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“God, I’m so glad I packed extra. I’d die out here without it,” he mutters, shuffling through the mounds of candy within. He pulls out a lollipop and unwraps it.
“You have an addiction,” I say, and his head nods frantically.
“I know it, but Dr. K says it’s better than heroin. Oh, Jesus, you should meet my friend, Lex. He’s even worse than me. He went through a phase two years ago where he was smoking, wearing the nicotine patches, and drinking cases of Diet Coke on a daily basis. It was crazy…I mean, he is crazy, so it wasn’t really that surprising, but that can’t be good for your health, you know?”
My eyebrows rise, and Emery pulls his lollipop from his mouth and waves it at me.
Those lips of his are cherry red, and I bite my bottom lip. Sweet lord, have mercy, that man’s mouth. It’s filthy and so damn sexy. How have I never really noticed it before today? Probably because I’ve felt those lips on mine and there’s no going back now.
“So, my point is, it could be worse. I could be smoking in here and drinking cases of Diet Coke, which is disgusting, by the way. Why not just real Coke? I mean, I guess everyone has their vices, but goddamn….”
Without even thinking about it, I pluck the lollipop from his tattooed fingers and slide it slowly between my lips. Don’t ask me why I do it, because it seems that Emery brings out the reckless side in me. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been avoiding him all these months. Maybe, deep down, I knew what he was capable of doing to me. Or, maybe it’s just being in this enclosed space with him, in a stressful situation, that’s messing with my mind. Or, perhaps I didn’t clear the tailpipe all that well, and I am slowly inhaling poison.
Emery gasps as I roll the red lollipop across my tongue and then close my lips around it, sucking on it and hollowing out my cheeks as I slide it back out, with an audiblepop.
“Oh. My. God,” he gasps, his mouth slightly agape. “Why would you do that to me, August?” he mutters, and I smile softly at him.
“Wanted a taste,” I shrug and then hand it back to him.
He stares at it in his hand, and then our eyes meet. Something crackles in the air between us and I know there’s no stopping me now.
“Do it again,” he whispers, and my face heats.
I don’t know why I’m even entertaining this. There are more important things to focus on, like getting ready for the cold evening and making sure we make it out of this alive. And yet, all I do is lean over toward him, my eyes glued to his, open my mouth, and slide the cherry candy right back into my mouth, swirling it with my tongue.
“Oh, fuck me,” Emery moans, his eyes hooded and glazed. “Again.”
Slowly, I lick up its side and tickle the top with tip of my tongue, and Emery’s eyelids flutter.
“Now that’s just mean,” he says, and I lean back to sit on my side of the car again. Then that lollipop that I’d just had in my mouth enters his, and I can’t help but watch it slide inside.
Our eyes lock again, and Emery’s breath stutters.
“We should be doing literally anything else right now,” he says softly, those lips impossibly red. “Like discussing how to stay alive, or fucking.”
“Jesus,” I reply, swallowing roughly.
We just stare at each other for a minute, and then I force myself to look away because I’m tempted. And I haven’t been tempted in such a long time.
Of course, it had to be Emery, my infuriating stepbrother, who’s ignited this inside me. He’s an impossibility.He’s the one thing I can’t let myself have.
I need to get out of here.
“The sun is almost down. Why don’t you just chill in here, and I’ll go take a better look around outside. See where we are exactly.”
The lust-filled haze in Emery’s eyes suddenly clears, and he clambers toward me, almost crawling onto my lap.
“Wait, I think I should stay with you. You know, just in case.”
“In case what?”
“Bears. Wolves. Possibly owls. You never know with those creepy little fuckers. They can turn their heads all the way around, like they’re possessed. They’re obviously the work of Satan.” he’s blathering, and I reach out and gently touch the side of his face. His words taper off, and he just blinks at me.
“Hey, I’ll be fine. I’m not going far.”
“I’d feel better if I could go with you. I don’t want to be alone in here without you. Don’t leave me alone, August. Please.” The way that last word is laced with desperation makes me nod in agreement.
“Okay, well, then we need to bundle you up because you’re going to freeze out there in this,” I say and reach over and grab our duffel bags and open them.
