Second Chances (Emerald Lake Prep Book One), page 11
Emmy stops and turns back. "Thanks, Olly. For saving me. You’ve given me a lot to think about," she says in a shy voice. She gives me a small smile and leans up to give me a soft kiss on the cheek before turning around and leaving.
I don't know what she means by that. Maybe she heard what I said while I was giving her CPR. I hope she did. I hope she knows I would die for her if it gives me a chance to make things right. I'm going to try everything it takes to win her back.
After today, nothing is going to keep me from my Firefly.
Chapter 12
Talon
It's been two weeks since Emmy almost drowned. I've never felt fear like that before in my life. I felt so helpless. I wanted to jump in and help Oliver, but I would just have gotten in the way.
I stood watching Oliver give her CPR, her lifeless body just lying there, turning blue. I felt like a part of my soul was dying. I was frozen in place, not being able to do anything.
I've only known this girl for a month, but I feel this pull towards her. When I'm around her, my heart beats like it's trying to burst out of my chest. When she smiles, the rest of the world disappears and it's just her I see. And her laugh is like music to my ears.
Whenever she's close to me, I find myself sweating. It’s like my brain shuts off and nothing works.
That's not normally who I am. I've never had issues being around girls before. I'm usually a smooth talker. I've never had a girlfriend though. Only hookups. But, when I'm around Emmy, she's the only girl I see. No other girls exist for me anymore. Since the party, I haven't touched another girl. The only girl I want is Emmy.
Since Emmy got back from the hospital, Charlie has been hovering over her like a mother hen.
I’m tempted to check on her a few times myself but always chicken out. Charlie keeps me updated though. It's like she knows that I want to know without having to ask.
When Emmy comes back to class after a few days, I force myself to stop being a wuss and talk to her. We have a few light conversations. I even make her laugh a few times. Every time she does, my heart feels full.
I’m doing my early morning swim, just finishing my fifth lap, when I hear the door to the changing room open. I look up and see Emmy standing there, looking at me with a shy expression. She is hugging the towel to her body like she’s embarrassed for anyone to see her in a swimsuit.
I run my hands over my hair and face, getting rid of the excess water before smirking at her. "Hey there, Shorty,"
She smiles at me. "Hey, sorry to interrupt your swim. I can go if you want?" she says, pointing back to the changing room.
"Nah, I was done anyways. I was just about to swim for fun. What brings you in here?"
She takes her arms away from her body and sets her towel on the bench. Then I get the full view of her suit. God, she looks good enough to eat. And fuck, do I ever want a taste. Her arms and legs are covered in tattoos. I remembered seeing them at the party but was too stoned to really pay attention to details. They look amazing on her. Tattoos are hot as fuck.
She has on a black swimsuit with the sides cut out that hugs her in all the right places and makes my cock swell in my trunks. Good thing it’s under the water right now.
Taking off her glasses, she comes over to the edge of the pool and sits down with her legs dangling into the water.
"Umm well, after everything that happened, I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to swim. If it's going to be something we have to do a lot over the next few years, I should learn, right?"
"Smart. But who's gonna teach you? Were you just gonna try it out yourself? Not really safe to do it alone."
She looks at me with another shy look. "About that," she says, chewing on her lower lip. My cock strains against my swim trunks. Damn, she's so fucking sexy. "Ben told me that you come here in the mornings, and I was kinda hoping I'd find you here." She looks down at the water to avoid eye contact.
"And you wanted to ask me to teach you?"
She looks up. "I mean if you don't want to, it’s okay. I could ask Charlie or something."
“No!” I shout, making her jump a little. I cool my features and smile. "I'd love to teach you, Shorty."
She beams at me with that gorgeous smile of hers. "Really?" she asks hopefully.
"Of course. I was captain of my swim team at my old school, could even have gone pro, so I think I'm the most qualified to teach you," I say playfully.
She laughs. "Then I feel like you're the best choice. I think I'll be in good hands with you."
My voice turns heated. "Very good hands," I state, in more than one way.
I think she understands what I mean, because her eyes turn dark. A blush paints her cheeks and I could swear I see her squirm.
Emmy
I’M SITTING ON THE edge of the shallow end of the pool. Talon is looking like a Greek god with nothing but swim trunks on. His hair is slicked back from the water, and small droplets are running down his yummy abs. I want to lick them all off of his skin... slowly.
I hear a throat clearing and jerk my gaze away from his abs and up to his eyes. He has an amused look in his blue eyes and a small smirk. Sucking on one of his snake bites, like he always does around me, he makes his way closer to me.
"We kinda need you in the water if you're gonna learn how to swim." He chuckles.
He walks slowly over to me, never taking his eyes off of mine and stops right between my legs. His hands go on my hips and his touch sends a delicious chill running through my body and right down to my clit. His eyes go dark with lust as if he feels it too.
"You ready?" he asks in a raspy voice. I slowly nod. He picks me up and lowers me in the pool. I stand there for a moment, adjusting to the cool water. I shiver a little as it seeps into my muscles. Talon notices and starts rubbing my arms up and down to warm me up. I’m starting to get warm alright, but not just my arms if you know what I mean?
"Alright, first we are gonna try something simple. I want you to put your hands on the edge of the pool like this." He turns to the side of the pool and puts four fingers on the top and his thumb on the inside of the pool, as if he was trying to grip it.
"Then we're gonna lean into our arms, while we hold on to the side of the pool and bring up our legs as if they are floating."
I do what he says.
"Now we are gonna kick our legs up and down, one leg up while the other down, then switch and repeat."
I start moving my legs in a scissoring motion. "Very good," he praises.
"When you move in the water, this is how you want your legs to work. Now let's try some basics. Ever heard of the doggie paddle?"
Smiling, I nod my head. He laughs. "Okay, well, that's how we are gonna try it first, then we will try other ways once you’ve mastered the basics."
After about an hour, I am swimming from one side of the shallow end to the other doing the doggie paddle. I felt stupid at first, but Talon is so encouraging and praises me everytime I get something right that after a while I just enjoy the fact that I’m actually getting the hang of it.
"You're doing amazing, Emmy," Talon beams. "You're getting the hang of it fast. Now, I wouldn’t recommend going swimming in the deep end yet, but I think you should keep coming here and build up your tolerance on how long you can go without a break."
He swims right up to me and stands. He holds out his arms in front of him with the palms of his hands facing up.
"Now, I want you to lay on top of my arms," he says. I look at him, confused. He smiles and laughs. "We are gonna try floating," he says.
"Ohhh," I say with a slight blush. The idea of being in his arms makes my heart thump wildly.
He puts one hand on my upper back and one on my lower. I lean back in the water, and he straightens me out until I am lying horizontally, hovering just at the surface. "Promise you won't let go?" I ask in a soft voice, sounding vulnerable, as my body shakes a little from the nerves. I still can't believe how willingly I'm getting into the water after what happened to me, but when I'm around Talon, or any of the guys, I feel safe, as if nothing can hurt me. I don't know why, but I know he won't let anything bad happen to me.
He looks me in the eyes and says, "I'll never let you go, Emmy."
I relax in his arms with a smile on my face, feeling like his words apply to more than just this moment in time.
I slow my breathing, floating in Talon's arms. I close my eyes, and after a few moments I feel something brushing my cheek. My eyes flutter open, and I see Talon's lips are so close to mine. Is he gonna kiss me?
But I never get the chance to find out, because just a second later the changing room’s door bursts open, and the 9/10th grade swim class comes flooding into the room.
Talon pushes upwards with his hand on my upper back, helping me to stand and we get out of the pool. We go over to the bench and grab our towels. After drying off, I wrap it around my body and look over at Talon. "Thanks for... you know. Teaching me and everything," I say, feeling shy again.
"I was happy to help, still am, if you want any more lessons or to just go for a swim," he says with a sweet smile.
"It means a lot that you don't judge me, or make fun of me," I say and I mean it. Knowing, this supermodel of a man doesn't think any less of me for not knowing how to do something most people learn as a child, means more to me than he will ever know.
He steps closer to me and lifts my chin to look into my eyes. "I'd never judge you. You never have to feel ashamed about something you had no control over. I'm here for you. Whatever you need. Same goes with Ben and Oliver. We’ve got your back. Always." He sounds like he means every word.
My heart fills with something I’ve never felt before. "Thank you," I whisper.
He steps back, letting go of me and grabbing his stuff. "Don't mention it, Shorty."
I grin and wave goodbye at the door to the changing rooms. He gives me a wink before he enters the men’s section.
My cheeks hurt from the toothy grin I have on my face for the rest of the day. Nothing could have brought down my good mood.
Chapter 13
Emmy
"What if we get eaten by a bear? OR what if someone murders us in our sleep? OR what if we get bitten by something poisonous? Just think of all the bug bites we're gonna have by the end of this weekend! OH god, what if we freeze to death?!"
Shaking my head, I laugh at Charlie’s cute and adorably dramatic rambling. I kiss her on the cheek. "Babe, chill! It's gonna be fine. We'll hike, do some of those team building exercises that they have planned, eat some s’mores and, at the end of the day, you'll get to sleep with me, ALONE in our tent."
Turns out when Charlie said she liked to camp, she meant at her family's big, fancy cabin. She has never actually slept in a tent in the middle of the woods before.
She stops packing her bag and grabs me by the waist, bringing my body to hers. "Hmm, I do like the sound of that." She nips my bottom lip before kissing me. We start out slow and sweet but it quickly turns hot and heavy.
I've been at ELP for just a little over two months now. It's the first week of November, and we are going on a class camping trip this weekend. I am just excited to have some alone time with my girlfriend.
Every time things start getting steamy, Felicity interrupts us. It's not fair of us to ask her to leave, so we just suck it up and keep everything on top of the clothes. Lissy has been pretty good with that. She normally puts her headphones on and listens to music to drown out our kissing. But sometimes Charlie likes to slip her hands down my pants and make me cum like a porn star. It's hard to keep quiet, but she loves watching me try.
Charlie’s tongue sweeps across my lips, asking me to let her in. I open my mouth gladly, allowing her access. I grab the back of her head to bring her closer to me. Our teeth clash and our tongues tangle. Our hands roam one another's bodies. I can't get enough of her.
Her hand slides down my belly and into the waistband of my leggings, playing with the hem of my panties, before she slips her hand over my hot and aching pussy. She slides two fingers into my waiting heat while her thumb starts rubbing my clit. I let out a lusty moan, as she thrusts her fingers in and out of me, causing me to grind into her hand. Panting, she moves the heel of her hand faster over my clit. I end the kiss and rest my forehead on the side of her neck, gasping and moaning. Her breathing is the same ragged intake of air that I'm doing too. Her other hand comes up my shirt and slips under my bra.
She starts massaging my breast, rolling the nipple between her thumb and index finger. I'm so close.
Just as I'm about to cum all over her hand, the fucking door swings wide open!!
Our heads snap to the door, finding Lissy standing there in the doorway, looking at us like a deer in the headlights. Fuck! Not Again!
Charlie and I are standing there in the middle of our room. One of her hands down my pants and the other up my shirt. My hands holding on tightly to Charlie’s ass. Poor Lissy looks like she wants to run back the way she came, but is frozen in place.
Charlie slowly removes her hand from my soaking wet center and kisses me on the forehead, then leans to whisper in my ear, "To be continued..." She sucks my earlobe into her mouth and bites it lightly. I growl in frustration. My clit is pounding and my pussy is aching. I really wanna cum!
She walks backwards towards her bed, waiting until Lissy has turned away to stick her fingers, that were just inside my cunt, into her mouth, sucking them clean. I moan again. That’s so fucking hot! I feel a sudden surge of wetness from my throbbing core.
I turn to Lissy, "Couldn't wait, like one more minute?" I whine.
"Sorry," she says, finding her overnight duffle as I go back to packing my bag. "But we leave in an hour, and I still haven't packed yet. But you will have your alone time this weekend. I'm sharing a tent with that quiet girl, who never talks to anyone and chews on her hair, just for you two. So, be grateful," she says playfully.
I sigh. "I know, and I am. Thanks for doing this." I blow her a kiss.
She pretends to catch it and laughs. "Anything for my two besties."
"You're the best," Charlie says. "I know," Lissy laughs as she starts packing.
AN HOUR LATER, WE ARE all out front with our hiking gear and backpacks on, ready to go.
"Now that everyone is here, we will be heading out shortly, but there are some rules to go over first. Stay with your group. Don't wander off the path. We will take ten-minute breaks every half hour. It's about a two hour hike. Mr. Luckson is already at our campsite with the heavy items like food, water, sleeping bags, and tents. Does everyone have everything on the list?" Mr. Reed asks. As it turns out, he is the school counselor and is sending us on this camping trip as part of our healing and growth, or so he says. I get a hippie vibe from him, but he seems pretty cool so far.
There is a chorus of yeses from the students before he continues.
"Okay, grab a bottle of water or two from the cooler over there and then we will head out."
We are halfway to the campsite now, and I am enjoying every moment of this hike. Something about being in the middle of the woods, surrounded by nature, is incredibly peaceful. Or, it would have been if it wasn't for Brittany’s consistent bitching! After she tried to drown me, all she got was two months detention. She told Mr. Tucker that she didn't know I couldn't swim and that she meant it as a harmless prank. I despise that I’m forced to still see her ugly face everyday.
You would think after everything Oliver told her on the beach, she would get the hint and back off. But NOPE! She still looks at him like he hung the moon.
"My feet hurt," she whines. "Can we take a break?"
"No, Brittany, we just took one ten minutes ago and we're halfway there. We will stop again in twenty minutes."
"But my feet feel like they're going to fall off!" she whines again. She pushes past me and almost knocks me into Charlie in order to catch up with Oliver, who was just a little ahead of us with the boys.
"Olly Bear, can you carry me?" she asks in an annoying baby voice.
Oliver stops talking to Talon but continues to walk and looks behind him at Brittany, who is tripping over her feet, trying to keep up.
He looks at her, appalled. "What the fuck? Are you crazy? Why would I want to carry you? Fuck off! I'm not touching you! Walk like the rest of us. And stop whining like a little bitch, you're making my ears bleed!"
Brittany grabs his arm. "Please, Olly Bear. Just for a little bit."
Oliver stops this time and grabs her hand, prying it from his arm. He gets in her face. "I said fuck off and don’t touch me again!" he says through gritted teeth, trying to keep his temper under control with the teachers around. He looks back at me standing there, watching with a blank look on my face.
"And don't call me that. No one calls me Olly. Except for Emmy." He turns around again and keeps walking. She stands there pouting, then turns around, giving me the evil eye. She walks past me to get back to her friends, making sure to shove me into Charlie again.
"Stupid cow," Charlie says quietly but loud enough for Brittany to hear.
She is behind us now so we can’t see her face, but I can feel her staring daggers at the back of our heads.
AN HOUR LATER, AFTER more of Brittany’s complaining, we finally make it to the campsite.
We walk out of the woods and into a big clearing. It’s breathtaking. A wall of mountains covers one side of the clearing, and there’s a big lake in between the mountains and our campsite.
To the right is a cleared out sandy area with a big firepit in the middle made out of rocks. Mr. Luckson is there, sitting in a camping chair, but gets up when he sees us making our way over. Next to him is a pile of sleeping bags, a pile of bagged tents, and a stack of camping chairs.
"Welcome everyone. I hope your hike was fun?" he says. Brittany makes a comment about it feeling more like child abuse.
"Everyone feel free to grab a chair and rest a bit. Afterwards, we will set up our tents and get everything put away, and then we will have some lunch. We will be doing some team building activities, including some zip lining, and an obstacle course that is just through the path over on the left side of our camp, just beyond the trees. But, overall, this trip is just a chance to get out and enjoy some fresh air and time away from the school, before we are limited by what we can do outside the school once the snow comes."
