Inferno Anthology (58 page)

“What if the cable breaks?”

“They won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure, but the cables are made of steel and you’re strapped onto them with a harness.”

“But, I’ll be high in the air.”

“Not that high.” I really didn’t know how high we would be. I’d never been zip-lining, but I was trying to convince Brooke that it would be fun.

“Trees are high like buildings.”

“Yeah, but just think about flying in the air, the wind in your hair or some shit. It’s going to be fun, not scary. I promise.”

The bus pulled into the parking lot and after a safety speech from a man that had a strong Hispanic accent, a group that consisted of the four of us and a few other people, followed behind him.

Everyone went, but the four of us. Brooke watched each person go, but I could tell she was freaking out.

“Do you want to go first?” I asked her.

Nicole shouted from the bottom of the platform. “Hurry the fuck up!”

Without saying a word, Brooke turned to climb down the ladder. Her eyes were the size of silver dollars, but I couldn’t let her pass up this opportunity. I knew she would regret it eventually. Over the last few days, we’ve talked about how she always put people before her. How she doesn’t normally do stuff for herself, like she always caters to Jared and is always there for Nicole in a crisis and especially being a mother figure to Bailee.

I placed my hands on both of her shoulders, spun her towards me and looked her in the eye. “From what you’ve told me these last few days and what I’ve seen, you’re the strongest woman I know. If you can raise a six-year-old when you’re only thirteen—which is scary as hell—you can’t let a little trip on
strong
cables hold you back. Now get out there Superwoman and fly.”

“Senorita, it’s your turn,” an instructor waved for her to come to him.

“Okay,” she said, turning and going to the instructor.

I grabbed her wrist to stop her. Without any words, I clipped her straps together on her helmet. We stared at each other as I clipped them and finally I saw calm in her eyes.

Breaking our eye contact, I slapped the top of her helmet and smacked her ass as she turned to walk towards the instructor. She looked over her shoulder at me after they hooked her harness to the cable and mouthed “thank you” and then slid down the cables.

My heart clenched in my chest, a foreign feeling for me. I didn’t know what it meant, but I loved the feeling.

Brooke

T
he last four days and five nights have been some of the best ones of my life. Hanging with Easton was as good as hanging with Nicole—since she was all over Avery. I was extremely comfortable with him. It was like we had been friends forever. I was surprised that he did everything with me and didn’t wonder off to flirt or sleep with all the available women.

I bet neither one of us expected to find a friendship like the one we had found on the cruise. He made me forget about my worries with Jared, forget about my mother, my stressful job and also helped me to keep my mind off my shoulder pain.

He offered to rub my shoulder a few times, but I turned him down. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him touching me—I did. I wanted him to caress my back, rubbing the knot I assumed was there in my shoulder and then slip his hands to the front to cup my breast—among other things; I wanted his masculine hands all over me. I turned down his offer because I was scared of how bad it would hurt when he rubbed my throbbing shoulder.

I wasn’t one to complain about it hurting, even though it bothered me the whole time. Nicole only asked when I would slip a pill in my mouth and her healing instincts of being a nurse would come out for two seconds instead of a lovesick fool.

Easton didn’t bring it up either, but that was probably because I was hiding the pain from everyone. I didn’t want any of them to know how badly it hurt. It was getting worse and it really made no sense at all. The only strenuous action I used my shoulder for was to raise my hands in the air when we all went dancing the last few nights.

If dancing was causing my shoulder to become worse, then something was seriously wrong and I needed to find a doctor that would actually touch me. I needed to go see Dr. Sam, stat!

Now I lay in Avery’s bed (well, mine as of late) while Easton is sound asleep three feet away, and I’m daydreaming about his hands. I couldn’t believe that I was sleeping in a stranger’s room. Nicole and Avery were fucking like rabbits and Easton and I were both trying to fight the chemistry we had towards each other. Each day was getting harder and harder.

I watched Easton’s chest rise up and down as soft snores escaped his nose. He was so fucking hot and the more I thought about his
man hands
, the more I envisioned stripping off
his
t-shirt and boxers that I was wearing and crawling into his bed, straddling him while I lay kisses down his silky smooth chest.

I thought about his cock growing hard against my ass as he started to wake up. The way he would look down at my lips before capturing them with his, causing me to moan as he cupped one of my breasts in his hand and lightly pinching my nipple and then kneading the heavy globes. The way I would break our lips apart and kiss his chest again, but not stopping until I had his boxers off and his dick in my mouth.

His free hand reaching down between my legs, running a finger between my folds and discovering how wet he made me as I licked the tip of his cock, tasting his warm, salty pre-cum. His fingers would massage my clit, making me moan again, on the verge of coming from just him touching me.

“Mornin’ Superwoman,” Easton said, bringing my eyes back up to his. He was smiling that damn smile that made me want him even more.

I felt my face flush from being caught in my daydream. “Morning. I…ah…I need to take a shower,” I said, jumping out of bed and bolting into the bathroom.

Way to not be obvious!

Our second night of the cruise, Nicole pulled me aside and promised me the stars and the moon if I would switch rooms with Avery. She thought it was okay for me to share a room with a stranger since there were two beds. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about the feelings I was fighting towards Easton and the only reason I was fighting them was because I had Jared at home probably surrounded by stacks of pizza boxes and the stench from not showering for five days.

“Brooke, I’ve never met anyone like Avery.” “Brooke, I think I’m in love.” “Brooke, please just let me have these days with Avery before we go back to Boston and he goes back to New York.” “Brooke, switch rooms and I will love you forever.”

Nicole wasn’t against begging when she really wanted something. If I hated Easton and didn’t want to have anything to do with him, I would have stood my ground, but he made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time. He made me feel
wanted
. He made me feel
desired
. He made me
happy
.

I quickly showered—even though I took showers at night and had the night before. Every night I slept in Easton’s Halo t-shirt and solid black boxers that he let me borrow the first night. The second night, I did it without thinking. Now, I did it to see him smile as I exited the bathroom each night. I pretended I didn’t see the way he looked at me in them. Deep down, it was my way of telling him that if he just gave me time to end things with Jared, I would act on the feelings we were trying to suppress.

The ship was due to arrive in Cabo at seven a.m. and Bailee and I agreed to meet at the restaurant at the end of the dock at nine-thirty. We learned that it took some time for the ship to dock and to unload everyone on board. Cabo was different though. The ship couldn’t dock in Cabo and therefore we had to take boats to shore and there were only two boats chauffeuring people from the boat to land and back. I didn’t know how long it would take us to get off the ship and to the restaurant where Bailee was meeting us, so we just decided on nine-thirty.

After I showered, Easton slipped in to take one. I dressed in a purple cotton dress and black flip-flops, my hair in a ponytail and light make-up. Mexico was hot and I couldn’t imagine how hot it got during the summer. It was close to May and during the day, I was drenched with sweat unless we were in the pool or indoors.

The four of us waited in a line to board the small boat that would take us to shore. I was excited to see my sister. It had been almost five months since I had and I missed her every day. I couldn’t wait for her to graduate and move back home.

After waiting at least thirty minutes for our turn, we sat on the twelve-passenger boat, the warm morning air blowing across my face and excitement running through my veins. Nicole and Avery were sitting to my left in the seat next to me, holding hands. Easton on my right and all I wanted to do was slip my hand in his. I hadn’t had someone pay so much attention to me in a long time. Jared was all about Call of Duty and now hanging with his friend Justin a few nights a week.

I wanted a normal relationship.

Was my relationship with Jared normal? Could Easton be different? Jared paid attention to me in the beginning. Maybe this was just how all long relationships were? Plus, was I ready to be a step-mom? Hell, Easton probably didn’t even want a relationship with me. He doesn’t date, he told me as much. Maybe I just needed to have a good fuck.

Jared and I had the same routine when we had sex. Lights out, he goes down on me and doesn’t do it that well, then enters me until he’s satisfied. I’ve never been satisfied, never had an orgasm during sex and only finished myself off when he jumps in the shower to clean up after.

I knew deep down that Easton would rock my world. He would show me what it was like to lose myself in sex: to experience the fireworks I needed to clear the smoky haze from my eyes. To fuck me until I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, couldn’t walk for days.

“Excited?” Easton asked, nudging my shoulder with his and bringing me out of my daydream once again.

“Yep,” I said, smiling at him.

He smiled back causing my stomach to clench like it did every time he smiled at me. He rested his arm around my shoulders, but not in a romantic sense, but in a buddy hug. I didn’t care, I wanted him touching me.

Things were going to suck when I got home. I needed to break up with Jared, but knew that it would be awkward for a few days since he would have nowhere to go. He had his mom’s house, but he wasn’t the type to bring drama to her. I was going to rip his heart out, but I needed to be happy again. I needed to find myself and take care of me for once.

We arrived at the dock a little before nine-thirty. I saw Bailee standing with a friend of hers from a mile away. Even though Bailee and I had different fathers, we looked a lot alike. You could tell by all of our features that we were sisters. The only difference was, she was younger and her eyes were rounder and a different shade of green. Our noses were slightly different too. I had our mother’s nose and I assumed she had her father’s.

As we got closer, Bailee saw us and we ran to each other, hugging for dear life.

“I’ve missed you so much!” I said, squeezing her tight against me.

“Me too, but please, don’t talk so loud.”

I pulled back, looking into my baby sister’s eyes. “You’re hung over?”

“Of course I am. I’m twenty-two, a senior in college and on Spring Break—in Mexico.”

It still boggled my mind that my baby sister wasn’t a baby anymore. We had gone to Vegas for her twenty-first birthday, but I still wasn’t used to her drinking…at least with me knowing.

“Of course you are,” I laughed.

Nicole nudged me out of the way. “My turn!” They hugged, similar to the way we had and then Nicole pulled away, grabbing Avery’s hand. “Bai, this is my boyfriend Avery.”

I hadn’t realized that they had a title and it was that serious. I thought that they were just fucking and enjoying themselves. We lived at least four and a half hours away from each other and I’ve never heard of a long distance relationship working out.

Avery and Bailee shook hands and Bailee introduced her friend, Chauna to us. I’d heard a lot about Chauna since they first met her freshman year, I just had never met her in person before. I motioned for Easton to step closer and I introduced him. He and Bailee shook hands as well and she looked at me with skepticism in her eyes.

We turned, walking towards the restaurant and Bailee linked her arm with mine, whispering in my ear, “If you don’t claim him, I will.”

“He’s too old for you.” I said.

Easton turned around, knowing we were talking about him. We smiled at each other and I
did
want to claim him. I wanted to announce to everyone that this hot piece of ass was mine—all mine. But that wasn’t the situation.

“Age is just a number, Big Sis.”

“Fine, he’s mine,” I said, whispering in her ear.

“Lucy, you’ve got some splainin’ to do,” she said, talking like a fifty’s Hispanic male television icon.

I laughed, remembering how we used to fall asleep every night watching
I Love Lucy
reruns on Nick at Nite.

I didn’t have anything to explain, other than I wanted to jump his bones and he made me feel alive, made me feel special.

The hostess sat us on the patio overlooking the water of Cabo. It was breathtaking. The blue water glistened, reflecting the sun and little waves were made as speedboats passed by.

“So tell me, what have you been doing for almost a week in Cabo?” I asked my sister.

“You know, the usual stuff,” she said shrugging.

“Like what?” I questioned her.

I knew what she meant, but it was weird being in the position we were both in. She looked at me as her mother and sister and I looked at her as my daughter and sister.

“Drink, tan, shop—the usual.”

“Meet any boys?” Nicole asked, nudging Avery’s shoulder.

“Of course,” Bailee and Chauna both said in unison.

It was only natural for Bailee to meet boys and well—hook up with them. We’ve talked about boys a lot growing up, but I still didn’t want to imagine her getting drunk with them, doing body shots and doing the deed. She was still my baby sister.