She grinned down at him where his head was eye level with her breasts. “Says who?”
“Says me, the one that loves you most.” His arms wrapped around her distended waist. “The one that put this little angel in there.” He dropped a kiss on her belly and I saw Emmie shiver. “You remember me, right? The one who’s going to marry you when you get around to deciding you actually want to get married.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?” She ran her fingers through his hair, and the moment seemed to intimate for me to watch so I turned around.
Jesse was standing just behind me. I hadn’t heard him swimming closer. Even with the cool water washing over me, I couldn’t help but melt. His closeness did things to my body that none of the three lovers from my past had been able to do with a touch. The way he looked at me caused air to get trapped in my lungs, and I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.
“I want to kiss you so fucking bad,” he muttered under his breath so that only I could hear him. Not that he needed to bother. Emmie and Nik were locked at the mouth now, and I doubted they even realized that we were still there.
My lips instantly tingled, as if anticipating his kiss.
“But I’ll be damned if I’m going to do it here.” He ran a hand over his smooth head. Reaching out, his hand captured mine and linked our fingers together. My skin felt like it was sizzling from that innocent contact with his skin.
I wanted him to kiss me! I was ready for him to devour me with that wicked looking mouth of his. My fingers curved around his, and I was taking a step closer when I heard Lana’s laugh as she came out of the house. She was followed by Drake, who was laughing just as hard as she was, with Lucy bringing up the rear.
I jumped back as if I were standing to close to a live wire, which I was sure I was. To me, Jesse was like an electrical current that was ready to zap me at any moment. One that would fry me if I stepped to close, something that I was about to do.
“I thought you were unpacking,” Lana called as she pulled a sucker from her mouth. The three of them all had candy in their mouths and grins on their faces. I hadn’t seen Lana smile like that since we were little.
“The pool was just too tempting,” I told her as I started climbing out.
“Look, Layla.” Lucy came rushing over to me with a bag full of toys. I saw an inflatable raft, swim rings, and several other pool toys. Drake had a bigger bag which I could only assume was the sandcastle tools that they had gone after in the first place. “Drake said that since I don’t know how to swim yet, that I have to wear these if I wanted to get in the pool. But he promised he would teach me!”
My heart clenched at how thoughtful Drake was. I shot him a thankful smile. “Thank you, Drake. That was sweet of you.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “Come on, Lucy. We have a few hours left of daylight. Let’s start on that castle.”
Leaving the bag with me she skipped away with him. Her little hand was swallowed in his huge paw as they walked toward the beach, hand in hand. Lana watched after them with a look of pure longing on her face. I didn’t know if it was because she wanted to play with them too…or something else. I would have to talk to her about it later.
When the two got to the beach, Drake glanced back, a frown on that face that was almost beautiful. “Lana, are you coming?”
The look of longing was quickly masked behind a grin. “Maybe in a little while. I want to change first.”
I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like disappointment crossed the rocker’s face. His smile wasn’t as big as it had been when they had gotten back. “Okay.”
Yes, I really needed to talk to Lana later!
Jesse
It took for fucking ever for my dick to calm down after nearly kissing Layla in the pool. A cold shower hadn’t helped. Masturbating hadn’t even taken the edge off. I wanted that little goddess to the point of pain, and I wasn’t used to denying myself when it came to things I wanted. Damn, I had become spoiled over the last ten years!
Sunday I tried to stay away from her. I told myself I was letting her get settled in, that I didn’t want to crowd her. In actuality I was scared shitless. I was sure that I cared about her, and that was terrifying. How could I have feelings for a woman that I just met? How was it that she was constantly on my mind while I was awake? Why was she haunting my dreams while I slept?
But by Monday I knew that I needed to do something about how I was feeling. Maybe I should try to get her out of my system. That had to be what was going on. She was something I wanted, and I had been denying myself for days now. If I fucked her out of my system, then this ache in my chest would go away, right?
Fuck I hoped that was all it was. Relationships scared the hell out of me. None of the ones I had ever seen in the past had worked out. My mom and dad’s relationship sure hadn’t worked out. I’d never even had one that lasted past a few days, and that had only been about fucking. Terrifyingly enough, I wanted more than that with Layla. I had enjoyed talking to her and getting to know her. I wanted to know what made her laugh—because God, that laugh did things to my dick! I wanted to know what made her cry because I never wanted to see tears in her big chocolate eyes.
“Jesse!”
I frowned when I heard Emmie calling for me. I had dropped down on the long part of the sectional when we had gotten home from the studio and must have fallen asleep. The last two nights I hadn’t gotten much sleep. Layla had invaded my mind. Fuck, my hand was developing calluses from all the jacking I had done over the last few days. When I did sleep, it was to wake up with another raging hard on that had to be taken care of or I’d suffer the bluest balls known to man.
“Jesse!” Emmie called out again, and I rubbed a hand over my face to try to clear it of the sleep that still lingered. “Are you in the house?” I heard her soft padding of footsteps and sat up.
“In here, Em,” I called back just as she appeared in the doorway of the living room.
She frowned down at me, concern in her green eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired. Haven’t been sleeping lately.” Her eyes darkened with worry. “I’m fine, Em. I swear. I’m not sick or anything.” Just constantly hard because my little goddess was driving me crazy with want!
She still looked worried. “Dinner is ready. Are you hungry?” My stomach grumbled loud enough for her to hear, and her worried expression eased into a small smile. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, I made meatloaf.”
“Not with bacon.” I didn’t think I could handle bacon tonight.
She laughed. “No. I only put it on a small portion.”
I followed her into the dining room where Drake and Shane were already loading their plates down with mashed potatoes, homemade baked mac and cheese, and fresh green beans. Nik was putting a basket of yeast rolls on the table and taking his usual seat. We had been eating homemade meals like this all summer, and I had gotten used to it. I loved sitting down with all the people that mattered to me and sharing food that had been made with some TLC.
Emmie took her place, and I finally dropped down between her and Drake. The first bite of one of the rolls made me groan. “God, Em. This is amazing.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t make them.” She was drizzling a little ketchup over her bacon crusted meatloaf. “Layla helped me out in the kitchen before heading out. I’ll let her know that you like them.”
Layla. Just the sound of her name made my dick twitch, and I took my time savoring the rest of my roll and two more. Conversations were going on around me and I tried to keep up with them, but I was too consumed with thoughts of Layla to pay close attention to what was being said.
“Jesse, can you do it?”
My head snapped up at Nik’s question. He was frowning at me, as if he were worried about me. I sighed and realized I had missed an entire conversation that probably had been important. “Sorry, man. What?”
“Em has a doctor’s appointment in the morning. Can you take her since we don’t really need you
in the studio tomorrow?”
“You know I will.” I pushed my plate away and reached for my barely touched beer. “What time do we need to leave, sweetheart?”
She shrugged. “About ten thirty. So you can sleep in if you want.”
“Sounds good.” I didn’t mind going with Emmie to the doctor. I meant that I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and it never failed to move me. My little ‘niece’ had already invaded my heart.
As soon as he was finished with dinner, Drake stood and muttered an excuse. I figured he was going to go hit a new bottle of Jack Daniels. When he was out the door, we all shared a dark look but went back to our food. I hated that my friend was so dependent on a bottle to get through the night. I hated even more his reasons for needing it...
Pushing those dark thoughts away, I helped Nik clear the table. We filled the dishwasher but didn’t turn it on because really neither of us knew what was what on the stupid thing. I shut the door and turned to find Nik pulling a beer out of the fridge. “Want one?” he asked.
“Nah, man. I’m good.” I wasn’t in the mood for more beer. Instead, I pulled a can of coke from the fridge and popped the top. The sugary soda woke me up, at least for the moment, and I followed Nik out onto the patio where Emmie was already curled up on one of the loungers looking up at the star filled sky.
It was cooler out and Nik spread a thin throw over the both of them as he sat beside of her and pulled her close. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, enjoying the sound of surf crashing on the beach. Shane came out mumbling something about a run but no one bothered to say anything as he headed down the beach.
It was so peaceful that I started to drift off. Then the sound of laughter from the yard caught my attention and my eyes snapped open. It was a rare sound, one that I hadn’t heard to its full extent in what felt like forever, but I knew who it was.
Drake was laughing—a sound so happy that it had to come from his very soul.
When the laugh was followed by a very feminine giggle, my hackles rose and I glanced over at Emmie who had sat up straight in the lounger. Our eyes met. Mine were filled with a mixture of emotions. I knew who was giggling, and it wasn’t Layla whose laugh went straight to my dick. I knew that Lana was safe with Drake. We all did. But was Drake safe with Lana?
Emmie’s face was full of wonder and I saw tears glaze her eyes. Her hand covered her mouth. “Oh my Gods!” she whispered. “He’s laughing!”
I stood, needing to see what the two were up to. I had to know what they were doing that was making Drake so happy. At the edge of the patio, I peeked my head around to look into the small yard that separated the house from the guest house. There were two dozen little candles spread over the sheet that they had spread on the ground. In the dim lighting, Drake was sketching something in one of his many sketchbooks while Lana sat across from him just smiling at him.
I stepped back before they could see me, my heart in my throat. Oh fuck! I didn’t know what to feel right then, but this overwhelming sense of wonder was coursing through me. Drake never—and I mean NEVER—shared his artistic skills with anyone. He only ever used them to paint and draw out his nightmares. The fact he was drawing Lana, that obscenely beautiful girl with the bell-like giggles, was nothing short of a miracle.
I dropped down onto the chair I had been in earlier and rubbed my hands over my head. What did I do? How could I step in when he seemed so happy and was doing things that were so un-Drake like? How could I break that up when I had never seen my friend so… My head snapped around as a realization hit me…
“He isn’t drinking!” I whispered and glanced over at Emmie and Nik. “He’s back there drawing with her and he doesn’t have a bottle with him.”
They both sat up at that news. The two shared a long look then slowly grinned. As I looked at them a grin spread across my own face. Maybe Lana was just the thing that Drake needed. I wasn’t going to step in. Not right now. Until Drake gave me a reason to doubt him, I wasn’t going anywhere near those two.
Chapter 8
Layla
I spent all day Sunday unpacking and getting the guesthouse cleaned up. There was plenty to do, and I was thankful for the distraction from my crazy thoughts of Jesse. Of course I wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t come over to talk. I was relieved even…
Okay, so I was heart sick that he didn’t seek me out. I craved being near him, even for just a minute. I was so messed up that I didn’t know what to do about it. My desire for him was far and beyond anything that I had ever experienced before in my life.
Sunday night, while Lana finished up the rest of her homework, I took a moment to talk to her about Drake. She just laughed it off and said that they were friends. She promised me she wasn’t going to get involved with a rocker, but there was something like longing in her amber eyes, and I felt my stomach clench with worry.
I didn’t push the subject, though. I would just watch Lana and Drake and make sure that my little sister wasn’t getting in deeper than she could handle. I didn’t want Lana falling for a rocker. I didn’t want to fall for a rocker…
Monday, I had to take an hour off so that I could get Lucy situated at the local school. When I got back I rushed through my routine for the upstairs. I vacuumed the halls and stairs then quickly took care of Drake’s room.
The covers were thrown all over the place, but they didn’t smell like they normally did. There was still the distinct scent of fear on the sheets but not like I had grown use to the week before. When I got to the bathroom, I marveled at how clean it still was. There was the faint odor of vomit, but not the overwhelming stench I had cleaned up morning after morning the week before.
Before I left for the day, I helped Emmie out in the kitchen, teaching her how to make the yeast rolls I had learned to make from my first boyfriend’s mother. When I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly time for the guys to get home from the studio, I retreated to the guest house. I had gone two days without seeing Jesse now. It had been difficult, but I had somehow managed not to think about him every five minutes. I didn’t want to mess up the progress I was making.
Lucy needed help with her math, so I sat down at the kitchen table after dinner to help her. She was amazing at reading and was already on a fifth grade reading level, but math just blew her mind. Not that I could say anything. Math wasn’t my strongest subject either. I despaired at what was going to happen when she got into high school. I would have to hire a tutor or something for her because I sure as hell wouldn’t be much help to her.
By ten, Lucy was in bed and Lana came inside. I hadn’t said anything when she had gathered up all our candles and an old sheet and disappeared outside. The sound of her giggles and Drake’s deep laughter had actually been heartwarming, but I still worried. When Lana gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen coming from her, I just wished her a good night and settled in for the night on the hide-a-bed in the living room while she went into the bedroom that she shared with Lucy.
I drifted off to sleep, proud of myself for not thinking of Jesse all day long…only to dream about him!
Lana’s alarm woke me from a particularly wet dream, and I sat up, my breathing ragged as I pressed shaking fingers to my throbbing clit. Lana was in the shower, so I had a few minutes to take care of the ache that dreaming of Jesse had caused. I closed my eyes, picturing his smooth head between my legs as his tongue licked my pussy until I couldn’t hold on any longer.
Using my thumb to press down on the top of my clit while I thrust two fingers into my soaking wet pussy, I bit my lip to keep from whimpering in pure pleasure as I felt my inner muscles start to clench and convulse. When I could breathe again, I sucked my fingers into my mouth, imagining that it was Jesse’s dick, as I licked off my juices from his thick cock. When my fingers were clean of my arousal, I got up to start my day.
Lana was just getting out of the shower when I entered the bathroom. Her hair was dripping all over the place, and she wrapped a towel around it bef
ore reaching for another to wrap around her gorgeous body. She wasn’t tattooed or pierced like I was. She had virgin skin, and I wanted to keep it that way, but she had already started hinting at getting one for her birthday in a few weeks.
“Can I have some gas money, Layla?” Lana asked as she rushed to get dry. “Your car is low.”
I washed my hands. “Of course. But I don’t have any cash. Just use my credit card at the pump, okay?” I reached for a ponytail hold and pulled my thick hair back into a messy bun before reaching for my tooth brush.
“Thanks, Layla.” She ran a wide toothed comb through her damp hair then went into the bedroom to get dressed. “Hey, do you care if I have dinner with Drake Friday?”
My hand froze with the toothbrush still in my mouth. My mouth was full of toothpaste and spit, but I moved to the door and frowned at my sister as she pulled on jeans and a simple black tank top over her black bra. “What?” Maybe I hadn’t heard her right.
Lana pulled her damp hair out of the shirt and turned to face me. “I want to have dinner with Drake Friday night. He asked me to go to this little Greek place that he thinks I will like. I promise I won’t be out late.”
“Lana, he’s in his thirties.” I reminded her around my mouth full of paste. “And he’s a rocker.”
She sighed. “He isn’t like those guys that Mom played around with, Layla. Yes, I’m sure he’s lived hard, but there is something about him that…” she shook her head. “I don’t know what it is, Layla. I feel like there is this invisible rope that pulls me toward him.”
“Lana…”
“No. Please, just listen. I like him. But right now we’re just friends. He isn’t ready for anything more…” I opened my mouth to ask how she knew that when she went on. “We haven’t talked about it, if that’s what you want to know. I just sense it. He’s haunted by something in his past and until he’s ready to face it, he won’t be ready for me. So, please just trust me. Okay? I want to be his friend.”