and she arches her back, pushing them further into my hands. Her eyes are burning with lust as she takes her two hands and tears the tank top off her body, leaving my mouth drooling over her purple satin bra.
As I’m unable to wait for those perfect Hershey’s Kisses–shaped nipples to be in my mouth, my fingers pull down the cups of her bra, but she reads my mind and reaches back to unclasp it. The fabric falls between us, and I use my hand to push her body closer. My mouth takes her nipple, and I swirl my tongue around, sucking it into my mouth. As I maneuver from one to the other, her hands once again find my hair, as though I’d stray and not fully enjoy the opportunity to suck her tits, like I know she loves.
“Oh, God, Crosby,” she says.
I peek up at her while my mouth works her into a frenzy. She’s always enjoyed this. I even made her come like this once.
She grinds, and I flex my ass to push into her more. Her fingers start scratching my back, pulling my T-shirt up and off my body. I break for a second to allow her to free me from the restrictive clothing. She practically suffocates me with her tits, not that I’m complaining, and her hands go to my shoulder blades.
Her fingers trail further down my skin, and her ass falls onto my lap. Her nipple pops out of my mouth as my back stiffens with her exploring hands. When she inches lower, my breathing stops as I look at the unanswered questions swimming in her eyes.
“Crosby,” she whispers.
The soft touch of her skimming fingers makes me close my eyes.
This is the first time she’s felt my scars.
“Where did you get these?”
I swallow the lump to gain saliva in my mouth to answer, “The accident.”
“How did I not know?” she asks.
The edges of her eyes crinkle, like her mind is rolling through a Rolodex of information, rehashing the story I told her and how these marks don’t hold up.
Too bad I’m not a chameleon, so I could blend in with this blue couch. “The fire.”
Her hands slowly move along my skin until her palms cover my cold cheeks, warming them slightly. “I’m sorry.”
My chest tightens. “Don’t ever be sorry. They’re nothing.” I push off any concern she feels.
But her eyes continue to brazenly stare at me. That darkness that once consumed her with the topic of the accident isn’t there, and for the first time, I feel ready to let the demons out.
“A spark set the car on fire, lighting up a tree. Your limp body was lying there, and I thought we wouldn’t clear the distance. Just as I was pulling you away, an explosion.”
She slides a bit closer to me, and her eyes remain steady as she waits for more. “You can trust me.”
I’ve never wanted Ella to have the memories I do. Coach Weathers and I lived a nightmare that night, and no one else will be haunted by it.
My hand reaches up, and my thumb rubs along her cheek. “I know, but it’s hard to go back there.”
She leans into my hold on her, and I inhale a deep breath, gaining the strength to tell her what continues to torture me.
“When the car crashed, you were immediately knocked out. I scrambled to get out of the car, but my door was jammed or busted from the impact of the other car. I was able to smash the window and climb out.”
After I begin rehashing the story, I’m there, in that car.
Ella’s head was lying on the center console, a trickle of blood dripping down her forehead. My shaking fingers went to her neck, searching for a pulse.
“Crosby,” Noah’s gravelly voice said.
I removed my fingers from Ella, my eyes frantically searching the car for anything to help me break the window. The soft leather of the baseball weighed heavily in the palm of my hand before the glass shards sprang to my lap.
“Hold on. I’m getting us out of here.” I pulled myself out with two hands around the shattered window frame, resulting in the first drop of my own blood.
“Kedsey,” Noah said.
That chipper, spunky girl gave no response.
I was at Ella’s side of the car, unbuckling her. As she lay limp in my arms, I carried her a few feet away until Noah’s voice rang through the darkness.
“Kedsey!” he screamed. “Cros, I think…oh no…Kedsey, baby.” His voice transcended a range