17. SYDNEY
17
SYDNEY
Laying flat on my stomach, I reach under my bed, shuffling around different boxes, until I find the ones I’m looking for. My craft supplies are a little bit of organized chaos.
I’ve resorted to sorting the various supplies in shoe boxes while at school. It forces me to keep each collection manageable. My crafting hoard at home is another story. I will need to slim that down before I move.
I stack the shoe boxes and carry them out to the dining table. I’ve been an emotional mess the past few days and in need of some creative therapy.
Between spending more time with Koa and losing my connection with NotYourAverageJoe19 , my heart has been in a tailspin. I know he meant well by giving me space, but I do miss our chats a little.
I have taken his advice and slowly started talking to Koa about these things again. It was weird at first to text him a photo of the book I’m reading along with a silly anecdote. I was worried he would tease me or leave me on read.
He may have kept a book we read since we were teens but that doesn’t mean he’s reading now. I’ve never seen him with a book other than something for a class since he started playing baseball in high school. That's when the sport took over his life.
To my surprise, he texted me back almost immediately. We ended up texting back and forth all night. I don’t want to say it felt like old times because I don’t think it did. Talking with Koa now feels new and exciting.
I’m not sure what to expect from him next. He’s still the shy boy who lived down the street but he also has an air of confidence to him. He speaks with such certainty.
Sighing, I grab the remote off the table and scroll through the list of rom-coms until I find one of my favorites and hit play. I slide over the box full of thread and jewelry making supplies.
Digging through the box, I find a few unfinished pairs of earrings. I should probably finish those, but I found a new tutorial I want to try. They will have to wait. I unearth my phone from the mess I’ve already managed to make to look up the video and notice a new text from Koa.
KOA
Have you read this one yet?
I bite my lip to keep from smiling. It doesn’t stop my cheeks from heating up as I look at the screenshot.
ME
Not yet. I like the cover.
KOA
I thought it was cool too.
What are you doing?
ME
Watching a movie.
Making earrings.
KOA
I bet they will look pretty on you.
ME
What are you doing?
I barely get the text sent when someone knocks on the door. “I’m coming,” I yell, as I pause my movie. I check the peephole and grin.
“I’m knocking on your door,” Koa says, as I let him inside.
“I see that. Were you in the hall waiting for me to text you back?”
Koa strolls over to the dining table and looks over all the different colors of thread I’ve started working with. “No. I was waiting in my car. When I saw the bubbles, I came upstairs. Can I make something?”
I follow him over to the table. “You want to craft with me?”
“Yes.” He kisses the top of my head and takes a seat. He snatches the remote off the table and starts the movie.
I eye him suspiciously as I sit down beside him. “Do you want to make a bracelet?” I pass him a shoebox full of beads.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, smirking at me .
“I’m just surprised you want to spend your free time making bracelets.” I shrug and pick up the teal thread I was using.
Koa places the stretchy, white cording he was cutting down and twists his body toward me. “I want to spend my free time with you. I don’t care what we do. Okay?”
I nod and go back to my earrings while also keeping one eye on Koa as he measures out the cording by wrapping it around his wrist.
“Let me help you,” I say, when he starts to struggle knotting the end of the string with his large fingers. “Why don’t you pick out what beads you want to use?” I nod toward the box.
He pulls out a bag full of colorful discs and puts them to the side. Then adds another bag of round beads to the pile. “You have letters,” he says excitedly, making me giggle.
“Should I be worried?” I pass him back his string.
“No, but I might make your brother a bracelet with a choice word or two,” he grumbles.
“Why is that?” I haven’t talked to Nash since Koa and I went out on our date a few days ago.
“He knows about us.”
“Oh, okay. Was he mad or something?”I chew on my bottom lip.
“No, he wasn’t.” He adds another bead to his bracelet. “I was though.” He grips a bead so tight it pops out between his fingers. “He already knew how I felt about you when I told him about our date.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. He hinted at it a little after his birthday party. He asked what happened when we went upstairs. I told you people would get ideas,” I say, joking with him.
He grins. “Good. Let them talk. But apparently he’s known I’ve liked you since before we started high school.”
My entire body freezes. I should be ecstatic that Koa just admitted he's liked me this entire time. However my ears are ringing with the knowledge Nash has also known.
“And he still warned you off of me?” My fists clamp so tight my fingernails dig into my palms.
Koa nods as his hands reach for mine and I loosen my fists. “I’m upset with him too.”
I scoff. “And you want to make him a friendship bracelet? He’s going to be wearing it to his funeral because I’m going to kill him,” I say, letting go of Koa’s hands and snatching my phone off the table. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I can’t believe he did that.
“He had his reasons. It made sense in his head.” Koa takes my phone and drops it back on the table. I purse my lips at him.
“Of course you would side with him.” I stand from the table and walk toward the kitchen.
“I’m not taking his side.” Koa stands and confronts me where I’m leaning against the kitchen counter. “I’m furious at him,” he says, caging me in. “But I’m not going to let him get between us anymore.”
He pushes my bangs off my brow and the air in the room shifts. I skim the hem of his shirt with my fingers. He hisses from the contact to his skin .
Our eyes meet and I drag my palms across his bare skin until I reach his back. I haven’t touched him like this since the night we slept together. I don’t know how it’s possible but his muscles feel bigger, firmer.
“I don’t want Nash to come between us anymore either.” I press my body into his to demonstrate how close to him I want to be. “I don’t want anyone to come between us,” I say, tightening my grip on his back.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want to be with you. The other guy I was talking to,” I say, biting on my lip. “I never met him. I just talked to him online. He’s great but he’s not you. And I want you.” I glance up at him with a new sense of hope.
“Sydney,” he says, hesitantly. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Then don’t. Not now.” I push up on my toes and lean in, pressing my lips slowly to his. I pull away only to have his hand grip the nape of my neck and hold me in place. “See. This is a much better idea than talking.” I smirk.
“It is, but I want you to be sure. There is no going back. I’m not letting you go again.”
“I’m sure. I’m done fighting my heart. I was never going to get over you. I tried and maybe came close, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
“That’s because we are meant to be. I’ve always known this. I’m glad you’re finally catching up.” He smirks, then captures my lips between his .
Koa’s arms wrap tighter around me. I have to fight the urge to climb up his body. Especially when his left hand drifts down to my ass, giving it a squeeze. It’s almost like he’s inviting me to hitch my leg over his hip.
I roll my hips slightly and it puts just enough pressure against his erection to make me gasp. “Baby,” he groans into my neck. “We need to stop.”
“Why?” I ask, tipping my head back and savoring the way his mouth feels on my chest and neck.
“Because if we don’t, I’m going to take you back to your room and I really want to finish my bracelet.”
I pull away from him. “You would rather finish your bracelet than help me finish?” I flick my tongue over my lips and drape my arms over his shoulders.
“Trouble,” he growls, turning me on even more. He kisses my lips then cups my pussy in his hand. He presses his thumb over the seam of my pants, pushing it against my clit. I whimper and dig my fingers into his hair.
Gripping the back of my thigh with his free hand, he lifts me off the ground. His show of strength is so hot. I try hiding it on my face but going by the way his lip twitches I’m not doing a good job.
He carries me into my room and lays me down on the bed. Hovering over me—his arms on either side of my head—his eyes drift over my body, stopping for a moment on my chest before retreating back to my face.
“What do you want, trouble? My fingers or my mouth?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are those my only two options?”
“Today? Yes.” He places a quick kiss on my lips. “You will have to wait another day for my cock.”
“Pity.” I pout, making him shake his head. “I want both.”
Koa’s eyes darken as he unbuttons my pants and slides them down my legs along with my underwear. He stands back, admiring me for a moment. My breathing increases with every second that passes.
“Spread your legs, baby. Let me see all of you.” He swallows hard watching me lift my shirt over my head. Then leaning back on my elbows I slowly widen my legs.
He drops to his knees on the bed and crawls over my body. “You look fucking delicious. I’m going to enjoy tasting every fucking inch of you,” he says, before kissing his way down my body.
“You don’t come until I say.” His commanding voice skates up my skin, making me shiver. I nod in agreement but once his thumb pushes against my clit I know it’s a lie.
Keeping his hand in place, he kisses and licks his way up my legs like he has all the time in the day. I lift my hips and press my clit harder against his hand.
“Patience, baby,” he says, when he finally reaches my pussy. He moves his hands under my ass cheeks and dips his nose into my center, inhaling a deep breath. He’s making me so wet for him.
“I never got to taste you before. Not like this,” he tells me before dragging his tongue through my slit. I buck off the bed when he sucks on my sensitive clit. He maneuvers one of his arms over my hips and pins me down .
My right hand slips through his hair while I strangle the comforter on my bed with my left. Tilting my head, I watch him lick, suck, and dip his tongue into my cunt. His feral eyes catch mine and it almost makes me come.
“Koa,” I plead and attempt to move my body where I need him. “Please.”
“Not yet,” he growls. Then pushes a finger inside me. He slides it in easy enough but I feel so full. He adds a second finger, stretching and pumping inside me. “Are you ready, trouble? Do you want to come?”
“Yes,” I moan.
“Come for me, baby.” He puts his mouth back on my clit while working his fingers and I’m done.
I tighten my grip on the bedding as I ride out my orgasm. He moves out from between my legs but continues to move his fingers inside of me. “You look blissed out,” he says, smirking.
“I am.” My eyes flutter closed and I rake my teeth over my lips. He pulls his fingers out of me and kisses me on the lips. His erection presses into my thigh and my eyes widen.
“Don’t even think about it. Today is about you. I'll go home later and fuck my fist with the taste of you on my tongue. That is enough for me. For now .”
“Do you do that a lot?” I ask, scooting off the bed and throwing my shirt over my head.
“More than I should admit.” He stands and wraps his arms around me as I finish buttoning my pants. “You don’t really want to know the answer to that question. Let’s just say if I get carpal tunnel, it will be your fault.”
We walk out of my room and I sit down at the table while he goes to the sink and washes his hand. “Why would that be my fault?” I ask.
He tilts his head and looks at me as if he’s asking ‘ really? ’ “Do I need to list off all the times you’ve turned me on so much over the years I resorted to jacking off into a sock or taking a cold shower?”
“We have time.” I put my elbows on the table, rest my chin on my fists, and bat my eyelashes at him.
He laughs and picks up the bracelet he had started making earlier. “Fine. I’ll confess everything. The first time was the summer before we started high school.”
“Also known as the summer Sydney got boobs.”
“One and the same,” he grumbles, making me laugh.
I blush and smile with every story he tells me. I’m flattered, but also confused because I never would have guessed any of this was happening. He was always quiet and reserved. He acted like nothing ever bothered him.
Had I known I was getting under his skin, I would have tried a little harder to get on top of it too.