Dead of Summer

Stay, he mouths, a grin pulling at his lips. My heart rockets into overdrive, and I shake my head at whatever he’s planning.

But it’s not like he listens to me. Fingers spread, he strokes both palms up over my stomach, fingers tickling at the space over my ribs, causing me to shudder even in the heat of the shower stall. He cups my breasts, eyes on mine, and only belatedly do I realize I’m still holding onto his wrist, though now with a death grip instead of a loose hold.

Kayde leans in, one knee pressing between mine. I try to stop him by pressing my thighs together, but he just tilts his head to the side with a quick roll of his eyes and shoves, forcing my thighs to open around his and letting him fit against my body completely.

“Did you hear me?” Darcy’s irritation is palpable. “Summer?”

“No,” I tell her honestly, eyes on Kayde. “I’m sorry, uh?—”

“I asked if you’d seen Kayde tonight.”

A smile twitches over Kayde’s lips, and he leans in to brush his lips over my throat, unerringly where my pulse pounds the strongest.

“No,” I deny, probably too quickly. “No I haven’t. I’ve been in—” My breath hitches again when his thumb rolls over my nipple. When he does it again, I try harder to become one with the wall, only to fail miserably. “In my cabin,” I finish lamely.

“Oh.” She goes quiet again, and Kayde gives her a moment before leaning in, his lips against my ear.

“Better be quiet, sweetheart,” he murmurs, fingers kneading and cupping my breasts and causing me to squirm against the thigh he has shoved between my thighs. “If she sees us…I’ll have to kill her.”

Already I’m shaking my head, trying to articulate the words from last night, his promise that he wouldn’t do this in front of anyone.

But Kayde doesn’t seem to care. He kisses down my throat, teeth nipping and grazing against my skin. With his mouth open, it’s easier for him to suck and pull marks against the side of my neck that I know will bloom bright purple by tomorrow, judging by the burn he leaves behind.

And I want to hate it.

I want to hate everything about it, yet I feel myself grinding down against his thigh while his mouth and hands convince me that I don’t hate this nearly enough. Heat rushes down my spine, and distantly I hear the sound of another shower turning on, and Liza calling something to Darcy before going quiet again.

Kayde’s smile against my throat is obvious, especially when he glances up to show me the sheer amusement on his features. Still meeting my eyes, he nips at my collarbone, lightly at first, until finally his teeth sink into my skin, not letting go.

“Fuck.” I can’t help the soft hiss that comes from my lips, or the way my hand flies up to grip his shoulder. “Kayde?—”

He bites harder, his tongue laving over my skin that he holds between his teeth while his grip shifts so he can more easily toy with my nipples. He takes his time pinching and teasing, until I’m nearly lunging off the wall and breathing normally is a myth.

“Summer?” Liza sounds almost perplexed, and I flinch under Kayde when I hear my name. “I missed you tonight after dinner in the staff cabin. Kinsley said you weren’t feeling well.”

I can feel Kayde pinning me with his gaze, but I can’t look at him. I swallow once, then again, and squeeze my eyes shut tight to give myself the ability to answer. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t know, something at dinner made me a little nauseous. I feel fine now, though.”

"You probably overdid it today,” Liza goes on, and Kayde finally releases my skin just to lick over it again and again. The too-sensitive spot prickles under his tongue, causing me to writhe that much harder against his thigh. “During the games, I mean. You tackling her didn’t help, Darcy.”

“It’s a game, Liza,” Darcy replies flatly, as Kayde presses one more open-mouthed kiss to the prickling spot on my chest. As I watch, his smirk turns just a little bit more playful, and he noses at my throat before moving to kiss down my chest again.

“Wait,” I breathe, suddenly realizing where he’s heading. “Kayde, please—” He doesn’t listen. He never fucking listens, and seconds later his left hand is gone from my nipple just for him to seal his lips over the sensitive peak and graze his teeth against it.

My legs jerk, but I’m kept in place by his thigh and his hands on my chest. His left hand goes back to stroking my breast, and he finally shakes off my hands to give himself more range of movement. The whimper that leaves me seems to echo between us, but when his fingers sink into my breasts, pulling and cupping and grabbing me tightly so his mouth can have free rein over me, I can barely even remember to try to keep myself somewhat quiet.

“What?” I nearly whine, realizing Darcy has said my name again.

“Did Kayde say anything to you after your tug-of-war match? He was looking at you weird.” Her voice is carefully guarded, like she doesn’t want me knowing how she really feels about the whole thing.

The subject of her words glances up at me from under long lashes, water dripping down his cheeks as he moves to lick at my other nipple, his teeth once again nipping along my skin teasingly and leaving a soft but sharp pain behind.

I can’t do this. I’ve never had someone do this to me, and certainly not in a room with other people who are in danger of dying if I can’t keep my mouth shut. I mouth the word please over and over at him, but Kayde just grins and shakes his head before going back to the task he’s so happily engaged in.

“Summer?” Darcy prods irritably. “Are you fucking dead over there?”

“I’m just tired,” I snap in reply. “Jesus, Darcy, this is my quiet time.” My eyes squeeze shut at a particularly hard nip that’s definitely going to leave a bruise, and I tip my head back to stare up at the boring, innocent ceiling that’s nowhere near as sinful as Kayde’s face. Suddenly, I’m grateful for how the shower soaking both of us hides the fact I’m probably embarrassingly wet against his thigh that won’t stop moving against my center, no matter how much I try to shift away from him.

“No, he didn’t. Just congratulated me and said my kids are menaces,” I add, when I realize she’s still waiting for her answer. “We’re not friends, okay?”