Page 19 of Destroying Everleigh

“You’re such a child.” I laughed. “I can get you one.” I moved to stand, but his hand wound around my waist, pulling me back down onto the sofa. I didn’t think much of it because he’d always been a bit touchy feely. I think he needed it given his home life, so I never said anything about it. Ashton never seemed to care, either.

“Nah. I’ll get it when I’m ready.” He kept his arm around me even as I settled back into the sofa. His fingers brushed against the area where my shirt had rode up, his skin eliciting a series of shivers. Alarm bells resounded within my head, but I wasn’t even sure if he noticed that he was touching my skin and not my shirt. His gaze was fixated on the movie again, and when I glanced at the TV, I realized why.

The main character’s boyfriend was hooking up with her best friend, and it wasgraphic.They were naked, and he was thrusting into her in a dark secluded part of the house. Her head fell back as she moaned out in pleasure.

“I-I didn’t realize there was sexual content,” I admitted sheepishly.

“All good.” He shrugged, but his breathing had become deeper. His fingertips dug into my sides as he stopped running them along my bare waist. Like holding me there would ground himself somehow.

Suddenly, I was acutely aware of how inappropriate this had become. His arm around my waist, moans and nude body parts coming from the TV in front of us, his deep breathing filling the small space between us. Suddenly, I was thankful for the blanket covering our laps, because I was half tempted to look for an erection.

“Jameson,” I warned in a small voice, my words trembling more than anticipated.

He tore his gaze from the TV, directing his eyes at me now, but that felt even more intense. He slapped on one of his boyish grins. “I’m still a guy.” He laughed, lightening the tension. “It’s like porn but with a backstory.” He motioned to the TV for emphasis.

Relief filled my lungs at the knowledge that it wasn’tmehe was interested in, but the naked girl on the screen. Huffing a laugh of my own, I relaxed, leaning my head against his shoulder. That could have gotten way too complicated way too quickly, and I wasn’t willing to lose our friendship over something so trivial. As the sex scene came to an end, he started rubbing his hand along my side again, which I found comforting.

The tension in the room had dissipated and we were finally getting to the scary parts. My heart thudded rapidly as the main character walked down the narrow hallway by herself, silence flooding the speakers. I watched with rapt anticipation as she moved along, and even though I knew what was about to happen, I still jumped when the killer jumped out of his hiding spot. Popcorn flew all over our laps and I buried my face in his arm.

Jameson’s body vibrated as he laughed at me, his hand dropping down to my hip from my sudden movement.

“You’re such a girl,” he teased.

“Fuck you,” I shot back, but it was muffled by his shirt. “Tell me when it’s over.”

He shifted in the spot next to me and with his free hand, he leaned over to grab some popcorn from the bowl, like he couldn’t bear to take his other hand off of me even though it would have been easier.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I slipped my hand beneath the blanket to retrieve it, holding it up in front of my face.

Ash

This shit is so boring without you.

A smile curled around the edges of my mouth as I worked out my own reply.

Everleigh

You’ll live.

Probably. What are you doing?

Watching a movie with Jamie.

He didn’t reply right away, and for a moment, guilt gnawed at me. Had I misread the signs before, and it actually did bother him? Ashton wasn’t typically the kind of person to shy away from his emotions. But Jameson was one of his best friends, so maybe he ignored it for his sake.

Oh yeah?

I worried, pulling my lip between my teeth, Jameson turning his head to glance down at my phone screen. When I looked at him, he just smirked and turned back to the movie, gripping me tighter, almost possessively. I wish I hated it, but honestly…it felt nice.

My fingers started moving across the screen again, a smirk of my own playing across my lips.

Why? Jealous ;)

Is he cuddling you again?

I snorted in response. Jameson had no shame. He’d do it regardless of who was around, and that included my boyfriend. He must have had immense trust for both of us to allow it, because if I saw him wrapped around another girl like this, I’d lose my shit.

His arm is around me.

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