Falling Stars (37 page)

I
hesitated at the top of the stairs, but manned up and headed downstairs. I was
trying to keep the embarrassment off my face.

Ryan's
laughter carried up the steps. When I could see into the living room, I couldn't
help but smile. Ryan had his play swords out, and apparently, he had stabbed
Christopher, who was lying flat on his back with his eyes closed. I covered my
mouth quickly to stifle my laugh. Ryan kept poking Christopher lightly with his
sword and saying his name, but he didn't move. Ryan huffed and walked closer.
Then Christopher jumped up and grabbed Ryan's sides. Ryan squealed loudly and
burst into laughter. This time I couldn't help but laugh aloud. Christopher
turned his head quickly toward me. For a short moment, he looked surprised and
embarrassed. I kept up my 'pretend it didn't happen' façade. If he had seen anything,
he was playing along with me too.

After
a round of light sabers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we settled into
the living room to watch a movie.  Eventually we all fell asleep, Christopher
having slid next to me on the couch and Ry on a bean bag on the floor.

It
was almost dinnertime when Ryan finally woke up.

"An
Mia?" he said groggily.

Sitting
up straighter, Christopher started to stir next to me.

"Hey
bud did you have a good nap?" I smiled. He nodded and tried to climb up
onto my lap. He frowned when Christopher's arm was in the way.

I
tried to push Christopher's arm over but he locked down on me. Grabbing Ry I
sat him on Christopher's arm. When Chris tried to move Ryan away, I nudged him
with my elbow. He pulled his arm back and opened his eyes. He saw Ryan cuddled
up with his back against my chest and his legs stretched out over my lap.
Christopher buried his face into my hip and went back to sleep. I sighed,
feeling over crowded in my personal space.

After
Ryan had about twenty minutes to wake up completely, he spoke up loudly.

"I'm
hungry," he jumped off my lap and grabbed my hand to pull me up.

Christopher
jerked awake when I let Ryan pull me off the couch. He pulled me to the
kitchen.

After
order a pizza, playing video games, coloring pictures, and a rousing game of Go
Fish, it was time for Ryan’s bath.

It
was after eleven when everyone got back from their movie and dinner. Evidently,
they had a few drinks as well. Shortly after returning home, everyone wandered
off to bed. It wasn't too long before Christopher showed up in my room and lay
down next to me. My last thought before going to sleep was wondering if he was
doing any better.

"An
Mia!" Ryan charged into my room and jumped onto my bed.

Rolling
over, I looked at the clock. Yuck…seven in the morning.

"Ry
it's early, can't it wait?" I groaned.

"Mommy
said we can go to the beach today!!" He started jumping and Christopher
started to move around next to me. Ryan stopped moving.

"Is
that Cwis?" Ryan looked at me confused.

I
nodded. Ryan smiled.

"Is
Cwis you boyfend An Mia?!" My face heated while he giggled.

"No,
Ry." I shook my head.

Ryan
leaned over me and poked Christopher. He raised his head and smiled groggily at
Ryan.

"Morning
Ry." Christopher put his head back down and covered his face with his
hands.

"Did
eww huva nightmeer, Cwis?" Christopher's head came back up quickly looking
at Ry. I watched Christopher.

"Um…Ry
–"

"Yeah
Ry, I had a bad dream," he smiled at him.

"Oh,"
Ryan looked perplexed. "Mommy heps me wiff my bad dweams. She even sings
me a song to help me get back to sweep." Ry smiled at him. Christopher
smiled back.

"Oh
my God, Ryan!" Serena came running in. "Leave Aunt Mia alone. She was
sleeping." She gave him a stern look. "I'm so sorry he woke you up."
The apologetic look on her face was for me, because when her eyes landed on
Chris her face-hardened.

I
shrugged and got out of bed.

After
breakfast, everyone got ready for the beach. Ryan was beyond excited. He had
his sand buckets, shovels, and all the beach toys he owned put into a large
bag. The bag being dragged to the car.

When
we got to the beach, everyone carried coolers, blankets, towels, and other
bags. Laney laid out three large blankets. Kat set up the coolers in rows.
Serena put the large beach umbrella up, while I helped Ry get all his toys
placed out into the area he claimed for castle building.

"Okay,
let's hit the water!" Kat yelled as she stripped off her beach cover-up
dress and headed to the edge of the water. Her red string bikini definitely
left little to the imagination. Jimmy and Elliott followed closely after her.

Christopher
seemed to have found a comfortable spot under the umbrella and lounged with his
arm over his face. Apparently, the beach wasn't his thing.

Serena
stepped out of her shorts, pulled off her tank top, and headed toward the water
in her green halter bikini. Elliott hooted and hollered as she approached the
water's edge.

"Wait
for me," Laney shouted to Serena. She pulled her sundress off and caught
up to her. Laney had on a black bikini that barely covered her ass. Jackson
stepped quickly behind Laney, his eyes focused on said lack of ass coverage.

Ryan
and I sat building sandcastles and moats until familiar voices interrupted us.

"Mia!"
Looking up, Sam, Amy, Jace, Sean, and Jon greeted me with their beach bags over
their shoulders.

"Hey,"
I stood and hugged Amy.

"We
heard you were back, girl," Jace walked over and lifted me into a large
hug.

John
marring Linda, who had lived in the apartments near the beach, introduced us to
many of the kids who'd grown up around here.

"Yep,
the rest of the gang is swimming." I motioned out to the water.

"Well,
let's get out there with them!" Sean yelled and grabbed me up into his
arms, I yelled for him to put me down.

"I'm
watching Ry!" I wiggled to get out of his hold.

He
placed me on my feet.

"I
got him," Amy shouted with a laugh.

I
screamed again, when Sean grabbed my arms. Trying to dig my feet into the sand
for leverage, Jace’s arms wrapped around my legs and they lifted me up
together. Both of them carried me to the water. I yelled at them the entire
way.

They
tossed me into an oncoming wave and then dove into the water behind me. Once my
head re-emerged from the water I heard everyone laughing. Sean's laugh was the
loudest because he was the closest, so I jumped on him trying to shove him
under the water.

My
plan foiled when Jace grabbed me and lifted me up. He threw me back into the
water. This went on for a while, everyone trying hard to shove the other into
the water. Then we switched gears and decided to play chicken. I was on Jace’s
shoulders.

At
the end of the afternoon, everyone was water logged and tired. Ryan fell asleep
in the car on the way back to the house so we agreed on grabbing some take out
from the diner in town.

Once
everyone had eaten and lounged, we took turns showering. Deciding on a movie to
watch for the evening was difficult with so many people; however, we finally
settled on Gladiator. Before it was third of the way over, I headed to bed.

I'm
not sure how long I'd been asleep, but I woke up to my door shutting roughly. I
wasn't completely awake when Christopher's figure appeared at the side of my
bed.

"Shit!
Christopher," I caught my breath after being startled, "you scared
the shit out of me." I tried to laugh it off, but looking at Christopher's
face there was something off. "Are you okay?"

Nervousness
sank into my voice. My nerves were firing warnings across my body when he didn't
respond and simply stared intently at me. His eyes roamed over my face and then
down my body, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"Christopher,
what is wro –" before I could finish he moved.

He
quickly moved over my body, using his hand to push my legs apart. I tried to
pull myself up, but he was above me too fast.

"C-Chris?"
I stuttered. He didn't speak.

His
hand cupped the side of my face and his lips came down on mine. The pulse that
took over my body was foreign to me. It was the most amazing kiss I'd ever had.
Then the reality of the moment started to sink in.

I
started to push him away, but he moved his lips over my jaw and down my neck.
The fiery sensation he left on my skin was more intense than anything I ever
felt. I had to force myself to keep focused on what was really happening. I
shoved at him again.

Christopher's
hand moved from my face and slid down to my neck, cupping around it. His other
hand was pulling on the collar of my t-shirt to give him access to my
collarbone. He situated his body and weight between my legs. I almost moaned aloud
at the sensation of our bodies pressed together.

"Christopher?"
I breathed out heavily.

His
lips never moved away from my skin. His tongue and teeth started to graze me.
My inner hooker squealed and hurried to shave her legs.

"Eh-Christopher!"
I groaned aloud. He ran his hand from my neck down the side of my body.

"Christopher
Stop!"

He
abruptly stopped everything and rolled off me. Both relief and disappointment
washed over me. I lay there for a moment trying to catch my breath and trying
to figure out what to say, while Inner Hooker threw her razor back into the tub
and grumbled.

"What
the hell was that?" I sat up looking down on him. "What's going on
with you?" I was a little mad at myself for not being angrier about what
he just did.

"I,
uh….I…I'm sorry," he whispered out and rolled over.

"What's
going on Christopher? Did you have –" he flipped back around toward me.

"No
I didn't have a fucking nightmare, Mia! I haven't even gone to sleep tonight."
I flinched at his tone and volume.

"Then
what's going on with you?" I asked with a little more compassion than
anger this time.

"I
don't know, just forget it happened," he sat up "I can leave if you
want me to. I would understand."

Knowing
I should ask him to go, I sat there trying to think. I didn't know what to say.

"Just
go to sleep," I finally spat. "Maybe you'll be honest about what's
going on with you eventually." I lay back down and rolled onto my side
away from him.

Falling
asleep did not come easy when you could feel tingling all over your skin. Every
place his mouth had touched still burned with desire and the feeling of him
next to me in the dark felt like there was an invisible connection between us.

"Mia?"
Christopher whispered very close to my ear. I shivered.

"Yeah?"
I barely croaked out.

"I'm
sorry."

"I
know."

"No.
I mean I'm sorry about tonight and I'm sorry about all of this." He
shifted away from me.

I
drifted off to sleep shortly after that and woke to Christopher's arm around my
waist, under my shirt against my bare stomach. I nudged him a little trying to
get him to roll over. Instead, it caused him to lean closer into my back and to
slide his hand further up until it rested just below my breasts. Flames lit
across my flesh like tiny erupting volcanoes. Taking a deep breath, I tried to
move. He locked his arm around me and nuzzled his face into the back of my head
with a sigh.

"Please
don't move." I thought he was still asleep, but then my hair moved away
from my neck and his lips against my skin.

Glancing
to the clock next to my bed it was four in the morning and I had Christopher
Mason next to me placing open mouth kisses on my neck.

"Christopher,"
I used a warning tone hoping it would be enough for him to stop. He didn't. "Christopher,
what are you doing?"

Finally,
he spoke very huskily in my ear.

"Don't
make me stop, please?" My body screamed to let him continue, my brain
screamed for me to stop this now.

"Christopher,"
I gasped when he took my earlobe between his teeth. "Christopher you, we,
can't do this…please…maybe you should go back to Seattle…." He broke his
silence again.

"I
don't want to go back, I don't want to sleep alone," he groaned as his
hands stilled.

I
turned my head around in an attempt to face him.

"Christopher,
I'm not someone to fill your bed for you! I know I agreed to let you sleep with
me, but I didn't agree to be one of your whores." I spat defensively.
Pictures of all his groupies, the ones I pretended weren't around on the tour,
flashed through my mind.

I
didn't need more light to know his features had hardened. His body tensed at my
words.