Break Me (The Summer Series) by Harper James Page A

as she fell through the
window in surprise. “What the hell are you doing awake?” She stood and fixed
her top, rubbing the elbow that had just connected with the windowsill.
    “Waiting on you, you slut.” Kate giggled and
clapped her hands together.
    “Oh, shut up.” Gemma laughed as she started
getting her stuff together to take a shower.
    “Well . . .?” Kate bounced up and down on her
bed.
    “Ugh, we didn’t have sex.” Gemma started out of
the room and toward the bathroom.
    “Not what I’m asking and you know it.” Kate brought
her hands together and puckered out her lower lip.
    “I’m not giving you details.” Gemma groaned.
    “Please.” Kate pouted a little more, “I may as
well be staying at a nunnery this summer. I need something!”
    “Fine!” Gemma rolled her eyes and turned to face
her sister before heading into the bathroom. “The way that man kisses should be
illegal. His lips on my neck could melt an iceberg. He is so dang perfect it’s
borderline painful.”
     “Eeep, I knew it!” Kate bounced up and down in
excitement.
    “Shut up. Go to sleep. I’m exhausted.” Gemma
had almost shut the door when Kate started laughing. “What?”
    “I bet you’re tired. Dealing with that fine
specimen all night. Poor baby.” Gemma rolled her eyes and shut her door to the
continued laugher of Kate.
    Gemma stood under the warm spray of water and
was relieved to feel the grime of the beach and water wash away. She
unfortunately discovered on her way home from the beach that there was a little
sand left in places she didn’t want to admit to and as she walked she was sure
she was getting a rash. Her body still felt slightly fluid from the pleasure of
her night. The one time she had tried sex before it was awkward, uncomfortable,
and over almost before it got started. One night with Abe and she knew without
a doubt this time it would be completely different.
     

 
     
     
    Nine
    The next few days consisted of time
spent together at the beach in the afternoon, each day allowing Gemma to get
more and more comfortable with her body and the girls she was surrounded by,
and then nights under the stars sans the hammock and with the added perk of a
beach towel. That’s not to say that sand didn’t end up in some uncomfortable
places or that they were able to keep themselves on the towel for long, but at
least Abe was trying. Their physical relationship had stalled, and Gemma was
getting more and more frustrated each night. She could tell Abe was feeling the
same frustrations, but he was still the one who halted the progress of their
physical relationship each night. Her confidence seemed to be growing and
suffering at the same time.
    She had plans to meet everyone at the beach as
she had every day that week, but since it was Friday, they were all able to
meet in the morning. Kate was almost ready and Gray had already left with his
friends when Karen came into the kitchen. Gemma was throwing away the wrapper
of her NutriGrain bar and turned just in time to see Karen smiling at her.
    “What?” Gemma asked, trying to hide her
annoyance with Karen. She may have come a long way in her relationship with
Kate, but Karen was still Karen, and that meant she would never trust nor
desire a relationship with the woman.
    “Nothing.” Karen paused. “It’s just”—she smiled
wistfully—“you look happy. You look beautiful. I don’t know. I’ve never seen
you like this. It’s nice.”
    Gemma furrowed her brows. “Hmm, I wonder why
you wouldn’t see me happy very often?” Gemma scoffed as she stepped toward the
back door. “Perhaps it’s because you didn’t think twice about tearing my family
apart and leaving me to grow up without a father while you went ahead and
created your perfect, cookie-cutter family.”
    “Gemma . . .” Karen’s eyes filled with tears as
she started to follow Gemma toward the door.
    “Don’t, Karen. I can’t.” Gemma hurried out of
the house, confused by her