The Amber Shift

Thirty-One

Asher

"Can you grab the cooler, please, Asher?" Elijah asks as he hoists the beach bags and chairs over his shoulder.

"Yeah, got it," I call back, pulling the giant cooler out of the back of Corbin's SUV.

I almost trip over my own feet as we make our way down to the ocean, but it isn't my fault; Noelle got a brand-new bikini for this trip, and it puts the hot pink one from that night at the pool to shame. It's bright red, not quite a thong, but shows more of her adorably round ass, and a push up top that sends her sexy tits to new heights. She didn't even bother keeping her cover-up on when we got out of the car, and I can't take my eyes off her. I drag the cooler and sneak up behind her, tickling her around the waist.

"You look so hot in this swimsuit; I just want to keep you all to myself so no one else's wandering eyes can stare at you," I murmur in her ear.

She giggles and gives me a playful shove. "Uh uh uh, you have to share. That's how it goes around here, right?" she asks.

Sharing has never bothered me before, but now it makes my heart sink a little. I am tired of sharing her. I didn't even get to be with her the other night in the grotto. I want her all to myself, damnit, but she's right; that's not what we all agreed to. This was just supposed to be fun, a good time, an easy way to let off steam. But it's quickly becoming so much more than that for me.

Elijah glares at me from where he's setting up the umbrellas, and I pull Noelle closer, squeezing her waist. "But I'm your favorite, though, right?" I say, and I want to bury myself in the sand as soon as the words fall out of my mouth.

Her mouth opens and closes and discomfort washes over her features. She takes a second too long to find her voice, and says, "Well, I let you have my v-card, so I can see your point."

Fuck.

Killian drops the flowery tote Noelle insisted we bring on the ground. "People taking V-cards. Are we making plans for tonight?"

I shoot the massive brute a glare. "Noelle was just saying how she considers me her favorite."

"Please, have you seen my lady pleaser? I win this hands down."

"More like lady demolisher," Remi says, unfolding the chairs. "It's all about that mouth action."

Killian chuckles. "You would have me beat there. You spent way too many years putting that tongue to good use."

Noelle giggles beside me and I look down at her with a raised brow. "What are you laughing at, love?"

She clears her throat and tucks her lips between her teeth. "Elijah actually has you all beat."

My other eyebrow shoots up and all three of us turn to look at our commander, who is wrestling with the third umbrella, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"How's that? He has the best watching skills?" Killian asks, and Remi elbows him with a snort.

"He made me come in two seconds with one finger. I'd say he's the real expert here." She steals a glance at Elijah, whose cheeks have turned a deep shade of scarlet.

Staring at the sand, he shakes his head and that sly smile he gets when he does something that no one else can do creeps onto his face. The man has sat on the sidelines this entire time and then he sweeps in with some one-finger bullshit that blows the rest of us out of the water? Fuck him.

It is no secret that he has a thing for Noelle. The way he pines after her when he thinks no one is looking makes that abundantly clear. He could have had her bent over, legs spread a hundred times over, but he has refused. I can't help but to wonder why he finally gave in, and why he didn't go after her sooner.