7. Summer
Summer
M y cell was burning a hole in my hand, but I fought the urge to look at the messages from Nico again. It wouldn’t help to see his pity. I was a mix of emotions, and there was nothing Nico could say that would change the facts.
With a new can of seltzer in my hand, I glanced around the party.
Mr. Haruki had invited the usual people. In high school, the girls and I would sit on the balcony with our sodas and watch from above, rating our favorite entries.
That was a long time ago. I could begrudge my friends for moving on, but in the midst of what could be a real scandal of my own making, I felt irrevocably alone.
I knew the risks. Hell, I told Wren multiple times not to send nudes to her dipshit ex, Buck. But when I get asked, all reason goes out the window.
A neighbor waved me over to the table where they had set up a shot-ski.
With the one-and-half cherry fizzes alongside the three seltzers, my brain was already fuzzy.
But then my phone chimed again.
Nico: Sorry about the bomb I dropped on you. Let me know if you need anything.
I set it face down on the arm of a wicker patio couch and took place between Fred and some girl with short blonde hair.
The red liquor was sweet but burned as it went down. I fought back the cough as people around us cheered, and a new warmth flowed through me.
I grabbed a new can of seltzer and my phone, then headed toward Van, who was standing with a few others.
Without a word, I laced my arm through the crook of his elbow.
He looked down at me with surprise and what seemed to be appreciation.
After a few minutes of chatting, I laced my fingers with his and tugged Van toward the side of the house.
“I want to show you something.”
He followed along, his hand in mine.
I tried not to think about how well our hands fit together. On the side of the house was a riot of azaleas that Tonya had cultivated for years.
“Dennis had these brought over from Kyushu about twenty years ago. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” I rubbed a petal between my fingers, smiling. “I thought this would be nice for more pictures.”
He raised a brow. “Really? You’re not just trying to get me alone, are you?”
I laughed. “Maybe I am. Come here.” I pulled out my phone, struggling to unlock it. Gulping, I slowed down to get the right code in against the blurry digits. “Scooch in, Hot Rod.”
He took my phone again, angling it to capture both of us. This time, though, he wasn’t holding me as tight. That wouldn’t do. A boyfriend would get more handsy as the night wore on, not less.
“Like I said before, I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, right? So, don’t treat me like a leper.”
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He hesitated as I leaned into his body, tucking a stray hair behind my ear as I gazed up at him. His eyes darkened as he assessed me. “Do you want me to touch you?”
“We would be a lot more believable if you did.” I leaned closer, resting my hands on his chest. “So, why won’t you put your hands on me?”
Even to my own ear, my words were too low and throaty.
He gulped. “Is that what you want?”
“I’m not saying you have to fuck me under the pergola.” I thrilled at the way my words shocked him, toying with his top button, exposing his neck. He sucked in a breath at the motion. Reaching up on my toes, I brushed my lips against his ear. “If I were really your girlfriend, you’d be all over me.”
“If you were my girlfriend, would you let me?”
His voice was coarse and brought to mind dirty things in a darkened room.
“Are you really that dense?” I keep the smirk on, trailing a finger over the space between his pecs, his cotton shirt warm under my touch. “You need to get better at reading body language. This is me saying yes.”
He held my head, our lips inches from each other, the aroma of sweet banana taffy lingering. In the fading twilight, his irises were molten silver as his gaze flickered from my eyes to my lips. He brushed the hollow of my ear with his thumb, his grip steady as he leaned forward.
The first kiss was a caress, a whisper of skin and breath. Side by side, we traced one another. My mouth tingled from the contact, flushing me with excitement.
He pulled away, his focus on me as if gauging my reaction.
Whatever expression I had must have been the confirmation he needed. This time, his hand tensed on my head as he dragged me to him.
Our mouths found each other, and this time, there was reverence. Whatever qualms he may have had before disappeared as he backed me into the porch rail, the push of his body against mine. The pulsing between my thighs, demanding more. Heat exploded from me as he traced my lips with his tongue. His kiss tasted of the banana taffy. Against my back, the wooden railing held me steady as he bored into me, securing his mouth to mine. The hard lines of him exacted against my own, and his rigid length grew quickly, pushing into my hip bone.
Light exploded behind my eyelids. I had never been kissed like this before.
His hand moved from my head, down my arm to wrap around my waist, then to my ass. Pulling me into his body.
This kiss was everything I wanted. Head dizzy, I ran my nails through his hair. His mouth left mine, then traveled over my cheek and down my throat.
My dress rode up as he stood between my open thighs, grinding his cock against my core. A thin piece of fabric, so easily removed if only we were somewhere more private. As his kiss deepened, he thrust against me, sending sparks through my body.
Holy hell. It always took a long time for me to get off, but kissing Van was almost as good as my vibrator.
“Summer.” His words were a blessing against my skin. “I could fucking devour you.”
Devoured . That was the word. I was being consumed. This heat inside me, the pulse of wanting more and more and more, all rationality falling away.
Realization dawned on me. We were making out at this party like a pair of horny teens, teetering on pornographic. At any moment, someone could’ve walked by.
This was supposed to be a silly kiss for Instagram. It’s not real, not real, never going to be real.
Pulling my arm out of Van’s grip, I stepped back, wiping my lip with a finger. “That was a bit more than I was expecting for the cameras.” I frowned at where my phone landed. “You didn’t even take a picture.”
Van scoffed, grabbing onto my hair at my nape. “Who cares about a picture?”
“I do. That’s why you kissed me, right?”
He snorted, shaking his head. “No, I did that for me.”
His hands were still in my hair, a pulsing need to close the gap again tearing through me.
His touch should’ve stung but instead only made my thighs clench harder. The way he was looking down on me, the strength in his grip, showed me he would know exactly how to handle me in bed. How he would take control and wring every last drop of pleasure out of me, taking me to the point of pain before allowing me to crumble around him. Judging by the massive ridge against my aching core, I would have plenty to work with.
This was dangerous. A thudding started in my ears, and the party was fading. It would’ve been so easy to fall into bed with this man. From how he was looking at me, he seemed willing. But then what? Another foolish mistake? Getting my emotions involved? I couldn’t afford to get attached.
Reaching behind me, I traced the back of his hand before pulling away. “We shouldn’t have done that. Next time you want to show off, a simple peck will do.”
“You think I was showing off for someone else?”
Raising my eyes to his, I inhaled, trembling. “I know you did. This can’t be real, right?” When he didn’t correct me, I stepped back, wrapping my arms around my waist. “I’m getting another drink.” Scooping my phone off the ground, I left him on the side of the house.
I felt exposed again. Cory was making me a fool in love and in the flesh. With the feel of Van’s lips still lingering on mine, I washed down the taste of his kiss with a long swig. I didn’t need Cory. Or anyone. A toe-curling kiss couldn’t distract me from what was important. And at that moment, it was drinking enough to forget.