by A. J. Macey
My stomach flopped, a sinking feeling filling my chest as I nodded and let her direct me to the office door off the front entry that was normally closed.
“Emma, it’s good to see you again,” Kaleb greeted, his smile forced as he looked over at me from his desk. “Unfortunately, it’s not good news. Jesse’s trial date came in, which I’ve already talked to him about. It’s set for January 27th. I’m not sure if you two had talked about it or not, and it may seem like quite a while, but I need to start preparing his defense, meaning I’ll need to—”
“Talk to me about everything,” I mumbled, shifting from one foot to the other as I crossed my arms tightly. “I understand. Uh, when do you want to do that?”
“We can start after you’re back from your trip. I don’t want any of you to worry about it while you’re visiting colleges,” Kaleb reassured. “Would Monday work? Kingston will be helping at the firm, and I figured it might be helpful to have him there.” Stella’s hand came to my back, rubbing my shoulder blades in a soothing attempt to calm me.
“Uh, yeah, I think so.”
“So, Monday?” Kaleb paused to double check, waiting for a sign I agreed. After I nodded, he continued, “Alright, that’s what we’ll plan on. Take the weekend to relax, have fun. Be safe.” Kaleb emphasized the last statement, and I immediately groaned, my cheeks flaring in a wave of heat. “Oh, Emma, I didn’t mean like that. But on that topic, be safe with that too.”
“Kaleb,” Stella chastised playfully, “don’t embarrass her.” Kaleb just laughed and turned back to his bookshelf, scanning for something among the spines.
“Call if you need anything,” Stella stated as the guys finally followed, hands full of treats and a cooler for the drive.
“I thought it was only an hour?” I asked, pointing to the haul of goodies.
“We’re going to take backroads. Takes about an hour and a half to two hours,” Reid explained. “Besides, have you ever known me to turn down a cookie?”
I rolled my eyes and waved to Stella as we headed back out into the cold.
“Let us know when you’re there!” Stella hollered after us. We gave a collective agreement and climbed in the car. It only took a few minutes before they started chatting, their voices lulling me into a dreamless sleep.
My boys…
“Em,” Jesse’s gentle voice roused me, his warm hand on my shoulder, waking me from my deep rest. “Em, love, we’re here.”
“Already?” I mumbled, my voice thick with exhaustion as I sat up. My right shoulder was cold and stiff from leaning against the door and window during my nap, and try as I might, I couldn’t shake the last of the sleep from my body.
“You were out before we even left Kingston’s driveway, Cali girl,” Reid explained, pulling on his coat in the driver’s seat.
“Look outside, Babydoll,” Kingston prompted. Glancing back at him in confusion, I saw the excited glint in his warm brown eyes. Wondering why he was so excited, I shifted to face forward and finally processed what was happening outside the Jeep.
“Snow!” I squealed, throwing open the door and hopping out.
The icy chill immediately shook the rest of the sleep from my body, joy flowing through me as the white flakes drifted through the air. It coated the sidewalks and grass, melting against my palm as I held it out. Doing a little dance, I stuck my tongue out and did the one thing I’d wanted to do my whole life — catch a snowflake on my tongue like in the movies.
There wasn’t anything super special about catching frozen water on your tongue, but at that moment, nothing could dim the happiness that filled me. It was the first time in the last few weeks I felt light as if nothing could bring me down. When Kingston’s arms circle around me, I let out a contented sigh.
“I love seeing you so happy, Babydoll,” he murmured, pressing a cheek to the top of my head. “But it’s cold, and you don’t have a coat on, so let’s head inside. It’s supposed to snow on and off for the next couple days, so we’ll have plenty of time to play in it.”
“This it, Cali girl?” Reid called out, holding out my duffel. When I stepped over to take it, he shouldered the bag, flashing me an impish grin.
“You know I can carry that, right?” I challenged, taking my coat from Jesse. “Thanks, Jess.”
“No problem, Em.” He gave me a handsome smile and headed inside with Kingston.
“I know you can, but that doesn’t mean I want you to. Don’t you know that’s what chivalry is?” Reid countered as I stepped back so he could close the back of the Jeep.
“So, you’re a knight now?” I laughed.
“Of course, milady,” he said valiantly before bowing as low as he could with two bags on his back. Shaking my head at his silliness, I let him open the door for me when he waved an arm in front of me to stop me from doing so myself. “What did I say about chivalry, miss?” he chastised playfully.
“Sorry, sir,” I emphasized with an eye roll, but I couldn’t hide the curl of my lips. Kingston and Jesse were waiting for us in the lobby, room key in hand. The heat of the hotel quickly warmed my chilled bones, subduing the last of the shivers I didn’t realize I had. “We all good?”
“Yup, top floor, too. King bed and a pull-out couch,” Kingston explained, leading us toward the elevator. By the time we reached our room, I was sweaty and hot in my winter coat, so as soon as the door was open, I shucked the thick garment over the back of the desk chair. It was a standard hotel room with a king-sized bed, wooden desk with a rolling chair, TV on top of a wood cabinet, and a couch. The bathroom was simple, off to the side when you first came in, right by the small closet. It smelled like fresh linens and air freshener, and the carpet was soft against my feet as I kicked off my boots.
“So, now what shall we do?” Reid asked dramatically as he flopped onto the bed face first, the end of his question muffled by the thick comforter.
“Hm…” Kingston trailed off, shrugging.
“We could, uh….” I struggled to come up with an answer as I sat next to Reid.
“Oh,” Reid exclaimed, flipping over, his curls flopping out against the white of the bedding. “We could ask more questions! Like we did at Cali girl’s birthday.”
“I’m cool with that. We could put some music on and eat some cookies and snacks if you three didn’t eat them all,” I suggested, looking into the tins Jesse had put on the bed, pleasantly surprised to see a good chunk of the treats still there.
“Okay, so this time, how about we just ask a question, then everyone has to answer? That way, no one has to dig out paper to write it out,” Kingston offered, getting situated in the office chair while Jesse sank onto the pull-out couch. Reid finally propped himself up, his arm pressed against my side and back as he leaned his weight back onto his hand.
“Alright then,” I laughed, “I’ll go first. In the spirit of the holidays, what is something you want for Christmas?”
“Oooh, right in for the hard questions, Cali girl,” Reid teased before humming in thought. “I think going to the planetarium show at UNO would be fun. Well, when it’s a nice night out and not snowing, obviously.” I tucked the statement away in the back of my mind to keep as an option for Christmas present for Reid.
“Some fuzzy socks,” Kingston stated, making me look at him with a cocked brow. He shrugged. “I love fuzzy socks, don’t knock them until you try them.”
“I’m not knocking them, I love fuzzy things too. I just didn’t peg you as someone who liked them,” I explained.
“Just a day to relax, play video games, and spend time with my favorite people,” Jesse murmured with a soft smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. A girly giggle bubbled out of me without warning, my cheeks burning as the guys chuckled at me. Groaning, I dropped my face in my hands so they wouldn’t see how pink I knew my face was getting.
“Told you that little giggle is adorable,” Kingston stated simply, and, being the mature person I was, I dropped my hands and stuck my tongue out at him, only making him l
augh harder.
“You pick a question,” I directed with a wave at King so he would stop teasing me. Though if I’m honest, I have to admit, I love it. Not that I would tell him that.
“But you didn’t answer your question,” Jesse pointed out, nudging my leg with his fingers.
“Ugh, fine,” I playfully huffed, already embarrassed about what I was about to say. “I already got what I wanted. I wanted snow. Although I want to play in it, like build a snowman or go sledding. Oh! Do they have carriage rides like in the movies?”
“Yes, Cali girl, they do. Maybe if we have time this weekend, we can go on one,” Reid offered.
“If you could live during another time or decade, what would you pick?” Kingston asked, quickly answering his own question. “Honestly, I really like right now, but if I had to pick, I think the eighties with the uptick in technology. I think it would be really cool to see the evolution of the computer and phones.”
“Twenties,” I piped in. “Well, the good part of the twenties, swing dancing and art deco. I could do without the Great Depression.”
“The Civil Rights Movement,” Jesse said. “Being able to make such an impact on history would be amazing.” I smiled at his sentimentality. I knew if Jesse grew up in that time, he would proudly be right alongside everyone at sit-ins or protests.
“That’s a hard one,” Reid thought aloud. “I honestly don’t know. I think I’d want to travel to a bunch of different times—ancient Egypt, fall of the Roman Empire, the first flight from the Wright brothers.”
“Your turn,” Kingston directed to Reid.
“Do you want kids?” My brows rose at the intense question, but Reid looked at me unapologetically, his lips curling slightly. “What, Cali girl? Call me curious.”
“Yes,” I stated simply, “I don’t know how many, though. Do you?” I directed at him.
“Yeah.” He beamed before glancing at Kingston, who rolled his eyes and nodded. All of our eyes turned to Jesse, who looked lost in thought before shrugging.
“I’m not sure, haven’t given it much thought.” There was a note in his voice that drew my brows down, but I didn’t get a chance to ponder it because he started talking. “Favorite flavor of ice cream?”
“Oh God,” I exclaimed, “I have no idea. I love ice cream, so it really depends on my mood.” Reid nodded his agreement with a ‘what she said.’
“Mint chocolate chip is my top, but I love anything with chocolate in it,” Kingston explained.
“What about you?” I asked Jesse, noting that he hadn’t responded.
“Vanilla, mainly because I like mixing stuff in it. Candy or other toppings,” he answered, glancing from me to Reid, catching my attention.
What are these three up to?
“I have another one!” Reid exclaimed. When he didn’t ask it right away, I turned away from Jesse and looked over at Reid, gasping at what was in his hand.
A trio of white roses tied with a burgundy ribbon was held out to me.
“Will you go to winter formal with us, Emma Brooke?” he murmured.
“Oh my gosh, yes!” I squealed, taking the roses and smelling them, my cheeks hurting from how wide my smile was. “You guys totally planned this whole question thing just to ask that, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” Kingston teased with a matching smile. “But we’re happy you said yes.”
“Of course, I said yes. You guys are my boyfriends,” I countered as I got up, grabbing one of the glasses near the coffee maker and heading into the bathroom. Filling up the glass, I placed the roses in the makeshift vase and brought it back out.
“Holy shit, I just got super hungry,” Reid exclaimed, his stomach rumbling loud enough to make my brows shoot up my forehead. “Anyone else hungry? For actual food, not cookies and chips?”
“Yeah, I could definitely eat,” Jesse admitted. Kingston nodded, and three gazes landed on me. As soon as food was mentioned, I felt my stomach start to grumble, and the guys laughed at my unspoken agreement.
“What’s around here?” I asked, moving around Kingston in the office chair to peer over Jesse’s shoulder as he searched on his phone. “Oh, that looks good!”
“Pizza and subs? It’s takeout only if we’re good with that?” he asked, glancing over at me. The scent of mint and a flare of heat on my cheeks washed over me as I immediately realized how close our lips were, only a breath’s distance apart. I wanted to press my lips against his, but I held back, irrationally worried about the other two being in the room. Nodding, I smashed my lips together, so I wouldn’t spout some ridiculous fact and embarrass myself. I need air. Quickly becoming overwhelmed with the tingling building in my core, I shuffled back a bit and sat on the couch next to Jesse instead of practically sitting in his lap.
“Sounds good,” Kingston agreed, standing and grabbing his coat. “It’s probably going to be a wait since it’s Friday night. Jesse, want to come with me?”
“Sure, I could stretch my legs after being in the car for two hours, then sitting around here.”
“But you sit for eight hours a day at school, then another hour or two for studying,” Reid teased. Jesse scoffed, pulling on his hoodie and coat.
“And I hate it then, too,” Jesse countered. “We’ll be back, Em. Message us what you want.” Leaning down, Jesse did something I hadn’t expected.
He kissed me hard and without hesitation, his warm palm cupping my jaw. My toes curled, and the butterflies erupted as he straightened. Jesse was so different here. My quiet and gentle boyfriend was more open, his eyes bright as he smiled freely. I never realized how shadowed they normally are. The difference was as clear as day, and I found myself loving this Jesse even more.
The L-word so casually filling my head had my stomach knotting and fear icing my veins. Holy crap, when did that happen? I started to panic, but my swirling thoughts were held at bay when Kingston dropped a quick kiss on the top of my head.
“So, what do you want to have them pick up?” Reid asked. The topic of food helped me focus on something other than such overwhelming realizations.
“Hamburger pizza?” I asked, moving to sit next to him again. Reid’s smile widened as he texted what I wanted, but the smile confused me.
“You’re becoming a real Nebraskan,” he answered my unspoken question. “Now, all we need to get you to do is to call it pop and not soda.”
“Not going to happen,” I countered with a sassy brow raise. I opened my mouth to continue, but Reid darted forward, wrapping his arms around my waist and rolling on top of me, instantly distracting me.
“Alone at last,” he murmured, his soft tone thick with heat as he stared down at me. His hazel eyes were half-lidded, and every plane of his body pressing into mine set my blood pumping. “Would it be un-knightly if I kissed the hell out of you right now?”
“I certainly wouldn’t be opposed,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Smirking, he dipped his head, kissing me fiercely before taking my hat off. There were no soft movements, no nervousness this time around, just my funny clown and me, tangled together as our lips locked and bodies pressed together. My skin buzzed as his tongue ran over the seam of my lips, begging for entrance.
Opening, he swept in, tasting every piece of me. An urge built, and a gush of slickness soaked my core. Brushing my fingers against his neck and into his soft hair, I felt him harden against my hip and belly. A hint of nervousness threaded with the excitement at what we were doing—making out in an empty hotel room while we waited for my other two boyfriends to return—but his hand cupping my rib cage and barely brushing against my chest pushed those thoughts away.
Holy crap! He ran his heated palm up, cupping the curve of my boob. A moan escaped me before I could stop it, my heart thudding in my chest as I lost myself in Reid. Taking a shuddering breath, I slid my hands down Reid’s muscled back until my fingertips brushed the sliver of skin between his shirt and jeans. His breath caught as I ran my nails around his hips, and he
pulled away from me, so I could reach between us. I knew our time would be cut short soon, but a part of me wasn’t ready to stop.
The decision was made for me when the doorknob rattled before my fingers had barely brushed against the hardened bulge that strained behind his jeans. The sudden noise brought us both down to reality as we rolled away from each other, breathing heavy through swollen lips. Before Kingston and Jesse opened the door, Reid covered me quickly, searing me with one more breath-hitching kiss. His intense gaze promised more—much, much more.
Well, the next time, we were alone.
“Hope everyone’s dressed!” Kingston hollered out in a teasing tone, my cheeks immediately burning in embarrassment. “Well, you two sure look a bit more rumpled than before we left.” No jealousy colored Kingston’s statement, and Jesse chuckled behind him as they set the food on the desk. I tried to smile, but all I could think of at that moment was I had just been making out with Reid, and my other two boyfriends knew exactly what we had been doing.
Have they… talked about stuff like this? I shifted to get a slice of the pizza. If they had, I felt I should have been angry, but I couldn’t bring myself to be.
Because right now? All I wanted was some hamburger pizza and a cold shower.
7
December 7th
Who knew ice skating could be so meditative?
#StressFreeSaturday #BelatedEntry #IceQueen
A tinkling alarm stirred me from my restful sleep. Reaching over, I tried to grab my phone, but when my fingers hit empty air, I cracked my eyes open.
“This is not where I fell asleep last night,” I mumbled, realizing I was curled up with Jesse on the pull-out couch. Heat from his toned body pressed into me as he held me tightly, his breath brushing against my shoulder blades where he had buried his face against my back.
“He started to toss and turn,” Kingston responded sleepily, the alarm silenced. “And when he started to make noise, you got up.”
