My heart soared.I’m something else. That has to be a good sign, right?
25
COLT
As soon as the lights went off, I found myself sliding into old habits without skipping a beat. Almost the same minute as the screen came to life, I turned to Emma and took her face between my hands, smiling as I brought my lips to hers.
We were seated in a nook at the back of the theater I’d once thoughts of as ours. It was in the corner, and we were mostly shielded from view by a load-bearing column that created the nook. This was the only place where Emma and I had been able to go on dates without anyone seeing us, and I supposed that was still true.
It remained a risk, both then and now, but there weren’t many other people in the theater, and I was fast getting over giving a shit about being seen with her anyway. I wasn’t about to rub it in my sister’s face that we’d snuck around all those years ago or that we were doing the same thing now, but if she found out, so be it.
I was enjoying my time with her too much to be bothered about needing to keep the secret. Surprisingly, I was even having a good time exploring Rockdale with her. It was interesting how much the town had changed, even while all the best parts had stayed exactly the same.
My favorite part of the day so far was this moment right here, though. Making out with her during the movie was awesome. Painfully frustrating but awesome. By the time the credits started rolling, I was about to pour a bucket of ice down my pants, she’d made me so hot.
When she realized the movie had ended, she broke away from me, her swollen lips parted, and her eyes clouded with lust. “We’d better get going. I have more planned for the afternoon.”
“We’re still not going back home?” I asked on a slight groan. “I was hoping we could spend the afternoon in bed. Especially after that.”
She let out a husky chuckle, shaking her head back and forth. “Nope. Sorry. You’re going to have to wait a little longer.”
I released a deep breath before dragging in another, willing my cock to get the message that we weren’t about to get any action. Emma’s nipples were straining against her shirt, and judging by how hard she was breathing, I wasn’t the only one who desperately needed to do something about my situation.
“Are you sure we can’t just cut back home for a little while?” I asked, aware that I was practically pleading with her but not caring. I wanted her too much to let little things like dignity or pride stand in my way. “We can always head out again later.”
“You know as well as I do that if we go back now, we’re not going to leave again. Trust me, our next stop will be worth it.”
“Fine, but I’m going to need a minute.”
She giggled. “Same.”
Threading her fingers through mine, she took my hand and sat back in her chair, completely focused on the screen as her chest rose and fell on deep breaths. I did the same, and soon enough, we were heading out into the bright sunshine for the hottest part of the day.
“At least being on the bikes will generate a bit of a breeze,” I said, squinting against the sudden invasion of the light before I put my sunglasses on.
Emma got her bicycle out of the rack and swung her leg over it, grinning as she looked back at me. “Luckily, our next stop will help with the heat, too.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me where we’re going this time?”
She shrugged, her eyes shining with excitement as she held my gaze over her shoulder, already putting her foot on the pedal. “It’s a surprise. I think you’re going to like it, though.”
“I’m sure I will,” I murmured as I climbed on my own bike, not sure if she’d heard me but it didn’t really matter.
The fact was that I’d like anywhere she took me simply because it washertaking me there. Feeling more relaxed than I had in years was secondary to getting to spend more time with her. Plus, I was only feeling this relaxed because of her. Even though we were both grown-ass adults now, she was making me feel like a kid again.
The cycling. The candy. The movie.It was like I’d traveled back in time to better days when stress had just been another word and life had always come to a near stop on a Sunday.
My life had been so fast paced for the last decade or so that I’d forgotten what it was like to slow down. As I cycled down by the riverbank with Emma, hearing the birds chirp and smelling the faint scent of mud and overgrowth as the brush on either side of the path thickened, I suddenly remembered what it had been like to have a life.
Sure, I had one now but it was so overwhelmed by work that I hardly ever had the time to do the things I loved anymore. Rock climbing, cycling, and waterskiing on the lake had been part of my routine once. Now I didn’t know where my climbing gear was, I didn’t own a bike, and I couldn’t remember what it felt like to be dragged out of the water by a boat.
Maybe life here in Rockdale wasn’t so bad after all.
“We’re going to have to walk from here.” Emma’s voice broke into my thoughts. “The path is totally overgrown to get to where we’re going. We’ll have to push the bikes along.”
“Or we could just leave them here,” I suggested. “Unless bicycle theft is a big issue around here these days?”
“No, theft isn’t a big issue around here any days,” she replied. “I don’t even know if we have a crime rate. Isn’t it grand?”