“Do you know what happened between Chance and Jessa?” Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.
“Yeah.”
“Can you tell me?” Now, I knew where this was headed.
“No. Not my story. Plus, it was a long fucking time ago. I’m sure they’re both over it.”
She grumbled underneath her breath, “Wouldn’t seem that way…”
“Why?”
“My birthday on Friday… Tammy and Jess want to take me to the Pub for drinks and dancing. Chance is coming,” she paused and I knew she was wondering if I would be there too, “and he didn’t look thrilled that she would be there.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised they haven’t run into each other yet. Although, your brother seems to be pretty occupied over at Frost’s. Not sure he gets out much.”
“Is he ok?”
“Are any of us?” Completely rhetorical. “Except you.” I winked at her and I wish I could have seen her face because I knew it would have told me more than her half-smile did.
“I just don’t want my birthday to upset him more,” she mused.
Her compassion – to the point of self-sacrifice – killed me. If she knew it would upset him, she’d cancel the whole thing to prevent it. That’s who she was. And that’s why it ate at me that she could want someone like me – a black hole for all the kind, caring people in the world to be destroyed by.
I should fucking disappear from her life.
But I wasn’t a good fucking person. I was selfish. I wanted her. I was fighting it – hoping she’d find a reason to hate me before it was too late. Because if not, I was going to take her.
We got off the lift and I brooded on my self-loathing the entire way down the trail – a run that Ally didn’t fall once on.
“They dated at the end of high school.” I didn’t know why I was bringing this back up again. A distraction for the both of us. “It kind of put a damper on our shit because he was obsessed with her. Especially because he’d starting medaling at so many events. His career was beginning to take off and she was planning on going to college in Texas so I don’t even know that it would have worked out anyway. But, after graduation, Frost had a huge party at his house to celebrate. And… something happened. Honestly, I wasn’t there – I was at the party, but I was…” I cleared my throat, “preoccupied.” I forget if it was with two blondes or three. “I learned the next day that some shit went down among the three of them. And a week later, Jessa moved south and that was it.”
“How was Chance?”
“He was pissed at Nick for a while, but that didn’t stop the three of us from going out… and stuff. In that respect, he was better than fucking new. He acted like he didn’t just want to forget Jessa; he acted like every girl he fucked shoved a dagger in her back that was thousands of miles away.” My eyes caught her shudder. “Sorry. Forgot I was talking to his sister.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” she countered
Shit, I groaned.
“I wouldn’t be too sure or too excited, sunshine.”
I worked with her down the slope and again, she fell one time – and even that wasn’t a complete wipe-out. Her determination and hell, her stubbornness, made me ache so badly for her. Thankfully, I was too damn proud of how well she was doing to let my arousal distract me. The fact is I was a terrible teacher, she had taken a fall that would have ended most beginners’ attempts, yet she was still here and doing fucking amazing.
“Hey, guys!” I turned as Tammy jogged towards us after the lesson was over. The kids had run off to the lodge so it was just Ally and me walking back towards the equipment room. “How did it go today?” she asked with her typical caring smile.
“Ok.” I heard Ally reply as Tammy hugged her briefly.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” They both turned and stared at me. “You fell what… once? Twice?”
“Three times – my butt was counting,” Ally teased as she folded her arms. “Why? Is that bad?”
“Hell no,” I scoffed, looking at Tammy. “She’s doing fucking fantastic. Especially after the fall.”
“That is really good, Al!” Tammy exclaimed. At least one of them was rational.
“Really?”
“I mean did you not see the rest of the class? Why do you think I have to work with them all the time? Seriously, you’re doing much better than most. Especially given my poor teaching abilities.”
“I’m glad you got back out there.” Tammy said. “Alright, I have to head out. I have a doctor’s appointment. Emmett, can you please lock up?”
I nodded as she hugged Ally again and jogged towards the parking lot.
Ally
“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.”
Chapter 18
Ally
I hate the way my eyes al
ways 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!”
On the Edge (Winter Games Book 2) Page 21
