Page 22 of Survival

ANNIE

“Hey, what’s up?” Izzy greeted me when I got home later that afternoon. She was curled up in a ball under a light blanket on the couch, her Kindle propped against her knees, and Archer was playing video games with Colton on the living room floor. I was almost startled to see them.

“Not much,” I answered, glancing slowly at the scene. Like it was a glimpse at my old life. “I just got back from coffee with Megan and Emma. I thought you were with Tucker or I would’ve invited you.”

“He got called into work early.” She gave me a sad grin. “But it worked out because Archer wanted to come over. He even convinced me to play a couple of rounds.”

“Yeah, and she sucked every time.” He laughed, his eyes still glued to the screen. A sad smile played at my lips, remembering how normal this sceneusedto be.

“I’ll bet.”

Izzy raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a look, and I shrugged. “Did y’all eat lunch?” I asked, heading to the kitchen.

“I heated up a lasagna,” Izzy called back.

Relieved she was feeling okay enough to do that andnotfinding her holed up in the garage again, I went to inspect what was left of dinner. Half a bag of salad was left out, and sitting on top of that black stovetop was the rest of the lasagna. I swallowed, my throat growing tight, and had to force my legs to move to go grab a plate, scooping the last piece out and popping it into the microwave. I kept my gaze focused out the window above the sink, needing somewhere safe to stare. Almost every surface of this kitchen was tainted for me now.

The microwave dinged, and I snatched my food and a water from the fridge before hightailing it out to the living room, taking my spot on the oversized armchair to scarf down my meal, but it barely had any taste, my thoughts still lingering on the kitchen. On the memory of that night.

I forced the awful images from my thoughts and took a long drink of water, finding Izzy giving me a curious look when I was done.

“Are you okay?”

“What? Yeah.” I waved her off, but her intuition must have been kicking in for once lately because the look she gave me said she wasn’t buying a word of it. “I’m just… I hate going in the kitchen.”

Understanding washed over her features, and she reached out to place a hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry you had to find her like that, alone. If I hadn’t run off that night. If Tucker and I had just come home…” Tears pooled in her eyes with guilt, and I quickly placed my hand on top of hers.

“No. Don’t you dare blame yourself. What you went through, what you’restillgoing through, was hell, andMom is an adult. She made that choice.She’sthe one that couldn’t see pastherselfand what it would do to us—”

Izzy’s eyes widened, and she dug her nails into my wrist, cutting me off with a quick glance down at Archer and Colton, and my mouth instantly shut, my blood only just starting to boil. I had so much anger and resentment. We both did.

I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down.

“Have you thought about going to see her?” Izzy asked quietly, curling into the blanket on the couch again.

“Sometimes. It’s just hard.”

Izzy nodded. “Same.”

We sat like that, talking a little and watching Archer and Colton play their game until Vicky and Chelsea came over to get the boys for dinner. I glanced at my Fitbit, surprised to see it was almost six, but before frustration could even flare, my phone rang, Jet’s name lighting up the screen.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Hey. Sorry, sweetheart. We got slammed at the end of the shift. I’m heading home now and will be at your place as soon as I take a shower. Or do you want to go out?”

Just one thought of the kitchen one room over and I knew I didn’t want to be here. “Out.”

Barely half an hour later, Jet and I were parked along a deserted section of the beach, me straddling his lap as our hands pulled at each other’s clothes, tugging down zippers.

Jet growled when I wrapped my fingers around his cock, and I gasped when he slid two fingers through my folds, rubbing them back and forth over my clit. There were no words. Just desperate kisses as we worked togive each other pleasure. He took no mercy on me, rubbing as fast as he could while I eagerly stroked him, like our hands were in a race to see who could make the other finish first.

Adjusting my grip, the palm of my hand slid along the head of his cock, giving him just enough friction where he craved the attention, and I felt his legs start to shake beneath mine, his fingers picking up their pace.

I mewled, my core clenching, but I held my orgasm back, determined to make Jet come first. His eyes met mine, the same determination flaring back at me. I bit my lip, bracing myself with a hand against his chest as I cried out, his fingers knowing the perfect rhythm for my body. Still, I held back, the torture and anticipation of what we were doing making it so much more intense.

All I could do was pant and hold Jet’s gaze, hanging on for dear life when I finally felt the pulse in his cock, and he groaned, pressing the wad of tissues in his other hand to the head as he came. I finally let go, knowing I’d won, and let my orgasm wash over me, the sensations cresting in a giant wave. I ducked my head to Jet’s shoulder when I was done, the two of us catching our breaths. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head and reached up to squeeze my breast. I just grinned and then crawled back over to my seat before pulling up my zipper.

“Okay…I know that wasn’t actual sex, but so good,” I gushed out, and Jet released a low chuckle.

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