by E. C. Land
“We’re roommates, I’m supposed to.” Josh smiles and we walk further down into the park.
Chapter Nine
Dex
Josh and I went back to our dorm then went to get the girls. Now we’re outside their door and Josh is knocking his knuckles against it. “Ladies, your chivalrous men are here.” Laughter can be heard from the other side of the door and soon enough, Cara has revealed herself in a short, little-black lace number with knee-high leather boots. Josh rakes his eyes over her body, licking his bottom lip. “Damn, you look like a vision.” He reaches out to touch her, but she takes a step back.
“You can look, Joshie, but you can’t touch.”
“Aw, c’mon, Cara. You’re looking this damn good and you won’t even let me touch you,” Josh complains.
Smirking, she takes a step toward him and wraps her arms around his neck. “You’re fun and all, but, Josh, as much as you try, I’m not going to give in.”
Josh told me the other day Cara wouldn’t let him fuck her. He’d kiss the daylights out of her, go down on her, and she’d go down on him, but there wasn’t any bit of penetration. She was honest with him, which I guess is pretty good. She’s saving herself for some guy back home. She didn’t tell him who, but I’ve known Coyote for years through the club and I can put the pieces together. The woman’s been in love with Nerd for years, and one day I’m sure the two of them will be together. Especially if what I think is right. It’d mean she’s saving herself for Nerd. It would explain why she won’t let Josh fuck her. At least the guy respects her boundaries. Fuck, if he didn’t, I would’ve already put him in the ground by now. Josh might be my friend, but I have an obligation to watch over Cara for Coyote.
Ember comes out from their dorm room wearing a faded denim jacket with a pair of tight black shorts and a KISS t-shirt on. It’s simple, but in my eyes, she looks as beautiful as Cara right now, if not more.
“Hey,” she speaks lowly, looking down at the ground for a second before her eyes meet mine.
“Hey, you look . . .” Fuck, here she is rendering me speechless.
Instead of awkward silence, Ember smirks and her eyes sparkle, almost like her eyes are smilin’ back at me. “You too.”
Funny how I lost my words, but she understands what I was trying to say.
“C’mon, let’s get going. I wanna get the good seats,” Josh speaks firmly as he wraps a hand around Cara’s waist, leading her down the hallway toward the stairs.
Ember gets a bit closer to us and we walk down the hall side by side, both inching closer as we walk. Once we’re down the stairwell and out at the parking lot, Josh leads us up to his vehicle and we all get in. Cara takes the passenger seat, and I sit beside Ember.
We drive for about ten minutes and go deep in the woods, so deep I think Josh might’ve taken us out here to murder us all. We’re not even driving on a road, just some sort of cleared-out trail. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Cara questions Josh, who immediately scoffs.
“Of course I do, just give me a few minutes. Dang. What do you guys think I am, a noob or something?”
I don’t say a damn thing, instead, I look out through the window and I watch as we come to somewhat of a clearing. Don’t get me wrong, there are still trees around us, but they’re massively tall, and in the middle of the clearing is some sort of old farmhouse. But as we grow closer, it doesn’t look like a farmhouse at all. It’s big as well, looking like it’s a couple houses bunched up together, and in the back, there’s a red wooden barn. Josh drives up to the barn and we all exit his vehicle.
But, just as I’m holding a hand out to Ember to help her out, my phone begins to ring. After she’s gotten out of the car and I’ve shut her door, I answer it. “Hello?”
“Hey, kid, you doin’ alright?” my dad asks.
I called him earlier, but he didn’t answer. I figured he would call back, but now isn’t the best of times. “Yeah, just wanted to tell you I’m goin’ down to D.C. in a week or so. I have an Art History assignment, so I have to go to a museum and write an essay on it. I wanted to know if you knew of any place I could crash with my friends?”
My dad snickers on the other end of the line. “Any of these friends women?”
“Maybe,” I comment, not wanting him to know too much.
“I’ll get you sorted, kid, don’t worry.”
“Cool, thank you. How’s Mom and the kids?”
“Your ma misses you tons, but she’s doin’ as alright as she can. I think she wanted this surprise baby, with you flyin’ the coop and all. She won’t admit to it, but I’m damn sure this wasn’t an accident, not that I mind or nothin’. I didn’t want Rory to be the last of the Walters kids, you know?”
I crack a smile, knowin’ them both too well. She loves my dad, and fuck if she doesn’t love my siblings and me too. Hell, he loves her, worships the ground she walks on. That’s the kinda love I want someday if I’ll even be lucky enough to have it. “Did you find out if it’s a boy or girl yet?”
“Nope, we’ll find out right before Thanksgiving, I think.”
“Cool. She can tell me in person then.”
“Perfect. I’m sure she’ll love that.” I can practically see my old man smiling on the other end of the phone. Neither of us will say it, but I know we both miss the fuck out of each other. It’s crazy to spend your entire life with someone and then be thousands of miles away from them.
“She will. I’m out with some friends right now, but can I call you in the morning?”
My dad clears his throat. “Sure. Speak to you tomorrow, and be safe, Dex, alright?”
“Always. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you.” The call ends with a click and Ember looks right at me, grinning widely. “What’s that look for?”
“I don’t often hear grown men telling their dads they love them. It was sweet.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I’m a real dick most days.”
Craning her neck to the side a tad, she speaks with the most sincerity since I’ve known her. “Somehow, I truly doubt it.”
Josh turns back with his arm around Cara’s waist and raises both his brows. “You two ready yet? I’m trying to get good seats, my man.”
Ember and I funnel in behind him and Cara, standing beside each other but never touching. At least not yet. I want to see how things go with her, see if things progress, if she gives me some signals that she wants me to. I mean, I see the stares she throws my way and the smirks, but I need more than that. Especially if I’m gonna get where I want to with her.
We head to the entrance of the barn and a slot for someone to look through is opened on the alternate side. “Passcode.”
“Mercury.”
“Welcome, brother,” a man’s voice says from the other side, and Josh motions for us to follow him. He and Cara go in first and then Ember and I do, but she grows closer to me, maybe a bit intimidated by the darkness we’re walking into. I snake my arm around her waist and hold her close to me, hoping it’ll help her feel a bit more at ease but also waiting to gauge her reaction.
Josh walks us through the joint like he’s been here plenty of times before. There are bleachers surrounding some sort of square ring, but it’s not like you’d see on the wrestling shows that play on television. Instead of ropes, a chain link fence goes from the bottom of the ring up to the ceiling. And let me say, this is a fuckin’ barn, so the ceiling has to be at least forty feet high.
Josh leads us to part of the bleachers and he takes a seat, as does Cara, Ember, and me. The two girls sit beside each other between us men, and while the area begins to flood with other people, I realize this is quite the operation.
Out of nowhere, the lights completely shut off and Ember jumps in her seat, startled by this. Josh’s smug laughter tells me this is usually how things go, so I lean into Ember and press my lips against her ear. “I’ve got you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” I pull her closer to me and rub my hand along her thigh, j
ust as the lights begin slowly dimming over the ring.
Our eyes are locked on one another’s and there’s no mistaking the way she’s looking at me. She’s turned on, and fuck if I’m not too. I’m gonna be with this woman sooner or later and I damn well know it.
Chapter Ten
Ember
Ever since the night of the fight, my mind’s been plagued with thoughts of Dex. The way he held me and assured me I was okay, hell, it caused butterflies to soar through my stomach. Every time I’ve laid eyes on him, those same butterflies come back and man, it’s hard not to blush when I’m around him. The way he grins whenever he looks at me confirms he’s into me as much as I’m into him.
Now it’s the day we’re all going to D.C. to see the art exhibit Annie Leibovitz has at the Smithsonian. While I’m interested to see the artwork after researching it online and reading rave reviews, I still don’t know what to expect. Not about the trip anyway. Dex, Josh, Cara, and I made arrangements for an overnight trip which only adds more fuel to the fire here. The thought of being alone with him tonight . . . gosh, it’s both invigorating and terrifying at the same time.
We all decided to meet up at the train station early this morning, and I mean early. It was well before the sun came up. Without my coffee, I’m not someone to be around. I don’t do mornings. Okay, so I don’t do mornings that involve being up at the crack of dawn. Blame it on growing up in a clubhouse filled with men who love to party every night. I ended up becoming a night owl just like the rest of them.
Which is how I ended up waking up later than I meant to this morning. My tardiness forced me to end up rushing out the door with Cara at the last minute, barely dressed in a pair of jeans and Harley Davidson fitted tee. We caught a cab over to the train station with only minutes to spare before it took off.
Dex and Josh were already there waiting for us with their bags at their feet and each one of them holding two coffee mugs.
Josh looks down at the watch on his wrist, then to us grinning. “Good morning. Dex and I were just talking about whether you two decided to ditch us.”
“I wouldn’t do that to Dex,” I babble out before I can stop myself.
Embarrassed, I hesitantly meet Dex’s gaze to find him smiling at me.
Great.
What does that smile mean?
Ugh.
I’m so not a morning person and my head hurts from thinking too much already. I haven’t had a sip of coffee and without it, I’m a complete fool.
“Come on, let’s get on before they leave us,” Dex says, handing me one of the mugs.
“Thank you,” I murmur, taking the coffee from him. I lift it to my mouth immediately to get my first sip of caffeine for the day. Moaning at the delicious taste, I could kiss this guy right now and swear my undying love to him for getting me this. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.
Okay, so that might be an exaggeration, but only because it’s so damn early in the morning and I need the caffeine.
Dex guides me onto the train and sits next to me while Cara takes the seat next to Josh.
The entire ride down, we talked about where we’re from. It’s crazy how Dex and I speak so easily to each other. It’s flawless, effortless, almost natural in a way. My heart wants to reach out to him like it knows I can trust him more than anyone I’ve ever met before.
A memory pops into my head of something my mom used to say to my uncle Tombstone all the time. I remember him being heartbroken after losing his wife.
“When your heart beats wildly and you find you can’t think of anyone else, you’ll know you’ve found love again. Same as the first time. You’re not doomed to live alone.”
Sighing, I hope that’s true for not only Uncle Tombstone but the rest of my uncles as well. I have to admit I do miss them all, even if they annoy the living shit out of me. Maybe when we get back from our trip, I’ll call home and talk to them.
By the time the train gets us to D.C., I’m ready to get off and go check into the hotel Dex’s dad secured for us. We have two rooms next to each other for the night. I’m sure both of the guys are hoping to get lucky tonight, but only Dex will if I let him.
I hate to break Josh’s little heart, but Cara’s not going to be letting him into her pants, even though he’s trying desperately. She’s heard about the other chicks he’s banged since school started. The most she’ll do is some heavy make-out sessions and maybe some other stuff, but she won’t go all the way to home plate. I only know this because I know where her heart truly lies, and she might say one thing, but there’s no way she’s giving up her V-card to anyone but the man she wants to give it to. Sadly for Josh, he’s not that man.
After we check-in, we all head back out to grab some lunch and then head to the Smithsonian to do what we came here to do. Once we’re done, we thought it would be fun to go check out the National Zoo as well.
I love animals. I used to go to a sanctuary zoo in Texas all the time. The sanctuary zoo was one of my favorite places on the planet, I think. They’d save tigers and lions from circus acts where they were abused, and they pulled turkeys, ducks, and geese from slaughter. Any animal you could think of, they had. Going there was such a magical experience.
The four of us spend the rest of the day walking around and finally head back to the hotel after getting some delicious cupcakes from the Red Velvet Cupcakery. Dex said his mom would come here back in the day all the time when she went out of town with his dad. All in all, I learned a lot about Dex today, and his stepmom, who he calls his mom, is the sweetest woman from what he says. After we’re done, we head back to the hotel and raid the mini-fridge to get a few drinks.
I’m on my second drink when I decide to go change into my PJ’s, only to find I forgot to pack any.
Crap.
Exiting the bathroom, I noticed Josh and Cara must’ve already gone to their room for the night.
Blushing, I pull my bottom lip nervously. I don’t have anything to put on to sleep in and I can’t sleep in jeans. That’s just uncomfortable as hell.
“Is something the matter?” Dex asks, his voice full of concern. I’m sure he can see I’m nervous. I’m not exactly the best person to hide how I’m feeling.
“I . . . um . . . well, I forgot to pack anything to sleep in,” I confess.
Chuckling, Dex strips off his tee and hands it to me. “Here, you can wear this.”
Oh. My. God.
Don’t stop breathing. Take the shirt and say thank you. I chastise myself.
“Thank you,” I murmur, giving him a smile of gratitude.
The entire day, Dex stayed close to me. The two of us touching slightly and I don’t know why but with him so close to me right now, I can’t stop myself. He’s maybe a foot away from me, if that, so I break the distance between us and be a brave bitch. Getting up on my tippy toes, I brush my lips against his.
At first, he’s shocked by my bold move and I start to pull away, thinking he’s not into it. But he is, and fuck if he doesn’t wrap both his arms around my body, pulling me closer if it’s even possible. He claims my mouth in the most seductive, hot way. God, I’ve never been kissed like this.
With his shirt still hanging in his hand around my back, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, wanting to show him how comfortable I am. Our kiss seems to last for so long, yet it stops far too soon for my liking.
“Fuck, Em’. As much as I want to take this further, I can’t,” Dex rasps.
My heart starts to deflate, only for him to grip my chin in his hands and make me meet his gaze.
“I’m not rejecting you, Ember, so don’t get this twisted. You’ve been drinking and as much as I want you, I don’t want the first time to be tainted by alcohol. Not for either of us. I already had a drink too, and you deserve more than that. If we do this, I want us both to be sober.”
Just when I thought he couldn’t get any better, my heart reaches for him once more.
Chapter Eleven
Dex
I didn’t
fuck her, but we did sleep in the same bed. Ember’s body has been lying next to mine all night long and now it’s just past four in the morning. I’ve been restless all night, knowing what I’ve craved was right in front of me. I could’ve fuckin’ taken her, but morally, my conscience was fucking with me so hard. I knew if I did, she might regret it after the fact, and if we’re doing this . . . I’m gonna do it the right way.
Still, I see her wavy blonde hair sprawled out across her back and the way she’s wearing my Escape the Fate shirt makes my dick go hard. I don’t think she’s ever been more beautiful. It’s what I keep thinking as she breathes in and out, making soft mewing sounds in her sleep.
My dick continues to grow and after a couple failed attempts in trying to calm the beast, nothing works. I end up pulling the sheets down until just under my groin and palm my swollen cock through my boxers. It’s only a few moments before I free myself from the confines and rub my hand along my shaft, imagining it was Ember doing it.
She rolls over onto her back and even in the darkness of our room, I can make out the descriptors of her face. We have a small light on in the bathroom, kind of like a nightlight. It senses whenever you walk in and gets a bit brighter, but at night it’s a greenish neon glow.
Rubbing my thumb over my head, I hiss as precum begins to coat it. All I can think about is the way she kissed me before, how I could feel the way her body tensed up after I didn’t meet her speed. So, she got insecure, and I went from zero to sixty within a few seconds. The last thing I ever want is for Ember to think I don’t want her, especially when I’ve wanted her for weeks now.
My balls tense up and I crane my neck backward, breathing deeply through my nose as I grow closer to climax. Feeling a shift beside me, I glance over and her eyes are open, watching me, analyzing me.
“Please, don’t stop,” Ember whispers, inching closer to me. I spot the glisten on her lips and know she must’ve been licking them. God, how does something so small make her hotter?