TRIP Page 18
We’d barely set up our assembly line when—finally—I heard the unmistakable sound of Layla’s Mustang outside, so I darted out the back door and headed up the driveway.
Lisa was already out of the car and standing on the sidewalk, a look of unmitigated shock on her face at the sight of our dilapidated beach rental. I can’t say that I blamed her. The place was pretty... disarming.
Layla hadn’t left her seat yet, so I leaned my elbows on the passenger door and greeted her through the open window. “Hey!”
“Hi,” she said back shyly. “Looks like you forgot your shirt.”
I glanced down at my bare chest. The day was a scorcher, and I’d been wearing nothing but my swimsuit all morning. “At least I’m wearing my shorts. For now.”
Her cheeks reddened ever so slightly, forcing me to physically restrain myself from pulling her out of the damned car and burying my tongue in her mouth right then and there.
Lisa must have caught our charged exchange, and decided to give us a little privacy. She smirked as she announced, “I think I’ll just head inside.”
I waved Layla toward the back of the long driveway where she wedged her Mustang into the sliver of space between Coop’s Audi and Rymer’s truck. As I jogged down the length of blacktop, she exited the vehicle, and suddenly, we found ourselves facing off across the ten-foot chasm that separated us.
There was the briefest moment of trepidation as we stared each other down, the both of us unsure how to proceed. I mean, the last time we saw one another, we were tangled up in each other’s arms. But was our first kiss destined to be our only?
Layla answered my unasked question as she lunged for me, throwing her arms around my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist before planting her lips on mine. Nice. My hands automatically reached under the skirt of her terrycloth coverup, grabbing her ass to pull us closer, liquefying any further rational thought from my brain.
Before I knew what I was doing, I maneuvered us between the cars and backed her up against Rymer’s truck. She lowered her feet to the ground, but there was no way I was ready to let her go just yet. I was too far gone.
“No, don’t,” I rasped, before hitching her legs around my waist again and rolling my hips against the space in between. The expression on her face showed the slightest hint of shock, but she braced her feet on the passenger door of her car as I gripped her jaw in my hands and slammed our lips together. An involuntary growl ripped from my throat as my mouth opened over hers, our tongues tangling; the uncontrollable hard-on behind my shorts rocking between her legs as her fingers ran along the bare skin of my chest, my shoulders, my neck.
I couldn’t get enough of her. Her touch, her scent, her taste. Things were escalating quickly, and my scumbag hands wanted nothing more than to strip her down and explore every inch of her skin as soon as humanly possible.
Jesus. If I didn’t put a stop to this now, I’d end up violating her right here out in the driveway, for godsakes.
It was torture, but I managed to tear my mouth from hers and find my voice. “Hi,” I said to her swollen lips.
“Hi,” she said back, trying to contain her giggling.
I met her eyes, my lip twitching as I admonished, “Took you long enough to get here.”
I’d been waiting all morning for her to get down to the beach, but I’d been waiting a helluva lot longer than that to get her into my arms.
Layla picked up on the double meaning of my statement. “Yeah, I know,” she said, smiling wickedly. “It feels like it took forever.”
I gave her another quick peck before adjusting myself in my shorts and grabbing the bags from her trunk. “You ready for the nickel tour?”
“I’m a little afraid, actually.”
“I’d like to be able to set your mind at ease, but there’s really nothing I can tell you that will prepare you for this place.”
“Well, if it’s as lovely as the outside, I’ll consider myself prepared.”
We came in through the kitchen as Pick was finishing up the sandwiches, Lisa supervising their assembly. They said hello as Layla scanned her eyes around the room. “What the hell?”
Guess she wasn’t quite as prepared as she thought.
I chuckled at her reaction before warning, “You haven’t seen the living room yet.”
Pick dropped his head and started snickering as I led the girls into the monstrosity.
Rymer and Sarge were still playing Sega as Lisa stationed herself on the brown pleather recliner. She and Layla shared a knowing look before she started in with the ballbusting. “Nice choice on the rental, guys. What, you couldn’t find a shittier house?”
Rymer snarled back, “Hey, can it, DeSanto! What do you expect for four hundred bucks a week?”
Layla stayed out of the fray and instead poked her head into the adjoining bedrooms. She started to open the bathroom door but then must have thought better of it, wiping her palm off on her skirt.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “The upstairs is better. A little.”
I led her to the second floor before dumping Lisa’s bag in the master bedroom. “Don’t get your hopes up. Pick won the coin toss.”
We went across the hall where I dropped Layla’s bag in the bunk-bed room. “This is you,” I said before pointing to the room right next door. “And this is me.”
Layla bit her lip as I launched into a corny bellboy speech. “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us, Miss Warren. Please feel free to utilize my services at any time, at any hour. Even in the middle of the night.” I slipped my arms around her waist and added, “Especially if it’s the middle of the night.”
She snickered as she pecked me on the lips. I was starting to get used to this, being comfortable enough to kiss her whenever I wanted. I slipped a hand behind her neck and went in for another one, but my momentum was halted when she wrinkled up her nose and asked, “Hey, where’s Coop?”
I scowled as I dropped my hands. “Seriously, Layla?”
“What?”
My posture deflated as I raised broken eyes to hers. I was only screwing with her, but I made sure to give a convincing performance just the same. “I just offer you an invitation to steal my virtue and that’s when you decide it’s the perfect time to ask me about another guy? Jeez, Lay. Talk about dejection.”
It was no use. She was totally onto me. “Wellll,” she teased, throwing her arms over my shoulders. “Maybe you need to try harder to keep me focused on you instead.”
“Oh yeah?” I laughed, finally planting that kiss on her. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter 27
PRISONERS OF THE SUN
Pick, Lisa, Layla and I grabbed some chairs and towels to head up to the beach.
I’ve been to beaches all over the world but I was excited to get my first taste of the Jersey shore. I inhaled the salt air as we took our first steps onto the sand, and by the time we made our way down to the water, I was sold. The gritty powder under my feet, the dark blue-green of the ocean within my sights, a beautiful girl at my side... everything about the moment was perfect.
The beach was nearly deserted, making our friends easy to spot. Layla squinted at the threesome before asking, “Is that... Heather Ferrante?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sarge was able to talk her into coming down. Becca’s here, too.”
Her lips pursed as she nodded, impressed. “Where are they going to sleep?”
“Coop and Sarge have one of the downstairs bedrooms; the girls have the other. Rymer offered to take the couch.”
“He did?” she asked in pure shock. “That seems rather... human of him.”
“I don’t think he was being as generous as all that. He likes to sleep with the tube on, and the only TV set is in the living room.”
“Now that sounds way more believable.”
We were still chuckling as we set up our stuff. Layla gave a kiss to our friends, offering a sarcastic, “Hey guys. Thanks for saving us a spot.”
We settled our
selves in our chairs and tipped our heads back toward the sun. We weren’t sitting for more than a minute when Layla gave me a nudge. When I opened my eyes, she held the mini-cooler in my direction and asked if I could pass it down to Coop and the girls. With the way she was twisted toward me, I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of cleavage. She had a pair of really nice boobs. My brain wasn’t in control whenever my eyes were near them.
Only, she caught me.
Busted.
I grinned in defense as she shook her head and scolded me before abruptly standing up in front of my chair. Before I knew what was happening, she unzipped her white coverup and let it fall to the sand. She was wearing this insane green string bikini, cut high on the sides and low on the top, showing off those gorgeous tits.
My jaw dropped a fraction of an inch as my dick sprang to attention. Holy shit I almost jumped her right there on the beach in front of everyone. She pretended not to notice my agitated state as she sat herself back on her beach chair, closed her eyes, and continued sunbathing as if she hadn’t just thrown my entire universe into a tailspin.
Don’t be fooled. She fucking knew what she was doing.
I grabbed a towel off the stack and threw it across my lap as casually as possible before giving a quick scan across our group. Coop and the girls were busy tearing into the cooler, and Lisa and Pick were huddled in private conversation. Thankfully, it looked as though everyone was too busy to notice I was currently pitching a tent.
I leaned over the arm of my chair toward Layla and nudged my lips against her ear, my voice escaping in a gritted whisper between my teeth. “Jesus Christ, Lay.”
She cracked one eye open and started snickering at me.
“It’s not funny, Layla! Look what you just did to me! I’m not going to be able to get out of this chair for an hour!”
She glanced toward the folded towel across my lap and her stifled giggles turned into gut-busting laughter.
Just then, Pick and Lisa stood and announced they were going to check out the water. “Anyone want to join us?” Pick asked.
Layla was still cracking herself up as she yelled, “Trip does!”
I could have strangled her lovely neck.
* * *
Layla had slathered herself in baby oil, and after a few hours in the sun, started to deep fry into a concerning shade of red.
It was enough for everyone to decide to call it a day, so we packed up all our stuff and headed back to the house. I was looking forward to checking out the legendary boardwalk, but Lay said almost everything was closed up in the off-season until the weekends.
Thankfully, there was a cheesesteak place that was open for business. Everything smelled so good, my mouth was literally watering. We ordered up a bunch of sandwiches, salivating during the torturous one-block walk back to the house.
We dumped our chairs against the back of the house and rinsed our feet in the outdoor shower. Layla noticed some wildflowers growing through the sandy grass next to the stall, and I smiled as she plucked a few from the ground to bring inside. We dumped the bags of cheesesteaks on the table, giving Rymer and Sargento the excuse to halt their Sega marathon in order to eat.
“Holy crap it’s almost four o’clock?” Sarge asked through a mouthful of food as he turned to Heather. “Oh, man. I’m really sorry. I totally lost track of the time.” He tossed her a wink and patted the seat next to him. She graciously accepted his apology and grabbed him a roll of paper towels before joining him at the table.
I guessed that talk wasn’t going to be necessary after all. Sarge didn’t have much dating experience, but it was nice to see him finally making the effort, at least. Maybe he’d be a better boyfriend to Heather than I gave him credit for.
We finished our dinner and cleaned up our mess before Rymer passed out a round of beers.
Layla looked so hot with her hair all pulled up in a messy, windblown knot. It reminded me of the night I came to see her after the homecoming dance.
Idiot.
I cracked a can of Bud and held it to the back of her neck, chuckling as she flinched from the cold. She spun around with venom in her eyes, but before she could chastise me, I asked, “You want?”
Her face relaxed into a smirk. “I was planning on taking a shower.”
“Have a drink with me first.”
Someone threw on some music, and we hung out shooting the breeze for a few until Lay excused herself upstairs.
I went up soon after to get a change of clothes, and when I heard the water running, was tempted to slip in there with her. I decided not to freak her out, and took advantage of the outdoor shower instead. It was awesome being naked outside. I wished Layla was out there with me.
Just the thought of her out on the beach today made me instantaneously hard. My hand travelled automatically to my dick, and I jacked off thinking about peeling that little green bikini off her gorgeous body.
I dried off, got dressed, and hit the kitchen table to join the game of Quarters already in progress. After an entire day on the beach, everyone was content to just hang at the house. There was nothing else to do anyway. Lay said the town wouldn’t be hopping until after the 4th of July.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she sauntered into the kitchen and took a seat on the counter next to Becca. She looked fantastic without all that Aqua Net poofing out her hair, the same way she’d worn it on grad night. Natural. Beautiful.
I shot her a sly wink and went back to my game. I was showing off just a bit, but the fact was, I’d been on a roll even before she came downstairs.
Once I sunk my third quarter in a row, I announced, “That means I get a rule, suckers!” I scanned my eyes around the table, quirked a brow, and offered, “No swearing.”
Rymer slumped in his chair. “Shit, really?”
“Yes, really,” I laughed out. “Now drink!”
Rymer took a penalty swig, then I made him drink the next three times in a row. “That’s a new rule! No pointing.”
Three quarters later, and I figured I had to be breaking some sort of world record. “Rule! Okay, no saying the word ‘drink.’ That includes any variation. No drink, drank, or drunk.”
Sarge asked, “Not even to call Rymer a drunk?”
“Drink!” I yelled.
Rymer waved a hand in my direction. “Take one as well, fucko.”
“You too!” I said, as we all laughed our heads off.
Cooper pointed his finger around the table. “Haha. All you assholes need to take a drink.”
I almost spit out my mouthful of beer as I stood up and aimed an elbow at him. “Consume, motherfather! Consume!”
Chapter 28
AFTER DARK, MY SWEET
I had no idea how I’d managed to get so wasted. I was doing alright during Quarters but then we started playing Asshole, and next thing I knew, I was seeing two Rymers.
One was more than enough.
We had Pink Floyd playing on the boombox on repeat. The girls wanted to hear Bon Jovi, but since it was Rymer’s radio, he called the shots.
He dealt the cards, suggesting strip poker as he did so, and that’s when Layla announced she was calling it a night.
Jesus, what time is it?
I slammed down a big glass of water in an attempt to dilute all the beer coursing through my body, then headed upstairs myself. The drinking games were still going strong so it was easy to slip away unnoticed. There was probably no reason to be so stealth about it, but I wasn’t sure if Layla wanted this thing between her and me to be public knowledge or not, and erred on the side of caution.
I bounced off a wall on my way up the stairwell and staggered into my bedroom. I knew she’d be there, but what I didn’t know was that she’d be there naked in my bed.
Holy shit.
“Hey, Chester,” she greeted timidly. I didn’t know where the wariness was coming from. It was almost like she was unsure whether or not it was okay for her to be there.
Trust me. It was more than okay.
That was the thing about this girl. She was both of those things. And it drove me half out of my mind on a daily basis. How could I be expected to keep my hands off her?
“Hi there,” I drawled, stumbling over to the foot of the bed. Smooth.
I was anxious to see what was under that sheet. I grabbed it in my fist and pulled it down her body. Slowly. Inch by painstaking inch.
As it turned out, she wasn’t naked. She was wearing a black-and-white lace bra and matching panties.
Somehow, almost-naked was even better.
“Well, look at what we have here...” I slurred, taking in the incredible sight before me. All that exposed skin. From her flat stomach to her prominent hip bones to her long, thin legs. I had to get my mouth on her.
I pulled off my shirt before crawling onto the foot of the mattress, gripping my twelve fingers around three of her ankles, landing my lips on one of her four shins. I pushed her six knees apart with all intentions of kissing her on her pretty lace panties, but I couldn’t coordinate.
Why’d I have to go and drink so much? What feeds me destroys me.
I kissed her stomach instead, pinning her hips to the mattress, sliding my body on top of hers. I grabbed her wrists in my clutches and imprisoned her arms above her head. I was only working with a semi, and I couldn’t understand why with this beautiful girl underneath me, I wasn’t raging hard. I figured I could buy some time until my cock caught up to my eyes.
Whiskey dick is a thing, people.
I settled myself between her legs and rocked my hips against hers, hearing her soft moans, shredding me apart inside. I didn’t know if she wanted to have sex or just make out half-naked instead. I didn’t know what to do. My instincts were screaming at me to rip off the last scraps of her clothing and bury myself inside her, but my body wasn’t cooperating with my brain.