by Anthology
“Were you even a Scout?” I whispered.
“Eagle Scout,” he whispered back. We kissed again, and this time his tongue slipped inside. I ran my fingers through his damp, cool hair, holding him closer. He smelled like laundry detergent and chlorine and the gummies we’d been eating.
I’m kissing Easton Sawyer, I thought distantly. I’m kissing him, and I like it.
We eased down onto the daybed. I wasn’t a small girl, but he was a big guy, and when he stretched out over me, he made me feel delicate.
“You okay?” he asked, kissing my throat. “Is…this okay?”
“Yes,” I said. The sky sparkled above, wisps of cloud racing by the moon. “And yes.”
He kissed me hard, filling my mouth with his tongue. I wrapped my legs around hips, pulling him closer until we were moving together. We weren’t having sex, but East was hard, and he was hitting the right spot. I hadn’t dry humped since my senior year of high school, but this was the hottest thing I’d done in a while.
Suddenly he broke away, sliding down as he pushed my shirt up. Kissing a path from my navel to the valley between my breasts, he looked up at me with a naughty grin.
My breath hitched. It was like looking at one of my mom’s 3D magic eye posters from the 90s. At first, the image was unclear…a repeating pattern, a blur of color. But if you stared long enough, and relaxed your eyes, you saw the true picture beneath. It would pop out, as if in 3D, and you’d wonder how you never saw it before.
East had changed in front of my eyes. It had been easy to resist his looks before because his obnoxiousness had eclipsed them. But I’d seen another side now. A careful, considerate side that gave me water and fresh air and a place to decompress. Companionship. And God, his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes; I couldn’t even deny it anymore. He kissed my breast, sucking my nipple into his mouth.
Downstairs and across the house, the music grew louder, something bass heavy and dreamy. We took my hoodie off altogether, and then his shirt, our kisses desperate and messy.
I wasn’t sure what I’d been doing with Jay, but it hadn’t felt like this—like I’d do anything…like I’d let him do anything. Something had held me back.
Yeah, it was different with East.
His fingers crept down my soft, cotton shorts, past my underwear to find me bare and wet.
“Fuck,” he whispered, staring down at me. He slid a finger inside, and then another, covering my mouth with his when I started to writhe and moan.
I broke away from our kiss, gasping. “Don’t stop.”
He didn’t stop, but he switched up what he was doing, massaging my clit with the heel of his hand. And oh, did he know what he was doing. He kissed me and touched me until the tiny pinpricks of pleasure that had been racing around my softest places exploded, and I came on his fingers.
I pushed him gently away, overly sensitive, but he kissed me again, pulling me onto his lap as he rolled over. Sitting back, I assessed the situation in his shorts. “You look like you could use a hand.”
“Or a mouth.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I said, pulling his from his boxers.
“Sorry, Ms. Julia.”
“Mm, that makes me sound like a teacher. That one of your fantasies?”
“Could be.” His eyes were trained on my hands, which were wrapped around his smooth, and very hard, dick.
Sinking down, I sucked him into my mouth. He murmured his approval, hips straining toward me. I smiled to myself, because really—boys and their toys. All it took to topple East from his throne was a bj. I swirled my tongue around his tip and he inhaled sharply, resting his hand in my hair. I couldn’t tell if he was warning me or encouraging me.
The wind shifted again, bringing with it music and shrieks of laughter from the pool. I picked up the pace. East’s fingers tightened in my hair, and he groaned quietly, hardening even more.
“I’m gonna come.”
I slowed, licking him, but I didn’t stop. I felt powerful, making him squirm like this.
“Julia,” he said, strained. His hand left my tangled hair, and he caressed my cheek.
But I took care of him, surprising the both of us. Swallowing, I sat up and wiped my mouth. “Can I have the rest of your water?” I felt remarkably soberer than I had fifteen minutes ago.
“Of course,” he said, quiet now as he tossed me the bottle.
“Thanks.” I finished it off, watching East pull his pants up. And run his fingers through his hair. Things had escalated quickly, and I wondered what he thought of me now.
“No…thank you,” he said finally, startling me when he yanked me down to his side. “Never ever in a million years would I have thought that mouth…” He paused, touching my lips. “Could do that.”
“I guess we all have our talents,” I said, and then I winced, because that sounded horrible.
But he chuckled, nodding. “We do, we do.” He sat up, pulling my pants off, leaving me naked on the daybed.
“We’re not having sex,” I said, even though I kind of wanted to. I mean…his equipment was quite promising.
“No, we’re not.” His eyes flashed in amusement, and he palmed himself. “I need a minute to recover.”
My face burned in the darkness. He parted my knees and knelt between them, getting up close and personal. “What’re you doing?” I asked, breathless, but I knew exactly what he was doing.
His stubble chafed at my inner thighs, sending another delicious shudder through me. “Reciprocating.”
Splat
Splat
Splat splat splat
I jolted awake. It was raining, the sky a steely grey. I knew where I was—East’s balcony, on his daybed, naked—just not why. As in, why was I still here, and where the hell was East?
My hoodie was in a puddle on the ground. An actual puddle.
Yawning, I wrapped myself in the blanket and got up. I didn’t see my phone, and come to think of it, I didn’t remember having it last night. Hopefully Aveline had been too wrapped up in Mateo to notice my absence.
Thunder boomed in the distance. Grabbing my clothes, I hurried inside, closing the doors as the misty drizzle turned to a deluge. East was nowhere to be found.
“What the hell?” I muttered, pissed off he’d just leave me like that. And not even in his bed. Typical East, I supposed, barreling through life, taking what he wanted like he was oblivious. He wasn’t, though. He noticed things when he wanted to.
Wondering what the time was, I yanked on my wet clothing and opened the door. The hallway was empty, thank God. I hadn’t slept with East, but this was a walk of shame if I ever saw one. Hurrying down the steps, I leapt across the hall and into our room, where Aveline was waiting, eyes red.
“Girl, where the hell have you been?” She had her phone in one hand and mine in the other. “I was freaking out…no one knew where you were!”
“I’m sorry, Ave.” Guilt wormed through me. “I got way, way too drunk last night and…”
“That’s it? You got too drunk?” Her big, blue eyes roved over me. “Did something happen to you?” She came closer, lips quivering. “Did—”
“Aveline,” I said, grabbing her arms. “I’m fine. I got trashed. Easton brought me to his room for some fresh air.” My face warmed, but I kept going. “We kind of…hooked up…and fell asleep. I just woke up.”
She stared at me like she had no idea who I was. I wasn’t sure I knew, either. “Why are you all wet?”
I went to the bathroom we shared, looking in the mirror. Cringe. My hair had dried into long, bedraggled curls and then gotten wet again, sending it into a frizz. Remnants of yesterday’s mascara had given me raccoon eyes. And there was still a bump on my head. “We passed out on his balcony. There’s a daybed out there and I got rained on.”
“He has a bed on his patio?” She smirked. “Maybe he is kind of a douche.”
“I mean…it’s not actually his,” I said with a laugh
. “It’s his room’s.”
“I thought you hated him.”
“I did.” Sighing, I started the shower. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“The D was that good, huh?” she asked, arms folded.
“We didn’t go that far.”
Her lips twitched, and I just knew she was dying for details.
“I really am sorry, Ave,” I said, peeling my clothes off. “Getting that drunk was a rookie move, and so was not telling you where I was. As cheesy as it sounds, one thing led to another.”
Our eyes met in the bathroom mirror, and she smiled. “Still kinda mad at you, but I believe you. And I love you.”
“Love you, too.” I got in the shower, melting in gratitude beneath the hot water.
“You know, I saw East this morning. He and his friends were going to the grocery store.” She paused. “It didn’t even occur to me to ask him if he’d seen you.”
“It wouldn’t have occurred to me, either.” I squirted shampoo onto my hair. “Last night was the first time I really hung out with him…and probably the last, seeing he left me outside in a fucking rainstorm.”
Aveline peeked into the shower, waving steam from her face. “I’m guessing he didn’t know it was gonna rain.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on yours. I’m just sayin’ intentions matter.”
“Yeah. They do. He should’ve gotten me up when he was leaving,” I said, finally feeling the ache of it. “It was awful, waking up outside like that.” It was humiliating.
“I bet.” She nodded, eyes soft with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Jules.”
Outside, peals of thunder cracked across a soot-colored sky. The patio was empty, and rivers of rain ran off the umbrellas and into the pool. Nursing a cup of coffee, I curled up at the window overlooking the beach across the street. A bolt of lightning split the sky, the dark, rough water churning beneath it. I wondered where East was, if he was thinking about what happened last night.
Sure, I could use the excuse we’d been drunk, or that I’d been sexually frustrated, and he’d been available, but there’d been something more. I’d wanted him. I’d done things to him I didn’t normally do…and he’d taken care of me, in every way.
He and his entourage came in through the front door, arms full of groceries. They set up in the kitchen, joking around and talking loudly as they unpacked the bags.
“Your eggs, Ms. Jackie,” said East, handing her a brown carton.
She thanked him, joining Keith at the counter. They were on breakfast duty today.
But it was East I couldn’t take my eyes off, those eyes, that scruffy jaw, the old hoodie he’d pulled on. He moved around the kitchen, helping put stuff away, teasing and harassing and doing all the usual, irritating East things he did. And then he looked over at me, like he knew exactly where I was. My heart tripped. I stared back at him, confused by the conflict in my heart.
Keith spoke up and East answered, turning to him. If last night had been nothing more than a drunken hook-up, why did this sting so much?
“You having an omelet, Julia honey?” called Jackie, waving her spatula.
I blinked, feeling a little called out as East’s eyes swung back my way. “No thanks,” I said, forcing a grin as I left my coffee cup in the sink. “I’m okay.”
According to the weather app, the rain wasn’t stopping anytime soon. Some people left for the day, driving up the coast for sunnier areas, while others headed over to Harbor Walk Village to check out the bars.
Aveline, Jackie, and I curled up on the couch, mentally checked out on reality TV. I’d dozed off when Ave leaned close, her soft curls tickling my nose. “Mateo and I are gonna grab lunch at that seafood and oyster house we saw driving in.” Her eyes flickered to me. “Want to come?”
As good as that sounded, I’d just be a third wheel. “Nah, girl. You go with him.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Alone time.”
Her cheeks went pink. “You sure? I feel like I haven’t been around for you…”
I rolled my eyes. “Mateo’s the whole reason we chose Destin this year. You’d better spend as much time with him as possible.”
For once, the house was quiet, as if the rain had lulled everyone into a state of torpor. I fell asleep on the couch again, snuggled beneath an afghan Jackie had thrown over me at some point.
“Julia?”
I opened one eye, annoyed at being shaken awake. “Easton.”
He winced. “Back to that, huh?”
I shrugged.
“Listen.” He sat beside me, resting his hands on his knees. “I’m sorry about this morning. I was gonna come back.”
“I’d think so, seeing it was your room.” I shook my head. “Actually, it wasn’t even that. It was your balcony.”
He chuckled uncomfortably, scrubbing his hands over his face. “You know what I meant.”
“Whatever.” Tossing the blanket off my knees, I made to get up, but he stopped me.
“Don’t go,” he said, and for once, he was serious.
My heart squeezed. I ignored it. “Do you know how humiliating it was to wake up outside? Naked? Getting rained on?”
“I’m sorry—I never meant for you to wake up that way.” He shook his head. “I was gonna go out, grab something to eat. Bring it to you. It started pouring right when we got to the store…I tried to call you, but it went to voicemail.”
He was probably telling the truth, but I still didn’t know what to think. I hadn’t had the best luck with guys this week.
I averted my gaze, picking at a thread on my cutoffs. “All right. Well. It was fun, East.” Standing, I slid my phone into my pocket and set my eyes on the kitchen. There was leftover pizza in the fridge with my name on it.
I’d gone maybe two steps when East took my hand and tugged me back, bringing us face to face. “Is that all it was? Fun?” Pinning me with his gaze, he brushed his thumb against my bottom lip.
“You didn’t even speak to me this morning,” I whispered.
He bent to me, kissing me. Opening to him, I slid my fingers into his hair, tugging him closer. Kissing last night had been sexy and fun, but by daylight things felt different. More serious. Sober. “You were upset,” he said, breaking away to look me. “And there were people around.”
I nodded.
“I didn’t know what to say.” Two spots of color rose on his cheeks.
“Okay.” I looked down, endeared by that silly little blush.
Perhaps Easton Sawyer the Second wasn’t as untouchable as I’d assumed.
Having sworn off tequila for the remainder of the week, I reached for a frosty IPA. It was my third, but who was counting?
Meanwhile, sunshine and blue skies were back, and things were in full swing. The pool was at maximum capacity, the music reaching epic levels. Keith and Mateo were grilling, and the smell of burgers made my mouth water.
“Hey, Julia.”
I turned, not too surprised to find Jay standing there with a look I assumed he thought was smoldering. I’d seen him earlier, working the crowd. “Oh, hey.”
“What’ve you been up to?” he asked, as if he hadn’t ghosted me a day prior.
“Same as you, I’m sure.”
A shirtless Easton emerged from the crowd, wrapping his arm around my waist. His skin was warm and smooth, and he smelled like the mint leaves he been using to make mojitos. “Hey, babe. Can you help me make those things with the nuts and cheese?”
I beamed up at him, having no idea what he was talking about. “Sure. Come on.”
He pulled me away, jerking his chin at Jay as an afterthought. “’Sup, man.”
I snorted as we stumbled toward the kitchen. “That was satisfying.”
“I know.” He pressed his lips to my cheek. “When I saw him talking to you, I just couldn’t help it. It was too perfect.”
We walked right through the kitchen, though, continuing onto the staircase. �
�What’re you up to?” I asked, swatting at his playfully wandering hands.
“Haven’t you had enough of this party?”
I side-eyed the sun through a window we were passing on the first landing. “Uh, not really.”
“We’ll get back to it,” he promised, urging me on. “This is important.”
My heart sped up a little. I looked back, over my shoulder. His eyes flashed quickly to mine, but they’d been trained on my ass—just like I knew they’d be. I picked up the pace, jogging up the last flight, letting him brush by to unlock his room. “Did you bring me here to fool around, Easton?” I asked archly, hands on my hips.
“You could say that.” He advanced toward me, backing me up toward the bed until I fell onto it. Crawling onto me, he followed me up the tangled blankets until he rested in the cradle of my hips. “Or…” He pressed his lips to my ears, making me shudder.
“Just like that?” My eyes drifted shut. “What brought that on?”
He nipped my neck. “You sure are dense for such a smart girl, Julia.”
“What?”
“I’ve wanted you since the day you and Aveline moved in.” His voice had gone low and gravelly. “Y’all had Keith and the boys helping you out…and you were just bossing everybody around.”
I stilled, remembering that day.
“You weren’t wearing a bra—”
“Yes, I was!”
“You weren’t, and your shorts…” His fingertips wandered up my thighs, squeezing.
“So, you’ve been secretly lusting for me this whole time?” I teased, but I was hot all over, flushed and achy. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because you hated me, babe,” he said. “I liked you, but I wasn’t gonna kiss your ass.”
I paused, pushing his chest a little. “You think I’m a snob!”
“A hot snob,” he said, eyes twinkling. “A fine, Georgia peach.”
I rolled my eyes. “East.”
“Shh.” And then his fingers brushed against my panties, dipping just beneath the fabric. I exhaled slowly, eyes closed as he started to kiss me.
We took my dress off, and then his board shorts. My underwear disappeared. Our eyes met. I realized that though this East was new to me, I’d seen a glimpse of him last night. He looked at me like he saw me, saw past hot, snobby Droolia that hated him and into me. Julia.