Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
COLTON
“This is really cute, Colton,” Kairi says, staring at the pillows and blankets arranged in my trunk. “It feels like something straight out of a book.”
That’s because it is—kind of. One of the authors Kairi loves wrote a drive-in movie scene in their most recent book where the characters sat in the trunk of a van with blankets just like this.
I thought my pickup truck would be much more romantic than a van though, since we’ll have the perfect view of the stars too.
“Hop in,” I say, holding out a hand to help her up.
Once she’s picked a side and settled under the blankets, I go back to the driver’s side and turn on my truck stereo, tuning it to the movie channel and grabbing our bag of snacks before shutting the door and heading back to the trunk.
She takes the snack bag from me and watches as I jump in after her, kicking my shoes off on the way up. I throw the blanket over myself and pretend not to notice our legs gently touching as I reach back and slide the rear window open so that we can hear the movie audio.
“I forgot to ask you what movie you picked,” she whispers as she opens a pop can and hands it to me before doing the same for herself.
“It’s a classic,” I say, a smirk curling on my lips.
She turns to look at me with a raised brow. “I love a good classic but please tell me it’s not Romeo and Juliet or something.”
“What’s wrong with Romeo and Juliet?”
She lifts a brow. “A tragic love story is just wrong on so many levels. I’m a happy ending type of girl.”
“Yikes.” I laugh. “I’m sorry to say we’re watching Titanic, and that’s very much a tragic love story. But at least the second movie after this is supposed to be some action movie I’ve never heard of.”
“The Titanic?” she whispers, as the lamp posts around us begin to dim and the screen lights up. “Are you trying to make me cry?”
”Just watch the movie, Kai,” I say with a chuckle.
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue as she opens her bag of cheddar popcorn and focuses on the ads currently projecting onto the screen.
“My sister used to make me and my brothers watch Titanic with her every month, when she was on her period and hormonal as hell,” I mutter, staring at the screen even as I feel her gaze land on me.
I’m trying to open up to her, even if it leaves a hollow ache in my chest. I don’t like talking about my family, but Kairi wants to know more about me, so I’ll bear through the pain for her.
“Every month for how long?” She asks, eyes returning to the screen.
“Somewhere between three to four years,” I shrug with a half smile. “She ended up getting a boyfriend at some point and that became his torturous routine instead.”
She giggles beside me, the sound causing my heart to trip over itself.
“And here you are, self-inflicting that same torturous movie on yourself all these years later.”
“Yeah,” I say, chuckling as I fold my legs at the ankle. “It’s kind of a comfort movie for me now though. Reminds me of the good ol’ days with them.”
I feel her eyes return to me, but I don’t trust myself to mask the hurt I’m feeling enough to look her way. Thankfully the ads end, and the movie starts to play, forcing her to look back at the screen.
Halfway through, I sneak a look at her and notice how invested she looks, eyes glued to the screen. By the end of the movie, she has tears streaming down her cheeks that she tries to wipe away before I notice.
”I’ll never understand why he didn’t just climb onto the floating door with her,” she says, her voice higher pitched than normal as she quickly wipes at her cheeks. “There was plenty of space.”
“The door would’ve probably sunk if they both got on it,” I laugh, pulling her into my chest and wiping her tears away with my thumb.
”There were plenty of other things he could’ve climbed onto,” she says, voice shaking.
I almost feel bad for picking this movie, until she sniffles again and grabs onto my shirt as the credits begin rolling. “But, it was a really good movie,” she mumbles.
I smile to myself. “Yeah,” I nod. “It was.”
We both jump at the sounds of engines turning on, and we raise our heads to watch as every single car in the lot drives off before the second movie starts.
“Why aren’t they staying for the second movie?” she asks.
“I’m taking it as a sign that this next movie isn’t all that great,” I say with a shrug, watching the car lights disappear one by one.
“So it’s just us?” She asks, quietly.
I meet her eyes, and despite the dark of the night I can still tell that she’s blushing.
“Yeah.” I swallow. “Looks like it.”
“Oh,” she whispers.
I glance down at her lips, and even though the voice in my head is shouting at me to just lean in and kiss her, I look away and up at the night sky instead.
“I wonder if we’ll see any shooting stars tonight,” I murmur, searching for any movement in the stars.
“What would you wish for if you did?” she asks, resting her head on the pillow again and looking up at the sky. “What’s the one thing Colton Harrison wants the most in the world?”
You.
Of course I don’t say that out loud, but I want to. I think long and hard about the things I want most until I realize the one thing I want, aside from her, will never happen.
“I’d probably wish for my parents to support me, even if my dad doesn’t agree with my career choice.”
Kairi turns her head to look at me, and I meet her gaze, memorizing how perfect she looks.
“Tell me about him,” she says quietly.
A nauseating feeling settles in the pit of my stomach and I look away from her, trying to figure out where to even start.
“My dad…he’s…well, you already know we don’t talk anymore.”
“Because of surfing.”
I nod. “When I was a teen, they let me move here because of Gabriel's youth surfing scholarship,” I say with a sigh, twiddling my fingers to distract myself.
“It was only supposed to be until I graduated high school, since The Shredders was originally just a youth team, but when Gabriel turned it into a pro surf team after graduation, I told them I wanted to stay.”
She hums. “He wasn’t too happy, huh?”
I shake my head. “He wanted me to come home, learn the ropes of the family ranch business, and help him and my brothers keep everything running.”
“What did he say when you told him you wanted to stay here?” she asks.
I pause for a moment, feeling the familiar ache that I always do when I think about that conversation with him.
“He told me I had to choose between my family or surfing.”
Kairi gasps, her back straightening as she looks at me. “And you chose surfing?”
I nod. “The ranch made me miserable, and I couldn’t accept the idea of living a life where I couldn’t do what I loved because pleasing my father was more important.”
“That must’ve been a really hard choice to make,” she says, voice sad. “Do you miss them?”
I nod. “It’s been years since I last saw or heard from them.”
“Did you ever see them around when you moved back to Bluewater Bluffs?”
“While I was surfing with The Rip Raiders, we’d all gone out to the Bluewater Bluffs Summer Stampede one night to watch the evening show performances, but while I was there I saw my father and my eldest brother wrangling in the horses from the rodeo show.”
Kairi gasps. “Did they see you?”
I shake my head. “Nah. I didn’t want to risk it though so I turned around and went back to the rental I was staying at.”
She’s quiet for a long time, but what she says next leaves me speechless.
“I bet they all miss you. Especially him,” she murmurs, staring up at the sky. “He’s probably just too proud to admit it.”
In all the years that I haven’t spoken to my father, I never once thought he was missing me. Even now, it’s hard to wrap my brain around the idea that Kairi could be right.
“What about you?” I ask, itching to change the topic. “What would you wish for?”
She taps her chin, deep in thought. “I think I’d wish for surfing to feel more inclusive,” she finally says. “It would be nice to not feel out of place while doing my job once in a while.”
“I think you’re fully capable of making that happen, Kairi,” I say, turning my head to look at her. “With or without a wish.”
Her eyes find mine and the air between us becomes charged. I don’t think I can be strong anymore. I don’t think I can stay away from Kairi no matter how hard I try.
“I want to apologize in advance,” I whisper.
Her eyes bounce between mine. “Apologize for what?”
I prop myself up, putting all my weight on one arm as I slide my hand behind her head and pull her closer.
“For breaking one of our rules.”
Our lips collide and the tension I felt from talking about my family melts away. Her lips are cushiony soft, and they work with mine perfectly as our kiss deepens, tongues gently swirling each other.
Kairi’s hands wrap around the back of my neck and she gently pulls me closer, our bodies pressing against each other. I slowly run my hand down her collar bone, stopping where her nipple pebbles beneath the fabric of her dress, revelling in her gentle moans as I rub circles over it.
She lets go of me with one hand and grabs hold of my wrist, guiding me lower and slipping my hand under her dress. I reach up to stroke the fabric of her panties feeling how damp they already are.
“Look at you already so eager for me,” I say in a low voice.
Kairi tries to cover her face in embarrassment but I stop her hand, pulling it away as I return to kissing her.
When her hand goes limp in mine, I release it and slide back under her dress, pushing her panties to the side and rubbing slow and gentle circles over her clit until she’s wet enough for me to insert a finger into.
She groans, pulling away from my kiss to throw her head back. I use the opening to kiss her neck, nibbling on the sensitive spot that pulls another moan out of her.
“You can be as loud as you want, baby,” I say against her skin. “We’re the only ones here and the second movie is about to start.”
She moans again, only slightly louder this time and I huff out a laugh before pressing a kiss to her neck.
“You can do better than that, darlin’,” I say as I slide a second finger into her. “Let me hear you.”
“Colton,” she gasps, grabbing onto my shoulders.
”There we go,” I say, pulling back to smirk at her. “Remember who it is that makes you feel like this.”
Her breathing turns laboured as I work my fingers in and out of her tight cunt, feeling my own hardness press painfully against my pants.
“No more dates with other guys,” I say firmly, watching her slowly come undone. “Watching you laugh with coffee shop guy today was one of the worst feelings I’ve felt in a long time.”
Her eyes widen slightly, but she continues panting with each thrust of my fingers.
“His name is H-Hayden,” she manages to say, eyes rolling back slightly.
“His name is irrelevant,” I say, pressing my thumb down against her clit.
Kairi gasps, closing her eyes as the feeling becomes too overwhelming for her.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to just sit back and watch you be happy with another guy, Kairi,” I admit, knowing I’ll regret saying all of this after we’re done here. “Do you really think any of them can make you come the way I do?”
”N-no,” she pants. “But I’m so close.”
”I know,” I say, not changing a damn thing as she tips over the edge a moment later, just as the movie starts on an action scene, drowning out her beautiful moans.
Her eyes are closed, lips parted, and cheeks flushed as she rides out the release, her beautiful curls sprawled all around her. I swear I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.
I gently slide my fingers out of her and she just barely opens her eyes to watch as I bring my soaked fingers to my mouth and suck off every last bit of her cum.
“Mmm,” I groan in a low voice. “My favourite.”
Her lips part just slightly as she watches me, and I can’t hold back my smirk at the little sparkle in her eye.
”I want you,” she says, making my heart completely stop.
“What?” I breathe out, the smirk dropping right off my face.
”I-inside me,” she corrects. “I want you inside me.”
Right. Of course. What else could she have possibly meant if not that.
I hold her gaze for a moment before sighing and looking away. ”I don’t think that’s a good idea, Kairi.”
She crosses her arms and pouts up at me. “Please?”
“There’s no going back after this Kairi,” I remind her. “No alcohol or concussion to blame it on this time around.”
”I know,” she says firmly.
I stare at her pout, hating how easily it works on me. I’d give her anything she asks for with that pout—a ring, a house, a baby.
Anything.
”Okay,” I say with a nod. “Just this once.”
But the words already feel like a lie.