Piecing Together Sydney (A Sydney West Novel Book 3) (2 page)

“Are we there yet?” Amelia dramatically laid against Hunter in the back seat as if dying from the drive. I looked in the rear view mirror. She was toying with a strand of long brown hair and gazing up at Hunter like he was the only one in the car.

I laughed, shaking my head. “What? You can’t wait to jump on Hunter?”

She stuck her tongue out. I moved the rear view mirror so I couldn’t see her anymore. “We’re not as kinky as you and Jason, Syd. My leg is asleep, and I’m tired of being in your car.”

Hunter rubbed her shoulders. “We’ll be there soon, depending on how bad traffic is.”

Jason stretched his arms in front of him. “We’ll be passing the huge windmills in a few minutes. Then the skyscrapers and the smell of the ocean will follow.”

She huffed. “Maybe I’ll take a nap.”

Hunter made a noise like a “hmm.” I had my eyes on the road, but I’d guess she hugged him like a giant pillow.

A half hour passed, and both Amelia and Hunter were asleep in the back. Hunter snorted like a blow horn every few minutes.

“She was like this last year too.” I nodded to my sleepy best friend. “But she was sitting where you are naturally and she kept eating peanut M&Ms. She kept fucking with the wrapper, making sure it made as much noise as possible to annoy the crap out of me.”

Jason chuckled. “I can see her doing that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “They are totally out.” His hand slid over to my leg, going up my thigh. “I can’t wait until we make it to the beach house.”

Between my legs pounded. Jason wanted to not only kill me, but everyone in the car. If his hand went any higher, I’d lose my train of thought and drift off the road.

I flashed him a wicked smile while moving his hand away. “Calm yourself. I’m driving. Do you want me to crash?”

His hands went back to his lap like a good boy. “No, I like being alive.”

I turned the radio up a few notches. In This Moment’s “Big Bad Wolf” was playing. The windmills came and went. The city was a few miles ahead. My body tingled all over, anticipating what we were going to do later in bed tonight.

My thoughts took me away for a heartbeat. When I looked down at the speedometer, I was going ninety mph. No wonder I had to keep going around those eighteen-wheelers. I eased off the gas until I reached the speed limit. Driving fast was fun, but I didn’t want that speeding ticket.

It was midafternoon, a couple hours before the “real” rush hour began. The highway was a tangled mess, but we made it to the beach house in just under six hours drive time.

Jason clapped his hands. “Come on, sleepy-heads.” He opened his door and got out.

Amelia moaned and looked around as if lost. “We’re here?”

I opened the back door for her. “Yes. How did you sleep, princess?”

She snarled at me. “Don’t patronize me.” She turned to Hunter, nudging him awake. “Come on, baby.” He stirred, glancing around like a newborn kitten.

“See you inside.” I went to the trunk. Jason had already opened it. I grabbed two bags and walked toward the house.

Jason was in the kitchen, making a fresh pot of coffee. I knew there was a reason I loved him.

I dropped the bags on the couch and joined my soon-to-be husband. “You read my mind!”

He smiled, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet. “After all that driving, I think you deserve some coffee.”

Amelia and Hunter entered the house, walking like a pair of zombies. She only had her purse. Hunter carried four bags in.

Amelia poked her head into the kitchen. “We’re going to crash, and then maybe later we can go out for dinner?”

“All right, but if we hear—”

She cut me off by waving a hand in the air. “I’m tired, Syd. We’re not going to have sex. Though…” She looked me up and down, as if there was a code written on my skin. “I don’t know if we should leave you two alone. You’re going to—”

Jason came to my side and made an X across his heart. “We’ll be good.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Mmm-hmm. You’d better not wake me up.” She took Hunter by the arm and dragged him to the guest bedroom.

“Guess this pot is all ours.” I smiled greedily. I hated sharing my black coffee. Amelia always had to add a bunch of cream to hers.

Jason kissed my lips. He had the perfect lips, soft and demanding at the same time. “Go sit down and I’ll bring you your mug when it’s done.”

“You’re my hero, Mr. King.” I swayed my hips as I walked toward the living room. “Don’t be long.”

His smile made the skin around his eyes wrinkle. “Don’t worry, soon-to-be Mrs. King.”

I blew him a kiss and wandered over to my bookcase. My summer photo album was on the top shelf, covered in a layer of dust. Within those glossy pages was twenty-one years of summers. The first part was of me being a kid with my parents, but the last six years were filled with parties and nightclubs. I sat down on the couch and looked through last year’s photos.

Amelia and I at the beach was the first one. There were blurry pictures of neon signs and one picture of Brad Penn if I turned the picture a little to the light. As I turned pages, the craziness faded. A picture of Amelia and Hunter sitting on a porch caught my attention. I didn’t remember that one. Did Amelia add things to my album?

I licked my lips in confusion and flipped the page. The next two pages were filled with Jason and me at the state fair. There was one of us and my stolen Scooby-Doo. A picture of our faces in cardboard cutouts. A picture of me in front of the Ferris wheel. Another of Jason leaning against a pole, trying to act cool and failing. The last one was from the photo booth when we dressed in Wild West clothes.

Jason sat down next to me. “Here.” He handed me a mug full of beautiful coffee.

“Thank you!” I took a sip. The warmth slid down my throat, making me moan for a second at the richness.

He took my album out of my lap. “That was a fun day. Wasn’t it?”

I nodded, swallowing. “Yes. One of the best.”

“That damn Scooby. I saw you pack him.” Jason glanced at me sideways. He had on a poker face, but his eyes gave him away.

“Hell yeah. I love him.”

He nudged my arm. “Not as much as me though, right?”

I downed the rest of my coffee, delaying my answer. “Hmm…”

His silver eyes searched my face, but I held a perfect blank face.

A moment passed, we stared at each other. I couldn’t take it anymore. My mask cracked as I laughed. “Jason, of course I love you more.”

He took my mug and placed his and mine on the coffee table. “I waited all day for this.” His hand was on my thigh, going up. I moved my legs apart. He rubbed my spot, making me wet instantly.

“Amelia doesn’t—”

Jason put his fingers to my lips, killing my words. “Just don’t scream…”

His mouth was on my collarbone, moving lower. His other hand was at my back, trying to undo my bra as his left continued to rub me down south.

I had to bite my lip to keep quiet. He tore off my shirt and unhooked my bra. His shirt peeled off, and we were chest to chest. I straddled him, rubbing myself on his member, awaking it.

Jason’s eyes rolled back. I sealed my lips to his to keep us both from moaning. His fingers found their way to my breasts, rolling my nipples into hard pebbles, making the ache within me grow into a raging fire.

I unbuttoned his jean shorts and moved his zipper down. To remove his shorts, I had to move off of him and pull them all the way down. A smile came to my lips when I found he was wearing Scooby-Doo boxers.

“How cute. I knew these would look good on you.” I had bought them for him a few days ago, and he laughed, but I wasn’t sure if he’d actually wear them. Guess I knew now.

A wicked grin took his lips. “Baby, I wore them just for this moment.” With that, he placed his hands on both my sides and yanked not only my shorts, but also my underwear down my legs.

I bent down and received a condom from his jeans’ pocket. Our eyes locked as I bit it open and removed the condom. Jason leaned his head back as I stroked his cock before sliding the rubber in place.

“You ready, baby?” I ran my hands through my hair, trying to get it out of my face.

“I’m always ready for you.” His breath was uneven, and his eyes locked upon me like I was the only girl in the world.

The pounding between my legs intensified, knowing it was about to get what it desired. I placed my legs on either side of his hips. We kissed as I slowly moved myself down upon him, letting my walls move and allow him inside.

His hand caressed my breasts, bringing the left one to his mouth. He gingerly bit it, making me throw my head back with a moan. His hand went to my lips. I nibbled the pad of his thumb as I rocked myself against him.

The photo album slipped off the couch onto the floor. I looked down at it for a heartbeat. How times have changed for the better. That album could retire. This summer, I was going to have a new album…a wedding album.

I laid long ways on the couch, using Jason as a human pillow. After our quickie, we got dressed and watched
The Purge:
Anarchy
. The screaming from the film must’ve disturbed Amelia. She dragged her feet into the living room and gave me the evil eye.

“Thanks for letting us nap.” Her voice was cold, dripping with sarcasm.

“You never said anything about us watching a movie.” I gave her an innocent smile, as if we did nothing wrong.

She yawned and glanced at the TV. “It would’ve been nice if you had it on low. I didn’t like waking up to shouting and gun fire.”

“Ugh, you should make a list next time.”

Amelia stuck her tongue out, not laughing at my joke. She disappeared into the kitchen.

Jason nudged me. “At least
we
didn’t wake her.”

I snickered, knowing he was talking about us making love. The one thing she told us not to do.

Hunter stood in the hallway’s entrance, stretching his arms over his head and yawning loudly, as if he was part grizzly bear.

Jason looked over his shoulder at his best friend. “Ready for some food, man?”

Hunter grunted, rubbing his stomach. “Hell yeah. Where are we going to get this grub?”

Amelia returned from the kitchen holding a glass of water. “A nice restaurant, I’m hoping. Syd, this house doesn’t have anything to eat or drink. I found a frostbitten popsicle and an expired bag of popcorn.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “I don’t have a maid here. We have to stock the place ourselves. Don’t you remember all the food we bought on the road before we came here last year? Let’s get dinner and maybe pick up some stuff.”

The guys nodded in agreement.

I got up and dug in my duffle bag for a hair brush. After sex and lying on Jason while watching TV, my hair was a mess. Amelia sighed in the doorway as I fixed my hair in the bathroom.

I locked eyes with her in the mirror. “What? I’m not going out in public with my hair in a rat’s nest.”

She looked me up and down, pressing her lips together. “You two had sex, didn’t you?”

I stared at my reflection, trying not to flinch. “Nope. Why do you ask?”

“I’m not blind. Your hair only gets that screwed up if someone had their hands in it, and the only reason Jason would—”

“Fine. We fucked.” I placed my brush down on the counter and found some lip gloss in the medicine cabinet. It still looked good. “But that didn’t wake you, so I see no problem.” I rubbed my lips together and tossed the gloss onto the sink.

I brushed past Amelia. She shook her head. “Yuck. Now I can’t sit on the couch.”

“Oh well, it’s not the only furniture in the house. Though I’m debating if I wanna have sex on the kitchen counter. Sounds fun.”

“Oh Syd.” She glanced out of the bathroom and then gave me her full attention. “I know you and Jason love your sexcapades, but you need to plan a wedding. The sex can wait.”

“Sexcapades? I like this word.” I laughed, walking into the living room. “Okay, so where are we going?”

Jason’s silver eyes pierced into me. “How about some pizza and music? I know a great place with an organ.”

He was talking about The Organ Pizzeria, the place where we all went on a double date last summer. While the four of us were eating ice cream, Jason went up to the stage and requested the organ player to play “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from one of my favorite films,
The Lion King
. That night I should’ve known Jason was mine to keep forever.

“Sounds perfect.” I closed the distance between us and trailed my fingernail down his jaw. “You know I love you, right?”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “Of course. But not as much as I love you.”

Amelia dragged Hunter out of the house. “Come on. I would die from hunger if it was up to you two lovebirds!”

Jason pressed his forehead to mine, chuckling. “Who knew this was how we’d be spending this summer?”

I looked up, staring him in the eye. “I’d have it no other way. But let’s go before Amelia tries to hotwire my car and take off without us.”

“She would too.”

We ran outside and slid into our seats. Emilie Autumn came on over the radio. Jason turned up the song as we drove to get some pizza. This was the kind of summer I always longed for, but never knew I was missing.

***

The next day, the boys wanted to catch some waves. It was high noon, and I loathed surfing when the sun was at its zenith. That meant we were going to be cooked alive, not to mention the ocean would be reflecting the sunlight. The odds were three to one, so we were going to the beach whether I liked it or not.

“Jason, can you put some sunscreen on my back?” I held out the bottle to him, moving it back and forth, waiting for him to take it.

“Sure, baby.” He grabbed the bottle and looked at the label. “Damn, seventy percent. You don’t like the sun, do you? I thought last year—”

“I love sunbathing and getting a tan. I do not enjoy being burned like a piece of hamburger.”

He squeezed out some lotion into the palm of his hand and walked around me. “Noted.”

Amelia and Hunter were already in the water. They slapped on a minimal amount of sunscreen and ran into the ocean like a pair of children in a water park. Laughter filled the air as they splashed each other.

Jason’s hand slid along my shoulder blades and under my bikini. As he coated my lower back, I fought the urge to turn around and make out with him.

It was insane how much I loved him. Just a year ago, I wanted to avoid him after we first met during our failed surfing lesson. He didn’t act like all the other boys in Malibu. At the time it annoyed the crap out of me. I wanted summer boys to fall at my feet, and then I would leave them at dawn feeling like I rocked their world. It was fun for a time, being wild and free. I foolishly thought it could last a lifetime, but who was I kidding? Partying until morning was something a college kid did, but not something a grown ass adult would.

Jason clicked the bottle shut. “All done. You should be able to be in the sun now for a bit, my vampire.”

I spun around and grabbed his cheeks with my hand, puckering his lips. “I may be pale now, but by July mark my words, I’ll be tan.” I let go of his face and gave him a peck on the lips. “Ready for me to kick your ass at surfing?”

He rubbed his cheek, giving me a once over as if he didn’t know who I was anymore. “I don’t know. You’re kind of violent.” He pouted. “My face hurts…”

“Poor baby.” I leaned in and kissed his sore cheek, trailing my fingers down his jawline. “Feel better?”

His hands wrapped around my upper arms like vice grips. “Yes.”

I broke away, knowing if we continued we’d have sex on the beach and that wasn’t an ideal place.

“Come on!” Amelia shouted from the ocean. She probably saw us standing close and was afraid we’d disappear to be on our own.

“Let’s catch some waves. I’ll race ya!” I grabbed my board and ran toward the water.

“Hey!”

I turned my head, watching him fumble for his board and chase after me.

“Hurry, you slowpoke!”

He snorted. “You’re a cheater. You didn’t even say to go, you just ran.”

A wave broke on the sand, sending foam around my ankles. The chill of the water sent a tingle through my legs into my pounding heart. “You should know by now I don’t play fair.”

The ocean accepted me like a lost child. I was in to my waist when Jason joined me. He sat on his board giving me a stern look, like I stole his last cookie. I flipped him the bird and paddled toward an upcoming wave. Hunter and Amelia were already riding it, going through the barrel like a couple of pros.

Jason and I cut across the top. For a heartbeat, I felt like I was on top of the world. The wave died out, leaving us close to shore.

Amelia paddled over to me. “That was a good wave! God, I missed California!”

I inhaled a deep breath of salty air. “Yeah, I did too.”

Jason bumped my leg with his. “You’re not bad. Glad you didn’t eat—”

“Shut up! That was one time.” I splashed water at him. How dare he remind me of wiping out last year. I only crashed because I locked eyes with him and my body froze up, but I’d never tell him that. He’d gloat about it forever.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Damn, Syd. I was kidding.”

I licked my lips. They tasted like the ocean, extra salty. “It’s not polite to point out a girl’s failure.”

“Right.” He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. “My mother taught me better than that.”

“Another wave is coming!” Hunter pointed toward the wall of water, trying to change the subject.

“Let’s tackle it, Syd!” Amelia waved me along. Hunter was already moving toward it.

That was how we spent the afternoon, riding waves until the sun sank into the horizon. I did have to stop briefly to reapply sunscreen, something the others wished they did more as their skin turned pink and sore.

Hunter rubbed his shoulder. It was beet red. “Stop it, hun.” Amelia slapped his hand and applied more aloe vera cream to his burned flesh.

I poked the campfire, making it burn more brightly. “I told you surfing at noon was a bad idea, but did anyone listen?”

Amelia shot daggers at me with her eyes. “Not helping, Sydney!”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

Jason took out two huge marshmallows from the bag and put one on my stick and the other on his. “I can’t remember the last time I made s’mores.”

Hunter moaned and closed his eyes tightly. “When we were kids and went camping up state with your parents.”

“Right.” Jason became cold, staring into the flames as if it was his mission to learn its dance.

“Sorry, I forgot about not mentioning…him.”

“It’s fine.” Jason’s face became a stone. I couldn’t read what he was thinking, but I knew how it felt to have a shitty father.

Last year I pretended my father was dead when he wasn’t, not yet. A few months after summer ended, he passed away from colon cancer. I thought I’d feel better with him gone, but I didn’t. I felt like a hole was inside me that would never fill, but I grew used to it. Jason was a good distraction, only I wish I knew more about his father. I poured my entire heart and soul to Jason, and he never told me his father was abusive before he went MIA. I learned that from his mother right before he proposed to me. Talk about a whirlwind.

We bonded over having fathers absent from our lives and badass moms, but part of me felt like he was hiding something. Some kind of shame or secret that he didn’t think I could handle. I gave him everything, and I wanted to feel like he was doing the same, only I didn’t know how to say it. He locked up at the mention of his father, more so than I ever did. I’d finally cave and tell someone how much I hated him, though I’d later regret it once they gave me the look of disgust, like I was the worst person alive.

Amelia and Hunter took their marshmallows out of the fire and built their s’mores with chocolate and graham crackers. Amelia liked hers barely brown and it appeared Hunter was the same way. Jason kept his in the flames for a few more seconds and removed it. His marshmallow had a dark coating over it.

As he smeared the marshmallow on a graham cracker and built his sandwich, he looked over at me. His face became a question mark, seeing my marshmallow still in the fire.

“You like it burnt to hell?”

A giggle escaped from me. “No.” I took my stick out and held it between us. The marshmallow was still on fire. “I like to burn the fuck out of them and toss them.” I blew the fire out. Smoke curled toward the heavens.

Jason wrinkled his forehead. “What?”

Amelia smacked her lips, then swallowed her bite. “It’s true. She did that in Girl Scouts all the time and freaked out the other girls. They thought she was morbid and avoided us afterwards.”

Three pairs of eyes bored into me. I shrugged, replacing the black thing on my stick with a fresh white marshmallow. We moved past my habit of burning fluffy marshmallows and talked about surfing while sitting under the stars.

Spending the night with three friends having fun was better than being VIP to the hottest club on the Sunset Strip.

After a couple hours we packed up and put out the fire. Amelia and Hunter headed to the shower together. A burst of giggles came from the bathroom every so often.

Jason and I had to wait for the shower. I put my board away on the rack hanging on the far wall of the living room. Everyone else had theirs leaning against the wall.

“We never picked this up.” Jason bent down and held my summer photo album in his hand.

“We had better things to do.” I glanced over at the couch, remembering how much I loved having him inside me.

He sat down on said couch, flipping through my summers. “Damn, you were wild. Do you remember half of these?”

I moved across the room, planting myself right next to him. I pointed to the photo of my old high school friend, Gaby, and me at some concert. “This picture was two summers ago, but I received it last summer from my friend.” I pointed to Gaby. “We were fucked up on acid or E, I don’t remember, and this concert I have no knowledge of whatsoever. I asked her about it last year, and she doesn’t remember it either.”