Page 22 of Drowning
"What are you guys doing? I assumed you would be inside with everyone else." Her voice cracks, but she does an excellent job of maintaining her composure as we take seats on either side of her.
"They are on a run, and your brother is... busy. We wanted to make sure you were alright." I offer her the pitcher, which she accepts without hesitation, digging her black painted toes into the sand.
"Fuck, that's strong. Are you trying to get me drunk?" Genuine laughter escapes her throat, and I can tell she is gradually loosening up.
"Maybe, but we have the entire summer for that, Blue Eyes. Right now, we just want to make sure you're doing okay."
She sighs, looks at me with teary eyes, and hands me back the pitcher. "It's rough being back here, but I'm trying to put that shit behind me so I can enjoy myself." She leans her head on my shoulder and adjusts her position so that her feet are comfortably resting on Ace's lap.
"Thank you for being here, guys. It means a lot to me." Her voice is gentle and vulnerable, and her guard is completely down.
"Anytime, brat. We're here for you," Ace says, his hands gently running through her hair.
The three of us sit there in silence, the sound of waves crashing against the shore serving as a soothing background. And as thehidden sun begins to set, painting the sky in drab shades of orange and pink, I can feel Emerson's body relax against us, the stress slowly fading with each sip. I lower my head, our mouths inches apart, but I don't kiss her.
I want to, but I know she is vulnerable, and Emerson is the last person I want to take advantage of. But the look she gives me indicates that she wants something, so I leave the decision up to her.
"Tell me something, Stone," she says in a low whisper, shivering against me and Ace as a gust of warm wind blows heavily around us.
"Anything." I brush my knuckles against her cheek, tracing her jawline as she instinctively licks her lips, a distant, needy look in her ocean-blue eyes.
"How long have you wanted me?" she asks softly, confidence radiating from her half-naked body, and my gaze moves to the tattoos covering her tanned skin.
"For a long fucking time," I admit, breathing heavily as I stare out at the ocean, perplexed as to why she is now asking this.
"What about you, Ace?" Turning her head and shifting her focus away from me and toward him, she cracks a small smile that makes her dimples pop, eager to hear what he has to say.
"How did you know that I wanted you?" He teases, running his hand up her bare legs and staring at her with a darkness I have never seen before.
Yeah, Ace and I have fucked before, but we are both into women, too, and the prospect of the three of us being together begins to weigh heavily on my shoulders.
Maybe she will be up for it this summer, but Emerson fucking Cole is unpredictable.
"Ace, I can see how you look at me. Damon and Seven have given me that look before..." She pauses and returns my gaze, her cheeks flushing with nervousness. "And your father, too."
I shake my head and chuckle, aware of my father's fascination with her but unconcerned.
"Blue Eyes, we all fucking want you. Okay? How could we not? You're the total package: funny, caring, a total badass, and fucking sexy as sin."
Emerson sits up, giggles, and pauses to think. "I appreciate it," she says, leaning in and kissing my cheek.
Ace intertwined his fingers with hers before bringing her hand up to his lips with a gentle kiss. I raise an eyebrow, curious about where this is going.
"Have you ever thought about this before?" I ask, shifting slightly. "Do you want us as much as we want you?"
Emerson bites her lip and smiles before looking at me. "Maybe a little. "Time will tell," she says mysteriously, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth and casting an alluring look in her eyes.
The three of us sit there, caught up in the sexual tension that pervades the humid air. As the sun sinks further below the horizon, the last traces of red and yellow are quickly swallowed up by the darkness of night, and the anticipation of what is to come begins to swarm in my stomach.
I am ready to ruin her, to give her everything she wants, but one question haunts me: What the fuck are we going to do with her brother? Because as long as he is here, watching over her—over us—it will be difficult to have the fun that we all know we want.
The thought of Eli watching over us like a hawk makes me restrain myself from making any moves. It's clear Emerson is interested, but I don't want to complicate things more than they already are. With Eli around, things could quickly spiral out of control.
I give Ace a look before returning my attention to Emerson. "We will figure it out," I assure her, hoping she understands how complicated things could become.
The stuffy air around us is charged with desire, temptation, and anticipation, and as night falls and the town falls asleep, I can only hope that we can navigate this emotional minefield without causing irreversible damage.
But one thing's for sure: it's going to be an interesting fucking summer.