chapter seventeen
kira
I step through the slider, satisfaction coursing through my veins. I took this shirt two nights ago when Noah was on shift at the station. I woke up from a pretty bad nightmare, and I was so used to him climbing into my bed and holding me, but he wasn’t there, and I couldn’t fall back asleep. So, I wandered into his room, and it was lying there on his bed. It smelled like him, that deliciously warm, earthy scent, so I took it.
I didn’t mean to wear it downstairs, and when he saw me, I was half expecting him to ask for it back, but he didn’t. Whether or not he regrets the other night, he likes seeing me in it. I won’t lie. It hurts the way he’s been avoiding me since my birthday. I know I shouldn’t have pushed him, but he wanted it too, didn’ t he?
“Hey, girly!” I hear from behind me.
I turn to see Maddie coming in through the slider. Pulling the wooden spoon out of the pitcher, I set it down and wrap my arms around her.
“I’m so glad you could make it.”
“It better be worth it. I’m missing out on the opportunity to be drunk on a boat in Lake Michigan,” she says with a giggle.
“It’s worth it because you’re with me, right?”
She laughs, nodding at me.
I place the lid on the pitcher, setting it aside before searching the freezer for the popsicles I bought the other day. Digging through the pack, I grab a blue one, my favorite.
“Want one?” I say, gesturing to Maddie.
“Pink, please!”
Jared must have already picked through them because only one pink is left. I grab it and hand it to her.
“So, how’s it going with your sexy firefighter?” she asks way too loudly.
“ Maddie! ” I whisper yell.
“What? C’mon, give me something.”
“We haven’t really talked since my birthday.”
She looks at me, her eyes narrowing, “That asshole.”
“Leave it alone, Maddie,” I tell her. “What about Lucy? Are you two a true couple yet?”
Her cheeks flush as she looks at me, and all she gives me is a small nod.
“Really?” I gasp.
“Yeah, she’s officially my girlfriend now,” she says, excitement bubbling in her eyes. “I asked her last night.”
“Oh my god, Maddie, I’m so happy for you,” I say as I guide us out of the slider.
There’s already a ton of people here, but the anxiety that usually manifests is nowhere to be found. Noah is standing at the grill with Keith, a beer in his hand. They seem to be in a deep conversation about the best way to grill a burger, and I can’t help but watch as his muscled arm reaches out, flipping them with ease.
His eyes catch mine before they move down to my shirt—well, his shirt—and his jaw ticks. My body heats at his gaze, but I force myself to look away, turning back toward Maddie.
“God, I want someone to look at me the way he’s looking at you right now,” Maddie says.
I roll my eyes, shaking my head. “He’s just making sure I don’t sneak something to drink,” I tell her, not entirely believing myself.
“Speaking of...” I look out into the yard.
Jared and some of his friends are standing in a circle, plastic cups in hand. Jared’s eyes meet mine, and he gestures for Maddie and me to join them. Grabbing her hand, I pull her with me to the group.
“You guys want to play a round of cornhole?” Jared asks, “You and Maddie versus me and Brennan.”
I look up as Brennan approaches. Only a little taller than Jared, he’s objectively beautiful. He was the one who was flirting with me at the bar the night that Noah refused to let me leave with them. I glance back at Noah, his gaze laser-focused on Brennan. I think someone’ s jealous.
“If you go get me a drink, then yeah. Come on, Brennan. You can stand on my side,” I say with a sweet smile.
Jared’s jaw visibly tightens as he glances between Brennan and me. What is that about?
“What kind of drink?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“ Surprise me. ”
Jared returns with a plastic cup filled with a fruity yet strong liquid, and I grin at him.
“Thank you,” I say. “Now, are you guys ready to lose?”
Jared chuckles, seemingly back to normal, “You’re on.”
Brennan and I head to stand by the board closest to the hammock, which just so happens to be closer to the grill. Noah’s eyes are trained on me, a scowl on his face. This is going to be so much fun.
“You can start!” Jared exclaims from the other side of the yard, tossing the bags to us. I roll my eyes, bending over to pick them up off the ground and set them on the board. I can feel eyes on me as I stand up and notice Brennan’s gaze gliding up my body.
“You go first,” I say, only loud enough for Brennan to hear.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
His first throw misses, landing at Maddie’s feet, and I let out a small laugh. He looks over at me, an eyebrow raised in a challenge. His next two land on the board, although one just barely. As he goes to throw the last bag, I take a sip of my drink, and I watch it go right through the hole at the top of the board. I hear Jared cheer, but I’m distracted as Brennan’s hand comes up to my waist.
“You think you can beat that?” he asks, his brown eyes not leaving mine.
My body responds, anxiety filling my chest, but when I look up at him, I don’t see any danger there. He isn’t going to hurt me, at least not right now. I take a deep breath and plaster on a smile.
“Yes,” I answer, taking another sip of my drink before grabbing a bean bag. His hand drops from my hip, and I take a second to look over to the porch. Noah is gone. Keith is manning the grill without him. I glance over the crowd of people on the porch, and that’s when I see him. He’s leaning against the stairs with his arms crossed and his focus locked onto me. He looks pissed.
Good.
I turn back toward the game and study the board on the other side of the lawn. All I need to do is get more than five, but I’m in the mood to show off a little. Stepping up to the board, I throw the bag with a perfect arc, and it slides into the hole, knocking one of their bags off in the process. I look up at Brennan with an innocent smile.
“I must have just gotten lucky,” I tell him, and he laughs.
“Of course, you’re good at this.”
The rest of the game goes similarly, and Maddie and I secure the win in what feels like record time, finishing as the sun starts to dip below the horizon.
“Alright, I’m not subjecting myself to that again. Let’s go swim.” Jared says.
Finishing my drink, I wave it at Jared, and he laughs.
“I’ll be right back,” he says, grabbing my cup.
I’m already feeling a light buzz from the first drink, but hey, it’s a party. I see Keith untethering Noah’s pontoon boat as we approach the dock.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To go blow some shit up,” he responds with a grin.
“Alrighty then, well, have fun!” I call as he starts the boat and drives away.
Pulling off Noah’s shirt, I fold it and set it on the dock, my shorts following. Brennan’s eyes scan my green bikini as he removes his shirt, exposing his toned torso. This is the kind of guy I should be into. He’s not bad to look at and my age.
Maddie seems to notice his perusal, glancing at me with a questioning look. I shrug, shaking my head. Without warning, Brennan takes off running and jumps into the water at the end of the dock, splashing us. I yelp, looking down at him, my head tilting in mock annoyance.
“You getting in?” he asks, pushing his wet hair out of his face.
“Let me just get used to it first,” I say, sitting on the dock and dipping my feet into the water.
“Suit yourself,” Maddie says, jumping into the water beside Brennan.
“ Maddie! ” I yell as she reemerges at the surface.
A deep laugh comes from behind us as Jared walks up with my drink and a couple of towels. Setting them down on the dock, he takes his shirt off before jumping in the water, too. Brennan swims up to my legs, his hands gripping the wood on either side of me.
“It’s not even that cold, come on,” Brennan whines, his hand sliding onto my thigh. I suck in a breath as the cold from his hand hits my warm skin, and my heart skips. I wish I could say it is from excitement, but the weight of anxiety crushes my chest.
A throat clears from behind me, and Brennan’s eyes move up to the source of the sound. Before I even turn around, I know who it is.
“It’s time for fireworks,” Noah says.
Turning to look at him, I notice his gaze is fixed on Brennan’s hand on my thigh.
“ We ’ll just watch them from here,” I tell him.
His jaw tightens as he looks at me. “Could you actually come help me with something, Kira?”
What could he even need help with?
“Now.”
Sighing, I look down at Brennan.
“Sorry guys, I’ll be right back,” I say, pulling my legs out of the water and standing to look at Noah, anger rolling off him in waves. Without a word, he turns, walking toward the house. I have to almost run to keep up with him as we pass everyone in their lawn chairs chatting.
As we make it to the door, he opens it, gesturing for me to go inside. No one else is in here. They’re all outside, getting ready to watch the fireworks. The glass door slides shut as Noah spins around to face me.
“What was that all about?” he asks, his voice low.
“What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, knowing damn well what I was doing.
“That kid. Why were you letting him touch you?”
Irritation bubbles up in my core at his question. I knew he was jealous, but the fact that he thinks he has any claim over me is ridiculous.
“Why do you even care? You’ve proven you don’t want me or at least won’t let yourself have me, so what’s the problem with me getting that pleasure from someone else?”
“Oh, I highly doubt he would be providing much pleasure,” he says with a low chuckle. His eyes darken as he steps closer to me, leaning down so our faces are only inches apart.
“You’ve been parading around in my shirt all day in front of everyone, and then you have the audacity to let some other guy touch you,” he growls.
I shudder at his statement, and the closeness of our bodies threatens to break my resolve. Behind Noah, blue sparkles paint the nearly black sky, followed by a loud bang. Keith started the fireworks.
“I’m not yours, Noah. You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t fuck.”
I try to keep my voice from shaking from the pure need coursing through me now. He’s so close, and I’m all too aware of the few places our bodies are touching. His hand slides up my torso to my jaw, forcing me to look at him instead of the show outside.
“Are you sure about that, princess? Because I seem to remember my mouth on you just the other day.”
His fingers are toying with my swimsuit bottoms, threatening to untie the strings. My breathing is ragged from need, and all I can think about is kissing him.
The sound of the sliding door breaks us from our spell. Noah takes a huge step back as I try my best to sort myself out. The light flicks on, and Jared stands in the doorway. He glances at his dad and then back to me.
“Whatever you need help with can wait. Come on, Kira, the fireworks already started!” he exclaims as he runs over to grab my hand. I follow him out, glancing back at Noah. His eyes are full of promise. This conversation isn’t over.
I sit on the dock to watch the fireworks with Jared, Maddie, and Brennan. Maddie turns to look at me, a silent question in her gaze.
Are you okay?
What happened?
I nod to her, and that pacifies her for the moment. Brennan slides over to sit beside me, his hand resting on the dock on the other side of my hip. I can feel Noah’s eyes burning into my back.
I turn to face him, the light from the fireworks illuminating his face. I can tell it’s taking everything in him not to kick Brennan into the water. The explosions increase in frequency, signaling the grand finale. It’s jaw-dropping. Keith really knows what he’s doing. When the sky returns to its natural darkness, everyone claps and cheers, and I hear an engine sputter to life on the water.
“Jared and I are going to Jake’s after this. Do you want to come with?”
A voice from behind me sounds before I can respond.
“No, sorry, she already promised she’d help clean up.”
I turn to face him, and his body language says it all. He hands me something, and it takes me a second to realize what it is. It’s his shirt. The same one I was wearing earlier.
“Really, Dad? You can’t clean up on your own?”
“It’s fine, I promised,” I tell Jared. Even though I did no such thing. To be honest, going to that party with them is the last thing I want to do tonight.
After some more grumbling, the boys finally leave. Maddie glances between us and mumbles something about having to get home to do homework tomorrow.
The rest of the party guests have already started filtering out until, eventually, I’m left there alone with Noah.