I kept my legs firmly wrapped around his hips as my fingers intertwined in his hair. There was an insatiable need burning inside of me the deeper our kiss grew. In less than a few minutes, Shane had slipped my shirt and jeans off, and I was bunching his bottoms at his ankles.
Finally, as if he realized what he was doing, Shane pulled away, causing me to groan at the absence of his lips. “We can wait until you’re ready. I want you to be comfortable.”
I pulled him back down to me and kissed him softly on the lips for being so sweet and thoughtful. Then I stared him directly in his eyes as I whispered, “I’m ready. I trust you.”
Chapter 19
A crowd of people exited the airport all at once. Excitement coursed through my veins as I jumped up and down, scanning the crowd in hopes of getting a glimpse of Lena’s bright red hair. My heart raced in my chest at the thought of finally getting to see her after months of being separated. I had so much to say, but most of all, the first thing I wanted to do was give her a bone-crushing bear hug.
Thanks to John, Lena was coming to spend the weekend here as a surprise for my mom’s birthday tomorrow. Since everything, including Lena’s flight in to San Diego, was a surprise, I was given the task of picking her up from the airport. Grandma and Grandpa were in on the surprise, since that’s were Lena would be staying the night, so Grandpa let me borrow his car to come and get her.
As I stood by the car, waiting for Lena to come out, I watched all of the other people make their way to their taxis or family members. Those without rides stood around on their phones, while others made their way to different areas designated for metro, or car garages. Finally, after the main crowd was gone, the doors opened and out came Lena, wearing a thick sweater and pulling her bright red suitcase behind her. Her eyes scanned the Kiss and Ride area until she saw me, and when she did, she let go of her suitcase and came running.
“Ella,” she screeched, running full speed toward me.
I opened my arms just as her body slammed into mine, lifting me up and spinning me around.
“I missed you so much, you little goober,” she said, setting me back on my feet. She gripped my face in both hands and kissed my nose.
“Gross,” I groaned, wiping my nose with the back of my hand and pulling my head from her grasp, but she could tell from the smile on my face that I was only kidding. “I missed you too.”
Lena flicked her hair back and raised an eyebrow. “Of course you did. I’m your role model. You were probably lost without me.” She winked before going to retrieve her suitcase.
I laughed, and shook my head. “If anyone was lost without you, it was Carter. Poor guy was so sad when I told him I wanted to pick you up alone.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Aw, he’s so cute. I can’t wait to see him. What’s the plan for today?” she asked, pulling the back door open and placing her luggage on the backseat. “Can I drive?”
I nodded and opened the passenger door. “We’re going to meet the guys at the diner,” I answered, as she went around to the driver’s side. When we were both inside the car and buckled up, I added, “I felt bad about trying to keep you all to myself, so I told Carter we’d be there. Shane’s coming so I’m not stuck being a third wheel.”
Lena smirked as she flicked her eyes at me. “You wouldn’t be a third wheel,” she lied through her teeth. Then she started the car, checked her mirrors, and pulled out onto the main road.
“That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.”
She laughed, and I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. It was nice hearing her laugh, and I loved being around her again. “How are you and Shane doing?”
If it was possible, my smile stretched wider at the thought of him. We were doing amazingly well. I bit my lip and twisted my hands together on my lap. After a second, I focused my eyes on her face, wanting to see her reaction when I told her. “Actually, I have something to tell you that happened.”
Lena furrowed her eyebrows, but kept her eyes on the road.
“I had sex with Shane,” I said suddenly, the words just tumbling out of my mouth.
Lena’s mouth dropped open, and she turned for a second to look at me with wide eyes before she looked at the road again. “What?” she practically screamed. “Seriously?”
I nodded, but since she wasn’t looking at me I said, “Seriously.”
“Holy cow.” She was quiet for a moment, and I could tell from her expression that she was thinking about something. Then she said, “Was it good?”
“Yeah,” I answered, not believing that we were actually talking about this. “It was kind of mind blowing. We were so close, and it was so intimate. I was afraid he was going to change afterwards, but he’s still caring, and I’m happy I was connected with him in such an emotional way.”
“Aw,” she cooed, dragging the word out. “That’s really sweet.” Then she pursed her lips and frowned. “You used protection, right?”
My mouth dropped open at her question. “Of course!”
When she stopped at a red light she looked me in the eye. “Good. You better always use it too. Big sister is always watching.”
I groaned and she smirked. “You’re so embarrassing.”
“You missed me, though,” she countered, pulling off. We turned into the diner’s parking lot, and she parked in a spot close to the entrance.
“Yeah, just a little,” I responded.
She cut the engine and faced me with a smile on her pretty face. “Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when hell freezes over and pigs fly.”
I rolled my eyes and undid my belt. Once we were both out of the car, Lena ran around and hugged me again, kissing my cheek before tossing her arm over my shoulder and pulling me toward the front door of the diner.
“Oh my gosh,” she said when we got to the front door. Her hand gripped the handle, and we were seconds from entering. “I’m about to see Carter. What if he looks different?”
I frowned at the back of her head. “He looks the same. Didn’t you two video-chat with each other?”
“Yeah, but what if he got taller or something.”
“He didn’t.”
She turned her head back and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “Let’s just go inside.”
Lena stood up straighter and took a deep breath. She straightened out her sweater, pushing the sleeves up a quarter of the way, and then adjusted her jeans. “Do I look okay?”
“You look fine.”
She frowned at me.
I groaned. “You look perfect. Carter’s going to freak when he sees you,” I reassured her. “Now, can we go in?”
She nodded. “Okay.” Then she pulled the door open, and a bell dinged as we entered. I spotted the guys instantly, sitting at our usual table. Both of the guys’ heads snapped up at the sound of the bell, and Carter stood up from the table instantly, a huge smile stretched across his face. Next to me, Lena let out a little squealing noise before she began to speed walk through the diner, weaving in and out of the tables faster than I’d ever seen before. When she reached Carter, he pulled her in for a tight hug and ran his hand through her hair.
When I got to the table, I slid in next to Shane and gave him a light kiss on the lips before I looked back up at Lena and Carter. They were so cute, just standing there, hugging each other tightly. They stayed in that embrace for a while, pulling back afterwards to smile giddily and kiss.
After they finally sat down in the booth across from us, they still continued to stare at each other. Shane and I tried to make small conversation with them, but it was like they were in their own little world. The only time they looked away from each other was when they ordered their food. Even then Carter didn’t go a second without touching Lena. He held her hand, tucked her hair behind her ear, kissed her cheek, draped his arm over her shoulder, and anything else he could do to find an excuse to be near her. It went on like that for a while before Shane and I just decided to t
alk on our own.
We were there for an hour and a half just eating and talking before Lena yawned loudly, and told me she was ready to get some rest. It was a quarter to eight, but knowing her, she probably didn’t sleep a wink while she was on the plane.
Carter groaned and pouted. “Already?”
Lena looked sad, but she nodded nonetheless. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just really tired.” She leaned into his side and laid her head on his shoulder. “You can come over tomorrow and we can spend the day together. John said you’re invited to my mom’s party.”
Carter’s expression brightened up. “Really? He did?”
Lena nodded. “I asked if you could come and he said, ‘The more the merrier,’” she said, deepening her voice drastically as she imitated John.
Carter smiled, then held Lena’s head in both hands and kissed her forehead.
“Am I invited?” Shane asked me.
“Of course,” I answered. “As long as you don’t mind seeing my mom and John again.” I raised an eyebrow. I did my best to keep Shane away from the house after we got caught together, but my mom expressed that she wanted to meet him properly, so this was her chance. She knew we were dating now, but that’s as far as her information went.
Shane chuckled and shrugged. “As long as it’s under better circumstances this time, I think I’ll be fine.”
We paid, and then the guys walked us to the car. Shane wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder as we waited for Carter and Lena to say their goodbyes. They acted like they weren’t ever going to see each other again. They kissed and hugged, and every time one of them was ready to go the other would pull them back in.
Shane laughed lightly in my ear. “This is going to take forever,” he said after a moment.
“They’re so cute,” I cooed.
Shane’s arms wrapped around me tighter and he kissed the side of my neck. Tingles ran down my spine from his touch. “Maybe, but we’re cuter,” he countered.
Finally after Lena and Carter were able to pry themselves away from each other, I kissed Shane goodbye, and we headed back to our grandparents’ house. The ride was short, and we talked about how sweet it was that John paid for a flight for her to come here for Mom’s birthday.
As soon as we entered the house, our grandparents swooped in on us, hugging Lena and asking her question after question. Lena looked so excited to see them, but when she let her first yawn slip out, Grandma offered to make up the bed for her.
“Can we both sleep in the guest room?” Lena asked.
Grandma nodded, and went to get the bed ready for us while we went up to get ready for bed. Once our bed was ready, we both climbed in and got comfortable. For a while we carried on a conversation about how she was excited to see Mom and the twins, and even John, tomorrow. Lena didn’t make it half an hour before falling asleep. She was out cold before we even finished talking, and afterwards I fell asleep to the sound of her breathing, just happy to have my sister around.
Chapter 20
“Everyone hide,” Grandma screamed, a wild-eyed look on her face. Her white hair was styled in tight curls that bounced around her face as she ran to join us all in the living room. All of John and my mom’s work friends, family, and even Shane and Carter were here trying to tuck themselves away and be hidden from view so we could jump out and surprise Mom for her birthday.
The room was dark, and Grandma shushed everyone for a final time as keys jingled outside and the sound of John and my mom’s voices became prominent. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the sound of the doorknob turning made my heart beat faster. I loved surprise parties. Grandpa was in the corner ready to snap a picture of her face after we surprised her. Then he was instructed to take a second picture when the second surprise, Lena descending the stairs, took place.
“Wow, it’s dark in here,” Mom commented as she walked into the house. “Where is Ella? She should be home by now,” she said, as her dark form walked toward the living room. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing and ruining the surprise.
“Turn the light on, I can’t see anything,” John instructed, following her in.
“I can’t find it,” Mom said with a groan. “Oh wait, here it is,” she added, flicking the light switch.
As soon as the lights came on, everyone jumped out, screaming, “Surprise!”
Mom nearly jumped out of her skin. Her blue eyes bulged, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh my gosh!” She looked around at everyone.
“Happy Birthday, Mom!” I yelled, coming forward and hugging her tightly.
She laughed, shaking her head. “Did John put you all up to this?”
Everyone nodded. I glanced at John, who was grinning from ear to ear, and holding a twin in each arm. He was thinking ahead by having Mom unlock the door, and him hold both of the twins. That way there was no way she was so surprised that she dropped anyone.
Grandma rushed toward Mom and gave her a hug, kissing her cheek. “Yes, he did. Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” She put a brightly colored lei around Mom’s neck and backed away.
“Let’s get this party started!” Lena called as she walked down the stairs.
Mom’s head snapped up, and when she saw Lena she let out a squeak of excitement and started to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Mom looked back at John, her expression questioning, and when John nodded, she started to cry harder.
“Hey Mom,” Lena said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
Mom didn’t even say anything; she just tossed her arms around Lena’s body and pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. When she pulled away, she laughed and wiped under her eyes. “I should’ve known you were within a five-mile radius.”
Lena furrowed her eyebrows. “How?”
Mom flicked her eyes over to Carter, and everyone except for her and John’s work friends laughed.
John continued to grin as he said, “So, let’s get this party started!”
“Yeah!” I yelled.
The party was in full swing in less than five minutes. The twins were set in a playpen in the playroom and were being entertained and spoiled with attention by both their grandparents on their mom’s side, and their grandma on their dad’s side. Mom and John were socializing and laughing along with their friends, while Lena, Carter, Shane, and I were entertaining ourselves in the kitchen. By entertaining, I mean the guys were stuffing their faces with food, and Lena and I were talking about how great the surprises were.
“John is so in love with Mom. They’re so cute,” she said, a look of awe on her freckled face.
Carter looked over at Lena and smirked. “I am so in love with you.”
“Aw, we’re so cute,” Lena chirped, making us all laugh.
I grabbed a chip and dipped it into the red salsa nearest to me. I munched on it while Lena and Carter made googly eyes at each other.
I wasn’t the only one to notice, because after a second, Shane groaned and said, “Get a room.”
Lena frowned at Shane, then balled up her napkin and chucked it at his head. “Oh, shut up, Shane.”
Shane dodged the napkin and smirked.
Lena growled.
“You guys are worse than actual siblings,” I pointed out.
Carter rolled his eyes dramatically. “They’ve been like this since they first met. I think it’s because deep down they’re jealous of each other because they have to find a way to share me.”
Lena shook her head. “That’s definitely not it. Maybe in Shane’s case, but not mine.”
“No, it’s just because I don’t trust gingers unless their name is Gabriella Marie Snotty,” Shane joked. He came around the island and kissed my cheek.
Lena pointed at us with a pretzel stick that she held in her hand. “Now, you guys are the ones who need to get a room.”
“They don’t need a room,” Mom said suddenly, entering the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows at all of us as she came to the islan
d and grabbed the bowl of salsa and the bag of tortilla chips. “Didn’t they tell you that they already made use of the living room?” Mom questioned, narrowing her eyes at me, then at Shane, who looked like he’d just wet his pants. “Don’t worry though, all is forgiven.” She smiled at Shane then left the kitchen.
Carter was the first to burst out into a fit of laughter. “Made use of the living room? What did she mean by that?” he asked, clutching his side.
Lena giggled, shaking her head. “You didn’t!”
Shane scratched his neck awkwardly. “I knew that was bound to come up sometime tonight. That wasn’t the greatest way for me to meet your mom.”
Lena held her stomach as she laughed, then looked between the two of us and said, “Explain!”
Shane and I made eye contact. I raised an eyebrow and he shook his head, silently telling me that he didn’t want to be the one to explain. I sighed, and answered with a simple, “Mom and John caught us making out on the couch one night.”
Lena snorted, and Carter laughed like a hyena. “Poor John,” she said in between laughs.
“Poor us,” Shane mumbled. “I don’t think I made the best first impression.”
I shook my head slowly. “It would have possibly been better if you had a shirt on.”
“I doubt it. Mom’s rating scale for guys goes from zero to Carter. If you two were making out in any way, that’s already a terrible start.” Lena gave Shane a sympathetic look. “Now the scale probably goes from Shane to Carter.”
“Ouch,” Shane said, glaring at Lena, who only poked her tongue out at him in response.
Playing With Fire (Sweet Secrets #3) Page 9