by Ellie Parker
“Chase?” She should have won an High Award for the look of surprise on her face. Rolling her eyes, she sucked in a long breath.
“You left before the game ended.”
“I saw the end,” she said. She was diddling with her fingers, something she only ever did when she was nervous.
“What’s going on, Jessa?”
“Nothing. Seriously.”
“Your hair’s up. Lipstick worn. You don’t exactly look like you’re getting ready to go out.”
“It’s because I’m not.”
I felt a pound of disappointment settle in my stomach. “Your dad said no?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t ask.”
What the hell?
“Jessa?”
“I don’t know, Chase. Somehow this feels like a bad idea.”
“How so?”
Another deep breath. She looked over her shoulder and tamed her voice a little. “It feels like at some point, I’m gonna be forced to choose. And I…”
“Nobody’s asking you to choose, Jessa. Not forever, at least.”
She laughed a little at that and I took it as a sign that I was at least breaking down some of the walls she’d all of a sudden built up. “Come with me, Jessa.”
“I don’t know, Chase.”
“It’s not a question.”
She startled at that, but the rebuttal came almost immediately. “And I’m not good at listening to commands.”
“Since when?”
“Chase.” She shook her head at me and rested a hand on the door.
“What if I beg.” I didn’t wait for an answer. I clasped my hands in front of me and started to get down on my knees.
“No. Chase. No. Don’t do-“
“Maaacey.” Her dad’s voice rang throughout the house and Jessa’s hands moved quick to pull me from my position on the ground.
Turning on her heel, she gestured for me to follow behind her as she walked toward the living room.
“Dad, look who dropped by.” Again, the smile that sugar couldn’t top, even if it was fake.
I stuck out my hand. “Mr. Renshaw, sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I can’t say enough good things about how you’ve raised your daughter.”
He took my hand and shook it firmly. “You’re one of the…”
“One of the Stark triplets. I am indeed. You might know my dad?”
“Oh, yes, although he and I don’t run in the same circles. Pleasure to meet you, Chase.” He didn’t quite look like he thought it was much of a pleasure. Settling back down in his chair, he scratched at his head a little before turning his gaze back on me. “About the car, I wanted to thank you for lending it to my daughter. She’ll have it back to you as soon as she’s graduated.”
The smile on Jessa’s face made me know that that was more her mom’s doing than anything else. Mr. Renshaw didn’t approve of rowdy high school boys buying pretty little things for his daughter. He wasn’t stupid. Things like that weren’t just gifts received with nothing given in return. Girls had either two ways of paying – sex or their hearts. In our case, we wanted to latter. In our case, it wasn’t just one of us being given the opportunity to break it.
“My pleasure, sir. It was from all three of us, actually.”
Jessa wanted to change the subject, desperately. “So, Chase, what brings you out? I thought you were going to the bonfire?”
“I was on my way and saw your car sitting out front,” I started, not sure if he’d know there was no way that their house was on the way to the bonfire location. “Aren’t you coming?”
Jessa hung her head to one side. Had her father not being looking at her, she’d have rolled her eyes at me. “Nope, dad says I can’t go.”
I wasn’t shocked, but by the look on my face, no one would have been able to tell. “Is there something wrong? My brothers and I are all going.”
Mr. Renshaw looked a little embarrassed, just as I’d hoped. “I don’t want the girl drinking,” he confided, just as though I was another parent.
“Oh, definitely, I can understand that. I wouldn’t be going myself if there was going to be drinking involved. That can get you arrested when you’re under-age. Anyway, I don’t like the taste of the stuff. My mother serves wine on holidays at dinner. Tastes like something that already came up.” I added a laugh for good measure, to seal things in just a little. It seemed to be working. Jessa was rolling her eyes, but old Carl nodded. I was singing his tune.
“Wish I could go,” Jessa threw in with a wistful tone. “Dad, is there any way…?”
“Mr. Renshaw, would you feel better if I had her ride with me? You know I’d take good care of her.”
He was still nodding from the taste like crap line and just kept going. That’s salesmanship. Just keep ‘em nodding. “Well, I suppose, if you don’t stay out too late.”
Jessa squealed and, before he could change his mind, threw her arms around him. When she spun back around, she me a wink and grabbed her jacket on our way out the door. I opened the door for her to get into the truck.
“So you seriously weren’t even gonna call to let me know you weren’t coming?”
“I contemplated it,” she said and pulled the door shut.
I walked around and hopped into the driver’s seat, pinning her with another look.
“Plus, seeing you work for it was kinda worth it.”
She was something else, seriously. The pouty lips, the fire in her eyes, the innocence in her face. All of it combined was something us Stark boys should know better than to chase. One day, it was very likely that Jessa would ruin us – that was, unless one of us didn’t ruin her first.
Jessa scooted a little closer until she was right up against me. She did it to be playful. But when it came to Jessa, more times than not, my body didn’t know what playful was. My body was in attack mode. The predator being approached by its prey.
“You’re playing with fire, Jessa.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, and inched even closer. “The thing is, Chase. Hot as you are, I’m not getting burned.”
I grabbed her hand and held it tightly between my thighs. I couldn’t have had a stronger reaction. I was instantly hard and bursting to come into her. She saw and her eyes widened. Everything about her increased in intensity. The scent of her shampoo, the cologne, even the gleam of her lip gloss on the pouting lips; but that was eclipsed by what she did next.
With a slow, but deliberate movement, Jessa moved her right hand up the inside of my thigh. She looked down at my engorged cock and then moved her hand across it too. The action, though it was intentional, somehow didn’t seem to settle into her consciousness immediately.
“Woah!” I sprang back as if on fire and the truck veered into the weeds at the side of the two-track. “Be careful or I’ll be heading home for a change of clothes.”
She looked up at me with innocent and yet bewitching eyes. “Sometimes I wish-”
My mouth had been watering and now I choked a little on the spittle. I veered back onto the road, waiting for her to complete the statement. This wasn’t the Jessa I knew. She was shy and she was timid and never in a million years did I think slide her hand up my cock the way she did, but hell if I didn’t want her to do more than just that.
“Sometimes you wish what, Jessa?”
We were coming up on the group standing ahead and I had a hard-on that couldn’t be hidden. It would be unbelievable if I got out and wasn’t noticed, even in the darkness.
Jessa was out of the truck faster than a bullet. I had a feeling she was trying to avoid the question. I couldn’t blame her. Wishes were the kind of things you hoped would come true. With three Starks at her disposal, Jessa needed to be careful what she wished for.
She slid out of the struck, straightening her clothes as she stood. There were little squeals from the girls. The annoying squeals of the immature. They herded Jessa off and the group of them stood to one side, chattering and giggling. I joined my brothers and the other guys—mo
st of whom were on the team.
“Quite a game, Chase,” someone complimented, patting me on the shoulder. “You’re the G.O.A.T.” I jumped at the contact; still trying to hold myself together. My eyes followed Jessa as she moved between the others, smiling and happy. I wanted to always see her like that; as if she was the hostess of every party and the envy of every girl.
Stone and Sven were standing side by side, smoking cigarettes and looking into the fire with that blank stare that fires seemed to encourage. I knew what they were thinking, but tonight was my night. I trailed after Jessa and took her hand. She giggled and slid into the angle formed by my side chest and arm. She fit perfectly.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I told her. Her eyes widened and her lips opened as her tongue slid slyly over them.
“I’m not sure I should.” She was such a tease and she didn’t even know it. She stayed beside me as we walked down to the edge of the lake, out of the firelight’s reach.
Slowly, I pulled her closer to my side and draped my arms. When we came to a stop, she stepped in front of me, head pointed forward, and leaned back against my chest and looked out over the water.
“A little calmer than the big lake, don’t you think?”
She nodded and her silky hair blew up into my face. I knew there was a front due in and the winds had already picked up. Had it not been for the heat radiating between us, we would have been cold.
“What do you wish, Jessa?” Tracing a line along her neck, I could feel the rise and fall of her throat. Without me having to pay attention to the road, she wasn’t as brave. Now, in front of me, was the Jessa who was wrapped in the innocence of a virgin. Here, in front of me, was the Jessa I wanted to defile in all ways possible. Slowly and quickly, I wanted to fill her with the pain similar to the one I felt whenever I ached to touch her. Slowly and quickly, I wanted to fill her with the kind of pleasure that would make sure my mark was left.
I put one hand down the neck of her coat and into the opening of her shirt. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t pull away. To my amazement, and utter delight, she wasn’t wearing a bra. I slid my fingers down the valley between her breasts and scooped one of her breasts into the palm of my hand. It overflowed but was firm and yet so, so, so, so, soft. There was a compelling need to reach down and take the nipple into my mouth, but I knew where that would lead, and this was hardly the place or the time. Regardless, Jessa wasn’t some one-night stand. When I claimed her, it would be an almost holy moment. I wouldn’t settle for anything less.
She leaned harder into me, her hand moving behind her back to cup me. “Hmm…” I groaned. Even that little action was almost too much. “I want you so badly, Jessa girl. But I want it to happen in the right way, not here and not like this.”
I heard a small sigh of disappointment, but her head nodded. She understood. And because the pull was just a little too much to put distance between us, I spun her round until she was facing me, her lips within a breath of mine. Carefully, I leaned in. Not so carefully, I sucked on her bottom lip. A small moan slipped past her lips and I didn’t budge to find the opening, working my tongue into her mouth. Kissing Jessa was like voluntarily lighting myself on fire. There was heat everywhere. The painful kind of heat. And I knew that the only thing that had a chance of extinguishing it was the juices between her thighs.
Rising voices streamed in front the distance. It wouldn’t be long until we were no longer alone. I took as much as I could, tasting not only her lips and her tongue, but her neck, claiming her, marking her, owning her. “Jessa girl,” I whispered. “You’re gonna fucking ruin me.”
She didn’t say anything to that and I wondered if she knew just how true the statement was.
The voices crept closer and it took all the strength I could muster to pry myself away from her. Once again, we were facing the water, Jessa in front of me, my hands clasped around her body. We waited like that for a while longer, expecting the crowd to gather around us, or at least somewhere close.
We’d reached that point where some of the gang had been here long enough to get drunk. That meant the guys would get cocky and the girls would cry. This would generally lead to a fight and for the girls, her ladies in waiting would gather around her, tending to her bruised sensibilities. I hated when shit got that far and not knowing if there was anyone sober enough to really break shit up when it got bad, I felt the need to make a move.
“We should probably see what’s going on.” Jessa nodded and when she took my hand; hers was trembling a little and I wondered why.
“Sven,” she said, but when I turned to look at her, she steeled herself against my gaze.
“Jessa girl?”
A small smile grew upon her lips. It didn’t look genuine. Not in the slightest.
“Nothing,” she said, and shook her head. I would have prodded, had it not been for the fact that she’d quickened her steps and was now at least a few feet ahead of me. Plus, I was a fucking coward. Whatever Jessa was harboring, it wasn’t good and I wasn’t sure I would know just how to react to it.
10
Chase
Sven was facing Chris, a guy everyone knew had an insecurity complex. From what I gathered, Lixie, the girl Chris was putting moves on, had pushed him away and finally admitted that she wasn’t interested.
Chris was waving on his feet, a beer held out in one hand and a lecturing finger from the other. “Lixie’s been using me.”
Sven was staying quiet for the moment. I knew he didn’t want to get into anything and was probably hoping Chris would give up and go away.
“What do you have to say to that, asshole?” Chris demanded; he wasn’t going away.
“Not sure why you think I’m responsible for it.” Sven Sven said. His arms were crossed over his chest. To an outsider looking in, he looked relatively calm. To me, his brother, one-third of the whole, he was a quick second from blowing the fuck up.
“Because she wants you, you ass! She was using me to make you jealous!” Chris lowered his head. A bad sign.
Sven laughed and shook his head. “She’s all yours, man. Good luck!” Sven waved Chris off and turned his back.
“You’re saying she’s not fucking good enough for you?” That was the alcohol talking. Too much of it and even the most confident man could grow a gaping vagina. Right now, Chris’ was pretty wide open, complemented with balls that were a little too large for the position he was standing in.
Chris and the lowered head began the bull charge, as if he were going to tackle Sven on the football field. This time, however, there was an open bonfire in front of Sven and Chris was angling to put him in it.
“Wait here,” I ordered Jessa, pushing her hand off mine. “Sven!”
Sven knew what that meant. I wasn’t calling to get his attention, I was shouting a warning and as neatly as a dancer, Sven took a long sidestep just as Chris was about to nail him. Chris, unprepared for empty space when he thought he was going to land against Sven, couldn’t redirect his drunken momentum. He was headed straight for the fire.
Still the agile athlete, Sven turned on his heel, ducked his head and dove into Chris, shifting his course so that he landed on the cold, sandy ground just a few feet from the fire’s edge. The wind knocked out of him, Chris lay there a moment, but when he finally got to his knees and pushed to his feet, his face was bright red with anger.
I didn’t even feel her run past me. Jessa was suddenly in Chris’ face. “Chris, stop it! If you have any hopes of getting with Lixie, you’ll quit acting like a drunken ass. Sven doesn’t have anything to do with this. He’s not interested in her because he’s with me!” Jessa stepped around Chris, so she was between him and Sven, effectively blocking Chris from moving forward without hurting her.
Chris lingered a few seconds, looking at Jessa, then at Stone and me. He knew if he took one step in her direction, he’d be roasted alive. Nobody messes with Jessa. If we don’t see it, we’ll come for you when we hear about it—no excuses allowed.
&nbs
p; He staggered back a step, spat on the ground and threw his empty beer can into the fire. “Fuck all of you!” he screamed and headed for his car. He tried to peel off, but the ground was too sandy and he simply fish-tailed.
Just as I’d predicted, the girls made for Lixie, huddling around her like hens around a wayward chick. It must be in their DNA or something.
Sven had his arm around Jessa, and I knew with a crap feeling she wouldn’t finish the night with me. I might have staked my claim on her in the beginning, but it’s not like I was going to walk over there and pull her out of my brother’s arms. Only a part of Jessa belonged to me and right now that part wasn’t the one present.
“Take her home, Sven,” I called to him. He nodded and gave me a thumbs up. When Jessa shifted her eyes to meet mine, there was sadness there. I took it as some form of an apology, though I knew better than to think she had anything to feel sorry for.
Stone and I both headed for our vehicles and left for the night. My stomach felt like shit, but I wasn’t sure if it was something I ate or the girl with the dark chocolate hair.
11
Sven
I hated dropping Jessa off at home. I would have liked to have kept her out all night, maybe even watch the sun come up together on the beach under some blankets. I could feel myself aching for her, but I knew I couldn’t act on it, not yet. She didn’t just belong to me. She belonged to all of us. Sometimes, I wanted to point them in the direction of hell and tell them exactly how many buckets they should kick, if only that would allow me to keep her to myself. Honesty, this whole fucking thing was hell, but it was a hell we’d bought our way into. Plus, we all knew better than to think a piece of any ol’ girl was better than having even just a piece of Jessa. The question was, who was going to be the one to take the first real bite out of her?
