“Maybe Chloe should be here with you when the fumigation begins.” A girl can dream. I give my mother a quick wink as she takes the baby fromme.
Mom takes the baby from Laken as well and doubles her pleasure as she bounces and coos the handsome boys in her arms. “Grumpy old Tampon doesn’t mean any of that silliness.” She nuzzles her nose toBarron’s.
Laken gasps at the mention of Tad’s quirkymoniker.
“And on that note, I’ll see you guys on the flip side.” I give a quickwave.
“I’ll keep the boys in my room tonight!” Mom shouts after me. “I want you to sleep in, Skyla! Preferably notalone.”
My cheeks burn bright as Laken and I make our way toward thedoor.
“She’s subtle.” Laken gives a quickchuckle.
“She’s also far too hopeful for her own good. Gage Oliver isn’t getting laid tonight.” The sweet spot between my thighs bucks as if it begged to differ—beggedbeing the operative word. DamnKegels.
Holy hell. My entire body catches fire at the thought of that boy running his tongue down every last inch of me. I do miss the view of his dark head at the base of my thighs. My breathing grows erratic as Laken, Chloe, and I make our way outside into the arms of the cool Paragonmist.
“You okay?” Laken presses her hand to my forehead as if reading afever.
“She’s fine,” Chloe is quick to snark while gingerly removing Laken’s hand as if she owned me. In a very real way Chloe does own me. “She’s been misfiring orgasms for the last two weeks. Did you strap that diaper on like I told you to in an effort to keep the wild rivers from drenching yourpanties?”
“You’re disgusting,” I say as we head to Laken’scar.
Chloe links arms with me as we stride down the driveway. “I’d offer to buy you a dildo, but since you have access to Gage Oliver himself, you and I both know it would besacrilegious.”
“She’s right.” Laken gets in and wefollow.
Laken and Chloe don’t agree onanything.
But they areright.
And both my uncontrollably wet vagina and I happen toagree.
The bowling alley’ssign blinks on and off, a feature that isn’t at all purposeful as much as it is a symptom of an electrical short in the system. TheLinbowlinghas altogether given up. It had months ago, if not years. For the first time ever, I see the entire block shape building as a sad reminder of an era gone by, and deep in my heart I wonder if that’s symbolic for Logan and me as well. I haven’t given my white knight a sexual thought since our honeymoon ended—or at least not that I wish to acknowledge at the moment. Well, there was that one time—all those dreams when we thought Gage was gone last year, and then there was the—okay, hell, I’ve had a sexual thought or two toward the fair-haired Oliver, but that’s not the point. I knew I would be with Gage after Logan passed away, and I fell into his strong arms willingly and quick. But, technically, Gage and I are separated, perhaps forever, and dear God, I need a husband, past or present, to put out this fire heating up mypanties.
My heart pounds unnaturally as we make our way inside. The bowling alley is lit in neon lights, streamers and vinyl records decorate the place at every turn. Bree mentioned Logan gave her carte blanche to do as she wished, and true to Bree fashion, she has successfully transformed the place from a struggling bowling alley to a struggling record store circa 1980-something.
“Cool.” Chloe dons a pair of white shades as she bops her head to the Go-Go’s who scream out their ode to the decade from the speakers. “Oh my fucking wow.” She slides the sunglasses down her nose an inch to get a better look at whatever it is she’sogling.
I glance around at the thick crowd and am pleased to note that the graveyard revival peeps have all come out in number. I spot the Smite brothers, Casey, and a few of the cliquey girls that have been a hoot to hang out with. But I highly doubt Chloe finds the cemetery suicide squad drop-your-sunglasses-worthy.
“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Then I seeit.
“Oh, Skyla.” Laken sighs into the sight as if even she were takenaback.
There he is, hair as dark as a raven’s wing, those lucent eyes the color of this spinning marble we’re stranded on, the body of a linebacker, that grin rising in my honor filled with wicked and deliciously lewd intent. Holy hell. Heaven help me. It’s clear all thoughts of bedding Logan Oliver have been violently wiped off thetable.
Chloe takes a step toward him. “Gage Oliver does not fightfair.”
Laken steps up next to her in an odd show of alliance. “Gage Oliver in a suit is quite the sight tobehold.”
Wesley pops up next to him, and she takes in a quick breath as if burned by a flame. “I’d better go find Coop.” But her feet stagnate and she twists toward Wesley’s comely frame instead. “Coop thinks Wes stole myvirginity.”
I’m pulled from my Gage-inspired trance a moment. “Coop stole it,” I correct. I know this because Laken confided in me ages ago during one of our many fireside chats down at Rockaway Beach. I specifically remember because I was thrilled to know Wes was shut down from the one thing he really wanted—that most sacred part of Laken. If Wes wasn’t willing to leave the Counts for her, then he certainly didn’t deserve to make it all the way to home base. And honestly, if Wes would rather live without Laken than leave that coven of wickedness, he really doesn’t deserveher.
“No, Skyla.” She winces. “Wes stole it.” Her voice is riddled with regret. “I just wish he didn’t. I guess we all have our regrets in life.” She takes off, and Chloe falls into view. My own personalregret.
“Hear that? Wesleystoleit.” Chloe nuzzles her shoulder against mine as we glare at the menace in question together. “And all this time he’s been plying me to morph my features before he fucks me because of his desperate ache to have her. He’s aliar,Skyla.”
