Hayden's Firecracker Read online

  “If you’re gonna swim, swim. None of this slow adjustment to the water crap.”

  Hayden’s voice startles me, causing me to wobble on my arms and dip a little too low, the denim stretched across my thigh thirstily sucking up the water. “Crap,” I hiss, pushing myself back to safety on the dry dock. “Just what I didn’t want.” I attempt to wring the water out, but it’s no use.

  “Since you’re already wet,” Hayden starts, milliseconds before he gives me an almighty shove, and I shriek before landing in the water, my head dipping below the surface.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” I yell as I resurface, coughing and spluttering while I push my hair out of my face and open my eyes. My ability to see is short lived, however, when Hayden does an almighty flip and lands in the water next to me with a splash. Wait. Did I just see... penis?

  When I regain my ability to see, my gaze flicks to the dock and the pile of clothes sitting there. Then it flicks back to him, taking in his bare chest disappearing into the water. He’s just smirking, and suddenly I’m regretting every single thing I’ve thought about him this evening—he hasn’t changed a bit.

  “Are you?” I start, the alarmed jerk of my head between the dock and his body filling in the blanks.

  “Naked?” he finishes, grinning even harder. “Why, yes, Zoey, I am. Thank you for noticing.”

  My mouth falls open while I tread water faster to increase the distance between us.

  “You might wanna quit doing that,” he says, his eyes focused on my lips. “You’re giving me ideas.”

  I gasp, slapping my mouth closed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “You keep asking that same question. But there is nothing wrong with me, Zo. In fact, for the first time in six years, I feel like myself again.”

  “Oh, fabulous. So, I should look forward to you setting the boathouse on fire this time? Or are we just sinking my dad’s boat again.”

  “You just never can tell.” He flashes me another grin then starts swimming away, heading for the floating platform in the center of the lake.

  I don’t follow. Instead, I climb out of the water in a huff, hating the way the wet fabric of my shirt clings to my stomach and accentuates how round it is. “Just when you start thinking nice things about a person, they push you into a lake,” I mutter, pulling the sucking cotton away from my skin.

  “Why don’t you take it off and get back in here?” Hayden calls out.

  Shaking my head, I let out a laugh that seems to carry clear across the lake. “I’m not going to skinny dip with you, Hayden.”

  “Then just strip to your underwear—it’s no different than a bikini.”

  I laugh again. “I don’t wear bikinis either. They don’t exactly...suit me.” I roll my eyes as I wave a hand over my abundant abdominal flesh.

  “Bullshit.” He swims closer, pausing about a yard away from the dock. “You’re gorgeous, and you know it.”

  “Do I?” I scoff, folding my arms around my middle.

  He frowns. “What happened to the girl who was bolder than the rest of us put together?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re remembering, Hayden, but I was never bold.”

  “Uh, yeah, you were. I got in so much shit following you around that I’m still getting judged for it. Remember that time we went around crazy gluing everyone’s letter boxes shut?”

  “That was your idea if I remember correctly.”

  He runs a tanned hand through his wet hair. “I wanted to wrap them in duct tape. The glue was your idea.”

  A grin pulls at the corner of my mouth. “You know, I only ever got in trouble around you. After you left, there wasn’t a single trip to the principal's office, and I’m pretty sure the money my parents’ saved from paying damages is what’s paying for my college now.”

  “Yeah. My life has been pretty boring without you too,” he says, his blue eyes locked on mine, filled with mirth.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s been boring,” I say, lowering myself so I’m sitting on the edge of the dock again. “Just...uneventful—which is actually a good thing.”

  “You sure about that?” he asks, swimming until he’s leaning on the dock next to me. I like the way the muscles in his arms bulge as he folds them in front of himself—but I’m not about to tell him that. “The Zoey I remember was wicked fun. Sure, we got into a lot of shit together. But it was worth it, don’t you think? Back then, we were free; we were fearless. It felt like there wasn’t a single thing we couldn’t do together.”

  “I think you’re romanticizing our childhood. The way I see it, you were a bad influence on me, always leading me astray and daring me to be bad.” I shiver a little from the cool air chilling the water on my skin. “I hated you.” I frown as I look at him, my eyes drinking in this older version of the boy I once knew as old memories resurface and bring mixed feelings along with them. “At least, I thought I did, anyway.”

  “Maybe you just hated that I left,” he suggests, moving a hand so it’s resting on mine. “I know I did.” His thumb moves over my knuckles, the sensation of his touch sending warmth up my arm and down to my core, hardening my nipples on the way down. I swallow a gasp and avoid looking into his eyes.

  “Maybe,” I whisper, my head feeling cloudy.

  “You're cold,” he says, his hand moving to my forearm, palm rubbing over my goose-bumped skin. It only makes it worse.

  “Well, someone pushed me in the water fully clothed,” I point out.

  “Why don’t you get back in? It’s warm in here.”

  “And you’re naked.” I raise my brow and glance downward, torn between feeling grateful for the murky water and disappointed it isn’t more clear.

  “You could be too.” He grins and releases me, pushing away from the dock a little.

  “No way.” I laugh, shaking my head.

  “Come on, Zo. I dare you to strip and get in here with me. No funny business, I promise.”

  I bite my lip, hating the way he’s able to tempt me into doing things I’d never do with anyone else. “No funny business?”

  “None at all.”

  “Fine,” I concede. “But turn around. You don’t get to watch me.” He grins and does as I ask. “And no peeking or I’m just gonna go back inside and avoid you all weekend.”

  “No peeking. Scout's honor,” he says, touching his fingers to his shoulders like some whacked-out version of the crucifix while he keeps his head faced away from me.

  “I know for a fact you were never a scout,” I say, laughing as I pull my shirt over my head and drop it with a wet thud beside me. “And that wasn't even the symbol for scouts.”

  “Close enough,” he says, and I like the way his voice sounds so warm. It’s deep now compared to the boy I remember, but there’s something in it that puts me completely at ease around him. Although, maybe that was always there?

  Keeping my eyes glued to the back of his head, I wriggle out of my cutoffs next, dropping them with my shirt. I make quick work of unclipping my bra, keeping it draped over my chest as I hook my thumbs in the side of my panties, double-check he isn’t looking then push them to the ground and let my bra fall with them, jumping into the water before I lose my nerve and run back inside.

  The cold water envelops me as my heart thuds like a wicked promise against my rib cage. I’m nervous, excited, turned on, and confused all at the same time. How does he get me to do these things? It’s like no time has passed at all.

  “You can turn around now,” I say, positioning my hair over my shoulders to provide some coverage. “How many girls have you gotten naked with that fake scout promise, anyway?”

  When I look up, he’s studying me, drinking in every visible inch with an intensity I’ve never seen before. It hollows out my belly and tightens in my core. What is this?

  “I’ve never wanted a girl naked before just now,” he says, his voice thick as his eyes lock on mine, holding a promise I’m not sure I’m brave enough to hold him to.

&n
bsp; Maybe Hayden was right before. Maybe I never hated him. Maybe I just hated that he left. Because the moment I’m around him again, all I can think about is how much I want him. What happens when he goes away again?

  Hayden

  If I focus on the water intently, I can make out the dark buds of her nipples. Knowing she’s stripped bare and only a few feet away from me has my dick standing to attention, wanting nothing more than to sink into that luscious body of hers.

  “Let’s swim,” I say, needing a distraction. I angle my body to the floating dock while watching to make sure she does the same.

  “You’re good with your brother,” she says, a little breathless as she frog swims beside me. “I heard you upstairs with him. He listens to you.”

  “I thought I saw a shadow at the door,” I say, turning so I’m swimming backward and facing her.

  “I wasn’t spying.” She laughs a little, and I figure that if I could see her better, there’d be a slight blush in her cheeks too. “Well, maybe I was a little. It’s just hard to reconcile in my mind. You don’t seem the nurturing type, but with him, it’s almost like you’re...a grown-up.”

  “Isn’t that the point of turning eighteen? You’re an adult now and therefore grown-up?” She doesn’t know it, but her bottom keeps popping up out of the water. I have this incredible urge to sink my teeth into the roundness of those two globes, and the idea turns my already hard appendage into a throbbing rudder, dragging through the water like it’s trying to steer me on a different course.

  “I don’t think it’s age—I don’t feel grown up in the slightest if I’m honest—I think it’s the person. You have a maturity about you that I don’t see in any of my classmates or friends—”

  “Friends or boyfriends?” I blurt, a flare of jealousy rising from my guts as the faces of kids we grew up with flash through my mind. There was a kid called Tony Jenkins who asked her if she’d marry him when we all grew up. It earned him a shove in the dirt from me during playtime, but if he’s been skeezing around my woman all these years, I’ll track him down and…

  “Never.” She laughs, shaking her head and instantly putting me at ease. “I didn’t even have a date for prom—how lame is that?”

  “I didn’t bother going,” I reply, my entire body feeling lighter knowing she’s as unattached and probably as inexperienced as me. “Davey duty.”

  She gasps. “Even on prom night?”

  “Mom and Bart have work. It’s me and Davey almost every night.”

  “Wow. No wonder you seem so grown up. It’s a lot of responsibility. Do you mind though? I mean, I would have been pretty pissed if I was you and I had to give up my chance at taking some pretty girl to prom. I’m sure you have them lining up with that bad boy ink you’ve got all over your arms.”

  I glance down at my tattoo, a mix of roses and thorns covering my upper arm. On the other, I have lettering along my bicep that has a quote from Braveheart on it: ‘Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.’

  “I didn’t tattoo myself to attract girls,” I say with a frown.

  “Then why did you?” she asks before she closes her eyes and cusses under her breath. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”

  Her apology makes me smile. “Since when did you start to worry about offending people?”

  “I’m not,” she says. “Not normally, anyway. I guess I just don’t want to offend you.” The last word trails off as she locks eyes with mine, offering a nervous smile. “I don’t know why.” That last part comes out as a whisper as we arrive at the floating dock and she places a hand on the ladder to steady herself.

  “Sure you do,” I say, joining her by holding onto that ladder too, our bodies no more than a foot apart. “Why don’t you want to offend me? Why are you so nervous around me now?”

  She frowns, tucking her shoulder behind the ladder like the tiny column of metal can hide her from me. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time. You’re the same, but you’re different too, and I…” She presses her lips together. “I feel different around you.”

  “Different how?” I ask, leaning in a little closer. She sucks in her breath, her dark eyes huge as she flicks them between my eyes and my mouth rapidly.

  “I don’t know. Just different than I feel around anyone else.”

  “Different like you want me to kiss you?”

  The shiny tip of her tongue glints in the moonlight as it snakes out to wet her lips. In her eyes, I see temptation mixed with a touch of fear. It’s the invitation I need. Six years. Six years of dreaming about this moment, wanting it so bad my entire body aches from the need of it. And now that I have that chance and can see the willingness in her gaze, I’m not for a second passing it up.

  My mouth slams into hers.

  Zoey

  His hand curls into the back of my hair, fisting the wet curls and holding me steady as his mouth takes control of mine. I think if he wasn’t holding me so tight, I’d slip into the water and drown. I’ve never been kissed like this before—truthfully, I’ve never been kissed at all—but there’s something all-consuming about the way his tongue slides along with mine and steals my breath away.

  My entire body tingles and heats, and I find myself making tiny noises while I press my fingers into his skin, desperate for something to hold on to, desperate to stop him from letting me go.

  Less than twelve hours ago, I was sitting in the back of my parents’ car convinced I was about to have the worst weekend of my life. In the years since Hayden moved away, I’d convinced myself that my hatred for the boy he was, ran so deep it could never be overturned. But one look, one moment, one evening, one naked swim… and I finally understand what it was I hated all those years.

  I hated that my partner was gone.

  I hated that life was dull without him in it.

  I hated that I felt alone.

  I hated that we were powerless to change anything.

  But most of all, I hated that I ached for him.

  “I have needed to do that for the longest time,” Hayden murmurs against my lips when we finally come up for air. He has his forehead pressed to mine and his nose against my cheek. I can feel the heat of his breath on my face, like a glorious and pure rejoining of souls.

  “I missed you so much,” I cry, throwing my arms around his neck and drawing him in closer, our legs entwining beneath the water as his mouth finds mine again. This time we drop below the surface, the water enveloping us entirely as we lose ourselves in the sensation of each other’s mouths. Who knew kissing could be such an overwhelming experience? I’ve seen so many people do it, but not once had the idea of kissing another person stirred anything inside me. Not until now. Not until Hayden returned to me.

  With a kick of his powerful legs, Hayden returns us to the surface, pinning me against the ladder with his muscular frame as he continues to devour my mouth. My nipples abraid against the hard plains of his chest, and I press against him, whimpering and wriggling. I want him to touch all of me.

  “I love you, Zoey,” he murmurs between kisses. “I was born loving you, and I’ve never been able to stop.”

  “Oh god, Hayden. I’m sorry I said I hate you,” I cry, my hands sliding in his hair. “I don’t. I don’t hate you even a little.”

  “I know, beautiful,” he whispers. “These last six years have been torture.”

  I nod and whimper as he kisses me some more and we press closer still. Something hard taps against my inner thigh. On instinct, I chase it with my hips, closing my legs around it so it’s trapped in the tiny apex of my sex. Hayden groans then slides an arm around my waist, placing a foot on the ladder and pushing us both up out of the water.

  “I'm a virgin,” I gasp as we land on the platform, cool wood against my back and Hayden over me, our legs still in the water with Hayden standing on the ladder rungs.

  He presses up on his arms, muscles tight as he looks down at me, hair and skin dripping. “I am too,” he rasps. “I’ve only ever wanted you.”


  My heart explodes, the love I’d buried for this man flooding forward and taking control of my senses. I grab the back of his head and lift my torso until my mouth is meeting his, then I hook my foot around his rear and pull him to me.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, the tip of him pressing against my heat.

  “Positive,” I say, nudging him with my hips. “I want this.”

  He groans and pushes forward, practically launching me off the dock from the surprise of his intrusion. Light flashes behind my eyes and I cry out, clutching to him, my nails digging into his back and he holds me to him, an arm beneath my hips as he positions us fully on the dock, moonlight bathing our wet and naked bodies.

  “Breathe, beautiful,” he whispers, placing tiny kisses from my temple to my chest. “Breathe and relax. I won’t move again until you’re ready.”

  “OK.” I blink rapidly, realizing there’s more than just water in my eyes. I was expecting this to hurt, but I wasn’t quite ready for how it would feel. Having something so firm and large inside your untouched body is a sensation I didn’t know existed until this moment. It’s almost like an out of body experience.

  Hayden’s kisses move to my breasts, tiny licks and nibbles until he has a hand cupping the mound of flesh while his tongue works my nipple. I gasp as the sensation takes over, tingling electricity floating beneath the surface of my skin.

  “Oh. Yes,” I whisper, feeling my hips move without my even saying so. The discomfort of the initial thrust melts away as it’s replaced with something much more...profound. It’s like there’s a coil inside me that gets tighter and tighter with every movement.

  “You feel so fucking good,” Hayden hisses, rolling his hips as he braces over me, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth as we lock eyes and moan through the intensity of the moment.

  His hand slides between us as he sits back, finding my tiny tight bundle with the pad of his thumb as his length moves in and out. Thrust, thrust. I can barely stand it, my hands reaching out, nails scraping down his chest as I lose myself completely