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JESS
and
The first thing I saw was the back of a guy, his shirt gone his pants pulled down. His back muscles flexed and rippled as she rocked forward against the basin.
It was what was between him and the basics that had me pausing. His large hand gripped the hips of a petite blond while his other hand pulled back her head by her blond curls.
He slammed her into the cabin while he watched what he was doing in the mirror in front of him, his brows furrowed and beads of sweat running down his face.
The girl gasped, and he rocked into her, his fingers gipping thin blue material across her ass and pulling it aside before
spreading her cheek and looking down at himself as he slipped inside her.
I should have turned around and run the hell away, but some deep, dark part of me refused to move.
My eyes trailed upward to the mirror, and there, in the reflection, was Sarah, looking right at me with her mouth slightly opened, and she grunted with every thrust of what looked to be like one of the guys from the offense team. He pulled her blue bikini to the side and gripped one of her breasts as he continued to move over and over, the cabinet rattling against the wall.
I focussed back on Sarah, and she smiled, and the guy groaned,
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slamming into her one last time.
“Fuck. That was…” the guy mumbled, and it snapped me out of my weird haze. I turned around and hurried back to the kitchen.
I grabbed plates and napkins and found Laura on her way in just as I walked out. “Whoa, Jess. What’s wrong? It looks like you saw a ghost?” She grabbed the plates from me, and I looked back towards the house–expecting her to run downstairs, but she didn’t.
“Nothing,” I lied, my voice sharp and brittle as I shoved the napkins into Laura’s hands. “I’m fine.”
Her brow furrowed as she studied me, her mouth open like she wanted to press further. But something in my expression must have stopped her. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder toward the house, then back to me.
“You sure?” she asked again, softer this time.
“Positive.” My tone was clipped, the edges fraying as I forced a tight smile. “Go. Make sure Josh hasn’t burned all the burgers.”
Laura hesitated, biting her bottom lip like she didn’t believe me. But eventually, she nodded and headed back toward the patio, plates in hand.
I stood there for a moment, my hands braced on the kitchen counter as I sucked in a shaky breath. The memory of what I’d just seen replayed in my mind on an endless, humiliating loop.
Sarah’s smile. That smug, knowing smile as she locked eyes with me.
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288 Vouchers
The heat of it boiled under my skin, turning my cheeks scarlet as I fought the urge to scream–or cry–or both.
How could she?
The thought made my stomach twist painfully. Would he even care? It’s not like it was Luke or anything. Maybe I was upset that it was technically my old room… that must be it.
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the spiraling thoughts as I sank onto the edge of one of the patio chairs.
“Jess, you okay?”
Luke’s voice cut through the noise, deep and concerned, as he stepped closer. His dark eyes scanned my face, and I felt the weight of his gaze like a physical thing.
I forced another tight smile, refusing to let him see the cracks. “Yeah. Just needed a second.”
His brow furrowed like he didn’t quite believe me, but before he could press the issue, Josh called his name, motioning for help with the grill. Luke hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding and turning away.
I exhaled slowly, my chest aching as I watched him go.
And then, as if the universe wasn’t done toying with me, Sarah emerged from the house, her blonde hair tousled and cheeks flushed. She wore that same tiny blue bikini, now slightly askew, as she sauntered across the patio like nothing had happened.
Like she didn’t know I was watching.
Our eyes met briefly, and she smiled–just a flicker, but enough
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to send my pulse pounding in my ears.
