Page 60 of Crossroads
And summer is winding down.
But for now, it’s nice to pretend like we’re just a couple sitting around with family and having breakfast, thinking about our future.
I don’t want to think about how it’s not really a future at all.
Time is running out on this fantasy, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
TWENTY-FIVE
“I don’t know how you’ve gone your whole life without swimming in a pond,” Jasper says, relaxed with his arm tucked behind his head.
I roll to look at him, his body glistening in the sun. We put our pants back on, but we left our shirts off. “Have you ever swum where you can see the bottom? It’s superior.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I used to go to the city pool, but I think you’re wrong.” He sweeps his hand out into the air above him. “This is far superior.”
You know, when I first got here, it felt like torture. I didn’t understand how people could live like this. But now, I guess I’m starting to see the appeal. It’s quiet, and sometimes, it seems too quiet—that is until a rooster crows or a cow moos. Then you realize it’s loud here too, just in different ways.
I let my finger lazily drag from his belly button, tracing over the hair there that leads to the top of his jeans. “You ever going to let me inside you?”
His eyes snap to mine in surprise, and for a minute, I think he’s freaking out until a slow grin spreads across his lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Really?” I’m surprised, I can’t lie. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, though I’m perfectly happy—and by happy, I mean fucking ecstatic—having him inside me. But I want to know what it feels like.
I want all of him.
“Really,” he says, and then his grin widens. “I just didn’t think you’d get off my dick long enough to allow it.”
I toss my head back on a laugh because I have become pretty greedy for dick lately. I mean, sue me. It feels really fucking good.
“Well, I suppose I can make an exception once or twice,” I tease, and he leans forward, kissing me hard.
We don’t jerk away all that fast when we hear the rumble of a truck. It’s more a subtle, calm separation. But my hand is still cupping his cheek when Kelly pulls up, honking her horn to warn us she’s approaching.
She knows we’re together. She hasn’t said it outright, but she does love to tease us about love bites being visible and us looking awfully tired. She seems to get great joy from it, and it doesn’t bother me or Jasper in the slightest.
Another thing that has surprised me because I have to admit, I was worried he’d freak the fuck out. But so far, he just goes along with her gentle teasing and seems quite entertained by it himself.
Kelly hops out of her truck, her smile mischievous as she takes in our relaxed poses by the pond. “Hot day, huh, boys?”
“You know it,” I say. “We just had to go for a dip.”
“Mm-hmm.” She laughs, waving me off. “Your mom called today, sweetie.”
All my relaxation quickly melts away with that one sentence, and I sit up a little straighter, pulling my hands to my lap. “What did she say?”
Jasper pulls on his shirt and hands me mine, clearly sensing the tension. Kelly walks over and sits down next to me on the grass. “She just asked how everything has been going.”
“Nice of her to care,” I say bitterly.
Kelly purses her lips tightly, probably biting her tongue at my attitude. “I told her how much help you’ve been. How great it’s been to have you here with us and how you’ve stayed out of trouble.”
“And she passed out from shock, right?” I ask, trying to keep it playful, but it doesn’t go over well. She smacks my arm playfully but doesn’t lecture me on it.
“No. She’s proud of you, Emerson.” I look over at Jasper and see he has his face in an unreadable mask and then look back at Kelly, whose eyes are pleading with me to cool it. “She said she’s going to send a payment to your college today. Congratulations, honey.”
“What?” I say, completely stunned as she pulls me in for a tight hug. “That’s it?”
Kelly releases me, a big smile on her face. “Yes. That’s what you wanted, right?”
