by Jenni Wilder
“Yeah, Lincoln. Control yourself, at least until you’ve had a few drinks. Then you have an excuse,” Rebecca said, laughing.
Knowing he had guests he should be paying attention to, I let my legs drop from his waist and pulled back to look at him. He gave me a private smile, and I bit my lip, feeling his love for me.
Sighing loudly, he slowly lowered me to the floor and gave me one last quick peck. I felt a little uncomfortable when I looked over at our family and friends and found them all watching us with curiosity.
I fanned my face with my hand, as if I was overheated, and laughed. “Whew! I need a drink after that.” I tried to hide my embarrassment.
Lincoln chuckled and kissed my forehead. He popped the top on another beer and handed it to me, taking big gulps from his own. I was surprised to see I had already finished my second beer, but we were celebrating and the drinks went down well.
I couldn’t contain my smile as I sipped my beer and listened to Lincoln discuss the game with everyone in the kitchen. I leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder as Kennedy presented a large cake that had “Happy Birthday #14” written in Blackhawk colors on the top.
“Make a wish, baby,” I whispered in his ear. Lincoln smiled shyly, blew out the candles, and kissed me intensely in front of everyone as they sang a horribly off key verse of Happy Birthday. It was perfect.
Five beers later, I sat on Lincoln’s lap in a wooden Adirondack chair on the deck near the fire. A majority of the partygoers had left, and the few stragglers had made their way to the deck. It wasn’t exactly warm outside, but with the fire and blankets, it was comfortable.
Lincoln was wearing the hat and scarf I knitted him, and I felt totally happy snuggling against his chest. I giggled at something Kennedy said and set my empty bottle on the deck. I had a serious buzz going on. “You’re such a lightweight,” Lincoln said, nuzzling into my ear. “You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“Maybe just a little,” I answered and kissed his neck as he chuckled at my reply. “Are you having fun?”
“I was. Now I’m going to have to worry about taking care of your drunk ass.”
I knew he was teasing, but I gasped and sat up, cupping my hands against Lincoln’s face. “No, no, no. I want you to have fun at your party. I’ll stop drinking.”
“Princess, it’s fine. I like taking care of you.”
“But it’s your birthday. You should be having fun. Drink up. I’ll get you another beer.” I kissed him quickly and stood up, but swayed slightly on my feet once I was upright. Lincoln sat forward and grabbed my hips, steadying me. “I’m fine!” I exclaimed and pulled out of his grasp.
“I got her,” Kennedy said, coming up beside me and grabbing my arm, leading me into the house. I grabbed another beer for my man, a bottle of water for myself and made up a small plate of cheese and crackers. Kennedy grabbed the whole bowl of popcorn.
I fell back into Lincoln’s lap once I returned to the fire and handed him his beer before kissing him intensely.
“Knock it off before I dump this whole bowl of popcorn on you two!” Kennedy hollered from across the fire. Everyone within earshot laughed.
“Hey, it’s my birthday,” Lincoln said before kissing me again.
“Don’t push me, bro,” Kennedy said, trying to sound threatening.
“You should have brought Brian if you were feeling left out, Ken.”
“And then what? We’d have one big make-out party? I think that’s called an orgy and that shit ain’t happening,” Kennedy snapped back at Lincoln with humor, and I just about spit out my mouthful of water.
“For the record,” Deacon chimed in. “If we’re talking orgies, I’d just like to state I’m one of the few single guys here not related to someone else. Just something to keep in mind, ladies.” He looked around with an impish leer and puffed his chest out.
“Yeah, that shit ain’t happening either, Deacon,” Kennedy said while throwing popcorn at him, and everyone laughed.
The laughter died out and Deacon sat forward in his chair. “All right, all right. If we’re not going to have an orgy…” He looked around as if hoping someone would volunteer. “No? Fine. Then we should play a drinking game.”
“Oh God. I haven’t played a drinking game since college,” Rebecca said, sounding hesitant yet eager at the same time.
When no one voiced a strong opposition to his suggestion, Deacon’s eyes lit up and he asked for game suggestions.
“It’s probably a good thing you switched to water, baby,” Lincoln said in my ear. Between the two of us, we had polished off the plate of cheese and crackers and my buzz was wearing off.
“I’m good now. You drink up,” I said to him and stood up. “Who wants another one before we start?” I asked to the circle of people around the fire.
Several people indicated they did and held up empty bottles. I collected the empties, and returned with refreshments, passing them out to everyone before grabbing the popcorn bowl from Kennedy and returning to my seat on Lincoln’s lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him.
“Okay, we’re going to play Never Have I Ever!” Deacon announced, and a few people groaned.
“What’s ‘Never Have I Ever’?” I asked Lincoln quietly.
“Stupidest game ever.” Lincoln shook his head before saying, “Popcorn.”
I looked up and saw he had his mouth open expectantly. I smirked and grabbed a handful of popcorn and tossed a few kernels in his mouth. He chewed and grinned.
“Good Lord, now she’s feeding him,” Kennedy said.
Lincoln’s head whipped toward his sister. “Hey, what’s your problem?”
“Nothing,” she said, snuggling back in her chair with a grin on her face. “I just like giving you a hard time, bro.”
Lincoln rolled his eyes but then opened his mouth to me again, and I fed more popcorn to him.
“Christ, can we play already?” Deacon asked, and everyone focused attention on him. “Okay, never have I ever gone sky diving.”
I looked around the circle as Lincoln’s teammate Matt took a swig of his mixed drink. I turned to Lincoln, confused.
He moved his mouth to my ear and explained, “Deacon has never been sky diving, but Matt has so Matt has to take a drink.”
“Oooh… well, apparently I wouldn’t have had to switch to water. I haven’t done a whole lot,” I said quietly so only Lincoln could hear.
“Just wait. It’ll turn dirty in a while. That’s when most people get slammed.”
“Dirty?”
“Sexual. You’d catch up quick, considering what we’ve done,” he said with a big grin on his face.
I blushed and watched as the game moved on to the next person in the circle, which happened to be my sister. “Okay… never have I ever… um… oh! Never have I ever broken a bone,” said Rebecca.
Several of the people in their circle took a drink, including Lincoln. “You’ve broken a bone?” I asked him quietly.
He shrugged and smiled. “Hey, I’m a hockey player.”
“Oh,” I simply said in reply. That made sense. It was a rough sport.
The game moved on. The girl sitting next to Rebecca, who I thought was named Avery, thought for a moment. She turned to the guy next to her and pointedly said, “Never have I ever… hid on a Ferris wheel after being chased by a clown through a carnival.”
Shrieks of laughter sounded through the circle. The man next to Avery rolled his eyes and took a long drink of his beer.
“Oh my God. What?!?” exclaimed another girl.
The man rolled his eyes again. “There was an incident… involving a water gun and a psychotic clown,” he said with humor. Everyone laughed again. “Well, it was his own fault for wearing those stupid big shoes.” I laughed until my sides hurt.
The game continued around the circle and, as Lincoln predicted, people’s responses were getting more and more perverted, and I ended up blushing and taking a swig of Lincoln’s beer occasion
ally. And every time I did, Lincoln would chuckle and kiss the side of my head.
By the time the game got around the circle to my turn, Kennedy and Carter had left the party. Kennedy wanted to get home to her husband and kids, and Carter’s excuse was “it was getting late.”
I saw Lincoln roll his eyes as his brother’s inability to relax and enjoy the party, but he didn’t give him too hard of a time. Besides, Carter was being extremely helpful with the whole Mackenzie photograph thing, so I hugged both Lincoln’s siblings as they left and promise to be in touch.
“Think of a good one, Jillian!” Deacon shouted to me from across the fire as the game continued.
I thought for a moment, biting my lip. “Ok… never have I ever been skinny-dipping.”
“Now we’re talking!” Deacon exclaimed and took a long swig of his beer. I look around the circle and saw several people drinking, including my sister.
“Rebecca!” I exclaimed with surprise.
“What? It was no biggie. Remember that summer I went to camp? We all went skinny-dipping in the lake.”
“The all-girls bible camp?!” I shrieked while laughing, and Rebecca nodded.
Everyone in the circle laughed, and Deacon spit his beer out with shock.
“Oh. That’s hot. Please tell me you practiced kissing with each other too?” he said, licking his lips and eyeing Rebecca.
She threw her head back with laugher and smacked Deacon on the chest. “No, we did not.”
“Damn. I’ll just have to use my imagination then,” Deacon said and leaned extremely close to my sister and waggled his eyebrows. Rebecca rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away from him.
I smiled and looked to Lincoln to get his opinion of his friend, but found Lincoln was just setting down his beer. “Did you take a drink? You’ve been skinny-dipping?”
“Yeah. I mean I have this nice private beach and a hot tub right there.” He pointed to the end of the deck.
“Hot tub?! Let’s go!” one of the girls said, standing up.
“Hells yes!” Deacon replied and rushed over to pull off the insulating cover from the hot tub. “All right, Linc?”
Lincoln shrugged. “Wanna go?” he said quietly into my ear.
I shook my head frantically as I watched the girl strip down to her bra and panties while shrieking about how cold it was.
Deacon hit the buttons and bubbles erupted, and mood lighting glowed from within the tub. Another couple stood up and began removing all clothes except their underwear as well. My eyes flashed to my sister in panic.
“Let’s go inside, Jilly,” Rebecca said, standing and holding her hand out for me. Rebecca understood my panic.
“Rebecca! Aren’t you going to come in? Plenty of room! And if not, you can always sit on my lap!” Deacon called over to Rebecca. He had stripped down to his boxer briefs and was currently leaning his naked torso over the side, ushering for my sister to join them.
Rebecca looked back at me, and I could see the conflict in her eyes. “Go ahead,” I told my sister as I stood up to go back inside.
“Where are you going?” Lincoln asked me as I left him sitting by the fire alone.
“I’m cold,” I simply said and retreated inside.
When Lincoln found me, I was cleaning the kitchen, putting food in containers and positioning them Tetris-style in the refrigerator. I was attempting to find a lid for a certain odd-sized bowl when Lincoln wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzled my neck. I pushed out of his arms and stepped away from him, trying to ignore him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked me as he moved close behind me again.
“Nothing,” I replied, irritated.
“Jillian…” he said slowly. “When I ask you what’s wrong, it’s ’cause I want to fix it. Whatever it is.”
I turned around and looked up at his face full of concern. I didn’t know how to articulate my feelings. I felt embarrassed, insecure, and jealous over the girls in the hot tub. Not because they were half-naked around my man, but over the simple fact they were comfortable enough with themselves to be half-naked in the hot tub.
“You can’t fix everything, Lincoln.”
“Maybe I can,” he said, smiling arrogantly, causing me to roll my eyes at him. “Will you please tell me?” he asked again and I rested my forehead on his chest but didn’t answer him.
He circled his arms around me and pulled me close to him. “Should I guess? Are you mad Deacon is hitting on your sister?”
I snorted. “No. I actually think they’d be good together.”
“Me too,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “Are you mad I wanted you to stop drinking?” I shook my head against his chest. “Are you mad I ate your popcorn?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head again. “Are you mad I keep asking questions?”
I exhaled with frustration. “I’m not mad.”
“Well, you’re not happy either. And that needs to be fixed. Do you want me to keep guessing?”
I pulled out of his grasp and walked a few feet away, standing with my back to him. “I was… uncomfortable.”
“With what, baby?” he came up behind me and rubbed my shoulders.
I hung my head. “I haven’t been in a hot tub since I was ten.”
His hands froze on my shoulders. “Because of your scars?”
I nodded. “I was just wishing I could strip down and go in the hot tub too.” It sounded so pathetic to my ears.
Lincoln turned me around and crouched down to my eye level. “You want to go in a hot tub?”
I shrugged. Lincoln nodded and swooped down to pick me up in his arms. I gasped and circled my arms around his neck as he carried me toward the door to the deck. “No, Lincoln! No! I don’t want anyone to see.” I protested and squirmed in his arms.
“Relax, baby,” he said as he somehow managed to open the door while carrying me. He stepped out on the deck. “Hey, Deac. We’re going to bed. Lock up when you’re done.”
“All right, man,” Deacon shouted back over the commotion. Lincoln nodded and carried me back inside.
“We’re going to bed?” I stopped struggling in his arms, confused at the direction our conversation had turned.
“No,” Lincoln answered with a smirk.
He carried me downstairs, through his man cave, and into the bathroom connected to his bedroom. He set me down and walked to the massive Jacuzzi tub in the corner, turned the knobs and began filling it with water.
“Wait here,” Lincoln ordered, smiling at me before he disappeared into his bedroom. I stood alone nervously in the bathroom. It was sweet of him to draw me a bath, but it’s not really what I had wanted when I said I wanted to go in the hot tub.
Regardless, I walked to the mirror and pulled my hair up in a messy bun, securing it with a hair tie I had around my wrist. I heard the door open and close behind me and I turned to find Lincoln standing in the bathroom in just his boxer briefs. My mouth watered at the sight of his muscular body. His chest muscles were bulging and the six-pack on his abdomen bumped out down to the V between his hips.
“Is this okay? I thought you could wear this. But I can find something else if you’re not comfortable,” he said as he held out some fabric draped in his hand.
I walked forward and took the clothes from his hand. I held them up and smiled. It was a pair of his boxer briefs and a tank top. My scars would be completely covered. I bit my lip, smiled, and nodded. Lincoln kissed me quick and excused himself, leaving me alone in the bathroom to change while the water filled the tub.
I quickly changed into the clothes Lincoln had offered and check myself out in the mirror. The boxer briefs fit surprisingly well. They were tight against my butt, but loose around the waist and thighs. I was drowning in his tank top, though. Bunching the extra fabric to the side, I knotted it, ’80s-style. It pulled the neckline extremely low, although it still covered all the important bits.
I was sitting on the edge of the tub watching the water rise when Lincoln knocked qu
ietly. I called for him to come in, and he entered carrying an iPod which he connected to a docking station on the vanity. Slow romantic music filled the bathroom and I smiled as Lincoln hit the dimmer switch and lowered the lighting before walking up to me. He bent over me and kissed me deeply.
“Trying to seduce me?” I teased.
Lincoln chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on it, but the way you look right now, I might not be able to resist,” he admitted and gathered me in his arms, pulling me up against him. “You are so beautiful.”
I blushed and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. We stood kissing in the bathroom awhile before I realized I was cold and remembered the tub. I broke our kiss and turned to look at the tub. It was almost full.
“Ready?” he asked, and I nodded excitedly. He pushed some buttons on the edge of the tub and it roared to life, filling with bubbles. “In you get,” Lincoln commanded, holding my hand to help me in.
I dangled a toe in the bubbly water. It was the perfect temperature.
I eagerly climbed in and sank down to my waist before leaning back against one side. The warm water enveloped me up to my shoulders, and I closed my eyes and groaned with pleasure. The tub was deep and wide with plenty of room for two or more people.
Lincoln climbed in and mirrored my actions, leaning against the opposite side, facing me. He tangled our legs together and echoed my groan of pleasure.
“Mm… Lincoln. This is amazing. Thank you so much,” I said with my head back, the waterline up to my neck.
“Anything for you, Princess,” he told me with a sigh, and I smiled. Once again, he had erased my worries and made me feel cherished.
“Never have I ever… been on a motorcycle,” I said with my eyes still closed and my head back. I heard Lincoln chuckle from across the tub.
“I don’t have anything to drink.”
“You’ve been on a motorcycle?”
“Mmhmm. I tooled around on one in college. Easier to get around campus. I haven’t been on one in a long while, though.”