Page 21 of Desolation
“Okay, Luke,” Lana says, pulling to a stop at the side of the lake. We left the rest of the guys ten steps behind. “As requested, I skipped with you and did not release your hand. Time to hold up your end of the deal.”
I know she secretly loves my nicknames, even if she pretends that she doesn’t.
Though I’ve promised to letJuicy Fruitgo, it’s truly a fitting nickname. She’s ripe like a peach and I want nothing more than to taste her on my tongue, her sweet juices dripping down my chin as I eat her. I won’t let a single drop go to waste.
Who knows? Depending on how today goes, maybe it’ll be her birthday present tomorrow.
“Fine. I will no longer call you Juicy Fruit.” After a moment of consideration, I regally state with a flourish of my hand, “I hereby dub you the Queen of Hearts.”
The title feels right in me, feels right on my tongue. She’s owned our hearts for most of our lives, in one way or another. Always a friend, hopefully now as more. It took us too much time to accept the way we feel about her, I don’t intend on wasting any more.
As planned with my brother, I want to slowly prod her. If Ash told her, there’s no way she can keep up her normal act for long so we’ll pry it out of her with displays of affection. If he hasn’t told her yet, then this sets the stage for the ‘big reveal’ and makes our intentions clear. If she doesn’t know, the whole situation may get really awkward at the sudden change of pace from us,butwe’re willing to risk it for the biscuit.
She stills at the new nickname, likely shocked that it isn’t something absurd as usual.
I drop to my knee and grab her hand. Locking eyes with her, I brush my lips against the back of her hand in a featherlight kiss before lowering my forehead to rest where I kissed her. “My Queen,” I say.
None of this feels like a joke to elicit a laugh. It feels like it’s soothing that part of me that we’d been discussing on our walk to the lake—the part that yearns for something more, something bigger than our life so far.
I look up to a beautiful pink tinting her cheeks as she smiles down at me. For once, she doesn’t say a word about the new nickname, and I give her a big cheesy smile in return.
It’s only taken the majority of my life to find a nickname she approves of.Better late than never, I suppose.
The sound of branches crunching under feet and male voices has Lana pulling her hand back from me. She drops the bag she’s carrying as the rest of the group finally comes ambling over, busying herself with setting up for the day.
Oooh,I smirk at the sight of her deepening blush and her fidgeting hands.Someone’s getting shy.
It’s going to be so much fun when we really amp up the heat.
“So, who’s up for the rope swing challenge against me today? Any takers?” she lays down her challenge with her usual sass and when no one responds, the little vixen arches an eyebrow at us, a dare in her eyes. “Or are you all scared?”
She doesn’t need to know that we let her win most of the time. We’ll take that secret to the grave.
“I think I’m going to sit and read under the tree,” Zedd says. That’s his typical activity when we’re out in nature, preferring to get lost in his books. He’s never been one to show off or engage in Lana’s issued challenges.
Dude’s a genius. One day, he’ll save all of our asses with that brain of his. I just know it.
Ash grunts that he’s hungry and Hale agrees, deciding to set up the food and eat, even though we just had breakfast before leaving the house.
Well, that’s boring.
A lightbulb moment hits me and I look at my brother, smirking at him and relaying my idea in a silent conversation. When he grins at me, I know we’re on the same wavelength and I wink at him.
I look at Lana.Did someone order a twin sandwich?
It’s our time to shine.
Leo paws the ground like a bull, syncing his animalistic grunts with the movements, and Lana looks up at him. Her eyes go wide at the display and she starts taking slow, hesitant steps back. Before she can take more than three steps away from him, he charges at her and scoops her up over his shoulder, making her squeal in surprise. The water bottle she was holding drops to the ground as she goes ass up in the air.
“Leo! Put me down!”
He sprints towards the platform holding the rope for her issued challenge and I jog after them, wishing I was the one with a face full of her ass like my twin.Damn him.
“Leo!” she yells again.
A resounding smack sounds in the air, followed by her surprised yelp.
Chuckling, I quicken my pace to catch up. I can’t miss her face at the ass smack doled out to her by my brother.
