by SM Olivier
“Yet you continue behaving like one. Let’s go, girls. We still have to pick up your sister,” he said concisely. “It was nice to finally meet you, Peyton. I wished it could have been under better circumstances.”
“You, too,” I murmured, slightly shocked.
Apparently, not all Delaney’s lived in a life of denial.
Paxton had to hide his smile as he tugged me out the door. “Let’s go, Pey.”
“Wow,” I stated in wonder as we left the studio.
“I always did like Pete.” Paxton chortled as he led me to his Bronco. “Unfortunately, Bailey and his ex-wife are cut from the same cloth. They have the nerve to call you and your mother whores when they are the ones known to be spreading the love, if you know what I mean.”
“I do,” I said with a smile. I cringed as I heard Bailey carrying on as she exited the studio. “So, Diane cheated on her husband?” I ventured a guess.
“Several times.” Paxton suddenly grimaced. “But she was finally caught when the new doctor came into town. The doc’s wife was suspicious of his behavior and decided to investigate his whereabouts. She recorded them going in and out of the hotels and printed out all their phone conversations. She sent all the evidence to Pete before she confronted her own husband and then Diane. They tried to deny it at first, but the evidence was all there. Pete filed for divorce, and the doctor left town once he realized his wife was leaving with their two children.”
I shuddered. “Welcome to small town living.”
“It’s not always bad,” Paxton sympathized before he opened the door and gave me a kiss on my cheek. “You’ve only seen the ugly. Just wait when they all pull together. It’s a sight to see.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” I snorted in disbelief.
●
“This is so beautiful,” I said in awe as we reached the top of the mountain.
I had nearly groaned when I realized we had to hike two miles up the mountain, but it was all well worth it in the end. We talked a lot, stopped on the trail to eat, and were able to take a lot of amazing photographs.
As I looked down from the shelf we stood on, I could see our small little town despite the forty-minute drive it took to get here.
The cars looked like little specks, almost like ants marching to their colonies. Besides that, we were surrounded by nature. The setting sun with its pink, orange, and purple hues was the icing on the cake. I felt so close to nature, and suddenly, all my stress, fears, and worries seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
I took a deep breath in, closed my eyes, and tilted my head up to the sky. I needed this.
“Stunning,” Paxton agreed quietly.
I smiled and turned to look at him. I noticed he had his camera out and it was pointed at me. “Thanks. I really needed this.” I ducked my head, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“Don’t stop,” Pax gently urged. Suddenly, he reached in his pocket and turned on some music. “Can you dance for me as the sun sets behind you?”
“Pax,” I playfully whined but still took a deep breath as I listened to the lyrics that played from his phone.
I recognized the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, and already, my body started moving as I connected with the song. It wasn’t the prettiest contemporary piece I’ve ever done, but by the time the song ended, I knew Paxton was happy with the shots he took.
“Can you do some of those jumpy things while you look at me?” Paxton gave me a pleading look.
“Pax,” I groaned playfully. “I like taking pics, not being in them. When can I take shots of you?”
Little did he know, I had already snuck some of my own shots of him. Along the trail, we had come across a fawn that still had her spots. The look of wonder on Paxton’s face had been too tempting to not take pictures of him.
He was dressed simply in a pair of loose-fitting jeans, hiking boots, and a black T-shirt that hugged his slim-build and muscular frame. But he was beyond handsome, with his face so open and his body unusually relaxed. The more pictures he took, the more I realized how much he loved photography.
As he took pictures of the deer, I took pictures of him. When the doe had joined her fawn, he had almost quivered with excitement, and I was lucky enough to capture it all.
“You can take shots of me after I take a few of you.” He grinned at me, his jaw moving up and down almost imperceptibly.
I knew he was playing with his tongue ring.
“And then?” I gently prodded him.
I smirked, thinking about one of the only parts I remembered in the somewhat inane comedy Dude, Where’s My Car? Lucas had made me watch it over and over again.
“No ‘and then.’” He shrugged, smiling at me diffidently.
Obviously, he picked up on my movie reference.
“I’ll take the shots for you if you tell me what else is bothering you.” I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at him.
“I brought a tripod,” he hedged finally. “I was wondering if… well, if you’d mind if we took a few pictures together.”
I didn’t understand his hesitation, but I smiled. “Of course. I would love that.”
“Really?” he asked in surprise.
“Really,” I insisted with a laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”
“Well…” He ducked his head and placed his hand on the back of his neck as he played with his tongue ring. “I don’t know the rules. If I like a few of the shots, I want to have them printed, put them in my room.”
I felt my heart melt at his sweetness. He had really thought this through.
“There are no rules, Pax.” I took a few steps towards him and grabbed his face before pulling him down to kiss his soft lips. “I mean…” I shrugged. “I don’t want you guys discussing the intimacies I may share with you guys with each other, but I don’t want you to not treat this as a real relationship.” I laughed at myself a bit self-deprecatingly. “I mean, I know it’s not conventional, and you guys have the raw end of the deal, but I like all of you…a lot. If you want to take me out, I wanna go out. If you need some of my time, let me know. I think we just all need to communicate with each other so it can work.”
He grinned at me before grabbing my face. He leaned in towards me, and I closed my eyes, waiting to feel his lips on mine. I didn’t have to wait long.
I could taste his sweetness, his uncertainties, the longing in his kiss. His tongue swept across my lips, and I felt the ball of his tongue ring against them.
I opened my mouth for him and groaned when his tongue met mine. The piercing felt foreign at first, but eventually, I found it…erotic. It made me think about his wicked promises on what he could do with that tongue ring, and I stepped closer to him. We were chest to chest, and I raised my hands so my fingers could tangle in his light brown hair.
He grasped my waist and pulled me into the curve of his hips. There was no denying his reaction to our kiss. He wanted me.
He pulled back breathless. “We need to stop,” he groaned. “Let’s take our pictures and then continue this.”
I laughed softly despite the fact that my libido was raging, and I wanted to make out with him some more. “Okay.”
17
●
Experimenting
I threw some spinach, blueberries, kale, bananas, honey, and Greek yogurt in the blender before pushing the button to start it. I was trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t wake Kyler or Crew. Zane was going to be here any minute to pick me up for my first competition in months.
Even though I had gone to bed early last night, my sleep was fitful. The butterflies in my stomach had taken flight. Crew tried his best to exhaust me; physically, it had worked but mentally my mind couldn’t be silenced. It had only worked for a few hours at best. I was a mixture of too much excitement and nerves.
While the smoothies blended, I took my hair out of the large rollers I’d put in. On competition day, our hair was styled more, and our makeup heavi
er and more dramatic than usual. We were already told to just do our hair because our makeup would be put on later.
I turned off the blender, then started putting enough product in my loose curls to guarantee my hair was more helmet than hair.
Solos were performed before group numbers, and Anya requested that I keep my hair down for mine. I could tell she was just as anxious as we were yesterday. We had gone through our routines yet again and then went over arrival times and prep.
Anya had rented us a coach bus, so the company and all twenty competitors would be riding together. Some of the parents had been displeased by her insistence that their younger children couldn’t ride with them, but it was in the contracts that they signed when their children were invited to the competition team.
Anya had a belief that some parents put unnecessary pressure on their children before a competition. She wanted the children to relax and just be kids, hence all of us sharing a ride.
“You left me again,” Crew grumbled moments before he embraced me from behind.
I started for a moment until his lips found the back of my neck. I moaned when he found the spot he knew had me in puddles in seconds.
“It’s Saturday,” I murmured tipping my head, giving him access as I gripped his sinewy forearms. “You played a tough game last night then came home to… take care of me. You should have slept in.”
“I wanna take care of you again,” he murmured. His large hands found their way under my black and pink tracksuit, then grazed the top of my underwear band. I gasped. My skin was on fire with the feel of his hands on my bare skin.
Since we decided to take our relationship to the next level, he had become insatiable. Who was I kidding? I had become insatiable. When we were alone, we couldn’t keep our hands to ourselves, and with every time, it just got better and better.
“Zane’s gonna be here any moment,” I pouted. “I don’t have any time.”
He made a sound between a growl and a groan.
The creak of the garage door warned us we had less than ten seconds before Zane was going to come in from the mudroom. Crew sighed but moved his hands, wrapping his arms around my waist instead.
“Good luck today, angel,” he murmured before kissing my temple.
Only Zane was accompanying me to the competition. I was disappointed to find out that Crew and Kyler were heading over to one of their flips. They hoped to have it on the market by Monday so they could start the showings for it. The longer they sat on it, the longer they would have to pay for a mortgage for a house they weren’t living in.
Golden, Mr. Isaacs, and Paxton were having their last home visit this morning. If all went well, they would be able to see a judge within the next couple of weeks to finalize the adoption of Maisie and Clay. I missed them terribly and barely got to see them lately, and from the sounds of it, Clay was suffering the most. My poor buddy.
“Thanks,” I said, my nerves attacking me once more.
“Good morning,” Zane said with a smile. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I groaned before grabbing a few cups for my smoothie concoction.
I really wanted a coffee this morning, but I didn’t think it was wise to consume caffeine before the competition. It didn’t affect me during the week, but I always treated competition days differently.
“You’re gonna kill it,” Zane said confidently.
I gave him a slight smile. “Crew, do you want any of this?” I asked as I handed Zane a cup.
“Maybe a splash.” Crew smirked before heading over to the coffee machine.
“Oh good, you didn’t leave.” Kyler came striding into the room in nothing but his jeans, a towel wrapped around his neck.
I’d had every intention of sleeping with him last night, but he had been working weird, long hours lately. With my house and two flips, he was beyond busy. I knew he was just trying to get as much done before winter set in, but I missed him. Hopefully, we could spend some one-on-one time together soon.
I tried not to ogle him too much as I watched a bead of water drip down his massive chest. I barely resisted the urge to follow that drop with my tongue. I could smell his body wash emanating off of him.
“My eyes are up here,” Kyler teased as he stepped in front of me. Crew and Zane stifled their laughter.
“Well,” I said disgruntledly, trying to hide my embarrassment. Might as well embrace it. “I’m all about equal opportunity. Now you know how girls feel when you stare at their breasts. Theirs, not mine,” I said self mockingly as I stared down at my flat chest.
“I have no complaints either way.” Kyler smirked. “I love your breasts, and you can stare at me as much and as often as you want.” He gripped my upper arms and kissed my forehead. “Good luck today, not that you need it. After seeing you practice the other day, I have no doubt you’ll knock ‘em dead.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling my cheeks warm under his praise. “We should get going.”
I grabbed my duffle bag, and on impulse, reached up to kiss Crew’s and Kyler’s cheeks before leaving.
●
We pulled up to Renee’s house. It wasn’t much to look out from the outside. She lived on the outskirts of the heart of town, where the houses were set close together and were probably built in the seventies; some updated, some in dire need of repair.
Renee’s single-story house was made of brick and seemed no bigger than our cottage had been when we’d first moved in. I could tell it could use some updating from the outside, but the yard was well taken care of. There were so many homey touches to it, like the plants hanging from the porch rafters, and the impeccable landscaping around the house.
I lifted my phone and texted Renee.
“Did you want to stop and get coffee? Maybe some food?” Zane asked as he leaned over and took my hand.
Me: We’re here :)
Butterfly: Be right there!
“I’m in dire need of caffeine, but I don’t like drinking it on competition day,” I admitted to him as I squeezed his hand. “And I don’t think my stomach will let me eat yet. But if you want to stop and get some food or coffee, we have time.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. “What are you doing on Tuesday night?”
I linked my hands behind his neck, desiring his lips on mine once more. “No plans, why?” I smiled at him.
“I want to take you out after dance class. On a real date. There’s this hole-in-the-wall Italian joint about an hour away from here. It’s a family owned place with authentic homemade cooking.” He caressed my lips. “Afterwards, you can spend the night with me.”
I leaned into him, inhaling his scent. I could taste the hint of mint on his lips and could smell his cologne. “You had me at pasta.” I kissed his chiseled jawline, liking the stubble on my lips. “And I’ll pack an overnight bag.”
“Great.” He looked over at me and grinned, his irresistible dimples making an appearance.
He generally was a clean-cut guy, but today I couldn’t deny how sexy he looked with that stubble on his face. I leaned back to admire him once more. There was no denying how hot he was. He had dark sunglasses on, adding an air of mystery to him, and his tan from the summer still clung to his olive complexion.
Today he looked like he was going to a fashion shoot or something. He wore an open, collarless dove-gray blazer over a white T-shirt. His long legs were encased in dark, distressed fitted jeans. To complete his look, he wore an expensive looking watch and a pair of shoes a few shades darker than his blazer.
“I’m a lucky girl,” I murmured to him. “You look so delicious. I just wanna eat you up.” I blurted out.
He let out a startled laugh before smirking at me. “Oh, yeah? You have no clue how many times I imagined doing just that to you since Tuesday. I’m the lucky one.”
I groaned. “No turning me on before the competition.”
“Hey, guys.” Renee opened the back door and threw in her new duffle bag
.
Anya had surprised the competition team with brand new matching gym bags yesterday after our morning classes. She’d also purchased black tracksuits with pink pinstripes for the girls, and black tracksuits with baby blue pinstripes for the guys. Our gym bags were solid black. Anya’s Dance Academy was emblazoned on our backs and bags.
Zane and I put a little distance between ourselves, although he continued to hold my hand. I wished I could see his eyes, because I sure could feel his heated gaze on me.
“Good morning,” Zane and I responded back with smiles.
I couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looked with her hair partially up and pinned back. The rest of her long dark hair was in tighter curls than my own. Her makeup was minimal, but I knew Anya’s right-hand woman Alex would be putting on all our finishing touches. Alex used to be a makeup artist, so she was definitely an asset to Anya in more ways than one.
“Thanks for picking me up again,” Renee said almost glumly as she looked out the window.
I knew she was feeling upset that her father wasn’t going to be there. I had been in her shoes once and knew how hard it was not having someone in your corner. I made a mental note to be her biggest cheerleader today.
“I was going to get a bagel and coffee,” Zane said as he pulled out into the street. “Want anything? My treat.”
“No, thanks. Did you buy my new costume?” Renee finally blurted out as she looked at me.
“No,” I immediately responded.
Technically, I hadn’t. After the girls had made fun of Renee the other day, I had talked to Grandpa about Renee’s situation, asking him if he was able to donate any money to the school for the scholarship kids, money for costumes and any other expenses that popped up. He had immediately agreed and had written a check out to Anya, anonymously. He had also promised to contact Renee’s father for an interview, working for his company. Kyler wouldn’t be able to pay her dad enough to make it worth him leaving his current job.
Renee looked at me suspiciously.
I tried to give her a bright smile. “Are you ready for today?”
