Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
I’m shirtless. I’m everything-less. And so is Winter. Thankfully she’s lying on her stomach, so only her bare shoulders and back are visible. Her long, dark braid contrasts with my light gray sheets. If my mom wasn’t standing in my doorway wearing a shocked expression, I would appreciate the view a whole lot more.
Winter blinks groggily and mutters, “I’ll make my bed.” Then her eyes pop open and widen with horror as she processes her location.
After round two, I went down and got us water and a snack. I must have forgotten to lock my door.
My mom’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times as her gaze shifts to the wall. “I’d like you two to be dressed and in the kitchen in fifteen minutes. We need to have a family meeting.” She pulls the door closed with a quiet click.
Winter mouths, “Oh my fucking God.” Followed by a panicked whisper. “They’re going to kick me out. I’ll be cut from the team. What happened to your alarm?”
“Hey, hey.” I reach out, but she rolls off the bed, away from me. She’s naked and gorgeous and totally freaking out. “Take a breath, Winter. They probably just want to talk about safe sex. It’ll be embarrassing, but fine.”
“I thought you hated the word fine.” She nabs her discarded shirt from the floor and yanks it over her head.
I pull a fresh pair of boxers from my dresser and step into them, then grab a shirt from my closet and pull it over my head. My morning wood is a serious inconvenience, but apparently my dick is an insensitive ass and unconcerned with Winter’s worries.
She’s already got her shorts on. “I need a bra so my nipples aren’t saluting everyone.”
I grab her hand before she can open the door. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“Really? Because your mom just caught us naked in bed together, and I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite of okay.”
“They won’t be mad at us.” I don’t understand her panic. But then my parents have always been pretty sex positive, and most of our conversations revolve around consent and using protection.
She swallows compulsively, eyes on the floor. “They gave me a place to stay so I didn’t have to deal with my dad or stay alone in the cabin, and I go and disrespect them by having sex with you in their house.”
“I’m twenty-one, and you’re almost twenty. It’s not really a secret that we’re digging on each other. Sex is a normal part of life, and we’re hormonal athletes. I’m pretty sure they expected this to happen eventually.” She’s still staring at the floor. “Can you look at me, please?”
She does, and her eyes glisten with tears.
“I don’t know what kind of conversations you had in your house about sex, but here, it’s about making sure we’re safe and everything is consensual on both sides. Sex with someone you care about makes you human, and normal.”
She blows out a breath. “I need to put a bra on.”
“I know you’re used to having the rug pulled out from under you, Winter. But try not to let your head go to the worst-case scenario, okay?”
She purses her lips but nods, then rushes to her room and closes the door. I’m not worried about my parents at all. They’ll ask uncomfortable, but not unexpected questions. I’m worried about how Winter so easily assumes the worst will happen, or that my parents will somehow think less of her because we slept together. But who knows what kinds of crap her dad has said. He seems like a misogynistic douchebag. Undoing all that emotional damage will take time.
I grab a hair tie on my way to the kitchen. My parents are standing behind the island, holding coffee mugs.
“Are you being safe?” is the first question out of my mom’s mouth.
“Absolutely. Yes.” I shove my hand in my pocket. Yeah, better to get this part out of the way.
“Is Winter on birth control?” Mom sips her coffee.
So far my dad has said nothing.
“Yes. And we used condoms.” I always use condoms, mostly because until now, sex has been about feeling good. I’ve only been with one other person where actual feelings were involved, and that went so sideways it turned upside down. “I care about her,” I blurt. “A lot.”
My parents exchange a look. Mom smiles. “We can see that.”
Footfalls on the second floor have us all looking toward the stairs.
Winter appears at the landing. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and she’s dressed in her work uniform. But the thing that makes my stomach twist is the backpack and duffle she has with her. Clearly I was right about her preparing for the cliff dive.
When she reaches the bottom step, she adjusts her hold on her duffle. “I’m really sorry.” Her eyes flick to my parents and back to the floor. “I shouldn’t have… We shouldn’t have. I took advantage of your kindness. I can move back to the cabin now.”