Page 101 of Wildfire
The cheering starts again as the rest of our group takes the stage to do their performance. Aurora is wearing the sundress I love: the yellow one with little flowers and narrow straps that are easy to peel down. Her hair is curled and pulled back off her face with a ribbon and she looks beautiful.
Maya takes her place behind Emilia and puts her hands on her waist and when Clay takes his place behind Aurora and puts his hands on her waist, the music starts, but all I can hear is Xander laughing.
“I wish I could take a picture of your face right now.” He tries to stop it by covering his mouth, but when I give him the dirtiest look Ican manage, it only makes him worse. We cheer along for support, but every time Clay’s hands are on her, Xander starts laughing again, irritating me more. “I’m sorry, man. It’s just too funny. Did she not tell you?”
“Would you have told me if you were her?”
I’ve asked how her practices were going a couple of times, but she just said, “Stop trying to copy, Callaghan,” and we’d move on. If it was anyone other than Clay I wouldn’t be jealous. Trout climbs onto my lap and up my body, settling on my chest to sleep. He’s so big and heavy now he covers a lot of my torso when he’s sprawled out. Another thing I’m grateful for, because it’s stopping me from dragging Aurora off the stage like a caveman.
She looks like she’s having so much fun and I concentrate on that and how cute she looks trying to keep up with Emilia, who is clearly the only person on that stage with a shred of professional training, or you know, rhythm.
The song comes to an end and the rest of the audience is clapping and cheering, but Xander leans over from his seat beside me, wearing a smug grin. “They cheered louder for us.”
I know there’s no real reason to be jealous—of the touching, not the clapping—but the dance ends with Aurora in Clay’s arms and I’m officially feeling grumpy. She’s smiling broadly as she comes off the stage, heading straight for me. I force a smile onto my face as she approaches, but she immediately tries to smother a laugh when she spots me. “You good?”
“That is the fakest smile I’ve ever seen, Callaghan,” Emilia says, collecting our water bottles. Maya and Clay come up behind her, Clay looking pleased with himself. Emilia is trying not to laugh. “We’re going to grab drinks. Does anyone want anything?”
“No, thanks,” I say as they disappear off toward the main building.
Aurora takes the empty seat beside me, leaning in. “You jealous?”
“Nope,” I say, concentrating on the next act on the stage. “But know you’re getting it from me next time we’re alone.”
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Aurora says in a strange tone, standing and moving directly in front of me.
“Okay,” I say, but she doesn’t move.
“I really need to use the bathroom,” she says again in the same unnatural way.
I’m officially confused. I repeat what I said before. “Ohh-kay?”
“I’m desperate,” she says, eyes widening.
“Oh—”
“Jesus Christ, my guy,” Xander snaps, lowering his voice so people around us can’t hear. “She’s trying to tell you to follow her to the bathroom. Probably for sex, I don’t know.” He looks to her. “Sex?”
She nods. “Probably.”
“Fantastic,” he groans. “I’m so glad I could be part of this conversation. I’ll just sit here and die alone.”
She presses her lips together as she shakes her head at me, trying not to laugh. Xander glares at me as she walks away in the direction of the lake where our cabin is. “Stop staring at me. You think I have any idea what I’m doing here?”
“Unbelievable. Go on then, fuck off to your loving relationship. Where’s my summer romance, hey?”
I try to be discreet as I stand and casually stroll in the same direction as Aurora. I want to sprint, but not only would that be embarrassing, I’m trying not to get caught again.
She’s sitting on my bed flicking through a book from my bedside table when I walk in. Her face lights up when she sees me, and within a second, she’s on her feet and on tiptoes to kiss me. I lift her and her legs wrap around my waist, something we’re well practiced at anytime we’re alone. Pressing her into the wall beside my bed, I move my hands beneath her summer dress and over her hips, snapping the band of her panties against her skin before traveling up to her waist.
She breaks our kiss and rests the back of her head against the wall, a smug smile on her face. “You’re doing your grumpy pout.”
I ignore her, kissing down her neck as my hands move further up to the curve of her breasts. It’s easy to pull the material of her bra down and roll her hardened nipples between my fingers. Her body reacts the same way it always does when I touch her, by grinding into me in search of friction. “Are you going to fuck me against this wall because you’re jealous?”
“No. I’m going to fuck you against this wall because being inside of you is the closest thing there is to heaven,” I murmur as her breathing becomes slow and shallow.
Her teeth sink into my bottom lip and she tugs. “And you’re jealous.”
“I’m not.” I slip my fingers back beneath the band of her panties, moving them to the side, and she’s soaking wet already. “I love how responsive you are.”
