Pull You Through

by Kaylee Ryan

  “He’s obsessed,” Austyn explains. “Where are Mom and Dad, Daws?”

  “Dad’s in the garage and Mom was upstairs folding laundry.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she says to me.

  I nod and pull out a chair beside Dawson. “So tell me about these turtles.”

  He abandons his cereal and starts talking animatedly about his favorite cartoon. “They’re so cool,” he exclaims.

  “Are you boring Slade with your turtle talk?” her dad asks from behind us a few minutes later.

  “He asked,” Dawson defends.

  “That I did.” I throw him a wink.

  “Daws, go on in the living room for a few. I need to talk to Slade.”

  Dawson grabs his bowl without complaint and heads toward the living room. He stops when he gets to the door. “You leave soon?” he asks.

  “I do. In the morning.”

  Dawson walks back toward me and sets his bowl on the table. The next thing I know, his little arms are around my neck, giving me a hug. “Thanks for hanging out with me. I hope I get to see you when you come back.”

  “Anytime, Dawson.” I pat his back awkwardly. It must be good enough for him, though, as he pulls away, grabs his bowl and goes to the living room.

  “Will you be?” her dad asks.

  “Will I be what?” I ask him.

  “Back? Are you coming back here?”

  “That depends on your daughter, sir. I can tell you that I couldn’t handle being here and not being with her.”

  His face is void of emotions as he stares at me. “Does she know that?”

  “No, sir. I don’t want to pressure her.”

  “Where will you go?”

  I shrug. “I don’t have a home, not anymore. My parents are addicts. My grandmother raised me. She passed away two weeks before high school graduation. The Marines, they’re my family.” I lay it all out for him. I really like his daughter, and he should know who she’s spending time with.

  “Respect her,” he says sternly.

  “Always.” I don’t hesitate with my reply.

  “Almost ready!” Austyn calls down the stairs. I look at them, following the sound of her voice. I can’t seem to help it. I know she’s still up there, but I gravitate toward her, even her voice.

  “Slade.”

  Her dad pulls my attention away from the stairs. He holds his hand out to me, and I take it. “I want you to know, regardless if you end up with my daughter, as long as you treat her right, you’re always welcome here. No matter what your relationship status is.”

  There it is, that lump in my throat. The one I get when I think about leaving Austyn. “Th-thank you, sir.”

  “Hey,” Austyn says, clearing the bottom step, a bag on her shoulder. “I’m going to stay. I’ll have my phone,” she tells her dad.

  He holds his arms open, and she falls into him, hugging him hard. I watch as he kisses the top of her head. “Be safe, Aust. Call me if you need anything.”

  “We’ll be fine, Dad.”

  I don’t miss that she says we’ll not I. She’s probably talking about her and Savannah, but I’m going to go ahead and put me into that equation as well. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

  “Ready?” Austyn asks.

  “If you are.” I hold my hand out to her dad. He takes my offered hand and gives me a firm shake. “I’ll take care of her. You have my word.”

  I follow Austyn out to her car and open her door for her, pulling the bag from her arm. “I got it,” I tell her.

  “Slade, I can open doors,” she says with a light laugh.

  I can tell that it makes her happy, even though she tries to hide it. “I know, but this is my last chance to do this for you, for a while,” I add, hoping I’m telling the truth. “I leave tomorrow, and I’ll be gone for five months. I need to know I took care of you when I had the chance.”

  She nods, her shoulders slumped, and climbs in the car. I wait until her seat belt is buckled before closing her door. I open the back door, toss in her bag, then make my way to the passenger side. Once I’m buckled up and we’re pulling out of the driveway, I see her parents sitting on the front porch. Her dad has his arm around her mom’s shoulders, and they’re both wearing soft, nervous smiles. I didn’t know they were watching, but it looks like they’re pleased with what they see.

  When we get to Brandon’s, he and Savannah are already there. Austyn doesn’t bother knocking. She walks on in announcing our arrival, with me hot on her heels. “You ready?” she asks Savannah.

  “Yeah, we just got here. Brandon’s packing up his things.” She sniffs, and I can see the moisture in her eyes.

  I place my hands on Austyn’s hips and step in close to her. Her body is aligned with mine. “I need to do that too. I’ll be back,” I say, my lips next to her ear. She shivers, and I let her go. Devouring her mouth in the foyer of the Combs’s house is not what I need to be doing. I need to pack up my shit and get to the hotel. That’s where I can kiss her until our lips are bruised. Kiss her enough to last me months, hell a lifetime. I have no idea what we are, but I’m hoping tonight we can clear that up.

  When we get to the hotel, I check us in. Grabbing our bags and tossing them over one arm, I hold my hand out to Austyn with the other. My palms are sweaty, and I know she has to be able to hear the rapid beat of my heart as it drums against my chest. She doesn’t hesitate to put her hand in mine as we walk toward the elevators. As if spending the night with me is the most natural thing in the world. We’re both quiet on the ride up to our room; this is new for both of us. At the room, I hand her the keycard. For some reason, it feels like it’s important for her to unlock the room. Like I’m giving her the choice to be here with me. I’m still astonished that she is, that she wants to spend this time with me.

  “Wow,” she says, holding the door open for me.

  The room is spacious with a king-size bed sitting in the center of the room. There is a small table and a couch that pulls out into a bed. I made sure of that. The king is big enough for both of us to have our own space, but if that makes her uncomfortable, I can take the couch. My hope is that she won’t want space between us. That I can hold her in my arms, have the memory of what that feels like to take with me.

  “This is too much,” she says, coming out of the bathroom. “The shower is huge.”

  I can’t help but laugh at her. “I’m going to be living on base without these kinds of luxuries. We have twin-sized beds, and some of us are in bunk beds.”

  “Is it bad?” she asks.

  “Boot camp was us in a room together, lots of bunk beds, a trunk for our personal items. The barracks are better, more like bedrooms that we share. We’re allowed more personal items: our phones, computers, things like that.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Come here.” I hold my arms open.

  She walks toward me slowly, hesitantly. As soon as she’s close enough to reach, I pull her into a hug. I hug her tightly, remembering the feeling of her in my arms, storing it in my memory. “I’m going to miss you, angel,” I tell her honestly. She doesn’t reply. Instead, she wraps her arms around my waist and holds on tightly. We stand there for I don’t know how long, neither one of us willing to pull away. That is until my phone rings. I groan.

  “You should get that,” she murmurs breaking our embrace.

  Reluctantly, I pull my phone out of my back pocket and swipe my thumb across the screen. “Hello.”

  “Reeves, we’re headed down to the pool. Are you guys in?” Combs asks.

  “You want to go down to the pool?” I ask Austyn.

  “Yeah, I just need to change.” She goes to her bag and picks it up, carrying it into the bathroom and closing the door.

  “Yeah, we’ll be there. We just need to change. I don’t have trunks,” I say as an afterthought.

  “Open the door.”

  “What?” I ask, walking toward the door. Pulling it open, I see Combs and Savannah standing there. I end the
call and shove my phone back into my pocket.

  “These are for you. I figured you didn’t pack any for boot camp,” Savannah says. “I had Brandon grab an extra pair.”

  “Thank you.” I smile, touched by the thought. “Austyn’s getting changed, so we’ll meet you down there.” After closing the door, I sit on the edge of the bed and wait for Austyn to come out. Part of me wants to stay locked in this room until the moment I have no choice but to leave, but the other part wants this memory with her too. I want it all, every single moment we can create before I leave.

  I’M CHANGED. THAT PART WAS easy. The hard part is walking out of this bathroom and facing Slade. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I’m regretting grabbing my bikini. Not that I’m ashamed of my body; that’s not it. The problem is there’s not much to the thin scraps of material. I already feel this magnetic attraction anytime he’s near. How is that going to be with me barely dressed? Debating on what I should do, I reach into my bag and dig for my cover-up. I know I shoved it in here. It’s black and sheer, but it will give me some semblance of modesty. At least I hope it does. Finally, I feel the thin material and remove it from my bag. Sliding it over my head, I take a deep breath. I’m spending the night with him in this room. Maybe that’s the root cause of my apprehension. Grabbing one of the hotel towels, I then shove everything back into my bag and open the door.

  Here goes nothing.

  I walk out of the bedroom with my head held high, much more confident and a whole hell of a lot less nervous than what I actually feel.

  “Combs, just….” His voice trails off when he raises his head and looks at me. He stares. His eyes roam over every inch of me, from my head to my toes before his eyes lock with mine. “You’re fucking gorgeous.”

  His deep timbre washes over me. Goose bumps break out across my skin. The combination of his deep voice, the fact that he called me gorgeous, and the way his eyes are cataloging every inch of me, has butterflies breaking free in my belly. “Y—” I clear my throat. “You were saying something about Brandon?”

  “Yeah.” He stands and walks toward me. “They’re down at the pool.” He stops to stand in front of me.

  He leans in and I close my eyes, waiting for his lips to connect with mine. When I feel them press against my forehead, I’m surprised. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, angel. I’ll be out in a minute.” He steps to the side and closes the bathroom door behind him.

  As soon as I hear the click of the door closing, I exhale slowly. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath. This thing between us is intense and is so unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I don’t know what to do with it, but I do know I’m not ready to say goodbye to him. How did I let this happen? How did I fall for him in such a short amount of time? How are we going to navigate the waters that lie ahead, even more so, does he want to?

  “Ready?” he asks, placing his hand on the small of my back. I jump, not realizing he was there. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t hear the door open. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, did you grab a towel?” I ask him. He holds it up and shows me. “Room key?” I ask.

  “Damn.” He chuckles. Stepping away, he grabs his wallet, phone, and the room key. “Now I’m ready.”

  We walk hand-in-hand to the pool. “About time, slowpokes!” Savannah calls out as soon as we enter the pool area.

  “You were ready when you invited us,” I counter.

  She laughs, cupping her hands and splashing. I step back, and my back hits Slade’s chest. “Careful,” he says with a laugh. His hands rest on my hips and with a small tug, he pulls me closer, my body aligning with his.

  “Y’all getting in or what?” Savannah taunts.

  “We better join them, or she’s going to soak us regardless,” I tell him.

  “She’s a pistol,” he says.

  “You have no idea.” Keeping his hands on my hips, he turns me to the table and chairs that Brandon and Savannah have occupied for our stuff. We reach the table and he lets go of me. He takes my towel from my hand and places mine and his on the table. He slides his wallet and phone underneath them.

  “You have your phone?” he asks me.

  “No, I left it in the room.”

  “Austyn!” Savannah yells.

  “She’s relentless.” I grin. Knowing he’s about to see all of me, with little left to his imagination, I school my features and reach for the hem of my cover-up. Like a Band-Aid, I pull it up and remove it quickly. I take my time folding it and place it on the table next to our towels.

  “Jesus,” he murmurs.

  I lift my head and turn to look at him. His dark eyes are smoldering as he strokes them over my body. I feel the heat from his gaze. “Ready?” I ask, ignoring his comment, his eyes, and the heat that’s pouring from the combination of the three.

  Reaching out, he snakes his arm around my waist. The feel of his rough hands on my skin causes me to shudder. “Austyn.” He tugs me closer. My hands rest on his bare chest while both his arms move around my waist. The stroke of his thumb brushes just above the waistline of my bikini bottoms. The heat of his skin mingles with mine, and my breath catches. Tilting my head back, I look up at him. Without a word, he presses his lips to mine. It’s brief but no less intense.

  “Come on lovebirds!” Brandon calls out.

  “Why didn’t we stay in the room?” he asks me.

  I smile widely. “Because we wanted to swim.”

  “Did we?”

  “We did. Let’s go.” Stepping back, I clutch his hand and lead him to the steps of the pool. Together, hand-in-hand, we immerse ourselves in the heated water.

  “Finally.” Savannah grins. She swims toward us and latches herself onto my back. “I missed my bestie.”

  “What am I?” Brandon asks, hands in the air.

  “Swim,” she says low, just for me to hear her. Without question, I let go of Slade’s hand and swim away from him. When we reach the opposite end of the pool, she slides off my back, and we both hang onto the side of the pool. “That looked intense.” She doesn’t elaborate, but she doesn’t have to. I know what she’s referring to.

  “Little bit,” I confess.

  “You okay with staying with him? I don’t want you to do it because of me, because I’m staying with Brandon.”

  “He’s sweet, and I can trust him.”

  “You sure about that?”

  I look over at Slade and Brandon who are deep in conversation. “Yeah, he’s been nothing but great. I have my car if things change.”

  “Call me. I’ll keep my phone on. Hell, scream. Our room is beside yours.”

  “I’m fine, Savvy. Promise.”

  “I know. I just feel like I pushed you into this.”

  “Trust me, if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be. I really like him.”

  “So, are you two an item?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know if we’re anything at all. He leaves tomorrow.”

  “So? Brandon and I are doing it.”

  “Yeah, but y’all have been together for years. We all grew up together.”

  “When you know, you know. Remember freshman year when I told you after my first date with Brandon that he was the man I was going to marry?”

  I smile at the memory. “I do. I thought you were crazy.”

  “Look at us now. Over four years later and we’re still going strong. The heart doesn’t know distance, Austyn.”

  “Who said anything about my heart?” I counter. I’ve never lied to my best friend, and by the look on her face, I’m not doing very good job of it now.

  “Please,” she draws the word out and rolls her eyes, “I’m your best friend. You don’t do casual. The men in this town with cracked hearts are proof.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that you’ve turned them all down. No one’s ever gotten to you, not until Slade.”

  I don’t argue because she’s right. “We’re just going slow, playing it by ear. He ask
ed me if I wanted to see him again, and I told him yes. But I don’t know what that means really? I mean, how does that work? It’s not like we have four years to build whatever this is before he left, like you and B.”

  “If you both want it bad enough, it will all work out. Have a little faith, Aust.”

  “How about a game of chicken?” Brandon calls out.

  Savannah wags her eyebrows at me, causing me to laugh. We swim toward the guys, and they meet us halfway. “You’re going down, Wilson,” Savannah taunts me.

  Slade moves to stand in front of me. “Climb on.” He disappears under the water, and I put my legs over his shoulders. When he stands, I smooth his wet hair out of his eyes for him. His hands are gripping my thighs. “You ready for this?” he asks.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  Turning his head, he kisses my inner thigh. It’s just a peck, but it lights my body on fire. The intimacy of it all has me reeling. That’s why I don’t hear them say we were starting and I’m not ready when Savannah comes at me, knocking me off his shoulders. She cheers in victory while I spit and sputter from the water intake.

  “You okay?” Slade asks. His hands are on my hips, holding me up.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t ready. You distracted me.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You. That kiss distracted me.”

  “Now you know what to expect.”

  “I’ve played chicken before,” I tell him.

  A look crosses his face, but it’s gone before I can determine what it means. “The kiss, you know to expect the kiss. I can’t have you wrapped around me like that and not… kiss you.”

  Oh.

  “Ready for round two?” Savannah calls out.

  Nope. Not even a little. Slade winks, releases his hold on me and turns around. He disappears under the water and I climb on his shoulders. Again, I push his wet hair out of his eyes, and this time, this time he kisses both thighs, effectively driving me crazy.

  We spend the next couple of hours laughing and swimming. Savannah and I tied with chicken, so we decided to race. Slade and Brandon, of course, blew us out of the water.

  “We can’t let them keep winning. I wonder how fast they are with us on their backs,” Savannah muses. “We’re going to line them up against each other. They’ve tied so far. You jump on Slade. I’ll jump on Brandon.”