Saturday. Jacy was at her friend's house with a group of five girls, showing them all how to be professional skateboarders.
I had an entire thirty-seven hours to myself.
I could have gone to Starbucks and sat there all day with that goddamned book I still wasn't reading. I could have gone and gotten a facial. A massage. A prescription for Xanax. Replaced my vibrator.
Don't ask my why I was at the skate park.
I knew why.
"Where's Jack?" Edward rolled up, shirtless, smiling. I hated that he was so effortlessly charming. It made it so hard to hold him back.
"Sleepover. She's the cool kid now, thanks to you."
"She was cool before. Her friends were just dumb."
Edward zoomed off, and I decided that, without the presence of Jacy, I could brave sitting on a bench underneath the tree within sight of the park. A group of girls had taken over the picnic table on the far side of the bowl—tiny voices, tiny bodies, tiny fits of laughter. Eyes all over the boys. They were all in shorts, and they were all smiles. They all had a board leaning against the table or discarded on the concrete, and they were all watching Edward like hawks perched over the henhouse.
He found me again an hour later, not a single page further in my damn book, perched on the hood of his car. Strangely, I was more comfortable here, plus the sunshine felt better than shade right now. He collapsed beside me and panted at the sky for a while, all sweat and smiles.
"Looks like you have an audience today."
He huffed, rising to his elbows. "They're fucking annoying."
"Maybe they just need a teacher."
"They don't want to skate. It's all for show."
"But they're making it so easy. How are you single?"
"I don't want to be."
"You could have all of that, so easy, and instead you're…"
He stared at me. "I'm what?"
"Chasing an old woman."
"I'm not chasing you."
"Seems like it."
"I'm following you. And you're not old."
"Compared to them."
"I'm not comparing you to them. You are. Cut it out."
"Yeah, but who in their right mind would want this, when you could have all that?" I flung my arms out from myself to them and looked at Edward, who was flat out glaring at me. He stood, leaving me on the hood, as he stared at his feet for a while.
"How old are you, anyway?" he asked.
I cringed. "Thirty-one."
"Jesus Christ!" He yelled so loudly, the table full of girls all perked to attention, their eyes on us. Edward yanked off his hat and ran his hands through his sweaty curls, making them go wild to match the look on his face. "You've been acting like you're seventy-fucking-five. Thirty-ONE? Really?"
"Really."
"Get over it," he said and laid it on me—lips and tongue and teeth and hands up underneath the hem of my skirt, and thank God, Jacy wasn't here.
I was about to be embarrassing as fuck.
I got over it.
Got all over his mouth. Got my hands up his t-shirt. Let him get his up mine. Got my fingers into his hair and around his neck. Got a solid grind against his hips when he slipped his fingers underneath my underwear to grip my ass. He kissed me fast and thorough, like he meant it. Like he was trying really fucking hard.
"Holy shit," I gasped. "You weren't kidding around."
"I was not fucking kidding." He laughed against my mouth.
"Everyone is staring."
Edward glanced back over his shoulder. The girl table was silent. The boys were all paused, boards still. You could have heard a pin drop.
"I guess if there was any uncertainty about me banging Jack's mom, we just cleared that up."
AN
Get it, girl.
Hadley is the flower. I'm the annoying bee.
Thank you for reading (and thank you for all the recommendations you've been giving!)
xo-HB