by Hughes, Maya
I leaned back in my chair and turned my head toward the footsteps coming up the stairs. We were all accounted for.
“Knock, knock.” Noah’s head poked around the corner of the balcony, and Mason was right behind him.
“Hey, Noah and Mason.” Liv was up and out of her seat in a blink. “To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”
Noah ducked his head and pulled a bottle from behind his back.
“For the brownies. I figured if you’re baking, I could at least supply the booze.” He handed me the bottle.
“Whoa, no!” A booming voice made me jump as Ford lunged across the table to rescue said booze from my clutches. “Dude, you do not bake with that bourbon. That stuff is like $500 a bottle.”
My eyes must have been as wide as Noah’s, and his looked like they were ready to fall out of his head.
“Are you serious? I had no idea. My brother had a case delivered today. I figured it was just regular stuff.”
“No. This is nowhere near regular stuff.” Ford cradled the bottle to his chest like it was a newborn baby. He was always so chill and reserved, and everyone stared at each other wide-eyed.
“I’m sure we have some here that we can use, but thank you for bringing it over.” I smiled at Noah.
He smiled back, showing off his straight white teeth. He was in a dark gray polo shirt and cargo shorts.
Gingerly, like he was handing over a defused bomb, Ford put the bottle back into Noah’s hands. “Take care of this.”
“I will,” Noah vowed with a seriousness that had everyone bursting into laughter—almost everyone. Emmett’s neck muscles were so tight, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he were fashioning a shiv under the table—for Noah or me, I wasn’t sure.
“Ford, I had no idea you were so hardcore about your booze. Where have you been on my craft beer runs, my man?” Heath clapped him on the back.
He shrugged.
“I see you guys are about to eat. Mason and I will head back to the house.”
“We’ve got plenty of food if you want a burger,” Heath chimed in.
Emmett made a disgruntled noise like an animal warning someone they were about to get bit, and I could practically hear his dentist bills rising from the beating his teeth were taking. Part of me felt bad about it, but another was pissed that he thought he had any claim. The last part of me reveled in his anger. Served him right.
“Thanks.” They grabbed a couple of chairs and pulled them up to the table. Shot glasses appeared out of nowhere, and the $500 bottle of bourbon made a nice addition to our barbecue meal.
I kept my gaze averted, purposely not making eye contact with Emmett. Someone pulled out Cards Against Humanity, which led to some near-choking and tearful fits of laughter.
“Compliments to the chefs, Declan and Heath. These are so good.” I covered my mouth with my hand, finishing off the last bite of my food. “You’re going to be on grill duty the rest of the summer now.”
“I think I can deal.” Declan leaned back in his chair and draped his arm over the back of Mak’s.
“Who wants another burger?” Heath stood by the grill, sharing burger duty. Every hand shot up except for Noah’s, which landed on my thigh, giving me a small jolt.
“You’re going to have to pass that recipe on to me if he gives it up.” He smiled at me conspiratorially.
The sharp scrape of a chair across the decking happened the instant Noah leaned in. I swallowed and kept my eyes squarely on my food. Noah glanced up, his eyebrows furrowed. Emmett’s heavy footfalls sent their thuds straight to my stomach.
I wasn’t going to let him make me feel bad about being nice to someone, but I also didn’t want Noah to get the wrong idea. Shifting, I dropped my leg so his hand fell free. The rumble of thunder that boomed a second later was so unexpected I yelped, dropping my cards to the table.
I stood from my chair and looked out at the building clouds in the distance. Unlike my first night there, this storm was headed straight for us.
“Oh, wow, that looks bad.” Noah turned to Mason.
A lightning strike in the distance made goosebumps break out all over my arms.
“We should head back. It was great seeing you all.” His eyes lingered on me, and I waved absentmindedly as they disappeared down the same steps Emmett had stormed down not too long ago. At least I hadn’t had to see the look in his eyes, one I knew would sting with accusation even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Let’s get everything inside.”
With numb fingers, I carried my plate. Small droplets dotted my skin, and the thunder made the ground shake. I should have felt better that he’d left, but I worried that it wasn’t safe to drive. The storm was coming in fast and furious, the spitting rain turning into a downpour in seconds. A notification blinked on my phone screen.
Alsyon: Safe and sound! I’ll call you later. Don’t worry about me so much. Have fun!
Me: I love you, miss you.
The tension coiled deep in my stomach tightened. I prayed I’d be able to drown out the sounds with a movie or something else, because the only place I’d ever felt safe from a storm that threatened to capsize my mind at any minute was in Emmett’s arms, and that hadn’t been an option for a long time.
12
Emmett
The rain pelted me with such ferocity, I felt like I could drown at any moment. Had I known I’d be driving into the freaking storm of the decade, I wouldn’t have tried to get off the island when I had. Pushing my car out of a flash flood lake the size of Delaware, I’d tried to restart it for almost two hours. The walk back seemed a hell of a lot longer when you could barely see ten feet in front of your face. I was soaking wet, drenched with floodwater and rain.
Lightning streaked across the sky, even closer than before. The beach house had never been a more welcome sight. Getting inside, getting in the shower, and passing out was what I needed. Maybe there was some of that top-shelf bourbon left. I’d down the rest of the whole damn bottle.
The guy from the beach just kept turning up, and every time he did, it made me want to destroy something, made me want to pick it up and shred it with my bare hands until it was nothing. When his hand had landed on Avery’s leg, it was either leave or launch him over the balcony railing. The fact that she would flirt like that in front of me? Yes, I’d done the same with the women looking for autographs earlier, but it wasn’t the same. Okay, maybe it was a little bit the same.
Opening the door, I strained to hear any movement. More booming thunder and crashing lightning lit up the room for a split second, and I saw an Avery-shaped bundle of blankets on the couch. I was surprised she’d fallen asleep. Storms always put her on edge—or they had back in high school. Maybe she’d gotten over them about the same time she’d gotten over me.
Using my phone to light the way, I only banged my foot on the furniture once. I swore it was jumping out in front of me at that point.
My clothes were soaking and leaving a trail as I made my way to the bedroom. I’d come back and clean it later, or maybe I’d fall asleep on my feet. I shivered when the cool blast of the AC hit my soaking-wet shirt.
I needed a shower and a bed. The day had gone from bad to worse when I’d gotten to the beach to see Avery talking to that guy, and even more terrible when she’d stood up and raced into the surf. The way her bikini bottoms had hugged her ass, showing just enough tantalizing skin to have me calculating hockey stats in my head to keep from getting wood—I hated that she could still do that to me.
I crept down the hall and spotted my bag on the chair in the corner of the back bedroom. The thunder was so loud, a rumble traveled through the floor. I’d take the quickest shower known to man and pass out, hoping maybe the next day would be better.
Peeling my wet shirt off, I dropped it into a pile with my wet jeans. I was glad Avery was asleep. She would have hated this. I’d never seen someone hate storms more, but I’d always loved the way the rain sounded. It also gave me an excuse
to keep her at my place as long as possible. Whenever there was a forecast for a storm, I’d been sure to get her to my house so we could be trapped inside together for a while.
I grabbed my stuff out of my duffle and stepped into the bathroom. The light was already on, which was weird, but I didn’t think twice about it, assuming someone had just left it on. Reaching into the shower, I flicked the water on, and a sharp shriek had me tripping over my feet. I braced myself on the sink, my heart hammering in my chest.
Drawing back the curtain, I came face to face with a sputtering, completely soaked and shocked Avery. She shot up and wrenched the water off. Whipping around, her mouth transformed from hanging open to a thin grim line as reality set in. My heart pounded in my chest for another reason now. Well shit…
“I thought you were leaving.” She said it like it wasn’t at all odd that she had been sitting in the bathtub completely dressed and was now completely drenched.
We stood there, staring at one another with our chests rising and falling as the adrenaline of our scare melded into the realization that we stood in front of each other, closer than we’d been this whole time.
I refused to let my eyes drop to her soaked-through shirt, and I definitely wasn’t looking at the hard peaks of the mounds I knew so well poking out from under her arms wrapped around her chest.
Her eyes dipped, taking me in, and I jolted, remembering my own nakedness. Grabbing a towel off the rack, I wrapped it around my waist. The fiery anger that often lived in the pit of my stomach when I saw her wasn’t there, which threw me off-kilter. It was a feeling I’d grown to associate with her, had forced myself to feel whenever we were even in the same room, but the flicker of the flames was waning. That was dangerous.
She’s a cheater. She doesn’t and never has given a shit about me. I repeated those words in my head.
“The bridge was flooded. I had to push the car out of a flash flood and walk back.” Dropping my hands to my sides, I stared down at her as she scrambled out of the tub.
“Oh.” She covered her wet, clothed body with the other towel.
“It’s my turn for the room, so I’m going to need you to leave.”
Her eyes narrowed to angry slits. “Actually, I think the fact that you stormed out like you did should mean you forfeit your spot for the night,” she gritted out.
Damp strands of her hair stuck to her collarbone like a portrait painted to capture her easy beauty, only it was her anger that came through now, bursting out so sharply.
“We had an agreement, right? Then again, I know how much trouble you have with keeping promises.” I glared right back. The muscles in my neck were so tight, I thought I might snap something. My jaw ticked.
She fisted her hands at her sides. When another loud crack reverberated through the small bathroom, her hands shook and her eyes got wide, and it wasn’t just from being soaking wet anymore.
I took in the entire scene. As a thought pushed itself into my mind, I cocked my head to the side. Why was she sitting in the bath fully clothed?
There was another earsplitting crack of thunder, and Avery jumped. The blood drained out of her face and she clenched the towel, white knuckles ready to shred the fabric at any second.
In the heat of the moment, her fear hadn’t even registered. Thinking of the way she used to whimper and burrow into my side if we ever got caught outside or in the car during a storm…the edges of my anger were smoothed out by those old protective feelings.
“Avery—” I took a step forward before I thought better of it.
She stepped back, banging her hip against the sink and wincing. Running her trembling fingers through her hair, she shook her head. “You know what? Fine, you take the room. It’s late.” Her shoulders sagged. “I don’t feel like fighting.”
My nostrils flared. “Fine.”
“Just let me change since I’m soaked.” She shot me another look with her arms locked in front of her, and it seemed like the earlier fear had been edged out by anger. She brushed past me and into the bedroom.
“I’ll take a shower. You get dressed.”
She shot a glare over her shoulder, looking up from rummaging in her bag. “I’m only here for another week, so we can try to make this as uneventful as possible.”
I took a deep breath. If she brought that Noah guy back to the house, keeping my cool was off the table. With the way things were going, neither one of us would be invited to any more group events if we didn’t stop going for each other’s jugular. Was this supposed to be her get-out-of-jail-free card? Oh, sorry I cheated on you, but let’s just pretend like that never happened so I can have a fun summer frolicking in the water with my friend. A flash of a bikini-clad Avery laughing in the waves invaded my mind. I locked it up tight in a chest and sank it to the bottom of the ocean.
She cringed as the room was lit up with more lightning. The storm outside had intensified, if that was even possible, and rain lashed against the rattling glass.
I snatched up some of my clothes from my bag and stormed back into the bathroom. Nearly ripping the handles off in the shower, I stepped under the spray and tried not to think too much about the fact that she was on the other side of the door—naked. I was asking for trouble, but what the hell could I do? It was automatic, so hard to fight against.
I rested my forehead against the cold, wet tile. Get through it one day at a time. That was my only option. I’d already made it a week. If that Noah guy came around again, though, I’d make it a mistake he wouldn’t make again. I wasn’t going to have her making out with some random dude in front of me. I had to draw the line somewhere, for my own dignity and sanity.
Drying myself off, I threw on my sweatpants and stepped into the bedroom. Avery had changed her clothes. Bent over, she folded clothes into her suitcase. The baggy t-shirt with an extra wide neck slipped down over her shoulder, exposing a smooth expanse of skin—the same one I would slide my thumb along while we’d sit on the couch together watching a movie or when she’d fall asleep. I couldn’t help but watch her. Each breath passed her full lips, drawing me in. The boxers she had on did nothing to hide the long legs I’d known so well, the ones I’d run my lips and hands over more times than I could count, each time seeing something new and different.
She snapped up straight and zipped her bag.
I turned away from her and squeezed my eyes shut. The storm outside perfectly illustrated the maelstrom happening in the room. Spending more time around her was a terrible fucking idea, especially without anyone else around. I was in over my head, already drowning in her exquisitely excruciating beauty. It was like she’d been crafted as the perfect woman to dismantle every protection I’d created over my heart after years of disappointment and neglect. We’d been near each other for a week, making it so easy to remember everything I’d tried to tell myself I didn’t miss.
Dropping her bag to the floor, she tightened her hand around the handle when lightning streaked across the sky. Tension radiated off her body as she turned toward the door with a blanket tucked under her arm.
“Where are you going?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’m going out to the living room. It’s your turn for the bed, like you said.”
The house rumbled, and she clutched the blanket to her chest. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep, shuddering breath.
I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms. That was what I’d always done whenever there was a storm. Sometimes I’d thought maybe she used the storms as an excuse to stay with me, but I could see now it was a deep-seated fear, something she hadn’t grown out of or been able to escape. I’d never thought to ask why she was so scared of storms before; I’d just been so happy for the excuse to hold her close.
We’d watch a movie, or I’d crank up the music and we’d dance around the house, or I’d take her upstairs and go down on her until she was so wet my face was covered with her slick heat. That was my favorite way to help her forget.
“Do you want to watch a
movie?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Her head snapped up. “A movie?”
“I’m a little wired after my car getting stuck, and getting any sleep with the storm going on will be rough. I think I saw some classics out in the entertainment center.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. Outside, a flash streaked across the sky, lighting up the house next door as clearly as if it were midday.
“Okay.” It came out rushed. She’d gotten better at pretending the storm didn’t get to her and I didn’t know if anyone else would have noticed her tense muscles or small jumps, but I did. I noticed everything.
I stepped back, giving her space. She walked past me into the hallway, careful not to brush against me.
Following her, I tried not to look at her ass in those shorts. “Do you want to pick one?” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants.
“Sure, I’ll see what’s there.” Water from her hair dripped down the back of her shirt.
I sat on the couch while she went to pick one out, knowing letting her choose would take her mind off things. What I didn’t remember was that the DVDs were all below the TV in a nice straight row on the bottom shelf. She crouched down on her knees and bent to read the titles.
The position exposed even more of her legs, including the faint hint of the curve of her ass as she reached inside the cabinet. Pure fucking torture.
Her fingers traced along the spines of the DVDs, and a mouthwatering spark danced its way along my spine. She plucked a case out and slid the disc into the player then came back to the couch and tucked her legs underneath her.
“This is a great one. I haven’t seen it in forever, and I’ve only ever seen the TV version.”
“You’re in for a surprise then.” The opening credits of Weird Science scrolled across the screen. I grabbed a half-full bowl of popcorn sitting on the table and shoved some into my mouth. She shifted, moving the cushions.