Chapter 9
Jasper
The rain had finally stopped falling. The sun was out. I was the first to wake up and was out on the porch drinking a cup of coffee.
I knew why Elijah and Kennedy were still asleep. Elijah missing from the living room was a big enough indicator, but Kennedy's moans sealed the deal.
I had to admit, hearing her sweet little moans did something to me.
I was almost curious enough to get up out of bed and watch, but didn't want to risk overwhelming Kennedy.
Instead, I'd gotten myself off to the sounds of her being pummeled by Elijah.
The memory of those sounds, breathless, desperate, satisfied, had me rock hard within seconds.
Should've bothered me more. Listening to my best friend fuck a woman I wanted. But it didn't. If anything, it made me want her more.
The door squeaked open, and Elijah stepped outside. He pulled in a breath just before he looked to the side and saw me sitting there.
"I should have known you'd be up," he said, pulling up a chair beside me.
"Of course. You were the one who was up all night." I smirked, raising a brow.
He scoffed.
"You sly dog. All that talk about keeping away. You just wanted her for yourself."
"I didn't tell you to stay away. I told you she might not have wanted to be with us."
"And now?" I asked, raising my brow.
Elijah clenched his teeth, refusing to meet my gaze. "You were right. The opportunity exists."
I let out a laugh. "I knew it. The shy ones are always the freakiest."
"Don't," Elijah said quietly.
"Don't what?"
"Talk about her like that."
I studied him for a moment. "You're already in deep, aren't you?"
Elijah said nothing. Just continued to stare out into the yard as if he was deep in thought.
He was already falling for her. I could see it in the way he wouldn't look at me, in the protective edge of his silence.
"Look, I'm happy for you, man. Seriously."
"Are you?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you want her too."
I couldn't deny it. "Don't worry. I'm not looking to start a full-blown relationship with her. I just want a taste of her."
His gaze snapped to mine. "She isn't a piece of food for you to play with, Jasper."
"Jesus, relax." I scoffed and waved him off. "I don't need to hear it from you, man. You act holier-than-thou, but deep down we both want the same thing—pussy."
"That's not what I want from her."
Not entirely true. Elijah wanted more than that. He always did. But I wasn't built that way.
"Just... be careful with her, Jasper. She's not like the others."
"I know that."
I got up and patted him on the shoulder before heading inside. I slowed in my tracks when I saw Kennedy coming from her bedroom. She was in a short pajama set that displayed long, shapely legs. Her blonde hair was down, flowing over her shoulders. When she saw me, her cheeks flushed.
All I could think about was hearing her moans, hearing her cry out Elijah's name as if it was the only word she knew. Wondering what it would take to hear her cry out mine.
"Jasper, good morning," she said, tucking a lock of that honey blonde hair behind her ear.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" I asked.
"It was great, thanks."
"Just great?" I raised a brow. "Sounded like more than great."
Her eyes went wide. "You... you heard?"
"Thin walls."
"Oh my God." She covered her face with her hands.
"Don't be embarrassed. It's a compliment, really."
"How is that a compliment?"
"Means Elijah's doing something right."
She peeked at me through her fingers, then dropped her hands. "You're terrible."
"So I've been told." I nodded toward the kitchen, "I have some coffee in the kitchen if you want. I'm planning on heading out soon. I don't know if Elijah told you, but we're planning on visiting a waterfall today."
She cleared her throat. "Yeah, he did. I'm just gonna shower and join you."
"Take your time. We're not in a rush."
"Great," I said before heading to my room.
We headed out about thirty minutes later. Elijah and Kennedy lingered behind, chatting quietly. Kennedy wore a permanent blush on her cheeks every time she listened to what Elijah had to say.
Happy she was enjoying herself at least. If she'd considered it a horror show, she would have been on her way back home by now, but she was still here, looking as fine as ever.
Appearance-wise, Kennedy was my type. Who could really say no to a hot blonde? But I usually preferred my women more outspoken and in charge.
Elijah loved the submissive ones, and Kennedy was without a doubt that kind of woman.
It was written all over her face. Yet I found myself attracted to the fire in her eyes.
It intrigued me. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have liked to sink myself deep inside her aching cunt.
I just knew she was tight, that she'd quiver beneath my thrusts.
Suddenly I wanted my name on her lips just as Elijah's had been.
Not jealousy, but curiosity. What would it take to make her come apart for me the way she had for him?
We walked for a while until we arrived at the waterfall.
I paused once I saw it, thinking the pictures online didn't do it justice.
It was much more impressive in person, silver sheets of water plunging into a river below, sunlight coming through the tall trees surrounding it, mist drifting around us.
"Damn," I breathed.
"Worth the hike?" Kennedy asked from behind me.
"Absolutely."
"I bet you're just dying over this, aren't you, Jasper?" Elijah said, his voice teasing.
I chuckled, reaching into my bag for my camera. "You know me too well, buddy."
"Don't lose track of time," Elijah said.
"When have I ever?"
"Should I answer that honestly?"
He chuckled. I pulled out my camera and began looking for the right angles to take the shot. There was so much to capture, and I didn't want to waste any time.
I was so into what I was doing that I didn't realize some time had passed.
I looked over to Kennedy and Elijah and had to pause for a second.
Kennedy had taken her clothes off and was now wearing a matching black bra and panties.
The lace hugged her curves perfectly. She sat on a rock, talking to Elijah, who looked as though he'd eat her alive if he could.
I couldn't blame him. Kennedy was stunning and carried a type of beauty that took your breath away. Her full blonde hair was down, flowing over her shoulders. The sun was hitting a section of it, making it seem golden, like a halo was right above her head.
That thought should've caught me off guard. I didn't do this. Didn't compare women to nature. Didn't stop what I was doing to stare.
Unable to help myself, I went closer. I wasn't a portrait photographer, but with a muse like Kennedy, it might be worth looking into. Without making it obvious, I raised my camera and quickly took a few candid photos of her before she noticed.
The last picture I captured was of her looking right at me, surprise etched on her face.
"What are you doing?" She laughed.
I shrugged. "Just thought I'd capture the best thing here."
She visibly reddened. "I'm not the least bit photogenic."
I frowned. "Are you kidding? You could be a model." I walked toward her to show her the pictures.
"That's sweet, but—"
"I'm serious. Look."
I leaned toward her to show her what I'd captured but was caught off guard by her sweet smell. She smelled like spring, rosy, warm.
I watched as a smile crept up the corners of her lips.
"Whoa, you really are talented," she said, as if she couldn't believe it herself.
"The subject helps."
"Stop."
"What? It's true."
She turned and met my gaze. Her eyes were this cognac brown that shifted in the sunlight. "Could you send me these?"
"They're yours."
"Really?"
"Consider it a gift."
Our gazes held for a brief second before she shyly turned away.
My chest tightened. Not much. Just enough to notice.
"I think I'm gonna take a dip," Elijah said.
"If you get hypothermia, I'm out of here," I said.
Elijah scoffed. "Sounds like you're scared, Jasper."
I snorted. "Just logical."
Elijah made a face. "When has that ever been your strong suit?"
"Fair point."
I waved him off, watching as he slowly dipped his feet into the water. I glanced at Kennedy and noticed how she watched him. It was almost as if she was enthralled by him. The way her gaze tracked his every movement.
Elijah waded further out into the water until half of his body was covered.
"It's really not that bad."
"Yeah right," I muttered.
"Kennedy, wanna give it a try?"
"I think I just need a little more time to warm up to the idea first."
Elijah smirked. "Take all the time you need, baby girl."
She had her eyes on him even after Elijah went deep below the water and came up gasping for air. I think she was relieved when he came back up—it was written all over her face.
She cared about him already. Really cared. This wasn't just physical for her.
"You like him, don't you?" I said.
Her head snapped to mine. She was surprised I asked.
"What?"
"Elijah," I clarified. "You like him."
She swallowed hard. "I do."
No hesitation. No playing coy. Just honest.
"There's no shame in it. Elijah's a great guy."
"He is." She paused. "It's just that it's only been a few days, y'know? I can't help but wonder if I'm falling too fast." She grimaced.
"It's not like you have any control over it."
She nodded slowly. "You're right. It's just that the last guy I was with came on just like Elijah. I didn't think a guy like him would be attracted to a girl like me. I ended up getting hurt in the end, and now I can't help but wonder if I'm just setting myself up for the same thing to happen."
"What did he do? The last guy."
"It was a bet," she said quietly. "His friends dared him to sleep with me."
"Fuck. That's brutal."
"I found out after. He laughed about it."
My jaw tightened. "Guy sounds like a piece of shit."
"He was."
I shook my head. "Elijah's many things, but an asshole isn't one. He'd never intentionally hurt anyone." I meant it. I'd known him long enough to be sure of that.
And I wouldn't let him hurt her either. Not if I could help it.
"You really believe that?"
"I know it."
"It feels so easy talking to you."
I raised a brow at that. "Really? I usually hear the opposite."
She giggled, shaking her head. "Being here with you and Elijah might have been the best thing that ever happened to me. It's like I can finally be myself."
"That wasn't the case back home?" I asked.
She pulled in a breath, shaking her head. "My parents always had high expectations of me, and I guess I just didn't want to disappoint them, so I tried my best to do life on their terms."
"And look where that got you."
"Hiding in a cabin."
"Exactly."
I sighed. "We only live once, Kennedy. If you're not gonna do it your way, what's the point?"
She swallowed, lowering her gaze to her lap. "You're right."
"Tell you what, let's pinky promise on it."
She let out a laugh. "Pinky promise?"
I raised a brow. "Doesn't get more serious than that."
She giggled, reaching her hand out. When I wrapped my finger around hers, our gazes held for a second, and lust shot through my body. Her skin was delicate against mine.
My gaze fell to her lips, looking inviting, a pale pink color, full.
I couldn't help myself. I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers.
Just as I'd expected, they were soft. I snaked my tongue inside her sweet mouth, slid my tongue against hers, and then captured her lips with mine.
Her mouth was inviting and sweet, and the more I caressed her lips with mine, the harder I got.
But then Kennedy broke the kiss and looked toward the waterfall where Elijah was. He was below the water and had no idea what was happening above ground.
Guilt. She felt guilty. Which meant she cared what Elijah thought.
"I told Elijah I fantasized about being with two men—well, you know it's what I wrote in my diary."
I nodded, trying to keep my eyes off her lips. "Yeah."
She licked across her lips. The sight of her tongue made me throb. "Someday I'd like to do it. I thought I was ready after seeing you guys here, but maybe I'm not."
"One night with Elijah and you realized you might have bitten off more than you can chew?"
"I was hoping we wouldn't."
I leaned in beside her. Close enough to see the water droplets still clinging to her collarbone. "We can be your friends, or we can be the people who make your fantasies a reality."
She turned to me. "I was counting on both."
I nodded. "Sounds great to me."
And I meant it. More than I expected to.
"Are you guys planning on getting in anytime soon?" Elijah asked as he used his hand to wipe water from his face.
Kennedy looked at me, a brow raised. She got up from the rock and walked toward the basin of the falls. I put my camera down and followed behind her, watching the sway of her hips.
Kennedy giggled when Elijah caught her and twirled her around in the water. She looked angelic as she laughed, water dripping down her body. Seeing her like this made me think about the kiss we shared earlier.
It had been brief, but little did Kennedy know it only made me want more.
More of her laugh. More of her trust. More of that fire I'd seen in her eyes.
This wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't do attachment, didn't do feelings beyond the physical.
But watching her now, happy and free and alive, I realized maybe I wanted to.