by Hughes, Maya
“Yesterday didn’t sound like you were closing anything—more like you were about to put a few new holes in the walls.” She laughed into her mug.
Setting mine down, I covered my face with my hands. “Were you all listening the whole time?” I could feel the scarlet creep along my cheeks.
“I mean, not so much listening as unable to shut out the outrageously loud pounding for hours on end. It’s not like there hasn’t been enough nookie to go around while we’ve been down here, but you two took it to another level. Colm finally shooed us all out with the promise of a movie when everyone came back after breakfast to change. He even sprung for popcorn and candy, so we went along like good little kids.”
I stared up at the sky. “We’re never going to live that down.”
“With three couples in the house now, I’m sure one of us will find a way to outdo you two—or at least we’ll have a fun time trying.” She winked at me.
“What are you two out here gossiping about?” Declan walked out and wrapped his arms around Mak. She beamed up at him with a smile so wide it made my cheeks hurt.
“Who’d have guessed you two would make such a nauseatingly adorable couple?”
“I did. Totally called it.” Heath popped out of the house onto the balcony.
“He did.” Declan rolled his eyes.
“Is this where the party is?” Emmett stepped out next. The knotted feeling that usually accompanied his presence was replaced with a flutter. It was like the shroud we’d draped over all those emotions had been pulled back and they could finally run free.
“It is, but this thing is going to collapse with all these people out here. I don’t have enough medical training to triage everyone, so back inside.” Mak shooed Declan and Heath into the house then followed, and Emmett stepped out of the way to let them leave. The sharp click of the door behind them left us alone outside.
He rested his arms on either side of me, his face inches from mine, pressing my waist against the railing. I took a moment to just look at him: the strong brow and jaw, his straight nose and perfect teeth—always a rarity in hockey players. The flecks of gold in his eyes were ones I knew well, sometimes wishing I were an artist so I could draw them.
“What are you looking at?” He grinned down at me.
“You.”
His hand slipped from the railing to the small of my back. The rough pads of his fingers streaked across the bare skin in the gap between my jeans and top. Each pass of his hand sent the flames of desire higher, the slow, methodical way he pressed against me, letting his fingers dip lower, skimming along the top of my waistband.
“I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so long.” He palmed my ass, lifting me off my feet.
I sank into his touch, into him. My fingers tingled, waiting to touch his bare skin. Reaching around him, I followed his lead, bunching up his shirt and running my hands along his back. The thickly corded muscles tightened at the contact.
His eyes closed then snapped back open, the pupils dilated and brimming with the dark promises of what he’d do to me the second we weren’t so exposed.
“Do you still like this?” He ducked his head and ran his tongue over the spot at the base of my neck, the same one he’d discovered one night while trying to convince me to stay in bed a little longer.
“I thought we established that fact last night.” I let out a shuddering breath. My nerve endings exploded like a set of fireworks, and I moaned with my lips against his ear. A jolt shot through me.
A sharp crack brought us out of our foreplay—I mean, could it really be called anything else?—on the balcony. I jerked back and he stared over the edge. “Whoops.”
I craned my neck to see over the railing. My coffee cup was in pieces on the concrete below.
Colm came out from under the house with a bike. “You two are going to have to pay to replace that.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Emmett called down to him.
Colm grumbled and climbed onto the bike, pedaling off.
“Maybe we should take this inside.” I let my fingers trail over his chest. Tugging on the hem of his shirt, I led him in.
It was a lazy day around the house after such an emotional one the day before. We popped popcorn and watched a couple movies, and there was a massive 2000-piece puzzle on the dining room table people would work on for a few minutes at a time before getting so frustrated they gave up.
“Who the hell buys a puzzle with no edges?” Colm chucked one of the pieces off the table and it bounced, hitting Ford in the center of his chest.
“Some people enjoy the challenge.” He laughed.
“More like the torture.”
“Potato, potahto,” Ford replied before slipping the piece into its spot.
“We are not going to stay in all day. Let’s go on the rides again.” Mak hopped up from her chair. “Ladies, let’s get ready.” She pointed at me, Kara, and Liv like she was the lead singer on stage looking to get some.
“I’m already dressed.” I gestured to my ensemble of jeans and t-shirt.
“Come on! It will be fun. We can get all dolled up and maybe steal a little attention away from the guys, at least put us on an even playing field.”
Mak took us all upstairs and we did our best Pretty Woman reenactment, except with the clothes everyone already had and no shitty salespeople. I didn’t even offer up anything.
“How about this?” Liv held up a dress in front of me.
“Don’t you think a sequined mini dress is a bit much for a stroll on the boardwalk?”
“I think you could make it work.” She squinted and examined it.
“You’re way shorter than me. I don’t feel like even my OB has seen that much of me.”
“I’m sure Emmett has.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Holding back a laugh, I plucked the hanger from her hand and put it back in her closet.
“What about these?” Mak came in with some clothes over her arm, and Kara followed carrying a few things as well. If it wasn’t jeans or a t-shirt, when it came to going out, I was SOL. There might have been one dress shoved in the bottom of my closet at some point, but I wasn’t sure.
Batting away the makeup brushes Liv held out, I found the most unassuming items offered up to me. “These are perfect.”
“So boring,” Liv moaned.
“Exactly.” I rushed into the bathroom before anyone could stop me.
“Let’s see!” Mak, Kara, and Liv sat on the bed, waiting for me to reappear. I opened the door and they gave me the perfect runway clap.
“Gorgeous darling. Very reminiscent of the early Dolce & Gabbana style. So unassuming,” Liv declared, doing her best Edna Mode impersonation.
Turning, I scrunched my eyebrows down at them. “Is that a real thing?”
They shrugged and we all dissolved into a fit of laughter. Quickly, before they got any ideas, I made my escape from the room, launching myself down the stairs before anyone could catch me. My feet faltered on the last step and Emmett was there. His hands steadied me then lingered along my waist.
“You look beautiful.”
“She would look even better if she’d let me do her makeup!” Liv called down.
“We’ll be down in ten,” Mak added.
“I don’t think that’s even possible.” He ran his thumb along my bottom lip. It tasted like buttery popcorn. Taking my hand in his, he led me outside.
“You want to leave them behind?” I followed him down to the driveway. Quicker than I could register it, my back banged against the side of the house. The warm siding heating me up was nowhere near as hot as his touch.
“What if we just stay behind? Let them think we left already and they can’t find us.” He trailed kisses along my jaw.
My pulse pounded in anticipation of his touch.
“Have I told you how much I like this dress?” His fingers skimmed along my thigh and my lips parted.
“I thought this summer was about spending time with the group.” My words w
ere raspy, hungry.
“Priorities change.” His lips brushed against mine, teasing me with their soft strength.
“Come on, let’s go,” someone called out from the front of the house.
I pushed him back, gasping for breath. My body hummed with his hand still under the skirt of my dress, his fingers gliding along my skin. It was the best worst idea I’d had in a long time.
Emmett leaned his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes. “Maybe if we’re quiet, they’ll leave without us.”
“Where the hell is Emmett? He’s always a pain in the ass about being left out.” Heath joined whoever was already outside.
“I think they’re waiting for you.” I skimmed my lips across his and he dropped his hand down into mine, the hold I’d known so well over the years. His thumb brushed across the back of my hand and our shoes crunched on the gravel lining the side of the house.
“His car and Percy are still here. If they went without us, I’m going to kick his ass after all the crap about people leaving the group behind.” I couldn’t hold back my smile at Mak’s disgruntled voice.
“You guys sure know how to keep the shore from getting boring,” Kara said with a laugh.
“You have no idea.” Every head whipped around to Ford’s deep rumble of a voice. Under the scruff on his face, his cheeks went bright red and he took a step back, dropping his eyes.
Everyone laughed. The bright lights in the evening sky directed our way to the boardwalk as people walked past us and families rode by on bikes, ringing their bells. The conversations of our group melded into one happy cacophony mixing with the sounds of summer fun.
I was transported back to the sidewalks outside the bakery when all the college kids would walk by, only this time I wasn’t watching wistfully from afar. I was one of them.
My steps faltered. The weight of his body pressed against my back, and my gaze shot to Liv and Kara walking in front of me. My core clenched as his breath caressed the shell of my ear, sending a shiver shooting down my spine.
“Don’t think this is a one-time thing. We’re not through, Avery—not by a long shot.”
18
Emmett
Her taste lingered on my lips. I resisted the urge to grab her, throw her over my shoulder, and lock everyone else out of the house for the next few days. Give us more time before we needed to talk things out. Part of me was scared to push it, afraid of what I might learn. Finding out that our time apart had just been some big misunderstanding or that there had been something worse happening while we were together. Down here, we could push all that away. Stay out of the real world for a little bit longer.
When she walked down the steps in the dress, it reminded me of prom, that same chest-tightening sensation that had left me trying to decide if it was better to take her out and show her off when she looked that beautiful, or drag her right back upstairs and prove how much I appreciated her attention to detail.
I dropped back in our group as we made it to the wooden planks of the boardwalk. The bright blue fabric skimmed across her skin, hitting her a few inches above her knee. So much leg on display, so much more than there usually was in her jeans.
The relatively quiet beginning of the boardwalk gave way to a raucous strip filled with funnel cake, saltwater taffy, crab fries, and amusement park rides.
“Colm, I found the perfect shirt for you!” Olivia held up an oversized bright yellow t-shirt with the words ‘I’m not gay, but $20 is $20’ in black lettering on the front.
“Real mature, Olive Oil.” He rolled his eyes and walked off. Ford stifled his laughter, took the shirt out of her hands, and hung it back up on the rack.
“Why do you give him such a hard time, Olive?” he asked.
“Maybe because everyone but you two stopped calling me that when I was fourteen.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“What? You mean last summer?”
She threw her hands up in the air. “I’m starting college in two months and I’m not a kid anymore, in case you haven’t noticed.” Storming off, she went in the opposite direction.
“I’ve definitely noticed,” Ford grumbled as he ran his hands down his face. His eyes caught mine and his cheeks went red again. He mumbled something, shoved his hands into his pockets, and went in the same direction as Colm.
Avery stood in line with everyone else to buy tickets for the rides. Her dress exposed her shoulders, like one of the ones I used to surprise her with and guilt her into wearing so we could go out somewhere nice—not so nice that she’d kill me, but special, because I was with her. She looked so much like old Avery it made my heart ache. It was like no time had passed. We’d been to the shore one summer years before when I had found out she’d never been.
My mind was still reeling. I wanted to throttle Avery, throw her on the nearest flat surface, and bury myself in her all at once. Elation so bright and sharp I felt invincible shot through me. She hadn’t cheated. What we had was real. It wasn’t a lie.
But, she’d left me, had let me think she cheated. I would have stayed behind with her, maybe tried to go pro, maybe not—none of it had mattered. Once we’d broken up, I’d needed the daily practice, the grind of school and one-a-days on the ice to keep my head on straight. When the scouts approached me to go pro, it seemed like a good enough idea. What the hell else did I have to do?
The pain of our separation had helped make me the hockey player I had become.
I walked over to the group. Avery laughed and Olivia pushed against the chest of one of the guys from the beach. The one who’d touched her the night of the storm. Before I could get to her side, they were waving bye to the two girls. I didn’t miss the way Noah looked back, checking Avery out.
My hands fisted at my sides, but the anger couldn’t take hold when Avery threw her arms around my neck and planted a kiss on my lips.
“We got tickets.” She held up a bunch.
“I can see that.” I smiled back at her.
“Let’s have some fun.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me after her. After winning a giant Hello Kitty at a basketball shootout, we shared a plate of funnel cake.
She sucked the powdered sugar off, her lips wrapping around her thumb and sending pulses of kinetic energy racing down my spine. Those plump, pink lips glistened in the colorful flickering lights of the rides around us. She went back in for another piece and moaned when it made contact with her lips.
“If you keep eating the funnel cake like that, we’re going to have a serious problem.”
She looked up at me, confusion clouding her eyes. Our gazes connected and the corners of her mouth turned up. She stared at my hand.
“It looks like you’re getting pretty messy too.” She picked up my hand, took my sugar-covered finger, and sucked it into her mouth. This was not playing fair. She teased and taunted me, sucking every bit of powder off my skin. We shouldn’t have been there. We needed to be back at the house where I could sample even more of her sweet treats.
The blaring sounds of the rides, music, and crowds faded away. There was only her humming pulse against my fingertips. She let my thumb fall free from her mouth and bit her bottom lip.
“I really love that stuff.” She shoved another piece into her mouth and smirked at me.
I adjusted myself in my pants so I didn’t burst the seams. Leaning forward, I reached for her. My fingers grazed her wrist then it was tugged away.
“Let’s go on the Ferris wheel.” Mak grabbed Avery’s shoulders and lifted her arm, dragging her away.
Avery looked at Mak. She let herself be led away, glancing back over her shoulder and leaving me behind with the five-foot, stuffed monstrosity. They ran up to the massive ride with circular cars covered by a plastic canopy. With the kitty tucked under my arm, I managed to maneuver myself to the front of the line as they got there.
“Sorry, Mak, I think this one is full up.” Pushing the cat into one side of the car, I dragged Avery in with me and slammed the metal grate door closed.
Avery buried her face in my shoulder and laughed. I loved her laugh—part snort, part dolphin, never a more beautiful sound.
“You know she was trying to get me on here to get the dirt, right?”
“Too bad I have something better in mind.” I ran my hand along her legs, running my fingers over the revealed skin. The crowds shrank below us as we got higher. Laughter came from the other cars around us, but once we reached the top of the Ferris wheel it was like we were all alone. The lights from the beach below, all the voices and sounds—everything else disappeared. We stopped at the top and our car swayed gently in the salty air.
“It’s really nice up here.” Avery craned around to look back at the water, exposing a swath of skin to my touch. I couldn’t resist.
My teeth raked along the slope of her neck and she moaned.
“You can’t make noises like that when we’re out in public.” I smiled against her collarbone.
“Then you shouldn’t touch me like that in public.” Her words came out breathless.
“You started it with the funnel cake, Ms. Thumb-sucker.”
“It’s not my fault you’re so messy with your food.” She laughed.
I covered more of her with my lips, hints of salt and sweet filling my mouth.
The car started moving again. Slowly we descended, and the noise of the crowd got louder. I kept my hand on her leg, inching it up higher. She squeezed her thighs together.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes sparkled in the blue and red lights of the midway games.
“Nothing.”
As we got lower, my hand crept higher. Her hand covered mine, but she didn’t stop me. The car rocked and swayed each time the gears ground to a halt. Her dress bunched high on her thighs as my fingers skimmed the cotton scrap of fabric between me and my prize.
She sucked in a shuddering breath. In one fluid motion, I tugged her close to me, sealing my lips around hers, and wrenched her underwear to the side, sinking my fingers into her. Slipping them inside, I groaned as she gripped me tight. Her velvety wetness coated my fingers.