Keeping 13

by Chloe Walsh

  "I will," he coaxed. "Just relax."

  I couldn't. I was desperate to have him. To just be with him again. Everything felt so frantic. I was frantic. "Please?"

  "Fuck, please don't say it like that," he choked out as he climbed off me. He dragged a foil wrapper out of the side of his jocks and tossed it onto the bed before stripping off. "Keep begging me, and you're going to make me explode before I even touch you."

  "Sorry." Trembling, I scurried under the covers and watched in fascination as he ripped the condom wrapper open and quickly rolled it on. "I just…yeah." Nodding, I flopped onto my back and whispered, "Yeah."

  "Yeah?" Pulling back the covers, Johnny climbed in beside me. "Are you sure?"

  Unable to bear another moment of not touching him, I cupped Johnny's neck in my hand and drew his face to mine, lips sealing together in a kiss that I never wanted to end. He moved over me, and then on me, slowly nudging my thighs apart with his. I let my legs fall open, fingers digging into his sides as I felt him settle against me. He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling in quick succession as he pushed himself inside of my body with an aching gentleness.

  His forehead touched against mine in a move so comforting and tender that I felt the bite of tears sting my eyes as my emotions threatened to rip through me. "Shite," he groaned in an oddly helpless tone, sounding pained, as he held himself above me, taking his weight on one elbow, while using his free hand to cup and stroke my cheek. "Are you sore?" Stilling inside of me, he whispered, "Am I hurting you?"

  I was overwhelmed, drowning in sensations that were both searing me and setting me on fire, but he wasn’t hurting me in the way he thought he was. Biting down on my lip, I shook my head and pulled his face down to mine. "No," I breathed against his lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're perfect."

  His eyes searched mine, uncertainty flashing across his features, as he pressed deeper inside of me, burning a scorching trail of delicious destruction with every thrust of his hips. "Are you sure?"

  My hands were wrapped so tightly around his neck, I was sure I was cutting off circulation somewhere, but I couldn’t release him. I physically couldn’t let him go. I was frightened of the unknown, unsure of the future, and desperately in love with him. The only true thing I knew in this moment was that I trusted this boy. I trusted him with every inch of my body, and with my eyes, I willed him to never break my heart. "I'm sure of you," I whispered. "Move in me."

  A shudder rolled through his body and then he was moving in and out, deep and slow, hips rocking in an addictive rhythm as his lips never left mine. Clutching him like a lifeline, I locked my legs around his waist and trusted my body's instincts, rolling my hips upwards with every downwards thrust of his. "Tell me again," I begged, arching my back upwards, fingernails digging into the sun-tanned flesh of his bare back. "Please –" Biting down on my lip to stop myself from crying out, I absorbed the feel of him, of his weight pressing my body deeper into the mattress, of the inexplicable sensations he brought to life inside of me, as he thrust inside me over and over. "Johnny…tell me again."

  "I love you, Shannon like the river," he whispered, and the heat of his breath on my flesh caused a shiver of pleasure to roll through me. "And I'm coming home to you." He was breathing hard, his heart racing almost violently in his chest as he drew in short breaths. "I promise."

  A momentary flash of relief coursed through me, but it was quickly overtaken by the pleasure thrumming through my veins as my body drowned in love.

  75

  Birthday Boy

  Johnny

  Someone singing happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, old purple balls, happy birthday to you, broke through the best fucking dream I was having that involved a naked Shannon, with her mouth around my dick. The sound of a door slamming loudly tore through my happy thoughts, and then I was buried beneath an insufferable weight, as her pretty face disappeared from my mind's eye.

  Jerking awake with a start, I scrambled to push the covers I was smothering under away from my face. "My best friend is all grown up!" the voice continued to say. "The big one-eight! You can legally buy me drink and smokes whenever I want now. It's like it's your birthday, but I'm the one reaping the benefits."

  "Get off me, you big bastard!" I snarled when I finally managed to free myself from the sheets I was tangled up in. Shooting straight up in my bed, I snaked an arm out and shoved Gibsie off the bed before throwing back the covers, panic stricken at the thought of the pancake he might have made of my girlfriend if he managed to land on her, but she wasn't there.

  Confused, I searched my mattress, but no naked Shannon.

  "That's a lovely way to treat me," Gibsie huffed from where I had knocked him onto the floor. "Charming."

  "What time is it?"

  "You just threw me off your bed when I came all the way over here to wish you a happy birthday," he grumbled, climbing to his feet. "You should apologize for manhandling me, Johnny, not ask me for the time –"

  "What fucking time is it, Gibs?" I snapped, rolling out of bed to search the mattress.

  "It's only half-six," he huffed. "Jesus, you're supposed to be peppy on your birth – oh for the love of god! Would you put that oversized beast away!"

  "If you don't want to see my cock, knock before you walk into my room," I shot back as I stalked, bollocks naked, into my bathroom and slammed the door behind me. In a hushed voice, I said, "Shan, you in here?"

  "Over here," she whispered back.

  Grinning, I pulled back the shower curtain and cocked a brow. "I knew I didn't dream you up."

  "Uh, nope, not a dream." Blushing, she dragged the shower curtain back around her body and squirmed. "Happy eighteenth birthday."

  "Best birthday yet," I purred, pushed back the curtain once more to step into the tub. "You in my bed –" Pausing, I grabbed her thighs and hoisted her into my arms. Pressing her against the wall of my shower, I smirked. "With your mouth around my –"

  "Are you talking to yourself again?" Gibsie shouted from the other side of the door. "Should I be worried? Are you having another panic attack? Is it because of the tour or your birthday? Because you're only turning eighteen, lad, not eighty, and the tour will be grand. Just breathe. Nice and slow. Will I get your Mam–"

  "No! Jesus Christ, don't get my Ma," I strangled out, burying my face in her neck. "I'm not having a panic attack, lad."

  "You're not?"

  I snapped my head back up. "No!"

  "Then what are you doing?"

  "I'm taking a shite," I shot back, causing Shannon to giggle. "Shh," I mouthed, rubbing myself against her. "Go downstairs and wait for me, Gibs," I called out. "I'll be like fifteen minutes –" My eyes roamed over her naked body and my dick strained. Fuck. "Maybe twenty."

  "Yeah, I see pink knickers on your floor, so I know exactly what kind of shit you're taking, you lucky bastard," he called back. "Hey, Little Shannon."

  Shannon's eyes widened. "Uh, hey, Gibsie."

  "Nice floral bra, Shan," he added. "I love the colors – hold on a second! Are you a B cup now?"

  "Get the fuck out of here," I roared. "And don't touch her bra!"

  "I'm just saying that a full cup size is a big jump in one month," Gibsie replied. "Fair play, girl. You're blossoming –"

  "I'm going to rip your gooch off and feed it to you, ya bleeding pervert," I snarled, setting Shannon down so I could climb out of the tub. Swinging the bathroom door open, I stalked towards him. "And how the fuck would you know what size bra my girlfriend wears?"

  "Because I have eyes," he laughed and then flung Shannon's bra at me before diving across the bed to get away. "You know when people say they're a great judge of character? Well, I'm a great judge of tit size–"

  "I hope you enjoyed your last meal, Gerard," I snarled, leaping onto my bed, stark naked. "Because you're going to die today."

  "You keep that beast away from me!" he choked out, making the sign of the cross with this index fingers
. "The power of Christ compels you!"

  "What are you doing?" Ollie's voice filled my ears and I dropped to the mattress quicker than a cat.

  "Alright, bud?" I strangled out, covering myself with my blankets.

  "Why are you naked, Johnny?" he asked, standing in my doorway in his Spiderman pajamas. "Where are your pajamas?"

  "I was having a shower," I lied through my teeth and told him, scrambling to cover myself up. "Gibsie broke in and stole my towel, so I'm giving out to him."

  "Yeah." Laughing nervously, Gibsie shrugged. "We're always playing jokes on each other."

  "That's not funny," Ollie said with a scowl. "He could get the double die-monia if he doesn't dry his hair."

  "The double die-what-e-a?" Gibsie snickered.

  "The double die-monia, " Ollie repeated. "Mammy told us it nearly whipped our Nanny once." His brows furrowed. "I'm not sure what that means, but she got it 'cause she wasn't drying her hair, and it's supposed to be like super bad. They put you in a hospital and everything!"

  "He means double pneumonia," I corrected, stifling a groan. "I'm all good, Ol. Don't worry. It's the summertime. I won't get sick."

  "Yeah, well, it's still not funny," he huffed. Turning to Gibsie, he added, "How would you feel if someone took your towel?"

  "Fair point, kid," Gibsie replied, stifling a laugh. "I promise I won't take Johnny's towel again."

  "Well, give it back to him now," Ollie insisted, not budging from the doorway. "Come on," he urged. "Do the right thing, and say you're sorry."

  "I'm so sorry, Johnny," Gibsie choked out, holding a hand in front of his mouth. "And I would love to give you back your towel, but I seem to have misplaced it."

  "Don't worry, Johnny," Ollie said with a huff. "I'll get you a new one." He moved for my bathroom quicker than I had a chance to register what was happening.

  "No, no, no –" I called out, but it was too late. He had the door wide open, revealing Shannon standing there – thankfully wrapped in a bath towel.

  "Ollie, get out," Shannon hissed, slamming the door shut once more. "Oh my god!"

  "Dellie!" Ollie shouted at the top of his lungs. "I caught them again!"

  "Please, please, stop shouting," I begged. "Don't tell her –"

  "I want my money," Ollie shot back. "And you know the rules, mister rule-breaker." Narrowing his eyes at me, he said, "You're not allowed to play with my sister on your own." He folded his arms across his chest. "And you've got no clothes on. Dellie says that's a big no-no."

  "But it's my birthday," I strangled out, not against emotional blackmail given the current circumstances and prospective consequences. "And I'll give you fifty quid if you don't tell Dellie."

  He tilted his head to one-side, studying me carefully. "One-hundred."

  "What?" I gaped at him. "But it's my birthday!"

  "That's why it's one-hundred," Ollie replied. "Otherwise, I'd need a trillion."

  I narrowed my eyes right back at him. "What do you need a hundred quid for?"

  "For my Legos," he replied. "And my business."

  "Oh yeah?" I arched a brow. "And what business is that?"

  "My spy business," he told me. "And you're my number one target." He squinted his eyes at me. "I'm watching you all the time."

  Jesus Christ… Shaking my head, I pointed to my jeans. "Get my wallet."

  "Woo-hoo!" Grinning from ear to ear, Ollie dragged my wallet out of my discarded jeans and handed it to me. "That's a good choice, Johnny."

  "You better keep quiet about this," I warned him as I handed over two fifties. "Or else I'm going to declare war on your treehouse."

  "You wouldn't dare," he gasped.

  "Oh, I would," I shot back with a nod. "Gibs and I will make an even bigger treehouse, and then we'll bomb yours with water balloons until you surrender, and then we'll hijack it like pirates."

  "Oh, I'm so fucking down for that," Gibsie declared in an excited tone. "I have an excellent aim."

  "Fine, I won't tell on you," Ollie huffed, snatching the cash out of my hand and then holding it up to the light to check its authenticity. "But this is a one-time deal. If I catch you near my sister again, you're fair game, Johnny Kavanagh."

  "Deal," I agreed. "Now, out you go."

  With a stiff nod, Ollie stalked out of my room only to pause in the doorway and run back to my bed. "Oh – and happy birthday," he said, giving me a quick hug. "I love you." With that, he scampered out of my room with my cash in his hands.

  "That kid is slick," Gibsie said in a tone laced with admiration for the young hustler. "Little Lynch has more of Joey the hurler in him than I thought."

  "Yeah? Well, little Lynch just walked out of here with our beer fund for the camping trip today," I grumbled as I reached for my discarded boxers and slipped them on.

  "That little shit," Gibsie growled, not looking so fucking admiring now. "For that, I am going to water-balloon and hijack his treehouse."

  "No, you're not, lad," I said wearily. "You're going to go downstairs and wait for me in the kitchen."

  "Fine," Gibsie huffed, heading for my door. "But one of these days, we're going to take the fort back. "We're going to take it all back," he added before closing my bedroom door behind him.

  "Coast is clear, Shan," I called out. "We're off the hook."

  "Oh my god!" Shannon burst out of my bathroom, red-faced and flailing. "I am so embarrassed."

  "It's okay," I coaxed, patting the mattress next to me. "Come here –"

  "No way!" Shannon strangled out, grabbing her clothes off my bedroom floor. "He'll be back. That bribe only stands for as long as it takes him to put that cash in his money box. He's ruthless, Johnny. I give him five minutes, tops."

  "Will you give me a kiss, at least," I grumbled when she rushed to my door.

  "I'll kiss you later in our tent," she called out, blowing a kiss at me before legging it down the hallway. "Love you!"

  "Yeah," I muttered, flopping back onto my mattress. "Love you back."

  76

  Camping and Carnage

  Shannon

  "Cork, Claire?" Hughie deadpanned, leaning against the side of his car. "Of all the places in the country we could have gone camping, you chose Cork?"

  Winking, Johnny gave me a knowing smirk and continued to haul bags out of the boot of his brand-spanking new Audi A4 – courtesy of his parents – and pass them to Feely. Hughie had been complaining about our camping destination ever since we left the Kavanagh's house three hours ago, and I was grateful that I got to ride shotgun in Johnny's car with him and Feely, and not with the others. Katie was in a mood, Gibsie looked mutinous, and Lizzie was her usual raging-self. Hughie and Claire had been fighting since they walked through the door this morning. The only person who seemed to be himself right now was Feely, and I could never take his measure anyway because he was always so quiet. Something was going on – something that had nothing to do with where we were staying tonight – and it was depressing, because today was Johnny's birthday. He was leaving on Friday. We had two days left together and our friends were fighting.

  "It's a lovely place," Claire said with a heavy sigh. "It has a river and it's surrounded by a woodland." Grabbing a selection of green, white, and gold colored rugby ball shaped balloons out of the back of Johnny's car, she shrugged. "It's absolutely beautiful here, and I promise we'll have fun." Reaching into the back seat, she pulled out two huge red-colored balloons, shaped as the numbers one and eight. "Just try to be positive."

  "Well, I think it's great, Claire," Johnny interjected in a calm tone. "I really appreciate all the effort you went to, so thanks a million."

  "You're welcome, Johnny," Claire replied, sounding relieved.

  "I agree," I offered. "This is the most beautiful place I've ever been in my life."

  "You've only been out of Cork once," Lizzie drawled. "For the Dublin match."

  "Twice," I mumbled, red-faced. "I went to Kerry once when I was small."

  "But you've still only been in
three places, Shan –"

  "For now," Johnny shot back, giving Lizzie a warning look.

  "But this is still Cork, Cap," Hughie grumbled.

  "West Cork," Gibsie corrected, and there was a hint of warning in his voice as he took a defensive stance in front of Claire. "And fuck right off with your pessimistic attitude," he added, tucking a slab of Heineken under his arm. "At least your sister had the imagination to think this whole trip up. We'd be sitting in Biddies, downing pints and warding off clingers if it wasn't for her." Turning to Claire, he said, "Don't you mind him, babe. You did a great job." With his free hand, he tugged on her ponytail, forcing her to look up at him. "You keep that head up," he ordered, tipping her chin with his thumb. "Don't you dare hide that angel face from the world."

  Claire's already pink cheeks turned as red as the balloons she was clutching in her hands. "Thanks, Gerard."

  "But we could have gone anywhere," Hughie complained. "And we're still in Cork."

  "Say it one more time and I'll burn your tent with you in it," Gibsie snarled, glaring at Hughie. "You think I'm messing? Keep upsetting her and see what fucking happens –"

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Feely interjected, stepping between the boys. "None of that shit on Cap's birthday." Turning to Gibsie, he added, "Tone down the testosterone. You're peaking on the crazy with the death threats, Gibs."

  "Hughie's right," Lizzie decided to throw her two-cents into the mix. "This is a disaster."

  Claire's eyes filled with tears and she hurried off through the woods in the direction of the camping site, mumbling something about a fly being in her eye.

  "Oh my fucking god!" Gibsie roared, clearly livid. "If any of you have a problem with being here, then get back in your cars and leave!" Gesturing behind him to where Claire had hurried off, he added, "Think very carefully about your next move, because if you're coming, then you're going to be happy. You're going to smile, and you're going to have a good bastard time. You're going to eat the cake, you're going to sing all the happy fucking birthdays, and you're going to thank that girl for spending the last bloody month organizing this trip for your unworthy asses!" Exhaling heavily, he looked around at us. "We left our heavily pregnant cat at home for this, and Claire's anxious enough about Cherub without all of you breathing down her neck, so if you upset her, again, I will legit take leave of my senses and lose the fucking plot." Eyes bulging, he added, "Don't push me, because I'm already half-way there!"