Page 64 of Promise Me Never

“So tell us about your friend,” Sam says to Eli.

“She’s twenty-two, pre-law, wild as fuck, and gorgeous.” Eli smiles a bit to herself. “Basically the exact opposite of me. She’s tall and willowy with straight, blonde hair and the most gorgeous hazel eyes.” She scrolls through her phone to find a picture and then holds it up for us. “And she’s single.”

The photo is of the two of them at some fancy looking party. Amber is pretty, but I can’t force my eyes away from Eli. Her dress hits just above her knee, but the top drapes down low between her breasts which are held up unnaturally by some form of feminine magic. I’ve memorized everything about them from how they taste to what they look like while she rides my dick. I know they don’t lie like that.

On top of that, the self-deprecation in her voice pisses me off, but I can’t tell her what I’m thinking. That she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. That when she’s standing in a room, I don’t notice anything or anyone but her. But I can’t.

Or can I?

I pull my phone out and bring up her contact.

Just so we’re crystal clear, YOU are gorgeous

So gorgeous that when you walk into a room you’re all see

A minute later I feel my phone vibrate with a silent notification.

Well, you’re old so we should probably get your eyes checked

Keep it up

At least one of us can

I disguise my laugh as a cough. I risk a glance back at her and see her lips tucked in, fighting the laughter as well.

You’re gonna pay for that one

I put my phone away and start talking about baseball stats with Sam. I try to keep up with the conversation, but thoughts of all the ways I’m going to punish her filter into my mind. The bedroom I always take has a head and footboard made of cedar logs. It’ll be so easy to tie her up, to taunt and tease her until she’s begging for me. I can’t fucking wait.

As the hours pass everyone falls asleep except myself and Sam. He pulls over at a gas station to grab an energy drink, and we decide to trade off. Colt can sleep through anything, so he remains in the back, snoring slightly. Janey has her eye mask and headphones on, also dead to the world. Eli, on the other hand, woke as soon as the car stopped moving. She scampers out to use the restroom while Sam tops off the tank.

I use this as my first opportunity to kiss her. We missed each other all day, no opportunities to pull her into a stall and kiss her senseless or pull her behind a tree and dip my fingers beneath her panties. I crave her like a junkie craves their fix. Just one more taste, one more touch. But it’s the lie I tell myself because it never seems to be enough.

She’s pulling a bottle of water out of the cooler when I walk up behind her. We’re in the back corner, away from the cashier, and no one else is inside. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest and lean down, pressing a kiss to just below her ear.

Fuck, the way she melts against me every time makes me that much hungrier for her.

So when she turns her head and tilts it back, I take the opportunity to cover her lips with my own. I drink from her lips, pouring myself right back into the kiss. Giving her as much of me as I possibly can. The only thing that can kill the mood is the chime of the door opening. We break away from each other just as Sam rounds the corner.

His eyes scan us with suspicion as I step away from her. He steps between us and reaches over Eli’s shoulder to grab an energy drink. His eyes never leave mine though.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” he says as he pushes the drink to my chest. “I’ll pay you back.”

I shake my head, as if I’d make him pay me back for something so small. He smirks and walks off, pointing at both of his eyes and then me as if to sayI’m watching you.He’s behind Eli, so she misses it, but we’ll have to be more careful.

“I’ll get yours, too.” I take the bottle from her hand. “Want any snacks?”

A slow smile lifts her lips. “Only one I can’t have yet.”

* * *

By the time we arrive at the house, both of the girls have slept most of the drive. After dropping their bags in their rooms, they take the keys and go grocery shopping for the weekend. The first thing I do after claiming my room is kick off my shoes and lay down on the bed. It takes me less than five minutes to fall asleep.

The sun is high in the sky when I wake up and the sound of high-pitched voices carries from upstairs. I blink the sleep from my eyes and check my phone. It’s almost four which means I’ve had several hours of uninterrupted sleep. I pull the heavy drapes back, exposing the million-dollar view of the Grand Tetons and the patio and pool.

I unlatch the sliding door from my room and walk out into the warm summer air. Colt and his brother had a new hardscape put out here, including a sunken fire pit surrounded on three sides by the pool. A hot tub sits off to the side, water plunging over the side and down into the pool. They put in an outdoor kitchen with a huge farm table under a pergola on the other side of the pool.

The sound of footsteps and voices from up on the deck breaks the peaceful silence.

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