So while I’m sorry that my parents are getting divorced, I’m not shocked by the acrimony between them, since I’ve never seen them being affectionate to each other the way Dustin and Karen are.
“Hey, want a hand?” Parker steps into the backyard carrying a huge salad bowl and setting it on the table.
“I have it all under control, thanks dude.”
He stops by my side, his eyes intent on the grill. Parker is the quietest out of all of us: he doesn’t talk a lot but over the years I’ve learned to recognize the signs when something is bothering him.
“I don’t like that Marc guy, he’s a real douche.” He states matter of factly.
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem to get the message that Kaya isn’t interested. Today’s lunch felt like an ambush of sorts,” I explain what happened last night, leaving out how Kaya and I ended up kissing and making our deal.
Parker shakes his head. “Wow, so the vibe I picked up on was fucking right. That guy has no intention to be just friends with her. He thinks he can weasel his way into a relationship with her. I honestly thought that Chase was being overly dramatic, because duh, it’s Chase we’re talking about, but he actually was right not to like him.”
I nod in agreement, still unsure of what Chase’s deal really is.
He says that he can’t stand his stepsister but then he acts oddly protectively when Kaya isn’t around to see him.
I’m wrapped up in my thoughts, so Parker’s next words catch me by surprise. “I want to ask Kaya out.”
Fuck, I knew it! I didn’t miss the way Parker has been looking at her. What am I gonna say? Kaya and I agreed to keep our deal a secret but this is Parker we’re talking about, my best friend. And after the way things ended up with Georgia, I can’t let him get his heart broken again.
So I reluctantly explain that I kissed Kaya last night and that we decided to hang out.
Parker looks pissed. “Motherfucker! So you got there before I could even ask her, huh? Please dude, whatever you do, just treat her right. She’s so sweet and kind and I don’t want you to use her as a rebound—”
I immediately cut him off. “It’s not like that, dude. And Kaya has her own baggage to deal with. It’s not my story to tell but we decided to have fun and keep it casual. I don’t think that she was lying to that douche last night when she told him that she isn’t ready for a boyfriend.”
Parker runs a hand through his dark hair in exasperation. “So what are you saying? Are you fucking her?”
I shrug and level with him. “No. Not yet. I mean, I plan to, obviously. But it’s not just that. I like her, dude. Like, really like her. I just want to see where this goes without putting a fucking label on it. Is that ok?”
Parker sighs and then asks: “If you two aren’t exclusive, then I can still ask her out, right?”
I groan, annoyed by his insistence. “Look Parker, what do you want me to say? After the shit storm on spring break, I—”
He puts a hand on my shoulder and I seriously don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me for not immediately telling him to fuck off. “What happened on spring break was because Georgia was cheating on each of us with the other. If we both hung out with Kaya in the open, then it wouldn’t have to be a problem. I felt hurt because she lied and because she planned to choose and break my heart or yours when she made her decision. If the cards were on the table from the beginning ...”
I shake my head, surprised that Parker would feel this way after what happened but understanding where he’s coming from because even if it was just for one night, when I thought that we could’ve both been in a relationship with Georgia, the thought didn’t bother me one bit. But the fact that it didn’t work, that it didn’t even start, scares me to death because I’m not prepared to feel like that ever again.
“Out in the open, you say? Chase almost kicked my ass when I told him that I liked his sister, what do you think he’s gonna do when he finds out that we’re both seeing her?”
Parker looks unconcerned about it all. “She’s eighteen, dude. And if she wants to see us, what’s it to her brothers? All they can demand is that we’re gentlemen and we protect her from stupid motherfuckers like that Marc. Look, all I’m saying is that I want a chance. And if she says yes, we’ll see where it all goes. I’m not gonna put pressure on her to choose between us. As long as there are no lies and no one plays stupid games, I don’t see what’s the harm in exploring things with a girl we both like. That’s assuming that she likes me too, obviously.”
Parker
I DON’T BLAME BRYCE for feeling attracted to Kaya, I felt this immediate pull toward her the very moment I saw her. Obviously I’m not in love with her or anything, I don’t know her enough. But aside from the fact that she’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen, I like that warm light in her eyes. I’d never understood the expression ‘light a room with her smile’ until I met Kaya. It’s that when she smiles, you can see deep into her heart, she doesn’t look like the type who plays games. She’s herself and she doesn’t seem to be concerned with looking cool and being the center of attention all the time.
I understood the value of that kind of personality after what went down with my ex. Before her I’d always gone for the popular girls: cheerleaders in high school and sorority girls in college. I didn’t mind the attention, maybe because I never received any in my own home life.
I sigh, thinking that this is why I was so excited to come here for the summer. The idea of being around a family was what made me say yes to coming to Star Cove.
I’ve known Chase and Reid since we were kids and I started hanging out at their house more than my own very early on. Their mother used to treat me exactly like she did them and when she passed, I grieved as much as the twins did.
It’s true what they say that your real family isn’t dictated by blood but that you choose the people who really matter. The reality is that I really have no family: my parents got a divorce when I was just a baby and my old man was out of the picture pretty much from the get go. My mom has been on a quest to find the perfect husband since then: if I’m not mistaken, she’s onto husband number four right now. Mom comes from money and she claims that her first mistake with my bio dad was to ‘stoop beneath her station’, as if that even makes any sense. So after her first marriage to my wannabe rock star father went south, all her other husbands have been from her same social circles. Lawyers, doctors CEOs.
The thing with her relationships though is that they never last longer than a few seasons and before the ink dries on the latest divorce, she begins looking for her next suitor.
This is why my mother never had time for me, she hired nannies and housekeepers and I never lacked supervision as a child but I grew up with people who were paid to look after me. For those people I was a job, not someone they cared for. I was lucky enough to meet Chase, Reid and Bryce at kindergarten and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
I sit next to Kaya at dinner and I observe her interact with her mom and Dustin. I don’t talk much, I just bask in the conversation, in the warmth of everyone talking about their day and everyone else taking an interest in what the others are saying.
The twins are nicer to Kaya in front of their parents and for a second, I could almost believe that they actually like their stepsister when they answer her questions about their first day working for Dustin.
After dinner, Dustin and Chase leave to go get some ice cream for everyone, while Karen recruits Reid and Bryce to help her choose a movie to watch in the den, so I decide to go help Kaya who’s been left in charge of the dishes.
We work quietly for a few minutes, loading the dishwasher and cleaning out a couple of serving dishes that won’t fit in it and call me crazy, but I’m quite content to do that with her, I don’t always feel the need to talk. But in reality, my mind is on overdrive as I look for a way to ask her out, because I’m too chicken to just ask, just in case she isn’t interested.
I’m about to open my mouth when her
phone pings with an incoming text message.
“Oh, shit!” Kaya groans and I take a step closer asking her what’s wrong.
She shows me her phone.
Marc: hey Kaya, I’ve got two tickets for the State Fair this weekend. Do you want to go together like we said?
“What am I gonna say to him? I don’t want to go with him but any time I tell him that I just want to be friends, he says yes, ok but then—”
She tells me how Marc asked her to be his girlfriend and she said no.
“He seems to have decided that if he behaves like my boyfriend, he can make it become real. I told him there wasn’t anyone else because I didn’t want to hurt him but now I’m regretting lying to him about it.”
“Why, do you have someone else?” I ask, blindsided by the news but Kaya explains that it’s complicated.
“I’ve been hung up on someone for a long time, Parker. I need to get over it and I’m trying but ... I don’t know how. And I really wanted to give Marc a chance but after he kissed me at the party, I know that I don’t like him that way. He asked me to be his girlfriend and when I said no, I wanted to let him down gently. I couldn’t tell him that the idea of kissing him again made me feel physically sick but I thought the message was clear that I just wanted to be friends. But now he’s acting as if I had actually agreed to be his girlfriend. You saw him earlier at lunch. What am I gonna do? If I say no, I’m afraid that he’ll come here or find another way to—”
I speak before I can change my mind. “Say yes and then when you’re at the fair, you’ll very casually bump into me. Or even better, we’ll say that I was headed there too and we decided that we could all hang out. Just make sure that every time he asks you somewhere, you show up with me or Bryce or your friend Nic. You don’t owe him any more explanations than you already gave him but if he’s playing a stupid game, just beat him at it.”
Kaya nods and then gives me a grateful hug. “Oh Parker, thank you for being such an amazing friend!”
She smells so good and she’s so soft in my arms that I keep her against me a few moments more than it would be appropriate.
When we part, she smiles at me and I hope that the intensity I see in her green eyes means that I have a chance and that I didn’t just friend-zone myself by offering my help.
I think that earlier, on the beach, she looked as affected by my closeness as I was by hers, during that ‘surf lesson’ I totally decided to give her as an excuse to see how she’d react.
Then I remember what Bryce told me about her not being ready for a boyfriend and I decide that we have time to get to know each other, we have the whole summer.
11.
Secret
Bryce
KAYA: everything’s quiet. I’m by my door. Don’t knock, I’m watching out for you.
I smile in front of the bathroom mirror: I showered, shaved and brushed my teeth, so I’m all ready to rock Kaya’s world tonight. I don’t know how lucky I’m gonna get, since we’ve just been kissing so far but this time we’re gonna be alone in her room with the whole night ahead of us, so I’m excited to see where things go.
I take a deep breath looking at my reflection: “calm down, motherfucker!” I say looking down at my cock that’s already stirring in my basketball shorts.
Of course I’m dying to fuck her, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since we kissed last night but Kaya doesn’t strike me as someone who’s fucked lots of guys or had hooks up on the regular, despite having admitted that she’s kissed quite a few guys.
I could tell that she was excited but nervous earlier on at the beach, so I’m going to make sure that I don’t push her too far if that isn’t what she wants. I want this to be fun for both of us, so no pressure on anything. Truth be told, I would be happy to kiss her like last night and hold her close. But, I think looking down, tell that to my cock, he can’t help but be hopeful that he’ll see some action too.
She opens the door as soon as I’m in front of it, taking my hand and pulling me inside the room and I waste no time and crush my lips onto hers as soon as I hear the door click shut.
She giggles against my lips and pushes me gently to the side to go lock the door.
“There,” she beams, satisfied. “Like this, no one will bother us.”
I nod, taking in the pale pink, sleep dress she has on, with thin spaghetti straps and short enough to barely cover her thighs.
Her long, dark brown hair is down and she looks like an odd mix of innocent and provocative. Hot enough to make me want to take that little nightie off and find out what her underwear looks like, but not slutty at all, she still looks like the sweet girl I kissed on the beach last night.
I take a step toward her again and this time she opens her mouth to my kiss almost immediately, her back against her bedroom door, reminding me of earlier in the changing room.
I press my body against hers, deepening the kiss, feeling her so warm and soft against me that I almost feel disappointed that she isn’t wearing just a bikini like earlier on.
But tonight we have time, so when I break the kiss, I take her hand in mine and walk her toward her king size bed.
I cup her jaw and place my lips on hers as soon as we’re on the soft mattress, kissing her harder when she surrounds my neck with her arms and our chests touch. I kiss her until we’re both a little breathless, exploring her mouth as she lifts the hem of my t-shirt, feeling the muscles of my chest, slowly inching down toward my abs.
I take my t-shirt off and pull her even closer, so that I’m sitting up against her pillows and her legs are straddling my waist.
I’m so fucking hard that I become more daring and my lips begin a descent from her neck all the way down to her shoulder, and my hand pushes down the strap of her nightie uncovering the most beautiful tits I’ve ever seen.
They’re quite big but soft and perky and her pink nipples are two hard points that beg to be taken into my mouth. She gasps when I close my lips around the erect peak of her nipple, while my thumb and index finger roll the other one between them.
I use my mouth to suck, my tongue to lick and my teeth to graze her and I know she likes it because she tilts her head, arching her back to give me better access.
I’m so fucking hard that I know she must be feeling it too and as I leave her tits to go back kissing her lips, I grind against her, cupping her ass with both hands and pressing her against my hard-on.
A soft, almost surprised moan escapes her lips and I completely lose it, I flatten her out on the mattress, thrusting my hips to get more friction against her while I suck on the soft skin of her neck. That’s when I fumble with my pockets and realize that I didn’t bring any protection.
I groan, frustrated with myself, I’m the biggest dickhead in the entire Pacific seaboard. I lift her nightie and after taking it off her, I throw it in a soft heap on the floor.
Well shit, that was definitely the wrong move, because the view of Kaya in just a pair of barely there, pale pink lace panties is almost enough to make me do something stupid.
“Do you have any condoms?” I whisper, trying to sound seductive and sure of myself rather than like an idiot who forgot to bring the most important thing and probably doesn’t deserve to get laid, since the first thing that comes to my mind when she shakes her head is that I could probably pull out and come on her tits if she lets me.
Ok, that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever had, not the part about coming on her tits because that’s totally hot and I can’t wait to do it but being inside her without a condom is too risky if she isn’t on anything else.
So I need to find out and possibly run back to my room to get condoms, hoping that doing that won’t kill the mood.
“Are you on anything? The pill or—”
“Yes,” she whispers in a small, hesitant voice and I feel like the worst asshole in the whole universe because I know she mustn’t have been with a ton of guys and I feel safe enough to skip using a condom but she might be scared to cat
ch something from me.
“I’m clean if that’s what you’re wondering.” I say, letting my fingers play with the edge of her panties and thrusting against her again when she bucks her hips against me.
“Me too. But—” Of course, she probably wants proof and I swear to God that tomorrow I’ll go get tested but for now I could either run to my room to get rubbers or take care of her right now and then come back with the condoms in my night stand.
The look in her huge green eyes and the way her hips match the movement of mine when I can’t help but being a greedy motherfucker and thrust my hips against her again, tell me that the condoms can wait, so I slide my boxers down my hips.
Her eyes dilate in surprise, staring at my hard cock and I smile because I see obvious admiration in her eyes.
Not to be arrogant but I know that I’m definitely well above average, I’ve had that comment many times.
“Do you trust me, Kaya?” She nods and I definitely have a plan. “Keep your panties on, sweet stuff.”
I thrust against her again and when she moans her approval, I do it again and again.
I rub my hardness against her lace clad center and I can feel how wet she is through the soaked fabric of her panties, so I keep thrusting until she shudders and holds me tighter, biting down on my shoulder as she rides her orgasm moving against me and pushing me over the edge. My release hits her stomach and something like a primal satisfaction floods me at seeing my cum on her soft skin, as if I’d just marked her and made her mine.
Kaya
Forbidden (Perfect for them Book 1) Page 10
