I shake my head no while running my hand across my chest. I think that was good Keatyn’s way of reminding me about my heart.
Aiden watches me intently, then backs away slightly. “God, that's hot.”
“What’s hot?”
“What you just did. Rubbing yourself. Do it again.”
I tilt my head back, close my eyes, and run the tips of my fingers from the base of my neck slowly down toward my cleavage and then down my stomach. Aiden moves so that he is standing behind me. He kisses my neck, then lays his hand on top of mine and guides it where he wants it to go.
Up to my boob, then slowly running circles around my nipple.
Up the side of my neck to where his lips are, our hands moving together from my neck to his stubbled cheek.
Then he guides my hand in a slow decent straight down to the throbbing spot between my legs. He pushes our fingers against the fabric of my bikini bottoms while he sucks on my neck.
The feel of his mouth on my neck, the water drizzling down my skin, and his hand between my legs makes me feel perfectly out of control.
He keeps kissing me and rubbing our hands with more intensity.
Wanting to maintain some level of attractiveness, I try to make cute, sweet little noises. They start out that way, until I don't give a shit what I sound like.
I move my hips in rhythm with our hands until I can't hold it in any longer. A deep oh leaves my lips as my body trembles and throbs and my legs start to feel weak.
Aiden growls something unintelligible in my ear, picks me up, and sets me on a tiled ledge that I thought was for shampoo, but now realize is the perfect height for this.
I wrap my legs around his waist as his lips land hard on mine, his tongue delving deeply in my mouth.
“I’m not telling you no again,” he says.
I so want him to rip my bottoms to shreds and plunge that beast inside of me, but that will just make tomorrow even harder.
Speaking of hard.
He pushes the Titan forcefully against my bottoms, which are straining to keep it out.
I kiss down his neck and then find his hungry lips again.
I can tell that he's struggling not to lose control, but I want him to.
I want to be the one who makes him feel out of control.
Plus, I'm on the edge again. Wanting the release, but not wanting it to be over.
I lean my back against the wall, grab his butt tightly, and push back against him.
Then, eventually, we both lose control.
He leans against me, keeping me pinned against the wall, and breathes deeply.
“See, we can have lots of fun without actually doing it,” I say as he sets me down on wobbly legs.
He doesn’t really reply, just pulls my bikini bottoms slowly off me, rinses them out, lays them on the ledge to dry, and wraps a towel around me while he kisses me.
“You continue to surprise me,” he says, while we’re drying off.
“Why?”
“All you had to do was slide your bottoms over a fraction of an inch.”
“I know. I just . . . I mean . . . Maybe we can just play in the backyard for awhile.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “You like it in the backyard?”
“I’m talking the backyard not the back door.”
“I’m confused,” he says.
“You know, like playing in the backyard as opposed to playing inside the house.”
He gives me a naughty grin. “So eventually you will want me to play in the interior portion of your house?”
“Aiden, I've wanted to have sex with you since I met you. But when you got mad at me for trying to unzip your pants, I wasn’t going to invite you in. I just wanted to have some fun playing outside.”
“So I was at least right about you wanting to wait?”
“Yes. I do want to wait.”
“Until when?”
“Until I know we have a chance,” I say softly, meaning not until I get my life back.
The green flash.
4:30pm
After going to town, getting tattoos, and coming back home, I tell Aiden I want to get ready in my room alone, but ask him to meet me at my door at 5:20.
“Five-twenty?” he says, kissing my nose. “That’s very specific.”
“There’s a reason why it’s very specific, but it’s a surprise.”
He leans on my doorframe, looking like he has no intention of letting me get ready by myself. “I’m glad you got the tattoo,” he says, flipping my wrist over and looking at the four-leaf clover on it.
He says it in a dreamy way that makes me feel guilty. I’m afraid he thinks I got it just because of him. What he doesn’t know is that it’s about so much more.
“I like it too. I’m glad you talked me into it. Now you have to go.”
“I want to watch you get ready,” he says. And the way he says it touches my heart. It’s like somehow he instinctively knows this is our last night together.
“Please, Aiden. I haven’t really fixed my hair or done my makeup all week and I want to look nice on our last night here.”
He kisses me and says, “Your wish is my command.”
I get ready, doing my hair up in big curls, teasing the crown a little, and applying more eye makeup than normal. I even added a glittery gold powder across the tops of my lids that I hope will glimmer in the moonlight.
At 5:20 on the dot, Aiden knocks on my door.
As soon as I open the door, he takes in my dramatic shimmering orange silk ruffled dress and says, “Wow. You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks, but come on. We have to hurry,” I say, dragging him down to the beach.
I watch his face as he sees the table set up for two in the sand, tiki torches blazing around it.
“Is all this for us?”
“Yes, we’re going to have some wine, watch the sunset, and then have dinner here in the moonlight.”
“We are supposed to watch a million sunsets together,” he says adorably.
I look at the sun moving down the horizon and listen to the waves crash.
I have to tell him tonight.
Just not now.
I pour us each a glass of wine and ask, “Have you ever seen the green flash?”
“Like the super hero?”
“No, like, just as the sun goes down, right before you can’t see it anymore, sometimes, if you watch carefully, you can see a green flash. Some people say it’s a myth, but I think it’s magical.”
“So have you seen it before?”
“Yeah, but not everyone sees it.”
“We’ll both see it tonight.”
“You’re always so sure of everything.”
“Only the things that have to do with us.”
We toast to sunsets and sit and watch the sun move closer and closer to the ocean.
Look,” he says, pointing toward the horizon, “I think it’s almost time.”
He grabs my hand. And when he squeezes it, all of a sudden, I see it.
The green flash.
“Oh my gosh!” I yell.
“Did you see it too?” Aiden asks excitedly. “Was that it? I’ve never seen anything like that before. The sun literally turned green for a second. How did it do that?”
“Yes, I saw it! But I’ve never seen it do that before! It was amazing!”
“But you just said that you’ve seen it before.”
“I think I lied.”
He cocks his eyebrow at me.
“Not on purpose. I think I wanted to see it so bad that I convinced myself I did. But I didn't know I hadn’t really seen it until I just saw the real thing.”
Aiden reaches out and touches my cheek. “Kinda like the difference between loves.”
“The sunset was like loves?”
“Yeah, like, everyone falls in love at different times in their lives. And when you’re in it, you think you know what it’s like to be in love. Until you meet your true love and feel the real thing.”
He grabs his phone out of his pocket, presses a few buttons, and reads, “It’s an optical phenomenon caused by the refraction of light . . .”
I take the phone out of his hand. “Don’t read that, Aiden. I don’t want to know if there’s a scientific reason for it,” I say as I walk over to a fake rock just above the sand line, pop it open, and connect his phone to the beach’s speaker system, turning on our twenty-nine song playlist.
“May I have this dance?”
“Yes.”
He pulls me into his arms and sways with me.
“You were pretty hot in the shower,” I tell him.
“And you wore the skimpiest bikini known to man today. No wonder I can barely control myself.”
“I did not. It’s not like I had on a thong. No one needs to see my naked ass.”
“I do,” he says with a grin as he twirls and then dips me.
“Dinner is served,” Sven tells us, setting our dinner on the table.
This one’s for you.
10:30pm
We’re all in the hot tub, being careful to keep our tattoos out of the water and listening to Damian entertain us with stories from his recent tour of Japan. About how he couldn’t fit his knees under the table at a fast food restaurant because the table was so small. About the ongoing pranks the band plays on each other. And even what’s up next for him.
Peyton talks about school and the things she’s looking forward to. How she’s thinking about graduating early. About how she’s not ready to go back.
Aiden tells us a few funny family stories and I tell a couple about my crazy little sisters.
Damian says, “I think we need some champagne,” just as Sven walks out onto the pool deck.
“There’s a call for you on the house line, Mr. Damian,” he says, handing him a phone.
Damian puts it up to his ear, gets a huge grin on his face, puts the phone on speaker, and says, “Holy shit, Keats! You’ve gotta hear this.”
I squint my eyes, like it will help me hear better, and lean toward the phone.
There’s all sorts of noise. Almost like it’s a concert. Is this Twisted Dreams playing at the Undertow without him?
But then I hear B’s voice yell, “You guys are never gonna believe this. Hell, I can barely believe it!”
My eyes get big and I sit up straight.
There’s a crowd that’s cheering and going crazy.
Then a booming voice announces, “And in his first ever pro tour victory, BRRRROOOKLYYYYN WRIGHT!”
There’s more cheering and then the announcer voice says, “Brooklyn, tell us how you’re feeling!”
B’s voice gets even louder, like he’s using a microphone now. “I’d like to thank my dad, my sponsors, and the great fans here in Oahu that came out to support us, but I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for one special girl.” His voice gets quieter, almost like he’s speaking just to me. “Keats, you told me to follow my dreams wherever they took me and even though you're not here with me, know I wouldn't be here without you. I love you, Keats.” Then he yells, “Here’s to causing a little chaos!”
The crowd goes crazy and the call disconnects.
Oh my gosh. He did it!
He won!
Happy tears stream down my face.
Then it suddenly dawns on me that I’m not the only one who just heard what B said.
Seeing the hurt look on Aiden’s face causes me to quickly jump out of the hot tub, saying, “Uh, I need a minute.”
Then I run down to the beach and cry.
I cry for everything I'm missing out on.
And because Aiden just heard B say he loves me.
I cry for all the hurt I’m causing everyone.
Maybe I should just walk out into the ocean and never come back.
Damian plops down in the sand next to me. “I’m an idiot. I got excited and put it on speaker, not even thinking about Aiden. I hope I didn’t screw things up for you.”
“It’s okay, Damian. I’m not mad.”
“For what it’s worth, I get it now. You’re stuck. You can't go forward and you can't go back. You’re like a hamster on a wheel, spinning and spinning but going nowhere.”
I sniffle and wipe the haze of tears from my face. “Exactly.”
“The last time we talked, when you told me you were cracked, I didn’t get it. And other than the first night, I haven’t seen it. You looked like your normal happy self. But the look on your face when you got out of the hot tub. You couldn’t hide it. You looked exactly like you did at your dad’s funeral. I’m so sorry I haven’t been more understanding. There’s no excuse for why I haven’t talked to you more. Been more supportive. I was busy doing stuff that didn’t matter.”
He wraps his arm around me and pulls me toward his shoulder.
“Damian, I don’t think you can understand what you haven’t gone through. Now do you see why I’m not going back? This is killing me. If Vincent hadn’t happened, I know I would’ve been there today. I would’ve celebrated with him in person. I’m so incredibly proud of him.”
“But then you wouldn’t have met Aiden. I like him. And I like his sister a whole lot.”
“I like Aiden too. That’s why when I left to come here, I wasn't planning on going back. I can't take heartbreak too. I can't form a lasting relationship with someone when I'm lying to him.”
“I think Aiden loves you.”
“Which only makes it worse. I don't want to hurt him. His nose got broken because of me. Imagine what Vincent could do to him. And what it will do to his heart when he finds out the truth.”
“So you like B more?”
“Everything with B is familiar. I know what to expect from him. And he’s growing up. He’s not smoking. God, his eyes are so beautiful when he’s not high. And what he did for Gracie. He’s like home . . .”
“But?”
“But my idea of home is kinda starting to shift.”
“Like how you said Aiden made your loft feel like home?”
“That’s the real reason I can’t go back there. Because Aiden ruined it.”
“Keats, how? What did he do?”
I touch my mouth and start crying harder.
“He ruined it like he ruined my lips. When he was there, it felt like home. And I don't ever want to kiss another boy.”
“Then don’t.”
“But I promised B.”
“Why did you promise him?”
“Because I want to go home. I want my life back. I want to press rewind.”
“If you did that, then where would Aiden be?”
“That's the problem. I don't know where all my friends from school would fit into my life. And I’m really worried about B now.”
“Why?”
“Because if Vincent hears what B just said. It’s gonna put a big target on him.”
“Do you still love him?”
“I’ve always loved him. It sounds bad that I dated Sander for so long and was in love with someone else, but I was. He was my dream guy.”
“Even before you and B got together—those two years you were friends—everyone knew. Why do you think none of the other guys ever hit on you?”
“Because they thought of me as B’s.”
He nods his head.
“I even wrote a song about it. Because I wanted that. I wanted to find a girl who would look at me that way. I know you were fighting some when you were on tour with us, but I always believed you’d work it out. I thought you’d marry him someday.”
A wedding flashes into my mind. Our beach at sunrise. Even though it’s a crazy time to have guests, it would have to be at sunrise.
Stop it.
Don't do this to yourself, Keatyn.
Think about now.
“Can I be honest with you?” Damian asks.
“No, Damian, lie to me. I'm sick of the truth. I want you to tell me it's all going to be okay. Just lie to me.”
I start cryin
g again, so he hugs me tighter. Which, in turn, makes me cry harder as I remember the way he hugged me the night of my party.
I determinedly stop crying and state, “It was love at first sight for you and Peyton.”
He looks at me funny and says, “Yeah, I told you that.”
I pull out of his arms, get to my feet, and pull him up with me. “Come on. We have something important to do.”
“Where are we going?”
I smile at him. “We’re going to do what I should’ve done the second you met her. We’re going to make a wish.”
He smiles at me and starts down the pathway toward the mermaid fountain.
“No, this way.” I lead him up to my room. “I have something more powerful.”
“Did you make your wish when you got here?”
“I did.”
“Did you wish the same thing you always do? That you will find your prince?”
“Yes. Then Aiden gave me his penny and told me to wish for something new.”
“For him?”
“I think that's what he wanted me to wish for.”
“But what did you wish for?” I hesitate, so he adds, “We decided a long time ago that it’s legal to share your wish with your very best friend.”
“I wished for my life back.”
“That's a good wish. And it would solve all your problems at once.”
“Not really, but it's the only wish that would allow me to solve them.”
I look up and see Peyton standing on the veranda. Her cover-up is moving in the breeze as she looks out into the ocean. And it makes me feel good to know that I’m not giving up on the fairy tale. And if I can’t have it, I’m going to make sure someone else gets it.
As we enter the turret and climb the stairs to my room, I say, “You know, when I was little I always thought I'd marry you.”
“That's just cuz I have a castle on the beach.”
“And you sing like a good frog.”
I lead him into my closet, grab my suitcase, unzip the top part of it, and pull out Tink.
Damian starts laughing. “You carry around a wand? Seriously?”
“Don't laugh. Ivery gave me this Tinkerbell wand when I left home and told me I could make a wish on it. She was selfless and I’m selflessly using my wish for you—which makes it doubly powerful.”
The Keatyn Chronicles: Adore Me Page 12