Finding Fate

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Finding Fate Page 26

by Keelan Storm

“Well, Emma won’t mind covering for me, and you can ask one of the guys. Doesn’t Noah owe you a cover story?” Jet nodded, beaming at her reaction. “Oh, this is perfect,” Annie squealed, kicking her feet under the sheets in excitement.

  He laughed, watching her. “So does this help make up for the game?”

  “Definitely, but it wasn’t going to be all bad anyway.” He gave her a look of confusion, and she threw him a grin. “Because you’re going to be standing next to me during halftime, looking so sexy in that uniform.”

  Jet grinned back. “Oh, so you like the uniform, do you?”

  “I like you in the uniform,” Annie corrected him. “So hot…”

  “You’re so hot,” he said and pulled her on top of him.

  She giggled and kissed him before sliding back off and getting out of the bed. He slid his arms behind his head and watched her pull on her clothes.

  “Aren’t you getting up?” she asked.

  “Give me a minute,” he replied. Pulling her bare body on top of his right before they needed to get out of bed had not been the smartest of choices.

  She grinned when she realized what was going on. “Okay. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  Annie smiled to herself as she pulled out a piece of apple pie from the fridge, Jet’s favorite, and put it in the microwave to heat up for them to share before she had to head home. Normally, she could have stayed for another hour or so, but Izzy would have her head if she didn’t allow herself plenty of time to get ready for tonight.

  She went to get the whipped cream from the fridge while she waited, knowing that Jet wouldn’t think the pie was complete without it, and closed the refrigerator door. Turning, she saw a form waiting directly behind her.

  “Holy crap!” she cried. Whipped cream sprayed from the nozzle as her fingers pressed against it in surprise. She watched the cold, white fluff shoot out from the can, directly into Jet’s face.

  Her free hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide. Jet stared back at her, shock and whipped cream covering his expression. They stayed like that for a few seconds until they both burst out in laughter.

  When they finally were able to catch their breath, Annie straightened up to meet Jet’s gaze. “I’m so sorry, babe.” Subtle laughter still filled her voice.

  “Don’t worry about it. That just means I get to do this.” He grinned and wiped some of the cream from his face with his hand, quickly spreading it across her cheek.

  Her mouth gaped open, but a grin still played at her lips. She lifted the can and gave the nozzle another quick press, this time sending the fluff into the crook of his neck.

  He lunged for her then, wrapping his arms around her body and listening to her squeal playfully as he fought her for the can. He tickled her ribs to get her to release her grip and backed away.

  She turned the second she realized she’d lost control of the weapon, backing herself against the fridge while she waited for him to make his move.

  He pretended to contemplate whether or not he would attack, but they both knew he would. He only made it through a few seconds of the charade before he jumped forward and sprayed it over her face and hair.

  She squealed in playful delight while he laughed. When he lowered the can to his side, he saw those playfully mischievous, green eyes searching his expression.

  She lunged for him then, determined to have another turn, but he hid the can behind his back and caught her around the waist with his free arm, pulling her close.

  Their breathing was labored from their playful scuffle and laughter, and Annie knew she had lost the battle. There was no breaking out of Jet’s wrestler’s grip. In her lighthearted defeat, she leaned into him and kissed his neck, smearing the whipped cream she had sprayed there across his exposed skin.

  The act that was meant to be a humorous ending to their play had a slightly different effect as Jet caught Annie’s lips in a messy, white kiss.

  Within seconds, they were on the floor, their hands searching one another’s bodies, spreading the cream against newly exposed, bare skin as they hastily pulled away each other’s clothes.

  “I don’t have anymore,” Jet said in frustration as Annie reached for his khakis. “Of all the days to run out of condoms,” he thought in aggravation, having planned to restock before the game. “Of course I’d be out when things finally click.”

  Annie realized it as well, and she wasn’t willing to stop now, not when they’d finally found this again. For the first time, she was able to have a glimpse at how Izzy and Tucker could have gone ahead with no condom, except she wasn’t unprotected, not anymore, and all she wanted was Jet.

  She hastily undid the button and forced his zipper down, discarding his khakis as quickly as possible. “I don’t care,” she growled. “We’re still covered.”

  Jet secretly sent waves of thank you’s to their parents through the back of his mind for the loophole as the rest of their clothes tore away, and he and Annie continued to add, spread, and remove whipped cream from their bodies. On the counter, against the fridge, on the floor, anywhere Jet could take her, he did.

  She was his Annie again, not the tense, timid mess she’d been in bed these past months, and he dove into it more as their positions of power and control took turns, relishing in their sexual success as they reached an earthshattering finish.

  25

  Circle of Trust

  “Dude, hurry up and throw me that towel. I hear them outside,” Jet said desperately to Tucker, who luckily had come over only minutes after Annie had left. He would never have managed to get the kitchen clean before his family got home otherwise. Fresh out of the shower, he and Annie hadn’t had time to clean up the physical evidence they had left before Izzy called to demand for her sister to come home.

  “You owe me big, man,” Tucker said as he wiped a spot they’d missed with the damp towel covered in traces of whipped cream. “I came over to hang out, not to clean up after Jet and Annie time.”

  Jet stopped what he was doing, and an impish grin spread across his face as he looked at his friend. “Dude…it was so worth the mess.”

  Tucker shook his head, laughing to himself, and Jet turned to toss his towel into the washing machine located off the back of the kitchen. “My parents would freak if they knew what happened in here today.”

  “I can imagine. I already know too much of what happened in here today. My mind doesn’t even want to fathom how y’all got whipped cream in some of those places.”

  Jet held his hand out behind him. “Towel.” He needed to start the cycle. When his friend didn’t respond, Jet turned to find Tucker staring intently at the end of the counter. “Dude.”

  Tucker raised a hand to point at the smear he was about to wipe clean. “Are those boob prints?”

  Jet shrugged and looked away. “No. I don’t think so.”

  Tucker looked harder, scrutinizing the imprinted, white smears. “They are; aren’t they?”

  “No,” Jet lied again, though he distinctly remembered how that print got there, in a way he couldn’t wait to try again. But he denied it, knowing his friend would mercilessly tease Annie if his suspicions were confirmed.

  Tucker grinned, recognizing the look on Jet’s face. “Whatever, man. I know those boobs. I’m dating the identical set, remember?”

  Jet shot his best friend a look of warning. “You’d better not say anything.”

  “Sure. Of course not,” Tucker replied, his grin promising just the opposite. He tossed Jet the towel. “You get to wipe it.”

  Jet swiped the towel across the counter and tossed it into the wash to start the load. He shrugged. “You helped clean everything else…” he teased, hoping the implication would shut Tucker up.

  “Alright, man, let’s stop. I don’t want to imagine you and Annie that way. Just seeing the mess gave me too much info to go on,” Tucker said, shaking his head vigorously to try to erase a rather disturbing image of two of his best friends that had po
pped unwillingly into his head. He shuddered. Annie was practically his sister.

  “Hi, boys,” Helen greeted them not even a minute later from the doorway. “I thought I’d find you two in here.”

  “Hi,” both guys replied.

  “Jet, if you’re hungry, not that I have to ask, I picked up some fried chicken on the way home. Your sister and brother are taking it to the table. Tucker, you’re welcome to eat here, too, if you’d like.”

  “Sweet. Thanks, Helen,” Tucker replied as the two of them darted out of the room to find the food.

  When they finished eating, they said their goodbyes to Jet’s family, and headed next door to pick up the twins.

  Tyler came bolting down the stairs as Bridgette let them in. “Oh, my God!” he cried. “You’re not going to believe it!”

  “Chill out, Tyler!” Izzy called down after him as she came down the stairs dressed in loose, flowing, black leggings and a Bentonville Sharks spirit shirt Ms. Teiger insisted she’d wear to the games now that she couldn’t fit into her uniform.

  “But it’s totally awesome!” he cried to the three in the living room.

  “What is?” his mother asked.

  “He saw Annie,” Izzy explained. “Jet, get ready to have your eyes pop out of your head. I do some amazing work.”

  “Well, let’s see,” Bridgette said, the guys joining as she stood by Izzy near the stairs for her daughter’s descent.

  “Annie!” Izzy called up the stairs when nothing happened.

  “Do I have to?!” they heard her call back down.

  “Yes! Now come on! We need to go!”

  “Good! Y’all go ahead and go! You can see me at the game later!”

  “Annabel Kay Dearly, get your butt down those stairs so I can see you!” Bridgette finally called out.

  “Mom!” she protested.

  “Annie, don’t start! Now get down here!”

  “Ugh! Fine!”

  Jet held his lips together to keep from laughing. Whatever Izzy had done with her, she was definitely still his Annie.

  All four pairs of eyes waited anxiously as she started down the stairs. The first thing Jet was able to see was an insecure step in a strappy bronze heel. “Looks like Izzy put her foot down on the flip flops this time,” he thought, wondering how long she’d last before pulling them off.

  As Annie continued to step cautiously down the stairs, Jet’s eyes followed past her heel to trail up the smooth, nicely toned length of her tanned leg. He caught his first glimpse of her dress just above her knee and instantly knew she had had no part in picking it out.

  Shimmers of gold sparkled throughout the matching bronze material, gathering at her rear and her chest in a strapless sweetheart design. The dress clung to her hips and gave her curves the perfect emphasis. Jet was in awe, as Izzy had promised. He loved Annie in jeans and T-shirts, but he had to admit, he liked this look, and found his breath caught in his chest when he saw the finishing touches.

  Soft ringlets flowed down her back and around her bare shoulders, pinned away from her face with some kind of clip he couldn’t see. His gaze lingered at her glossed lips, but moved up to stare into her now smoky eyes. He noticed the insecurity there and wanted to tell her how absolutely breathtaking she looked, but he couldn’t seem to get his mouth to follow his brain.

  Annie looked around to find Izzy with her hands on her hips, scrutinizing as though to find something she had missed upstairs. Her mother’s hand was at her mouth, her green eyes looking her up and down. Tyler just kept grinning and looking around at the group as if to say ‘I told you so.’

  Annie’s eyes found Jet’s already on hers. She waited for him to say something, but all he did was stare at her, his mouth gaping open. She didn’t even bother to look over at Tucker. She could see from the corner of her eye that he was standing just as still as Jet and didn’t even want to know what his expression looked like.

  There was only one reasonable explanation for everyone’s reaction. “I knew it. I look ridiculous, don’t I?”

  “Goodness, Annie, no. You look beautiful,” her mother assured her, her hand still at her mouth.

  “Then why is everyone staring at me like I’m some kind of freak show?”

  “Because you look amazing. I knew Jet would like it,” Izzy replied and turned to look at the guys. “Uh, hello?! The two of you can stop drooling all over your shoes now. Especially you, Tucker!”

  At those words, Jet reached over and lifted Tucker’s bottom jaw. “Dude…”

  “Sorry, man. Just surprised,” He explained. “Annie, you look great.”

  “Uh, thanks, Tucker.”

  Izzy cleared her throat when he still didn’t look away.

  Jet nudged his friend in the ribs with his elbow. “Dude, check out your own girlfriend.”

  Tucker shook himself out of it. “Sorry, love, but y’all are twins.” Seeing her still upset, he went to put his arms around her, whispering reassurances in her ear.

  “Yeah, yeah, okay, Annie looks pretty. Can we go now, Mom?” Tyler complained.

  “Just a minute. Go grab my phone from my purse, Tyler. I need pictures.” He groaned with his errand.

  “Mom, do we really have to? Isn’t being dressed like this bad enough without having pictures for proof?”

  “Yes, Annie. You’re up for Homecoming queen. I need pictures. You look so pretty.”

  “She always looks pretty,” Jet added.

  Bridgette smiled. “You’re right, Jet. She does.”

  Annie wobbled over to Jet in the heels she wanted nothing more than to discard in the corner for a pair of stable, much more comfortable flip flops. “You guys aren’t lying to me right? I know Izzy likes to get carried away.”

  “Hey!”

  “Trust me. This time, she got carried away in a good way,” Jet assured her as he looked her over. He was glad to see that she had at least gotten away without any jewelry other than the ring he had given her, and she never took off. Anything else would have definitely been over the top for his girl.

  The next several minutes were spent with Annie standing awkwardly in front of the stairs, smiling unwillingly for the camera while her mother continued to click away, and just when she’d thought the torture would end, the others insisted on group pictures as well. She made her best effort to be a good sport about it until, finally, her mother got her fill.

  “Well, sweetie, give me a hug,” Bridgette said as she slipped her phone into her back pocket. “Tyler and I are going to head out. We’ll see you at the game. You look amazing.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Annie replied, hugging her goodbye.

  “Later, Annie,” Tyler called from the door. “Later, guys. Good luck at the game tonight, Jet.”

  “Thanks, Tyler,” Jet called back as Bridgette scooted him through the door.

  “I do not get carried away,” Izzy said defensively once her mother and brother had left.

  “Maybe not tonight,” Annie replied, “but that’s just because you ran out of time.”

  “That reminds me,” Izzy said as she went to grab her jacket from the closet near the door. “Why were you so late? I gave you a specific time to be home today so that I would have plenty of time to get you ready.”

  “You mean she didn’t tell you yet?” Tucker asked, his tone insinuative.

  Looking perplexed, she passed her sister her jacket. “Tell me what? Annie, what should you have told me?”

  Annie shot Jet a look. Surely he hadn’t already blabbed to Tucker? He shrugged back at her as if to say he was sorry.

  “Our friends had a little too much fun in the kitchen with dessert this afternoon,” Tucker supplied proudly. He watched Annie blush scarlet. He was right. It was so worth embarrassing her over having Jet owe him a favor.

  Isabel stared at them for a few seconds before it clicked, and she took in a surprised intake of breath. “In your family’s kitchen, Jet?!” He just grinned. “That’s�
��that’s…” she had no words.

  “At least, you didn’t have to see the place when they were through, love,” Tucker added, not quite done embarrassing his friend. “I was stuck helping with damage control.”

  Annie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “So that’s how Tucker found out.” She hadn’t wanted anyone to see that mess, that incredibly fun mess. “Won’t it be great when Jet and I have our own kitchen one day?” she mused.

  “Be nice, Tuck,” Isabel scolded in a tone that wasn’t in the least bit harsh. “I’m sure Annie’s embarrassed enough that you know any details at all. I wouldn’t want them knowing details about us either.”

  “But I wouldn’t mind sharing some from our afternoon at the beach,” he replied, stretching the teasing a little further.

  “Sweet, dude!” Jet exclaimed, giving him a high five while Isabel flushed scarlet.

  “And you gave us a hard time? We weren’t in public,” Annie glared.

  Isabel cringed in embarrassment. “Call it an exception.”

  “Why?”

  She held up her left hand for their friends to see. Jet stared at the ring in surprise while Annie grabbed Isabel’s hand for a closer view. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Sure is,” Tucker replied proudly, pulling his fiancé to his side.

  “But you said you weren’t going to get married,” Annie said softly, still studying the ring on her sister’s hand.

  “We said we weren’t going to get married yet,” Tucker corrected.

  “But there’s no reason we can’t be engaged,” Isabel explained. “We’re still going to wait, but this way, everyone, including our daughter, will know how committed we are.”

  “Anyone that looks at you knows that,” Annie responded in a tone that said ‘it’s the most obvious thing in the world.’

  “Congratulations,” Jet said, finally collecting his thoughts.

  “Thanks,” Izzy replied as she tugged her hand back from her sister. “But we better go.”

  “Right,” Jet replied, leading the way outside.

  * * *

  “Izzy, I think you’re going to have to start sitting in the front in my car,” Jet commented in the school parking lot as he watched her struggle her way out of the small opening the Mustang offered from the backseat.

 

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