“Yeah, why?” he shrugged.
“You’ve been sitting out here like a buoy. You gonna catch a ride, or what?” I threw my hands in the air.
“I haven’t seen any I like yet,” he grumbled.
“Here comes a set now,” I quickly turned around. “You can have the first one,” I shoved over as he laid down and began to paddle into position. When he went to stand up, he was too far forward. I saw it, and couldn’t believe that he didn’t get better position. We’d been doing this for years and it was a rookie mistake. Before I could even process it all, I watched Ryan take a dive forward and get swallowed up by the wave. I watched for a few seconds as his board popped up but he didn’t. Fear crept in, but was squashed when his head emerged. Instead of turning around to paddle back out like he usually did, he grabbed his board and went storming up on the beach.
I watched him unleash himself before he went over to where he’d left his things and sat down. I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I paddled into position and took the next wave in. When I came out of the swell, I jumped off my board, grabbed it, and headed in Ryan’s direction. He was currently pacing around having a conversation with himself by the looks of it.
“You ok?” I asked tentatively.
“I’m fine,” he barked back. “Stupid mistake. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Ok,” I unleashed my board and set it to the side as I reached for my towel. The sun was starting to set, and it was getting chilly.
“Did you talk to your mom about camping tonight?” he mumbled without looking over at me.
“Un huh,” I grinned as I thought about staying out here all night with him.
“She said no, right? No staying out here with a boy,” he made a whiny voice trying to impersonate my mother.
“Not exactly,” I giggled. He finally looked over at me and waited for me to clarify. “She said not to stay up too late, and she hoped Annie and I had a good time,” I shrugged. Annie had offered to cover for me when I told her that tonight might be when I got my first real kiss. I’d been pecked on the cheek before, but had never had a boy kiss me like they do in the movies. I’d always hoped that Ryan would be the one to do it.
“You told her you were staying at Annie’s?” His lips curled into a smile. “Am I rubbing off on you?” He crossed his arms over his chest and I grinned even wider.
“Nah.” I giggled. “I learned how to do all this from watching Drew. He’s been sneaking girls into the house for years now.”
“Huh.” Ryan nodded. “Well if you’re staying, let’s get all our stuff set up before it gets dark.”
We spent the next hour getting the camping gear from the storage shed under Ryan’s parents’ house. He had a tent, a cooler that we packed with soda, some beach chairs, and a couple sleeping bags. Once we had it all set up, we began bringing firewood down for the firepit Ryan had constructed. He thought of everything.
We had intended to go night surfing, but once it got dark and we were sitting by the fire I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get in the water again.
“I can’t believe you lied to your parents for me.” Ryan chuckled.
“Why? I like spending time with you. It’s not like we’re doing anything bad anyway.” I shrugged. We were currently sitting on the beach chairs by the fire.
“Yeah.” He nodded as he stared at the flames. I was watching the yellow and orange reflect off of his golden tan. His brown hair blew around as it flopped over his forehead. The air between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I swallowed as I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He kept shifting in his chair. Every once in a while, I’d catch him looking at me, but as soon as I’d attempt to make eye contact he’d turn away. “Jess?” His voice was quiet. “Did Josh, you know, ever kiss you?”
“Yeah, of course,” I blurted out. “Lots of times.” I sounded like an idiot, but I didn’t want him to think that I had never kissed a boy. Josh was my boyfriend, if you could call him that, in elementary school. We didn’t date or anything. Our relationship consisted of sitting together lunch and playing on the playground together. It was real serious, I tell ya. “Why?” I had to know. Why did Ryan even care? It was like three years ago.
“Just wondering,” he muttered as he sighed. I watched as he got up from his chair and shuffled over to where our boards were laying in the sand. He plopped down as he pulled his board into his lap and produced some wax. As he went to work waxing his board, I sat there staring, trying to figure out what was going on with him.
“Wondering why?” I turned toward him, but he wouldn’t look at me. “Ry?” I pushed myself up and stood there with my hands on my hips. “Ryan!” I stomped one foot like a petulant child. When he still wouldn’t look at me, I stormed over to him and kicked at one of his legs. “Why do you care?”
“I just do,” he growled as he went back to waxing.
“Not good enough,” I leaned down and slapped at his hand, causing him to drop the wax. We sat there staring at one another; me squatting in front of him and him sitting cross legged.
As the tension between us grew, Ryan finally snapped. With lightning quick reflexes, he tossed his board to the side and leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine. My eyes flew open as my hands gripped his shoulders and pushed. We broke apart in shock. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to kiss me, it was more that I wanted it to be perfect like all those kisses on TV seemed to be. We had the perfect setup on the beach, under stars, in front of a fire, but it wasn’t romantic like I thought it would be. It was hurried and awkward, and the look on Ryan’s face when I pushed him back was anything but loving.
“I’m sorry.” The words rushed out of his mouth as he scrambled to his feet. I watched as he grabbed his board and raced toward the water, flinging his shirt off in the process. A little piece of my heart broke that day because I knew our friendship had been forever changed, and we’d never be what we once were.
Chapter 3
Ryan- age 16
It was a beautiful day today, perfect weather for surfing. I’d spent all day on the beach just waiting for my parents to leave the house. It had been a crazy few days since my sister decided to just show up. She’s been away at college for the last two years, and only come home once. Then, last weekend she just shows up at the door saying that she’s home for the summer and she quit the lacrosse team. I don’t buy it. Something with the way she won’t talk to Dad says that she’s hiding something, but I have other things to worry about.
Jess and I have been messing around for about a month. No one knows about it, and I’m ok with that. We aren’t really dating anyway. We haven’t had sex yet, though I can’t say that it’s for lack of trying on my end. I’ve been ready for what feels like forever, but she keeps stopping us. Last week she finally let me touch her, and I just about lost it. I’ve only kissed a handful of girls, but Jess has been an enigma for me since we were thirteen.
I tried to kiss her on the beach, and she pushed me away. It made things weird between us, but last month I finally worked up the nerve to try again and she didn’t run this time. This time when I pressed my lips to hers, she gave in and wrapped her arms around me.
I glanced back at the house one last time, catching the view of my parents’ tail lights as they pulled out of the driveway. Emma had gone running, and I knew the house was empty. This was my chance. I grabbed my board from where it was leaning against the gate at the pool, and rushed toward the sand. I knew she’d be there. It was where we’d met the last four days.
“Hey,” I waved as I stumbled to a stop. I was such an idiot.
“Hi,” Jess smiled softly as she shifted on her feet. She didn’t have a board with her, and I frowned in confusion.
“I thought we were surfing today,” I stared at her. My eyes traveled up her bare tan legs, taking in the cut-off jean shorts that were fringed at the bottom. They went higher to take in her pink tank top that was doing a terrible job of covering her bikini top, and finally to the blonde hair
that was messily piled on top of her head.
“We can, but I’m kinda hungry. I thought we could grab dinner first,” she shrugged as her foot swung back and forth.
“Ok,” I glanced around. “We can walk down to the pier, or I could fix you something in the house,” I motioned up to the deck stairs. Jess had been in our house hundreds of times, so I don’t know why this idea suddenly excited me.
“That’s fine,” she smiled as her eyes traveled over my naked chest. I could feel their stare and I wondered what she was thinking about. Did she remember what we were doing last night on the beach, and were now back to finish?
ooooooooo
Jessica- age 16
God, he looked good. I couldn’t help but watch the muscles in his back and arms flex as he put his board away and led me upstairs to the back door. “We can swim later if you want.” He waved at the pool glistening below us. He opened the slider, and then stepped back to let me in first.
I’d been in this house thousands of times over the years, but it seemed different today. Ryan and I have never been a couple, but lately I think we’re headed that way. We’ve made out a few times, and I let him touch my boobs a couple of days ago but we’ve never named whatever this is. I’m not seeing anyone, and from what I can tell neither is he, so I guess he’s my boyfriend. I don’t know for sure though, and that’s what makes being here today feel so weird.
“Have a seat. We have turkey or ham.” He held up two packages of lunch meat from the refrigerator.
“Turkey is fine,” I smiled as I picked at the placemats on the table. “Got any juice?” I grinned. I was addicted to apple juice and Ryan knew this. Since we were little he would bring them to me when his parents had them in the house.
“Yep.” He grinned as he tossed a bottle in my direction. “Mom and Dad are out, and Emma is somewhere with a guy, I think. She’s been sneaking off for days.” He came around the corner with a paper plate in his hand and stopped beside me. “Here ya go.” He sat it down before going to make his own sandwich.
We spent most of our meal in silence. It was awkward and I wasn’t sure how he felt about what we’d been doing. I knew I liked what was going on, but something in the back of my head was always telling me to stop. “Wanna go swimming?” Ryan stood to throw out our trash.
“Not really.” I shrugged.
“How about a movie?” He motioned to the TV. I don’t think we’ve ever watched anything together. If we weren’t surfing, we were swimming in his pool. Our entire friendship revolved around water.
“Ok.” I nibbled on my lip as I slowly stood.
“Are you ok?” His head tipped to the side as he stared at me.
“I’m fine.” The words rushed out as I scurried over to the couch and took a seat. This was so weird, and I was afraid that like the last time we tried the relationship thing, it was going to take us forever to get back to normal. I just wish I knew how he really felt about me.
ooooooooo
Ryan- age 16
When she sat down those shorts she was wearing rose up higher on her legs, and all I could think about was what was between them. We hadn’t gotten there yet, and by the way she took the end of the couch farthest from me, I wondered if I even had a chance tonight. “I don’t bite, ya know?” I chuckled as I sat down in the middle. I wanted to make it easier for her to get closer. This way she had less distance to travel.
“Very funny.” She narrowed her eyes.
“No, really.” I grinned. “Only if you want me to.” I reached out and tickled her side, causing her to squirm. I wanted to lighten the mood, and it seemed to be working.
“Stop, stop.” She panted as she tried to fend me off, but I had other plans. I’d managed to get her right up next to me in the process, and now we were practically nose to nose. She swallowed when she realized what I’d done and her eyes darted down to my mouth. “I had fun yesterday,” I whispered.
“Me too.” Her breath fanned over my face.
“I like this.” I ran my knuckles across her cheek and her eyes pinched shut. I’d been trying to do the things I’d seen my cousin Aaron do to girls. They always seemed to like it, and Jess wasn’t telling me no yet.
“What are we doing, Ry?” she whispered and shivered against me.
“I don’t know, but I don’t wanna stop,” I murmured as I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. I don’t know if it was because we were inside and alone, or what, but Jess completely melted for me. Her body leaned in and the tension that had been there before was going away.
I ran one hand up her back as the other cupped her cheek, and she sighed, giving me the opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth. We’d gotten here before, so this was familiar. It was the other stuff that I wanted tonight. She moaned when I cupped her breast through her shirt and her fingers tentatively ran down my chest. I couldn’t help but shiver under her touch and groan. She was making my body go crazy, and if she got near my dick she’d know exactly how much I wanted her at the moment.
“Is this ok?” I mumbled when I broke the kiss. She nodded, so I reached for the bottom of her tank top. “This too?” I tugged at it as she nodded again. When I pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor, my eyes zeroed in on her breasts. They were rising as her breathing became ragged, and I quickly leaned in to kiss her again. I didn’t want her to stop me, and she seemed to be enjoying what we were doing as much as I was.
I leaned her back on the couch and covered her with my body. My dick was throbbing, and I knew the minute she felt me press it against her. “I’m not ready for that,” she gasped as she started to push on my chest.
“Me either,” I lied as I let a little more of my weight rest on her. “I just wanna keep doing this.” I skimmed my nose up her neck and stopped right beside her ear. “Can I touch you again? Please?”
“Ok,” she whispered as I used one hand to tug at the strings of her top. The knot came loose and I pressed my lips to hers as my hand cupped her breast. I felt her shudder before she sighed into my mouth.
She kept her hands locked in position around my waist as I rubbed and squeezed her. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but she seemed to enjoy it. I wanted her to want to touch me though, and I didn’t know how to vocalize that. Finally deciding to bite the bullet, I slowly reached for the strings on my trunks. I pulled them loose and then went for her hand. She resisted at first, but I deepened the kiss and she relaxed. I guided our joined hands to where my dick was standing at attention and slowly pressed our joined hands to it. She froze at first, but I couldn’t help it. I groaned in pleasure. Only her fingers had skimmed over me, but the idea that it was her touching me was enough to almost set me off.
“Shit!” I hissed as I broke the kiss. “That feels good,” I groaned as I let my head drop to the cushion beside her shoulder. “Jess,” I whispered as she drew her leg up and shifted positions. “Please?” I begged as only her fingertips touched me. Our hearts were thundering in our chests as she loosened her grip on my hand and wrapped me fully in her fingers.
“Like this?” her voice trembled as her fingers began to dance up and down my length.
“Yeah.” I blew a breath out as I rolled my hips. I was so close to blowing right there, but I didn’t want this to end. We were so close to my goal of getting her in bed with me, and now all I had to do was convince her that it would feel even better if I touched her the same way.
Just as I was getting ready to pop the button on her shorts, footsteps came from behind me, “You know you’re not home alone?” my sister called out. I didn’t even know she’d come home from wherever she was. Jess and I had been so involved with each other I hadn’t noticed.
“Shit!” I hissed as Jess shrieked in embarrassment. So much for getting laid. I swear the universe is out to make sure I stay a virgin. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were here?” I growled as I reached to tie Jess’s top in place and grabbed her tank from the floor. When I shifted, her hand slipped from my trunks and
I felt the loss immediately. So did my dick, unfortunately, and it began throbbing in protest. Here came another night of blue balls.
“I didn’t know I needed to,” she huffed as she stood there with her eyes squeezed shut. I quickly tied my trunks as I turned around to face her completely. “I didn’t think my sixteen-year-old brother would be half naked on the couch when I came out. Hi Jess.” She giggled as she gave a little finger wave in Jess’s direction and slowly cracked one eye open. Jess was beet red, and Emma seemed to find amusement in my situation.
“Please tell me you weren’t actually doing it out here.” She motioned to the couch.
“No, you stopped that. Thanks, by the way.” I glared at her.
“I gotta go home,” Jess mumbled as she finished pulling her tank top on. “I’ll see you tomorrow Ry.” She waved and started walking to the slider that led to the back deck.
I glared at my sister again. “Thanks for that.”
“Are you two dating?” She placed one hand on her hip and motioned to where Jess was jogging down the steps.
“No.” I ran my palms down my face and sighed. I didn’t know what we were doing, or how she felt about it, or me for the matter.
“Does she know that?” Em’s eyes bugged out. She was always in my business and had been harassing me about Jess since we were little.
“I don’t know.” I rolled my eyes. “She does her thing, I do mine. We’re having fun.” I shrugged.
“Uh huh.” she nodded as she walked toward the slider.
“What do you care anyway? You’ve been sneaking off with some guy for the last three days.” I flopped down on the couch and flicked on the TV.
“I’m not sneaking.” She paused with her hand on the door. “It’s not my business, but be careful. She likes you; don’t ruin your friendship with whatever itch you’re trying to scratch.”
“Right,” I called out, but she’d already disappeared down the steps. Too bad she didn’t realize that my friendship with Jess was already ruined. I’d never be able to be ‘just friends’ after the things we did tonight. The way she sighed when I touched her; the way it felt when her fingers wrapped around me; we fit together perfectly, I just needed her to see it. I’d tell her tomorrow when we met for surfing. I’d tell her that I want more, and we’d be great together. We could live in the Green Room.
Finding the Green Room (The Sutter Family Book 3) Page 2