12. Blue Eyes & Cloudy Skies
Blue Eyes Cloudy Skies
twelve
S t o n e
As Ace and I emerge from one of the spare rooms, we notice my little blue-eyed beauty sitting on the beach, her feet in the water and her head pointing toward the cloudy sky. We come to a halt and stare out the window at her, knowing she is already struggling just being here. With my father and Seven on a booze run and Eli and Nova occupied, the brilliant idea of keeping her company comes to mind.
"I know you want to go down there," Ace says, noticing how intently my gaze is focused on her.
"Yeah, I just want to make sure she's okay. You want to join me?" I offered, walking down the hall to the back deck, which leads directly to the beach.
Saying nothing, Ace follows, both of us eager to spend some alone time with her before everyone returns and chaos reignites. We grab a pitcher of margaritas and a towel and head outside, the hot air enveloping us as we walk through the white sand, being careful not to step on broken seashells.
When she turns around, I can tell she has been crying, but she smiles through the pain and wipes the makeup from beneath her eyes.
"What are you guys doing? I assumed you would be inside with everyone else." Her voice cracks, but she does an excellent job of maintaining her composure as we take seats on either side of her.
"They are on a run, and your brother is... busy. We wanted to make sure you were alright." I offer her the pitcher, which she accepts without hesitation, digging her black painted toes into the sand.
"Fuck, that's strong. Are you trying to get me drunk?" Genuine laughter escapes her throat, and I can tell she is gradually loosening up.
"Maybe, but we have the entire summer for that, Blue Eyes. Right now, we just want to make sure you're doing okay."
She sighs, looks at me with teary eyes, and hands me back the pitcher. "It's rough being back here, but I'm trying to put that shit behind me so I can enjoy myself." She leans her head on my shoulder and adjusts her position so that her feet are comfortably resting on Ace's lap.
"Thank you for being here, guys. It means a lot to me." Her voice is gentle and vulnerable, and her guard is completely down.
"Anytime, brat. We're here for you," Ace says, his hands gently running through her hair.
The three of us sit there in silence, the sound of waves crashing against the shore serving as a soothing background. And as the hidden sun begins to set, painting the sky in drab shades of orange and pink, I can feel Emerson's body relax against us, the stress slowly fading with each sip. I lower my head, our mouths inches apart, but I don't kiss her.
I want to, but I know she is vulnerable, and Emerson is the last person I want to take advantage of. But the look she gives me indicates that she wants something, so I leave the decision up to her.
"Tell me something, Stone," she says in a low whisper, shivering against me and Ace as a gust of warm wind blows heavily around us.
"Anything." I brush my knuckles against her cheek, tracing her jawline as she instinctively licks her lips, a distant, needy look in her ocean-blue eyes.
"How long have you wanted me?" she asks softly, confidence radiating from her half-naked body, and my gaze moves to the tattoos covering her tanned skin.
"For a long fucking time," I admit, breathing heavily as I stare out at the ocean, perplexed as to why she is now asking this.
"What about you, Ace?" Turning her head and shifting her focus away from me and toward him, she cracks a small smile that makes her dimples pop, eager to hear what he has to say.
"How did you know that I wanted you?" He teases, running his hand up her bare legs and staring at her with a darkness I have never seen before.
Yeah, Ace and I have fucked before, but we are both into women, too, and the prospect of the three of us being together begins to weigh heavily on my shoulders.
Maybe she will be up for it this summer, but Emerson fucking Cole is unpredictable.
"Ace, I can see how you look at me. Damon and Seven have given me that look before..." She pauses and returns my gaze, her cheeks flushing with nervousness. "And your father, too."
I shake my head and chuckle, aware of my father's fascination with her but unconcerned.
"Blue Eyes, we all fucking want you. Okay? How could we not? You're the total package: funny, caring, a total badass, and fucking sexy as sin."
Emerson sits up, giggles, and pauses to think. "I appreciate it," she says, leaning in and kissing my cheek.
Ace intertwined his fingers with hers before bringing her hand up to his lips with a gentle kiss. I raise an eyebrow, curious about where this is going.
"Have you ever thought about this before?" I ask, shifting slightly. "Do you want us as much as we want you?"
Emerson bites her lip and smiles before looking at me. "Maybe a little. "Time will tell," she says mysteriously, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth and casting an alluring look in her eyes.
The three of us sit there, caught up in the sexual tension that pervades the humid air. As the sun sinks further below the horizon, the last traces of red and yellow are quickly swallowed up by the darkness of night, and the anticipation of what is to come begins to swarm in my stomach.
I am ready to ruin her, to give her everything she wants, but one question haunts me: What the fuck are we going to do with her brother? Because as long as he is here, watching over her—over us—it will be difficult to have the fun that we all know we want.
The thought of Eli watching over us like a hawk makes me restrain myself from making any moves. It's clear Emerson is interested, but I don't want to complicate things more than they already are. With Eli around, things could quickly spiral out of control.
I give Ace a look before returning my attention to Emerson. "We will figure it out," I assure her, hoping she understands how complicated things could become.
The stuffy air around us is charged with desire, temptation, and anticipation, and as night falls and the town falls asleep, I can only hope that we can navigate this emotional minefield without causing irreversible damage.
But one thing's for sure: it's going to be an interesting fucking summer.
Once the pitcher is gone and we have all had a good buzz, we walk hand in hand back to the house, noting that no one has returned yet.
The trees sway in the wind, and the waves crash loudly behind us, like angry thunderclaps reverberating across the beach.
Nothing but darkness and the flames of the roaring fire in the fireplace greet us as we walk inside, stomping our sandy feet on the mat in front of the sliding glass doors. We walk through the house together, turning on random lights to help us find our way up the steps. Ace looks at me over Em's head, giving me an intriguing yet playful look as if he's wondering if the same thing on her mind is the same thing on our mind.
He gets his answer as we come to a halt in the middle of the hall in front of her room, her hands gradually slipping from our grasp. With her back against the closed door, she crosses her tattooed arms over her chest, pushing her tits out and giving us a menacing look that makes my cock hard again.
"What's that look for, Blue Eyes?" I step toward her slowly, rubbing my hands together without taking my eyes off her face.
"We still have a few minutes before they should be back..." She winks at me and then looks at Ace, giving him the same look that makes us both want to fall to our fucking knees and worship her.
"So, what does that mean?" I ask, playing along as I take a final step toward her, stopping mere inches away.
"Yeah, Brat. What's on that dirty, little mind of yours? Me and Stone are fucking dying to hear," Ace mutters, taking a few steps closer.
"It means," she says with such dominance that it almost makes me bust a load in my shorts. "If you want to kiss me, then fucking do it." She licks her lips and waits, while Ace and I try to figure out our next move.
Without hesitation, I lean in and press my lips against hers, sensing the warmth and urgency between us. Ace brushes his hand against her cheek before joining in, our three-way kiss full of passion and desire. The sound of the front door opening interrupts our moment, but we couldn't care less. We are completely engrossed in each other, consumed by the intense pleasure and addictive flicks of our tongues against one another.
When we hear Eli calling out to us, we reluctantly break away from the kiss. He stands in the doorway, looking at us with a mix of shock, anger, and irritation. "Seriously, guys? What the fuck?" he seethes, shaking his head.
Ace smirks and takes a step towards him, separating himself from Emerson. "Well, maybe if you didn't leave us alone for so long," he teases, playfully patting him on the back as he walks away, leaving Eli glaring at me and Emerson.
"I get it, Eli, but come on. You have to know your sister is old enough to make her own decisions."
"That's not the fucking point, Stone, and you know it." Eli storms off, shaking his head and muttering under his breath loud enough for us to hear.
Turning back to Emerson, a lost look consumes her pretty blue eyes and the vulnerability radiating off of her tugs at the thin heartstrings I do have. "Blue Eyes," I whisper, tucking her hair behind her ear to showcase her stunning face. "Don't let Eli ruin this for you. This trip is for you, not for him."
"I guess you're right, but still," She clears her throat and wipes the wetness away from her eyes. "I hate disappointing my brother."
I pull her in for a hug and linger for a bit, taking the time to inhale the way she smells, savoring it for as long as I can. I know this isn't the way she wanted her brother to find out, but now that it's out in the open, none of us have to hide anything anymore…