friend a front-row seat to what she had missed by skipping Senior Cut Day, and the need to confirm all the chatter had been true.
“I don’t want to think about Molly, or Jett, or even Kim and Chase.”
“Ditto.” I slipped my phone into my back pocket and took the ice-cold drink from Shane’s hand.
“What I really want is to figure out a way to get you alone.” He positioned himself behind me on the chaise, forcing my body to lean on his before he kissed the skin behind my neck.
“Good luck with that,” I mumbled, glancing over at the mass of people not fifty feet away.
At that moment, our conversation halted as the first blast flared through the dark sky and burst into a technicolor bloom. Sounds of the kids squealing and clapping echoed around us, causing me to smile and Shane to chuckle. Even the adults were mesmerized as they all watched the spectacular display. There wasn’t a doubt that other beach residents could see them from miles away.
I welcomed the distraction and relaxed against my boyfriend, enjoying the elaborate show. The entire weekend had been a huge party with enough catered food to feed a village.
There was much to celebrate between Shane’s parents’ birthdays, which were a day apart, and their wedding anniversary. Overall, it was a typical Devil’s Lair party… including the fireworks currently exploding over our heads. Who needed the Fourth of July when you were famous and wealthy?
Not surprisingly, Jack had gone all out. The man loved spoiling his wife, his kids, and his band. The scene wasn’t what someone would imagine happening at a rock star’s beach house… mainly because of all the kids present.
“While everyone is so engrossed, we can take a walk,” he casually said. Instantly, my eyes searched and found my father standing behind my mom. With his arms around her waist as she leaned back into him, he was in his own little world, which revolved around my mother. “Your father is in a good mood. We may as well take advantage of it before the fireworks end.”
“Okay, but we need to be quick, or he will have an aneurysm if we’re gone too long.”
We stood from the lounge, left our drinks where they still rested, and slipped off the deck undetected. It was the first time we’d had some privacy. It wasn’t like we had any opportunity to sneak off anyway, with all the activity happening all day. Leila Lair always ensured there was plenty to keep the kids occupied.
For the first time, Shane and I did nothing but lie around the pool, stuck somewhere between the kids and the adults.
Usually they lumped us in with them. It was strange watching our transition happening this weekend. I guessed becoming graduates in a week had us also graduating into pseudo adulthood with our families. And now that we’d had sex, hanging out with the adults, who I normally loved being around, had me feeling out of sorts.
It wasn’t as though I had a neon sign blinking above my head that read “No Longer a Virgin.” Still, it felt obvious for some reason. It hadn’t helped when some of the other band members innocently asked, “How was prom?” and my cheeks reddened in a way that confirmed our guilt.
Except for my mom, and probably Shane’s parents, no one knew what had gone down in this very house most of that weekend. Dad seemed to be in some sort of denial about the whole thing. He couldn’t fool me, though. Especially when he made it obvious that he was keeping tabs on Shane every chance he got.
Once we were no longer visible, Shane pulled me against him and pressed his mouth to mine. His lips moved urgently, and his tongue probed anxiously, making up for lost time. I kissed him back just as frantically, getting lost in him. His hard body pressed against mine, and I could feel every part of me coming alive under his spell.
Our make-out session went on until the last boom echoed in the night sky, followed by distant cheers.
“Shane, we have to get back,” I said after breaking away from him.
“Yeah… yeah,” he reluctantly agreed before adjusting himself and adding, “but I need a minute.”
That minute he needed became a lot longer. Not knowing what we would walk in to, Shane and I slowly climbed the deck steps from the beach.
The kids were nowhere to be found and were probably watching a movie in the theater room