Page 26 of The Wrong Drive-
“Yeah, thirty-one or thirty-two, I think,” I say, unable to clarify the timeline in my own head. “Something like that. I don’t keep up with the details.”
Her face twists, morphing into a painful sympathy. “Wow, so you… You’ve been disconnected for that long?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m stuck in 2013,” I try to laugh at my dishonorable discharge date, but honestly, it fucking hurts to think about the way I used to think I was normal back then.
“I was in college,” she says the words painfully soft.
“Yeah?” I shift to my heels, desperate to change the subject. “What’d you study?”
“I switched my major so many times, I couldn’t tell you. I dropped out when I got a decent job. I was too busy chasing a social life.”
I chuckle, trying to relax. “Like men, you mean?”
“Kind of, I guess. I got married super young, then divorced. All that happened during that time. I was a handful, immature, I think.” Emersyn frowns, and then shakes her head. “I was the toxic one, that’s for sure. I was working through my own insecurities back then. I had horrible taste, and I was too clingy.”
“I was toxic at that age, too,” I admit. “I didn’t slow down until I was in my mid-twenties, but then I started having to do other things to, um…”
“Cope?”
My throat tightens. “Yeah, I guess.” I prepare for more questions—ones that I’m not sure I can answer. However, shedoesn’t press. Instead, Emersyn double clicks and starts a new song. I don’t recognize it.
She looks up at me, something in her eyes as she speaks carefully. “Did you ever dance?”
“Uh…” I feel frozen, my heart picking up at the thought of being close to her. Normally, I wouldnevereven consider it, but she’s… She’sgettingto me, and Ilikethe way I feel right now. Again, maybe I could just let myself enjoy tonight. “Do youwantto dance or something?” I feel like a middle schooler.
She laughs softly, but there’s sadness in her eyes. “I don’t dance. I never really have. No one dances with me.”
“Start it over,” I tell her, my body throbbing with a new kind of anxiety.
She raises her brow, and does as I say, and then steps around the counter. “Okay…”
“Okay,” I say stupidly as I try to discreetly wipe my hands on my jeans. I take hers, and it’s cold in my grip, but her skin is soft against mine.
She steps into me, her other hand on my shoulder, and somehow, I find her waist. My heart fucking throbs in my temple as I hold her close, swaying to music. Muscle memory kicks in, and I let it lead, zoning out in the sweet scent of shea butter coming from her hair. I inhale it like it’s oxygen, knowing this could easily be the last time I have a chance to hold someone like this. She’d never let me this close if she knew.
But I don’t want to let her go.
“What song is this?” I choke out, feeling irrevocably human.
“The Only Thing Left,” she answers me softly. “By Vincent Lima.”
I nod and then hold her tighter, leaning in and resting my cheek against her temple. Closing my eyes, I cling to the moment with her, knowing that when I’m burying her body beneath the snow, I’ll replay this moment over and over again.
And maybe it’ll be enough to finally put this all to an end.It’s always been the plan once Gunner is gone. He’s the only reason I’m still here. Once he’s gone, there’s no reason for me to remain in this realm.
As the song ends, my thoughts still and I expect her pull away—but she doesn’t. The next song starts. It’s not a slow song, and I recognize the pop singer’s voice but not the song itself. Emersyn starts to giggle like a kid and starts dancing…
Like goofy fucking dancing.
I burst into laughter as she sings it to me, dancing and holding onto my hand. She has a decent voice but no rhythm. Her light brown hair bounces against her shoulders, and the smile on her face exudes so much light and happiness. She’s fucking beautiful, and she’s inmyhouse, her eyes glistening with amusement mirroring my own.
As it hits the bridge, a deeper, sultrier hum, the air charges, her eyes daring me. My fingers are still intertwined with hers. My heart beats unevenly with nerves, and I pull her into my chest, my fingers threading through her soft hair. My nose brushes hers, but my lips are faster than I expect, driven by a strong desire.
And holy fuck.
She kisses me back, parting to let me devour her mouth entirely. My cock grows rigid against her stomach, and anything I am and or ever was fades to black. All I can think about isher.I sweep my hand down her side, and she stumbles back at my force, letting out a moan as I lift her into the air.
Her ass lands on the butcher block countertop, and she cries out as the new arrangement allows my cock to press right against her clothed center. An unrecognizable groan erupts from my throat as I grind into her, my tongue still interlaced with hers. My fingertips brush over the bare skin of her neck, floating down as they rest on her collarbone.
