“Scared you’ll come in last?” he teases and I pull away from him. I’m about to tell him where he can shove that sentence when Xavier shoves a can in my face. I jerk back, taking it from him as he finishes passing out the chilled cans to our group.
I groan at my own can. Xavier fucking grabbed the tallboys. I’m going to die.
Dez pulls out a pocketknife, puncturing a hole in his can before handing it off to me. I make another face, taking it between the tips of my pinched fingers.
“I don’t have any diseases. Jesus, Emery.” He shakes his head.
“When was the last time you got tested?” I ask him, eyeing the knife.
Bash chokes on a laugh.
Dez flips me off and I grin before noticing my cousin is beer-less.
“You don’t want one, Nori?” I ask her, even though she’s already shot me down. She looks sad and uncomfortable as her eyes are trained on her toes, her big one drawing in the sand.
Xavier is already in motion, handing her a can when she shakes her head, saying, “I’ll time ya.”
“You don’t want to do it?” Zay asks, not accepting her answer.
“I can’t stomach beer,” Nori says, not mentioning that she’s not a drinker. Very rarely will she drink. If ever. The last time was probably at a family wedding two years ago when they served champagne for the toasts. I always offer, though. “Can’t stomach the hops, it makes me sick in the morning.”
Xavier doesn’t look ready to accept her answer, staring at her, as his mind searches for the right words to persuade her.
He doesn’t register the finality of her tone. She’s not doing it. A part of me wonders if she only came here tonight for me and a stab of guilt settles in my stomach.
Nori looks at me, wanting me to throw her a life raft or something to save her from the attention. So I do what I must.
I jab the knife into the can, some beer spilling onto my hand. They all look at me and I see Nori relax, slightly.
I try to give the knife to Bash, but he already used his car keys and is ready to go.
“Dude, you’re about to lose,” Bash tells Xavier, who hasn’t even prepped his tallboy.
Nori gets her phone out, readying the timer, as we wait for Xavier to get on it. When the four of us are all ready, standing shoulder to shoulder in a line, Nori yells, “Drink!” and taps a button on the screen.
A crescendo of cans opening fill the air around us as I tilt my head back, chugging the beer. The liquid flows into my mouth, going down so fast I don’t even taste it. For the first two seconds it’s going smoothly, until my throat closes and I can’t breathe.
Without even downing half the can, I throw it on the ground, and crouch over with my elbows digging into my thighs and hands holding back my hair as I cough at the sand.
The three dudes all finish around the same time. Blink and you might have missed the winner, but Bash crushes his can first, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I glare at all of them.
Nori calls time.
Four seconds flat for Bash.
I lost and that’s what pisses me off more.
Not because I convinced myself I was choking.
He whoops and moves to hug me when I step away. He grins. “Don’t be such a sore loser, babe.”
“Don’t be such an obnoxious winner, babe.” I cross my arms over my chest, mumbling, “I told you I didn’t want to play.”
“What was that?” Bash turns his ear toward me. “That sounds like a sore loser complaint.”
I take a step toward him, hands balled in fists, when Nori says, “She doesn’t do well with swallowing.”
The glare is wiped away as my mouth drops open. Equal parts anger and shock show on my face at my cousin’s words. I mean, what the hell?
Xavier dissolves into laughter and has to bend over as he clutches his stomach. Dez laughs, more composed than Xavier, but laughing nonetheless as he clasps Bash on the shoulder. “Bro.”
His words shake with humor.
Bash’s mouth mimics mine, hanging open at Nori’s words. Okay, so maybe my anger at him has receded slightly.
He recovers more quickly than I do and says, “She didn’t have a problem the other night.”
His words are thick with meaning and he looks away from Nori to find me smiling smugly at him. He gives me one back. A secret memory that runs through both our heads.
Nori finally understands the impact of her words. Her face rapidly turns red, as she sputters to recover. “That’s not what I meant! I just mean she can’t swallow pills or chug water because she has herself convinced she will choke.”
Oh, great. Since the hospital, pills are just something I can’t do. Thank you so much for that, Nori. That sobers up all the men.
“Dude,” Dez says.
Xavier is staring at my stomach.
Bash has gone white.
Idiots. All of them. I roll my eyes. “I get the birth control shot, okay guys?” My hand runs down the light sweater I’m wearing. “No little surfers are currently growing inside of me.”
As one, all three sigh. I roll my eyes. As a unit, the three of them are ridiculous. I’m about to tell them that when a scream, distinctly sounding like my best friend, directs our attention to the other side of the fire.
The guy she went over to talk to has her thrown over his shoulder and she’s laughing hard. One of his hands is resting on her butt. I relax when I see she’s having fun, but next to me Dez shouts, “HEY!”
Everyone near us turns to look over, but Dez has on his tunnel vision goggles. And they are focused on the scene before him.
Brit picks up her head to stare at Dez as he stalks toward them. She’s shaking her head, silently begging him not to come over, not to ruin her night. Her voiceless pleas go ignored.
I shuffle to Bash’s side, slipping my arm around his waist. “Should we stop him?”
“Nah,” He constricts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “They need this.”
“Brit doesn’t need Dez disrupting her happiness.”
“No, but she needs to yell at him. She needs to let her hurt out. Making him jealous isn’t going to get her anywhere.”
Hmph.
“I’m still mad at you.”
“We really need to work on your losing face.”
“It’s not that I lost.” Even though it is. But there’s a bigger part to it. “It’s because I lost to a bunch of guys. I feel like I let my gender down.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “You didn’t let down your gender. I’ve been beat by a bunch of girls at drinking games. You just need to find the one you dominate at.”
“It’s quarters.” I did learn some things at college. “And I don’t think shotgunning a beer is a drinking game.”
Bash shrugs as we hear Brit scream, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
She’s in Dez’s face now and the guy from earlier is standing off to the side. He watches her verbally spar with someone else and doesn’t even look all that interested or concerned. Asshole.
Dez, on the other hand, looks like he’s ready to explode. “What the fuck is your problem? You want my attention, come to me, not some fucking preppy douche!”
I take in the other guy’s attire and can confirm he is dressed in a preppy way. White button down, pink shorts stopping above the knee, and boat shoes.
On the beach. He’s wearing boat shoes on the beach.
Bash is barefoot. The proper foot attire for the beach.
“Maybe I like him. Did you think of that, Dez?” Brit stands on her toes, she is also barefoot, and is now eye level to Dez’s nose. “Not everything is about you.”
“It is when it concerns you.”
“You’re not my keeper! You shouldn’t care what I do.”
“Yeah, well I fucking do!” he screams, his voice cracking at the end. Silence follows. Brit blinks and Dez takes a deep breath. “I know you don’t want me to, but I fucking do. I care, Brittany. I care so fucking much.�
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Brit blinks a few times and my heart catches at her full name.
She shakes her head at him, mouthing something I don’t catch before she’s sprinting down the beach. Dez goes after her, closing the distance between them. I pull away from Bash, ready to chase after her, after Dez, but Bash stops me. “They need to do this, Em,” he reminds me and I nod, allowing him to pull me back into his embrace. He pulls me in front of him, locking both arms around my neck, his stance wide.
Nori is shaking her head at Xavier, who is sitting on the ground against her legs. “C’mon. Let’s get you home.” She rocks on her feet, knocking her knees into his back. He mumbles something incoherent.
“You’re not taking him home,” I tell her. I sound like a parent and I hate it. But it’s Nori. Nori, who’s like my little sister and who I have to protect from the world. My precious baby.
“Yes, I am,” Nori says. “No one else is good enough to drive and he can’t stay on the beach all night.”
Her words make sense, so much sense I find myself nodding in agreement, not even attempting to persuade her to go in a different direction. I don’t have the want to try otherwise. My time is limited and I have to make the most of it. Feeling iffy about Nori and Xavier’s friendship is not how I want to spend my freedom.
I roll my head onto Bash’s chest, looking up at him. “I think I’m drunk.”
His chuckling chest vibrates my body.
“Not too drunk,” his voice is in my ear. As soft as silk and as deep as the ocean. I shiver against him when he continues. “I have plans for us.”
“Want to get started on those plans now?” It’s like fifteen minutes until midnight.
He grabs ahold of my hips, holding them still as he rolls his against me and I get a good sense of how ready he is. My mouth goes dry as a tightness settles between my legs.
“Are you good if we take off?” I ask my cousin, my gaze jumping from her to Xavier.
She waves me away, rolling her eyes. “This was my idea, remember? Now go.”
Bash is leading me away from them and down the beach before Nori can finish speaking.
Bash presses me against the side of his truck when we get to his house, kissing me with lips that taste like beer and gelatin shots. I’m getting drunk on his touch as his hands grip my thighs and my legs wrap around his waist.
He’s kissing me like it’s the last time. He always kisses me like it’s our last time. I don’t want to think about why, I just return with the same vigor. Enjoying the taste of freedom for the night as my boyfriend works his hands under my shirt and creeps the fabric farther up my body until he pulls away and my shirt flies off.
My lacey black bralette follows and I’m left wearing nothing from the waist up as Bash presses me against the side of his truck.
My pulse races as I feel the cool air caress my skin. My face heats with excitement. Wherever Bash is taking this, I’m following. No matter the adventure, I think I’ll always follow him.
I CAN COUNT THE NUMBER of times I’ve seen Emery blush on one hand, including tonight. Her wide eyes look around us as she moves her arms to cover herself. I grab her wrists, pinning them to her sides. Leaving her exposed for me to bend down and flick one of her puckered nipples with my tongue.
“Sebastian!” she hisses and I smile into her skin. Oooo, I’m in trouble. “What about reporters?”
Shit. I forgot. I’ve become so used to the freedom of being here, it’s hard remembering that the peace has been disturbed. I haven’t seen any today or yesterday, the story of where I am, has hopefully run its course.
I wind my arms around Emery’s back, pressing her as close to my chest as our bodies allow. I start walking us toward the direction of the house, but as my feet move, my brain coaxes. Veering off toward the left, Emery gives me a look as I take us toward the gated backyard.
“That’s not the direction of your room,” she points out as the gate clicks shut behind us.
“It’s not.” I lean my neck back to get a better look at her face. “Do you trust me?”
“Yeah?” It sounds like a question. “Should I not? What are you thinking?”
Most of the yard isn’t fenced in, but leading back to my pool and the path out to the beach, it’s lined with trees and bushes, creating more privacy out here than in the front yard. Perfect for what’s been churning in my head. On replay.
I set Emery down and she eyes my shirt-clad chest while crossing her arms, hiding her perky breasts from me. I frown and she smirks. “I don’t think it’s fair that only one of us is shirtless.”
Without looking away from her smirking lips, I reach behind me, fisting at my shirt and pulling it off. I toss it to the side, aiming it a little too far, and hear the soggy sound of the fabric smacking into the water.
Internally, I shrug; it’s just as well. Now neither of us can cover back up since I left Emery’s shirt in my truck bed.
My fingers slip into the belt loop of Emery’s jeans and reel her into me. She comes willingly, wearing the look she gets when she’s down for whatever.
Behind me, I hear the fireworks going off, signifying the New Year. My hands move from Emery’s belt loops to undo her pants. She holds onto my shoulders as I roll the tight denim and lace fabric of her thong off her body, sand flaking off her ankles and feet as I pull the jeans completely off.
My clothes quickly follow and I’m picking Emery back up, tossing her over my shoulder. She laughs as her hands go to my ass, slapping both cheeks in a silent order to put her down. Her laugh quickly turns into screams as I comply with her demand, tossing her into my pool. I jump in right behind her.
As my head is breaking the water’s surface, I’m being pushed back down by a set of hands on top of my head. I open my eyes and the water distorts and stings my vision as I grab Emery’s waist, sinking us both down to the bottom.
Emery wiggles around until she breaks free, planting her foot on my chest, and pushes herself back to the surface. Tiny bubbles follow her. She splashes me with water once my head pops up a few paces from her.
“Happy New Year, babe.” My grin lures Emery closer to me until she’s wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I thought we were going to celebrate in a different way.” To further her point, her thigh brushes against my dick.
Emery wraps her legs around my waist and my throbbing erection rubs against her. I swear as I grit my teeth to say, “I wanted to try something.”
“You’ve never skinny dipped before?” The sass shines through her words. “Poor you. Your twenty-two years sound so sad.”
“Hush, you. I was just trying to get the sand off of you so it didn’t wind up in my ass crack.”
I slide my hand down until I cup her, my middle finger teasing her folds. She shudders a breath. “You have my attention.”
“Good.” I kiss her hard and quick, swimming us to the steps. Keeping her wrapped around me, I stand up. Water races down our bodies as I walk us to where I’ve wanted us to end up all night.
My outdoor shower.
Emery raises a brow as I push her against the wall, but there’s excitement lighting her eyes as I turn on the water and kiss her. My body grinds against hers as it rains between us. Our kisses mix with the water.
Her hands roam my back, nails digging in every time my erection rubs against her entrance. She arches into me as she tries to pull us closer. I press her harder into the wall as one of my hands moves to grip the base of my shaft and circle her clit with the head.
“Bash,” she breathes and there’s never been a better sound.
“Tell me what you want, babe.” I grin a wicked grin as her heels dig into my ass.
“You know what I want,” she whines and I stand corrected. Emery frustrated is my favorite sound.
I continue my ministrations and Emery lets out a small sound, soft and wanting. “Damn you, Cleaton.” Her frustration is growing and I grin, loving every word. “If you don’t get inside me in five seconds I am going to�
�”
Not daring to find out where her sentence is heading, I kiss her hard again and am about to give her what we both want, when I freeze.
Fuck. Shit. Fucking shit. Nononono.
“What’s wrong?” Emery asks, her eyes searching my face. “Why did you stop? Bash?”
“Condoms.”
“We don’t need one.”
I blink. And blink some more. “Is this my Christmas gift?”
Emery laughs, actually laughs. Unbelievable. “No, you’ll get that after you give me a few orgasms.”
“Emery.” Now is not the time for her humor. “Are you serious?”
Her face is clear and doubt-free when she nods. “I’m on the shot, remember? And it’s only for right now. After this shower we’re using them again.”
I nod along, agreeing to all the words she’s saying, and I waste no time as I slide in, groaning at the warmth and tightness that engulfs me. My body shudders and I’ve never felt anything as good as going bare. I push in until all of me is inside her. Filling her.
God, we both have labored breaths and erratic beating hearts. If it wasn’t for the shower we’re under, our bodies would be coated with sweat.
For several moments, I don’t move. I soak up this feeling. Nothing has ever felt better. And it’s not just the lack of latex, but because I’m doing this with Emery.
Emery, who is growing more impatient with every passing heartbeat. She begins to roll her hips, moving against me, riding me like she owns me.
And she does. She fucking owns me.
“Fuck, Emery,” I growl, squeezing her hips.
I let her set the pace, moving with her, until she pulls me in and tangles her tongue with mine. I grunt, pulling her higher, taking her from a new angle. Her breath hitches and her hips buck up.
Taking both of her arms, I raise them above her head until she grabs onto the showerhead. “Don’t let go. You do and I stop.” My voice isn’t my own. It’s too deep and heavy.
Emery nods as her body stretches and I tilt her hips. Her noises of approval spur me on. There’s no time for talking as I drive into her and my tongue chases the water falling onto her body.
She screams as I thumb her clit and I feel her body loosen, her hands slipping. I cease moving. I smack her ass for disobeying.
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