by Ashley Jade
“Shit.”
“I know,” Jace says. “I’m trying to get a flight back there, but the earliest one I can find isn’t until later tonight, and even then, it’s still a six-hour flight.” There’s a long pause. “Bianca?”
“Yeah?”
“The news just said it’s starting to spread through Ship’s Haven and…” His sentence trails off…as if he can’t bring himself to say the next words.
But he doesn’t have to.
Ship’s Haven is only three towns over…which means it’s close.
Too fucking close.
“Oakley’s missing,” I whisper, realizing he could be anywhere. “I’ve been trying to call him, but it keeps going to voicemail.”
“Fuck,” Jace mutters. “I was hoping he was home so you weren’t alone.” I can practically hear his teeth clench. “Dad’s still in Japan, but I’m gonna see if he can get a helicopter over there to come pick you up.”
“You really think Dad can summon a helicopter during a fire?”
And even if he could…I wouldn’t get on it without knowing Oakley’s safe.
“I don’t fucking know, Bianca. But I’m not gonna sit here and do nothing.” I overhear Cole saying something to him in the background. “Hold on, Cole wants to talk to you.”
“Hey,” Cole greets me a moment later. “So, I’ve been thinking and I’ve come up with a plan so you don’t get roasted.”
“Gee thanks.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What’s your plan?”
“Get your ass in the swimming pool. This way when the fire passes over Royal Manor, you’ll be safe…because you know…water and shit.”
All things considered, that’s not a horrible plan. “Yeah, that might—”
I don’t get to finish my sentence because Jace snatches the phone from him. “I’m gonna try calling Dad again to ask about that helicopter and see if there’s anything he can do on his end.” The fear in his voice is palpable. “Don’t start freaking out yet though, okay? I’m gonna figure something out.”
“Okay,” I tell him, even though it’s pretty hopeless at this point.
The only positive is that my family is out of harm's way.
My stomach churns. Oakley, however, isn’t.
“I love you,” Jace says and it’s all I can do not to lose it because we don’t say those words unless it’s serious.
“I love you, too.”
I’m ending the call when it occurs to me that I might not get the chance to tell Oakley the same.
I draw my knees to my chest as terror ripples through me.
The fire blazed through Ship’s Haven and is currently burning its way through the next town...which means it won’t be long before it reaches Royal Manor.
If I close my eyes and concentrate…I can hear the sirens looming in the distance and smell the smoke in the air.
I should pull myself together and try to escape, but I have nowhere to go.
And even if I did, all the roads are congested due to people trying to evacuate.
I’m literally trapped.
But that’s still not the worst part about what’s happening.
The worst part is that Oakley’s out there somewhere and I have no idea if he’s okay.
And I’m probably going to die without ever making things right between us.
I start rocking myself, desperately trying to ease my anxiety as tears fill my eyes.
I’d give anything to go back to that night at the bar and do things differently.
Because despite us being a train wreck waiting to happen and me always feeling like I was one breath away from drowning every time he was near.
I’ve never been happier in my whole life.
I’m so lost in my thoughts, I barely register the sound of the front door opening and heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs.
“Get up.”
My head snaps up at the sound of Oakley’s voice, and for a moment I honestly think I’m hallucinating because how is he standing right in front of me?
Getting off my bed, I rush toward him. “Where the hell were you?” Tears clog my vision as fear and anger spiral through me like a boulder rolling downhill. Before I can stop myself, I shove him. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?” I shove him again, harder this time. “How hard I cried myself to sleep the past two nights because you abandoned me—”
I don’t have time to finish yelling at him because he scoops me up and tosses me over his shoulder…right before he starts charging down the staircase.
“What the actual fuck are you doing?”
Ignoring me, he continues out the front door.
“Where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer, but he does put me down when we reach the driveway.
I’m puzzled when I notice a sleek, black motorcycle parked at the end of it.
“Why is there a bike in the driveway?”
“It’s my dad’s.” Jaw clenched, he tosses me a helmet. “Get on.”
He’s out of his mind. “Are you crazy? I’m not getting—”
“Christ,” he seethes as he straddles the bike. “Shut the fuck up and hop on so we can get out of here.”
Shaking my head, I back away. I’ve never been on a motorcycle before and I don’t know much about them, but everything I do know isn’t good. “There’s no way in hell I’m getting on that thing.”
Muttering a curse, he looks up at the night sky, like he’s trying his hardest not to reach over and throttle me. “Bianca.”
He says my name like a threat and a promise.
“What?”
His glare grows glacial. “Get on the goddamn bike. Now.”
Turns out riding a motorcycle through town was the smart thing to do because we were able to speed past all the bumper to bumper traffic.
However, I’m confused when Oakley pulls into the parking lot of the beach. “Why are we here?”
He doesn’t say a word as he gets off the bike and starts walking.
I follow close behind him and I’m even more baffled when I see a small tent at the end of the beach.
Given it was set up before we got here, he must have done it earlier.
Which makes no sense…unless.
“Have you been here the whole time?”
I don’t know why I didn’t think to check here in the first place. Oakley once told me it’s one of his favorite places to go when he wants to be alone.
Wordlessly, he takes a backpack out of the tent and pulls out a few bottles of water, not even bothering to look my way.
His silence cuts like a knife.
“I know you hate me but can you at least tal—”
“I don’t hate you.” He gives me a look that robs me of breath. “Trust me it would be a lot easier if I could.”
I swallow against the pounding of my heart. “I know I screwed up, but you can’t just disappear like that. You can’t—
“You don’t get to have a say in what I can or can’t fucking do.” His deep voice rumbles through the air, wrapping around me. “You lost that right when you stole my phone and started accusing me of shit.”
My heart sinks. “I—”
“Did you fuck him?”
The inquiry snaps like a whip.
I’m briefly thrown off, but I answer honestly. “No. I wouldn’t do that—”
“It’s late.” He turns his back to me, directing all his attention toward the ocean now. “There’s an air mattress in the tent you can sleep on. It’s not that comfortable, but it’s better than nothing.”
I shuffle my feet in the sand. “What if the fire comes?”
“Then we swim.”
I’m about to tell him Cole came up with a similar plan, but I stop myself.
Because our connection—the one I’ve always felt in my marrow—is no longer there.
I severed it with my obnoxious game fueled by jealousy.
I take a step closer to him. “Oakley?”
His shoulders tense. “What?”
>
My heart hurts at the hollowness of his voice.
“I’m sorry.” Closing the distance between us, I press my body against his back, breathing in his scent. “I never should have taken your phone to text Hayley. And I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions when I saw you with that woman at the bar.” A sharp kick of pain hits my heart. “And I definitely shouldn’t have let you think I was fucking some random guy as payback.”
Truth be told I can’t blame him for being so angry with me. What I did was not only immature…it was hurtful.
Turning his head, he speaks over his shoulder. “This won’t work if you can’t trust me.”
I press a gentle kiss to his shoulder blade. “I do trust you.”
Deep down, I know Oakley would never hurt me.
However, the thought of anyone else having him…doesn’t sit well with me.
“But I don’t like sharing you,” I whisper. “I want you all to myself.”
And maybe that’s wrong of me, but I can’t help how I feel.
I start to walk away, but his next words stop me in my tracks.
“That’s the thing, Bianca.” Slowly, he turns. His expression is twisted in pain, as though he’s battling something stronger than him. “You do have me.”
I’m not sure what he’s saying. “What—”
Jaw bunching, he grits his teeth. “The harder I fight whatever this thing is between us…the stronger your hold on me gets.” Heaving out a long sigh, he shrugs as if succumbing to his fate. “So I’m done fighting it.”
The air between us grows so thick you could cut it with a knife. “Does that mean—”
“That we’re together?” He scrubs a hand down his face. “Yeah…yeah we fucking are.”
My heart pounds so hard it feels like it could burst from my chest as I run and jump into his arms.
His mouth finds mine and once again I’m drowning in him, sinking faster into his abyss.
But for the first time in days…I can finally breathe.
I feel the rapid thump of Oakley’s heart against my back as he holds me close, keeping me safe and warm in his embrace.
Neither of us have been able to sleep but it has nothing to do with the air mattress.
The fire is coming.
All the news outlets have officially confirmed Royal Manor is next on the path of destruction.
At this rate, it would take nothing short of a miracle to stop the blaze from ruining our town.
“We might die,” I whisper into the darkness.
I expect Oakley to tell me I’m being dramatic and to reassure me we’ll be okay, but he doesn’t.
Instead, he holds me tighter, as if his arms alone can protect me from the impending flames that will turn us into nothing but ash.
Tears blur my eyes as I try to speak. “Oakley?”
I’m so scared.
Not just of dying…but of everything I’m going to miss.
The things I’ll never get to experience.
He presses a soft kiss to the crook of my neck. “Yeah, baby girl?”
Shifting to face him, I peer into his eyes. “I don’t want to die without knowing what it’s like to feel you inside me.”
Heat flashes in his orbs before he closes them. “Baby—”
“Holy shit,” I groan in frustration. “Why won’t you fuck me?” A horrible thought flits through my head. “Oh my God. It’s because I’ve never had sex before, isn’t it? I’m a virgin which means I’ll be bad in bed and you don’t want to have to teach me—”
“Jesus Christ.” He cups my cheekbone. “It’s not that.” A crease forms between his brows. “Fine. You want the truth? Back when we first started hooking up I didn’t want to fuck you because I didn’t want you getting attached to me…but now…”
“Now what?” I urge when his sentence trails off.
He inhales deeply. “I don’t want you being impulsive and making a mistake you’ll end up regretting one day.”
I don’t know what hurts worse. The fact that he obviously thinks our relationship is still temporary.
Or that he thinks I’ll regret him. Regret us.
“Oakley?” I grab his face, forcing him to look at me. “No matter what happens between us, being with you—feeling all the things I feel for you—it will never be a mistake.”
I have to stop myself before I utter those three words. Not because I don’t feel them, but I’m afraid they might push him away when I want to hold on to him with everything I’ve got.
I don’t know what to make of the expression on his face.
“Say something,” I whisper. “I need to know what you’re think—”
His mouth crashes against mine in a kiss so electrifying, I feel it in my bones.
I’m breathless the second I feel his tongue brush mine and he deepens the kiss…as if I’m the thing he needs most in this world.
A knot of hunger forms in my chest when he pushes my tank top past my ribcage, exposing my belly.
“So fucking beautiful.”
The pads of his fingertips skim the underside of my bare breasts, and I swear I lose all my senses when his mouth moves to my neck and his teeth graze my pulse point. “That feels so good.”
Heat flares over my skin when he slips my tank top over my head and his mouth dips lower. “Christ. I love your fucking tits.”
Plumping one in his big hand, he teases my puckered nipples with his lips, barely touching them.
“Oakley,” I beg. “Please—”
“I know what you want.” There’s a wicked gleam in his eyes as he licks a slow, deliberate circle around one of my nipples. “Now be a good girl so I can give it to you.”
God, I love his dirty words. The way he makes me anticipate his every touch.
It’s a struggle to keep still when he finally wraps his mouth around the brown bud, giving it little wet pulls that shoot straight to my core.
“More,” I whisper when he switches to my other nipple, paying it the same attention. “I need more.”
My heartbeat drums in my ears as his hand skates down my torso before disappearing inside my shorts.
Shooting me a coy look, his hand stills above my panties, not going any further.
I shiver, silently begging him with my body while his thumb leisurely coasts along my pubic bone.
His attention drifts from my face to my body as he plucks the waistband of my shorts, causing them to snap against my skin. “Take these off.”
I eagerly do what he says.
My eyes flutter closed and a slow tremble works through me when he strokes the crotch of my underwear with his knuckle. “You’re so wet your little panties are sticking to your virgin cunt.”
Jesus. Sucking in a sharp breath, I ease my thighs apart, desperate for more of his touch.
A groan of frustration leaves me when his movements come to a halt.
“Why are you stopping?”
I hear him rustling around for something in the darkness before the tent becomes flooded with a dim light. “I need to see you.”
His eyes flare with hunger as he drags his gaze down my body.
Slowly, those long fingers slip under my panties and he moves them to the side.
A gruff noise escapes him as his stare zeroes in on my exposed sex. He’s eyeing it like he’s just found the buried treasure he’s been looking for his whole life.
Propping himself up on one of his elbows, he glides a finger down the length of my swollen flesh. “So fucking pretty.”
His hot breath gusts over my nipples as the calloused pad of his thumb grazes my clit. He spreads my slickness around before submerging his finger. “You gonna let me eat this sweet pussy?”
“Yes.” Mewling, I arch into his palm as he curls the long digit inside me. “I’ll let you do whatever you want.”
“Good answer.” I’m completely transfixed as I watch him lick my arousal off his fingers. “Fuck me.” The heat in his eyes is penetrating. “I’m gonna need more of that.”
Making a deep almost savage noise in the back of his throat, he tugs my panties off and spreads my legs as wide as they can go.
I barely have time to blink before his head is buried between them.
Warmth rushes my insides when he drags his tongue along the length of my slit. “Oh, God.”
My breathing speeds up as he fucks me with his tongue, growling against my throbbing flesh like a man starved.
Shifting gears, he sucks my clit and plunges two fingers inside me with a force that makes me cry out his name.
Those blue orbs pierce me, holding me captive as his mouth works me into a frenzy and he fucks me with his fingers.
A delicious curl of desire races up my spine when he hits a spot that lights me up from the inside out. “Oh, Fuck. Right there.”
My legs begin shaking while he deliberately extracts every ounce of pleasure from my body. A low groan leaves him and I watch his shoulders flex as he continues feasting on my pussy like it’s his favorite meal.
“Oakley.”
I’m so close. So fucking…
I bite my lip so hard it hurts as my orgasm spirals through me, drawing a sharp cry from my lips. Gripping his hair, I come apart with tiny fervid whimpers I can’t hold back.
“Please,” I plead as he proceeds to lap at the remnants of my climax.
I swear I might actually die from impatience if he makes me wait another second for his dick.
The sound of his zipper lowering is almost obscenely loud in the small tent.
I should be nervous about what’s about to happen…but I’m not.
My mouth waters when he wraps his fist around his length. I can’t recall ever being so attracted to a guy’s cock before. Then again, Oakley has a spectacular one.
Long, thick, and veiny with a wide, shiny pink head complete with a silver barbell.
If I wasn’t the jealous type, I’d suggest a sex toy company make moldings of what he’s packing because they’d sell like hotcakes.
But Oakley and his perfect dick are mine. All mine.
Kneeling in front of me, he lines himself up with my entrance.
My toes curl when he circles my sensitive clit with his barbell, teasing me into oblivion all over again.
