Page 26 of Artfully Wild
“Frank is a parrot,” Skylar answers from her place on the porch. “We named him Frank, because human Frank was the one who brought him into the shelter.”
“And Skylar is the one who teaches him all the inappropriate phrases.”
“Oh,that,” Charlotte claps her hands together, “is the best thing ever. I want to do it.”
“That’s not why we’re here, Char,” Avery says. Charlotteresponds with a roll of her eyes and turns down the hallway. I can only assume Frank is going to have something new to say tomorrow.
“Yes, why are you here at,” I take my phone from my pocket, the screen illuminating as I lift it up, “12:05 in the morning?”
“We need balloons,” Sophie starts to list off things with her fingers. “And darts!”
“And darts,” Sky repeats.
“Do I even want to know what this is for?” I ask.
Skylar just smiles, brightening up the space more than the porch lights ever have. “Probably not.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
SKYLAR
Jacob crinkles his eyebrows together, confusion and curiosity on his face. He meets my eyes and raises an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.
“It’s top secret,” Charlotte’s voice comes from the hallway where I assume she is looking for the spare bedroom that has all the supplies we need.
“Sure, Charlotte, make yourself at home,” Jacob calls back without breaking our gaze. I wonder if he’s thinking about our moment in the studio. The way that his eyes flick down to my bottom lip between my teeth tells me that he is. His eyes linger there and it makes me wonder how many moments like this I have missed over the years. How long has he looked at me the way he is now? Like the only thing keeping him from wrapping his arms around me and locking us in his bedroom are the other three people in his house? My mind shifts to images of him in his bed, naked, propped up on his elbows watching me as I undress for him, surprising him with skin tight women’s boxers and a matching bralette. I’ve never been one to care about coordinating underwear, but I think it’d be fun to see the heat behindhis eyes deepen when he sees it’s something I chose to do while thinking of him. Not only have I not cared about matching undergarments, I never felt feminine enough to wear anything like that. I still don’t, which is why I own a lot of women boxers. They’re kind of like boxer briefs men wear, but they’re made for women and they’re the only thing my skin feels comfortable in. The opposite of how I feel with things like lace or satin.
There’s something about Jacob when we are together in an intimate way that makes me feel more confident in my skin and in the way I present myself.
I let my eyes roam over his bare chest until they reach the hem of his pants.
“See something you like?”
Usually I’d blush after being caught so obviously staring, but right now, I decide I don’t really care. I don’t hesitate to answer because being shy around him because of what happened isn’t going to fly. I am not going to warrant the awkward phase that usually occurs between friends after they have crossed that friendship line. “Yes.”
The door behind him snicks shut, isolating us on the porch. Timidly, he reaches across the small space separating us and grabs my hand, pulling it to his lips. A small cloud streams from my lips before evaporating in the cold winter air. The number of layers I’m wearing suddenly feels unnecessary and I wish this was a solo mission.
The chatter of voices reaches us on the porch. We ignore them.
Jacob nips at the pad of my finger before soothing the bite with his tongue taking away the brief sting. My body is fully charged and I might burst if he doesn’t kick the girls out of the house. His groans fill the air as he steps forward. Wispy sounds from the falling snowflakes are the only break in the deep silence that comes with a fresh coat of snow.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, afraid to interrupt the flow of whatever it is he is doing.
“I have no idea.” His words come out in a rush before he closes the distance between us, his lips crashing into mine. I don’t waste any time, wrapping my arms around his neck, putting pressure there hoping he’d know where I want to go. Answering my movements, he moves his arms lower, lifting me up so my legs can wrap around his waist. Feeling his hardness against me, a soft moan escapes my lips, but is quieted by his lips against mine. Kissing him the first time had been incredible, butthis? This is euphoria. The cold air surrounds us while our warm bodies are pressed together, the heat only growing. My hands tangle in his hair as he keeps me in place with one arm while the other roams from my back to my side, over my breasts, finally coming to rest on the side of my neck where his grip feels desperate like if he doesn’t hold onto me, hold me closer, steady me, he’ll shatter. I copy his movements, tightening my thighs around him, so I can maneuver my hands on either side of his face, cupping it firmly, my tongue pushing against his.
The beam of the porch comes in contact with my back as Jacob presses me against it, softly grinding into me. There are so many things cycling through my body and my mind, I am dizzy with heat and desire, the frosty air mixing with our desperation for each other.
“You know that is what bedrooms are for?!”
Jacob and I break apart, startled by the voice coming from the sidewalk in front of Jacob’s house.
“Oh, you’vegotto be kidding me,” he mumbles, his forehead coming to a rest on my shoulder before looking up again at the two old ladies standing on the sidewalk, facing the house. Two old ladies who will make sure their sighting of Jacob and me will get around town within the next hour, middle of the night be damned. Out of all the people that could have been walkingby it’s Fran and Cordie. What are they even doing at this time of night walking outside?
“I mean, really, what did you expect? Frolicking on the porch like that where people can see?” As always, Fran gets straight to the point.
“And how long have you ladies been standing there?” he calls back.
“Long enough to know that you are clearly not in the friend zone anymore,” Cordie yells, followed by laughter from Fran.
