“Bare it all for me.”
He spun me in a surprise twirl, catching me off guard, completely out of sync with the stiff tune overhead. As I whirled back his way, he caught my hand. “Your wish is my command.”
* * *
Luke led the way off the dance floor, head down as he sliced through the crowd.
I struggled to keep up in my pumps, a sky-high pair I hadn’t donned in years. One misstep would surely lead to an ice wrap and a swollen ankle.
With the cover of darkness, slipping out was easy. Luke threw me over his shoulder once we fled the cobblestones for the grass, his hand gripping my ass more than necessary. A finger slipped between my thighs as we ventured into the woods, toying with me through the thin fabric.
Once we were far enough out of view, he set me down, spinning me to hike my dress up my hips, the air cool against the exposed flesh.
The hiss of his zipper joined the soft music in the distance, my thong hiked to the side as he prodded my entrance, a thick rod of muscle ready to bring me to ruin.
He rubbed the tip against my flesh, teeth nipping at my neck as he did, a hand wrapped around my waist to keep me from toppling forward.
“What do you want, Josie?”
“You.” I spread my legs, pushing myself back against him, just the tip slipping in, a thick pull I wanted more of.
As I went to roll my hips back for more, he gripped my upper arms, slamming in the full length, a strangled cry escaping my lips. He held me tight as he drove it home, his fingers biting my flesh.
“Is this what you wanted, baby?” he asked, kissing and sucking at my neck, rocking our bodies in a relentless rhythm. “You’re so wet for me.”
I gripped at his hips the best I could as he fucked me from behind, trying to hold on longer, a strong pull straining at my core, the promise of an explosion nearing.
“Tell me!” he ordered, fucking me harder, the slap of my ass against him unmistakable.
“Yes!” I choked out, body betraying me as I shook with orgasm.
He met me on the other side, coming hard and fast, filling me with everything he had.
With a few tugs, our outfits were righted, and he pulled me against his chest, staring down at me in the moonlight. “Just a taste, my dear. Naked Luke is for later.”
Luke
Pop.
Pop.
BANG.
The air on the harbor walk was heavy with gunpowder, Briar’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display in full swing.
Unlike most places, Briar’s show came in waves, the first with gentle popping safe for little guys, the next turning things up a notch with screamers thrown in. Finally, the finale came, leaving your organs vibrating with every boom.
Locals and tourists alike mingled in the crowds, the town seeming to double in size for the occasion. The streets were lined with vendors selling a little bit of this and that.
And some of that was the stuffed whale toy I was grabbing for Lincoln while Josie found a bathroom for him, the jumbo lemonade he’d downed ready to come out his ears if she wasn’t quick.
My legs were still stiff from the long drive back from Vermont. We’d shared breakfast with the newlyweds before hitting the road, while Ethan left right from the wedding to head back to Boston, still walking around with a pole up his ass.
I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice to see Mr. Perfect up in arms for a change, for once not being the self-righteous asshat in the room.
As the booms overhead intensified, I hoped Josie had found a bathroom. Otherwise, we’d be driving home with a wet kid in my truck, thrusting me into the horrors of parenthood.
Each explosion quickened my pace, not wanting to miss the finale. I could’ve grabbed the toy afterward, but I couldn’t risk the vendor selling out.
I stopped at the red canopy, stuffed toys still hung around its perimeter, three of the humpbacks among them, thankfully.
Pow.
Pop.
BANG.
Each burst of color lit up the sky, unleashing another haze of smoke to wash below.
“Oh, Luke, hey!”
I turned, groaning as Lynette ambled over in a denim dress, still knock-kneed as ever in high heels.
She’d taken to wearing her platinum locks in waves the last few times I saw her, perhaps thinking that copying my girlfriend might catch my eye.
Wrong.
“How are you?” I asked, letting manners take the wheel while I waited for the stuffed cetacean.
I hoped that she’d take the hint and realized there would never be anything between us. So far, telling her flat out over the years hadn’t worked.
She grinned, glossed lips shining as another burst of color erupted overhead. “I’m great. I’m here with my son!”
Son?
Since when did she have a kid?
I blinked, hoping I’d misheard her.
Oh, God.
I hoped someone hadn’t let her buy one like a puppy. She had enough money to buy a dozen, at least.
She giggled, reading my face. “I know! I know! I don’t talk about him much.”
Who had a kid and didn’t mention it to anyone?
Did she keep him locked up in her castle all day?
I saw her almost daily wandering around town, always alone or with an assistant. Sometimes Pete. Sometimes another airhead. Never a kid.
In fact, most people with kids darted when they saw her coming.
“Evan! Evan, come here, honey!” she called, holding out a manicured hand, the talons as long and polished as ever.
A boy wandered over, maybe ten at most, a stark cry from his flashy mother in cargo shorts and a t-shirt. He had auburn hair and gentle brown eyes.
Eyes that matched those that I’d dreamed of for years.
Eyes that finally stared back at me with love again.
Josie’s eyes.
Suddenly, the filth I’d buried in the past became an imminent threat to our future.
Luke ELEVEN YEARS EARLIER
$643.82.
I’d finally done it.
I saved up enough for the
