25. Ambrose
Ambrose
The night was cool, with wispy clouds straying across the sky. I gazed up at the stars twinkling as the crickets chirped in the bushes below, taking comfort in their song. It was quiet out here on the Washingtons’ balcony, a good place for me to clear my mind before preparing to recite my poem.
I had a book of my own to read from with a short haiku that struck me as perfect, so I tried to memorize the words over the course of the week.
After spending so much time in a low state of mind over the past few years, I was ready to join the merriment again.
Zeth was helping pull me from the wreckage of my own worries about my future, and I was so grateful that I wanted to sing about it.
I wondered what Zeth planned to recite. I looked so forward to hearing it, I was thrumming with excitement.
When footsteps clicked from behind, I turned, hoping Zeth had finally found me, but Damien Cooligan stood before me instead. His tall frame blocked all the light from inside.
I let out a sigh. “What do you want?”
Damien raised his chin. “Always so rude to me, aren’t you? Especially lately. Is it Washer?” He pointed his thumb in the direction of the door. “Are you two fucking?”
“Now who’s being rude?” I muttered, shaking my head.
“I’m just wondering if he knows…” Damien took in a deep breath before continuing, “Well, how much you’ll break his heart after you’re done with him, like you did to me.”
My face soured. “Don’t even try to pretend that there was anything between us.
After you got too drunk and handsy with me that one time, that was it.
And to top it off?” I dug my fists into my pockets to keep myself grounded and leaned forward, hating that devilish smile he gave me.
“You’re the most uninspiring person I’ve ever been around. ”
That wiped the grin clean off his face. Damien moved forward, causing me to step back, and glared down his nose at me. But I didn’t yield. Instead, I stared right back at him.
“The problem with you, Amby, is you run your mouth too much. It could get you into trouble if you don’t learn to tame it. Or perhaps you need someone to tame it for you.” He reached up to snag my jaw, but I knocked his arm away and took another step back.
“Don’t you dare touch me. You’re out of line.”
“No, you were out of line earlier when you insulted me in front of everyone. You and your trash boyfriend both need to understand that.”
“The only thing I understand is that you’re standing in my light. Kindly fuck off.”
“You are such a cocky little bastard.” Damien managed to grab my chin this time and pushed me against the railing. My back hit the stone roughly, and my book fell to the ground with a thump.
I tried to push him away, but Damien grabbed me harder and pressed me against the rail until I grunted in pain.
He leaned in close. “I’m not done talking to you, Somerset. I want you to know your place, and I want that washer boy to stay in his lane. He doesn’t belong here with the rest of us.”
“Damien Cooligan, remove your fucking fingers from Amby, or I’ll break them one by one,” came Zeth’s calm but stern voice, cutting clear across the balcony.
When Damien released his grip on my chin, I was able to push him away. In the doorway, Zeth stood with a callous expression that told me he’d witnessed enough.
“Piece of shit,” I muttered as I rubbed my sore jaw as Zeth strolled toward us, calm and reserved. He stopped next to me and leaned back against the railing, so close I felt his arm cross behind me for support.
“Well, Cooligan, are you going to kindly fuck off?” Zeth kept his eyes locked on Damien. “Looks like you’re outnumbered, and no one gives a shit to back you up.”
Damien scowled at Zeth as he straightened his jacket, then he nodded at me. “I see your guard dog follows wherever you go. Some things never change.”
When Zeth growled, Damien glowered at him before stepping away and leaving the balcony.
As soon as we were alone, Zeth deflated and turned to me. “Holy shit, I almost tossed him over the fucking railing.”
The idea of Zeth doing such a thing was entertaining, but this was my fight. “I should have just punched him.”
“I don’t know why you didn’t. When I was rude, you smacked me upside my head and knocked my cap right off.”
My lips twitched as I recalled Zeth’s furious expression the day of the picnic, when he’d used his cap to smack me right back. He appeared worried about me now, so I took his hand and unfurled his stiff fingers to kiss them, longing for his protective touch.
“I’ll take any punishment you deem necessary to show me how awful of a boy I’ve been.” I bit my lip, hoping my teasing riled him in all the right ways.
“Mm,” he inhaled deeply, his eyes twinkling. “If we weren’t at this damn party, I’d smack your ass for saying that.”
“But that’s not a punishment if I want it, now is it?” I smiled crookedly, unable to help myself from imagining how Zeth’s hard hand would feel on my ass right now, taking me as his.
He reached up as if he would grab my chin, but he only traced his fingers along my jaw. “Careful, Rosie, you’re tempting fate.”
Laughing, I leaned into his touch and hummed my pleasure against him, enjoying how his hand made me relax. I closed my eyes against his caress. Zeth gently kissed the side of my jaw where Damien had gripped me.
Opening my eyes, I found him smiling adoringly at me. “Thank you for having my back, for making me feel better.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoy taking care of you. And when you get all worked up inside, I’ll always do my best to make you feel better.”
My arms wound around his waist. “Mm, such a good lover.”
Zeth grinned from ear to ear. God, he was gorgeous.
Enamored, I moved in to kiss him, but I stepped on something. I looked down to find my book on the ground and bent to pick it up. “Oh… I brought this to recite a haiku tonight.”
“What’s a haiku?”
I handed him the book so he could flip through it. “It’s a short poem, made up of only three lines and seventeen syllables.”
His face puckered in confusion as he turned a page. “What are syllables?”
I tilted his chin up from the book until his eyes met mine. When I had his attention, I held up my hands, ready to put up a finger for every syllable I was about to say. “You. Are. One. Hand-some. Man.”
“Oh, I like syllables,” he teased, opening my jacket to tuck the little book into my inner pocket and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I’m sure the reading is about to start,” I whispered, but I pulled Zeth’s arms tighter around me anyway.
“But Rosie,” Zeth pouted, “I believe you asked for a kiss earlier to calm your nerves.”
My hands found his, and I made his fingers dig into my hips. “You’re right. You should kiss me. Right now.” I tilted my head, waiting for him. I didn’t need to ask twice. Zeth moved in close to run his tongue along my lower lip before he bit down gently, and I groaned my approval.
My hands found the lapels of his jacket to pull him against me until we both stumbled back, and my shoulders hit the side of the house, out of sight of the party.
Zeth groaned against me. My hand clasped around the back of his neck while the other pulled against his jacket, showing him I wanted more as our lips crushed together.
Then something came over me, a desire that went beyond kissing or messing around.
Something bright and hot burned deep within me, stinging me.
I grabbed Zeth’s arms and broke away from his lips to hold him closer.
I wanted to feel his beating heart against mine, wanted the assurance that I was his and that he would never let me go.
When his strong arms surrounded me, the stress of Zeth trying to gain my father’s approval hit me so hard, my stomach knotted. What if reciting love poems and talking business were all in vain? What if Father spouted off to Zeth that he wasn’t able to give me children, and ran Zeth off?
I couldn’t help but choke back tears. Shit, how I hated crying. Luckily, Zeth couldn’t see me, and I held him tighter as I blinked away the moisture. I needed to focus on the moment.
Zeth was here with me right now. He was really here, in my arms, making me feel wanted. Someone who could see me, who was holding me. I was afraid of what our future held, but at least he would be with me through it, and that’s all I needed.
“Hey now,” Zeth whispered into my hair. His deep voice rumbled under my ear, sounding so calm and mature that I got goosebumps. “My kiss wasn’t that bad, was it?”
I pulled away enough to look up at him. “Your kiss was perfect. So perfect, you have me torn up. I’m a mess, Zeth.”
He frowned and reached up to straighten my glasses, and then my hair. “Alright, you can cry, but just try to spare my new ascot. I don’t want it ruined.” He smiled crookedly.
I laughed, thankful my stress hadn’t fully surfaced. I didn’t want to break down here. When I looked away, Zeth tilted my chin up, looking more serious now.
“Hey, you okay?”
Sniffing, I nodded. “Yes. Just thinking too much about my father.”
“No need. I dazzled him with charm, as you advised.”
“You did?” That gave me some hope. “Good. But… now I have jitters about reading.”
Kissing my nose with a small peck, Zeth tapped the book in my pocket. “You’ll do great, but are you prepared to hear my horrible poetry?”
“It’ll be absolutely wonderful.” I smoothed a wrinkle from his ascot. Smiling, I nodded at the door and slipped out of his hold to go back inside.
The room was loud with applause as we entered.
Emiline and Hattie had just finished reading a poem together in the cleared area near the far wall and were leaving to sit among the others.
Everyone else faced forward, so Zeth and I walked in without drawing any attention.
We made a beeline to a few empty chairs in the last row, beside the dessert table.
“Ambrose Somerset,” someone called out.