled wife.” She hums cheerily to herself as we descend the stairs.

  Everyone is gathered around the tree when we get downstairs, some looking into the fire, others sipping coffee … one of my nephews disobeyed protocol and already shredded open a gift. Dad is nearly sleeping but Mom is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, nothing makes her happier than her entire family under one roof on a holiday. She directs her gaze to us with a knowing expression when we walk in.

  “Well then, let me see how it looks. I haven’t taken that thing out of the box in ages, and I’m sure it looks much better on you than it ever did on my mother.”

  To my shock and Peyton’s astonishment, Mom comes over and takes her by the shoulder to look at the ring under the light over by the window. It’s a bonding moment between them, and probably one of the first Peyton has ever had with a motherly figure. I can see the way her body leans into my mom, how she’s feeding off every positive word Mom says. A tornado moves through my chest, pushing my emotions over the brim. The two most important women in my life are finding a common ground, and maybe that is the best Christmas present I could receive this year.

  “Uncle Jared, can we pleeeease open our presents? Daddy said we had to wait until you were done making out. Are you done now?”

  A shout of laughter explodes out of me as I shake my head at my brother-in-law.

  “I’m more than ready to watch you tear through those gifts, so have at it. But I think Santa may have brought your daddy coal.”

  The biggest smiles I’ve ever seen spread over my nieces and nephews faces as they dive into the pile of presents stacked under the ten-foot Christmas tree.

  I know Peyton doesn’t want to talk about having kids for quite a while, but part of me can’t wait. I’m anxious for the day she’ll give me a beautiful, tiny version of her to spoil even more.

  34

  Peyton

  A year ago, I would have laughed in your face if you told me I would be spending New Year’s Eve in a log cabin with my husband. A year ago, I was in a club in London downing my fifth vodka shot while the bouncer threw someone out of the VIP section I was sitting in and my friends snorted a line of coke.

  Yeah, a lot has changed in three hundred and sixty-five days.

  “This might as well be The North Pole for how fucking cold it is outside. Why couldn’t you just come to New Jersey again?” Spencer whines as he throws another log on the fire and peels off his parka.

  Nat laughs, nibbling on the end of his frosty pink nose. “Um, because up here in the Great Lakes is where the tour ends, and then we’re back for one show in New York. You know this … plus, shut the fuck up. It’s not like you made an effort to come out to any of the other performances.”

  I know she’s just joking, and so does her boyfriend, but in true Spencer Russell fashion, he’s going to keep the banter going.

  “That’s such a lie! You know I’m raising the future generation of gymnasts, coaching and honing young minds and spirits. I’m practically saving the world here, so pardon me if I didn’t have time to follow you all on your victory tour.”

  He’s goofing off, and when he’s finally undressed to his sweatpants and long sleeve, he prowls over to where Nat is sitting on the floor. “But baby, if you want me to show you my victory tour, there is a bedroom up there with our names on it.”

  “Keep it in your pants, Spence. At least until the ball drops.”

  Jared walks over and hands me my third glass of white wine. My head is swimming in happy surrender, and my body is singing every time he scoops me into his beautifully sculpted arms.

  “Oh, balls are going to drop my friend.” Spence winks at him and plants a sloppy kiss on Nat’s mouth. She just giggles.

  “He’s a child,” Jared whispers into my ear before nibbling the lobe. Sensation skitters down my spine and straight to my clit.

  I watch the fire dance as my husband assaults my neck with his mouth. Aside from the fact that my life has done a complete one eighty, there couldn’t be a more perfect way to spend New Year’s. Renting a cabin on Lake Michigan with your husband and best friends, who also happen to be in love … come on, there is no more perfect vacation.

  “So have you guys found a house yet?” Nat takes a sip of her champagne as Jason Derulo sings on the TV.

  I shake my head. “Not yet, but Zillow is practically my new best friend. You would not believe the amount of house you can afford in Texas versus the East Coast. Everyone should move down there. Hint, hint.”

  It made me sad that soon, the tour would end and we’d all go back to our regular lives. It had been fun spending time with Nat for the past two months. Now that she was going to be in New Jersey and I’d be an official southern belle I … didn’t really know how to feel. I had Jared, but I had virtually no one else in Texas. I was becoming closer with his family, but I also needed a life of my own. A career of my own, since we’d both be retiring from gymnastics. These thoughts filled my head endlessly, which was another new phenomenon. Before Jared came back into my life, before I found the confidence and strength to love him, I would have never found the responsibility it took to get my life to where I wanted it to be.

  “Some of us
didn’t go crazy and get married in Vegas. Not that I’m not thrilled, I can finally stop hearing about how much pain you cause my guy over there.” Spence winks at me.

  “I never told you one thing about Peyton and I!” Jared laughs at his best friend’s antics.

  Spencer puts his hand up to his mouth, pretending to cut Jared out of the conversation even though he can still hear it. “Get him drunk, everything will slip right out.”

  I can’t help but toss my head back and laugh. Spencer is hilarious to the point of obnoxiousness, but he’s so charming that he gets away with it. He’s so different from Jared, yet good for him. Jared lightens up when he’s around.

  Nat ignores her boyfriend. “We’ll come down once in a while … you know I love me some of that Dallas barbecue. And you’ll come to us, I’m sure Spence would love some gymnastics idols to come and coach the kids. They’ll go nuts for you two.”

  “And then I can come and show up Spence, teach those kids what real gymnastics looks like,” Jared jokes, shifting me so that I’m closer to the fire.

  How he could tell I was getting cold, I’ll never know. It’s like he feels my emotions and I feel his, like we’ve imprinted or something and now I am affected by everything that happens to him. Maybe that’s what marriage is, trying to judge what the other person needs and going out of your way to make it so. Regardless, it baffles me just how much more in love with him I fall each day.

  “Or maybe you’ll be in town for our wedding.” Spence waggles his eyebrows at Nat.

  She snorts. “In your dreams, babe. I have a few more medals to win in three and a half years. We can talk diamonds after that.”

  Spence starts to tickle her, and I know for sure she won’t be able to hold out for three and a half years if that man proposes. He’s too damn pretty for her to say no.

  Jared picks up my left hand in his, stroking the two rings on my fourth finger. My heart swells, and I know we’re both thinking about the day we said our vows. Or the day, just six short ones ago, that he got down on one knee in his childhood bedroom and presented me with the most gorgeous and heartfelt gift I will ever receive. His grandmother’s ring, my ring, is completely gorgeous, sure. But it’s the thought behind it and the generations it’s been passed down through that make it so special. To know that he wanted me to have it, for it to symbolize my becoming a Hargrove, it’s more than I could have ever asked for.

  Suddenly, all of the thoughts in my brain go radio silent. Because my husband sticks his hands down the back of my yoga pants and begins kneading my ass cheek.

  “Stop thinking.” He continues his exploration of my backside.

  Spence and Nat can’t see what’s happening under this blanket, but it doesn’t mean I feel any less on guard about it. The taboo nature of it makes his entire assault that much more naughty. It has my clit throbbing and he’s nowhere near it. I squirm, needing his fingers to elevate the ache between my legs.

  Leaning back against Jared’s chest, his rock hard dick presses sharply into my spine and I have to stifle a moan. It’s only eleven thirty, there is no way we’re going to make it to midnight before he can drag me upstairs and fuck me sideways.

  I think our friends are having the same … um, feelings. Nat clears her throat before saying, “So, we are really tired, and think we’re going to go up to bed.”

  They’ve barely come out of their bedroom this weekend. Not that we don’t have our fair share of mind-blowing newlywed sex, but Spence and Nat have barely seen each other over the last two months. I don’t blame them for wanting to get down and dirty.

  “Us too.” Jared fake yawns. “So damn tired.”

  We all practically sprint out of the living room, and I snicker because we’re all horny idiots. Spence and Nat race up the stairs to their bedroom, and Jared grabs my hand, making me walk in front of him down the hall to the master we’re occupying on the first floor of the cabin.

  His hands roam my backside, gripping and spreading my cheeks. Wetness floods my underwear, making me hot and uncomfortable.

  “I’m not even going to make it into our room, I need you to rip my clothes off so bad.” Panting, I lean back into him.

  “As much as I’d love that, I have some very … intriguing ideas about what to do with you. And that requires you and me, bare-ass naked in the privacy of our own room. We wouldn’t want to scare the children, now would we.”

  His eyebrow goes up in that sexy, fuck-me expression and my insides melt. Sure, I could use more elegant terms, but there is no better way to say it. My husband is so fucking hot.

  As soon as we cross the threshold into our room, it’s a race to see who can get their clothes off faster. We’re pulling at each other, nothing but needy moans and angry grunts when limbs can’t detach from fabric fast enough.

  “I want you by the doors.” Jared points to the all glass French doors leading out to the deck off our room.

  Usually, you’d be able to see Lake Michigan through them. Except tonight, snow is piled up almost to the height of my hips on the other side of the door. I go and stand by them, anxious as to how he is going to give me my pleasure tonight.

  Jared’s front meets my back as I do what I’m told, bracing my hands against the freezing cold window. He runs his hands down my body, eliciting goose bumps all over my skin. His cock, hot and throbbing, nestles between my ass cheeks, thrusting between my skin and sending lust pooling to the very bottom of my core.

  “Lean against the door.” His voice is harsh.

  If my hands against the glass are any indication, the pane is freezing. He wants me to lean forward, pressing my breasts and nipples against the cold surface. I inch forward as his hand slides around and down, hovering just above my sex. I can feel the cold seeping through my body before my skin even hits the glass, and yet Jared is distracting me, ghosting his fingers over my clit. Finally, I take the plunge and push against it.

  Cold invades my body, and I moan loudly from my sensitive nipples hitting the door. But my body doesn’t have time to swallow the reaction, because as soon as my nipples scrape the glass, Jared is thrusting two fingers inside me, grinding into me with the palm of his hand.

  “Fuck!”

  The burning hot of what he’s doing to my pussy counteracts the biting cold of the glass on my nipples, and I am ready to explode as he slides two fingers out of me and pushes three back in.

  “You like that, baby? The mix between hot and cold. Do you even know how fucking gorgeous you are? I can see your taught nipples in the reflection of the glass.”

  I stare down into the glass, and he’s right, he can see everything he’s doing to my body as he looks down over my shoulder. I look up, my face the picture of lust as he pumps his fingers in and out. Jared’s muscles behind me gleam in the shadows, pulling and flexing with each thrust of his fingers. His eyes are molten, focused on his own fingers invading my pussy.

  The sight of it, like a voyeur, sets me off.

  “Baby …” I gasp, slumping against the door as his heel hits my clit, setting off an explosion of fireworks better than any July Fourth grand finale.

  Explosion after explosion hits me, smashing against my ribs, my hips, my clit. It’s too much, and Jared catches me around the waist as my body begins to bliss out. He turns me, my back hitting the cold glass. I suck in a breath and bite my lip, adjusting to the feeling of the glass on my flesh.

  Jared bends a little, and before I know what’s happening, he’s grabbing behind my knees. My foggy head, riddled with the earth-shattering orgasm I just spun through, can’t keep up. Before I realize it, he’s hoisting me up onto his waist, spreading me wide open so that my dripping core is exposed but aching for more.

  “Yes …” he hisses as he lowers me onto his cock.

  The door in back of me is leverage, and I’m wedged between it and the sculpture of rock hard muscle holding me steadily down onto his rigid dick.

  “I’m not going to make a noise, got it baby? I’m going to slide my cock i
n and out of you, and you’re going to watch my face. Watch what you do to me.”

  If there is anything hotter than Jared dirty talking during sex, it’s Jared not talking during sex. I do as he says, watching his face as he slowly fucks me, hearing his breathing become more labored, watching his eyes heat and the veins in his neck strain.

  There in the quiet, we ring in the New Year. I can’t think of anything more perfect than to finish together as the ball drops and a fresh start erases the canvas of the world.

  Nothing like bringing in the New Year with a bang.

  35

  Jared

  We’ve had some incredible stops on this tour. New York, Miami, Los Angeles. Vegas … that one was probably my favorite, for … obvious reasons. There have been celebrity guests show up, adorable kids wanting our autographs, and free food. That was probably Duke’s favorite part.

  But who knew that one of our best nights would come in Detroit?

  My teammates have been on fire tonight, throwing skills they haven’t thrown since the Olympics, putting on smiles and dance moves I’ve never even seen before. There is something electric going on, and we all feel it.

  I think it started with Nat, who saw how upset Peyton got as we were coming into the arena. A couple of fans were booing her, holding signs with sayings basically addressing our marriage. Accusing her of being pregnant, or roping me into something. Some even trying to convince me to cheat on her or leave her. It was nasty, the lowest base form of cruel. She leaned into me, trying not to look … but I know they got under my wife’s thick skin.

  So Nat said fuck ‘em, and went to everyone on the tour to make tonight extra dazzling.