Page 27 of Echoes of Us

"D are." The word fell from Ashley's lips before she could think better of it. Maybe it was the wine humming through her veins or the way Cole's eyes had turned predatory in the lamp's low light. Maybe she just wanted this game of cat and mouse to end.

Time seemed to slow as Cole straightened, setting his beer bottle on the coffee table with deliberate care. The soft clink of glass on wood echoed in the sudden quiet. Even Mike had stopped fidgeting, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

Cole's smile was all edges when he finally spoke. "Kiss my brother."

The words hung in the air like smoke. Ashley felt Dale go very still behind her, and his warmth at her back was suddenly overwhelming. On her right, Sarah sucked in a sharp breath.

"Cole." His name was a warning on Sarah's lips.

"What?" His innocence was studied, practiced, and belied by the dangerous glint in his eyes. "They clearly want to. Might as well get it over with."

"Come on, man," Eddie shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe we should-"

"It's just a dare," Cole cut him off, voice slurring slightly. "No big deal, right Ashley?"

Mike let out a nervous laugh, too loud in the tense room. "Yeah, just a kiss. We've all done worse in this game."

"Unless," Cole's eyes locked with hers, challenge burning in them, "you're scared?"

"I'm not scared." The wine made her tongue loose, reckless. "It's just a game, right?"

"Right." Lisa's voice was high, uncertain. "Just a silly game."

"Exactly." Cole's grin turned sharp. "So go ahead. Show us how not scared you are."

The music playing softly in the background felt jarring now - something about eternal love and second chances. Ashley's hands shook as she pushed herself to her knees. Someone - probably Sarah - whispered, "You don't have to."

But she was already turning toward Dale. He watched her with that same gentle understanding he always had, but there was something else in his eyes now - hope, maybe. Or resignation. The room spun slightly as she moved closer - too much wine, too much emotion, too much everything.

"It's no big deal," she heard herself say, the words hollow. "Just a dare."

"Just a dare," Dale echoed softly, but his eyes said something else entirely.

Behind her, Cole's laugh was bitter. "Better make it good. Wouldn't want to disappoint everyone."

The carpet was rough under her bare legs as she shifted closer - when had she taken off her shoes? One of her feet had fallen asleep, pins and needles shooting through her toes.

Dale didn't move as she shifted closer, but she heard his breath catch.

That familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around her - earthy and warm.

From this close, she could see the faint freckle near his temple, the slight chip in his glasses frame, and all the tiny details that made him Dale instead of Cole.

"Come on, Ashley," Mike called out, trying to break the tension. "Show us how it's done!"

Someone shushed him. The music switched to something slower because, of course, it would. Ashley's wine-addled brain registered Sarah reaching for the speaker controls, but Cole's hand shot out to stop her.

"Let it play," he drawled. "Sets the mood, doesn't it?"

Dale's eyes dropped to her mouth. She was close enough now to feel his breath on her lips, to see his pupils dilate slightly. His hand had risen unconsciously, hovering near her waist without touching.

"This okay?" she whispered, the words feeling thick in her mouth. Acting like this was just another drunk dare, just another moment that would be laughed about tomorrow.

"Yeah," Dale breathed, but his voice cracked on the word.

"Jesus, just kiss already," Cole's voice cut through the haze. "Or do you need instructions?"

Lisa made a small sound of distress. Eddie muttered something that sounded like, "not cool, man."

Ashley's fingers trembled as she reached for Dale's shoulder to steady herself. The room tilted slightly - too much wine, too much wanting to prove something, too much everything. Dale's sweater was soft under her palm. She could see his throat working as he swallowed.

Just before their lips met, she stopped. Reality crashed through her drunken haze like ice water.

"I can't." Her voice cracked on the words, barely a whisper. "I'm sorry."

The silence that followed was deafening. Someone - Sarah maybe - exhaled sharply. Dale's expression shuttered, but not before she caught the flash of hurt in his eyes.

"I have to-" She stumbled to her feet, nearly tripping over Mike's legs. "I need air."

"Ashley-" Dale started to rise, but Cole's voice cracked through the room like a whip.

"Let her go, brother. Clearly, we're not good enough for her particular tastes."

She fled, tears already burning her eyes. The hallway spun around her - damn wine, damn Cole, damn everything. She needed out, needed space, needed-

The night air hit her like a slap when she burst outside. She made it three steps before a hand caught her arm, spinning her around.

"Why couldn't you kiss him?" Cole's voice was rough, angry. His fingers burned against her skin, and she could smell alcohol on his breath, mixed with that familiar cologne that made her head spin. "He's the better choice. The safer choice. The one who-"

"You're such an asshole." She yanked her arm free, stumbling slightly in her bare feet on the cold pavement.

The wine made her braver, made everything sharp and bright and too much.

Her skin felt too tight, too hot despite the night air.

"You think this is a game? Daring me to kiss your brother like some- some twisted test? "

"Isn't it?" He stepped closer, his heat overwhelming as he backed her against the brick wall.

A street lamp caught the angles of his face, throwing shadows that made him look dangerous, almost a stranger.

His chest rose and fell rapidly like he'd been running.

"Isn't that what you've been doing? Playing us both, running to him every time-"

"No!" Her hands shoved against his chest, feeling the solid muscle beneath his shirt, the way his heart hammered against her palm. "God, you're so- you don't understand anything!"

"Then make me understand!" His hands slammed against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. She could see the pulse jumping in his throat, the way his pupils had dilated until only a thin ring of gray remained. His next words came out as almost a growl. "Why him? Why-"

She kissed him then. Grabbed his shirt in her fists, pulled him down, and kissed him like she'd been dying to since she woke up in this timeline.

Like she'd kissed him a thousand times before, in another life.

She knew exactly how to make him groan - teeth catching his lower lip, tongue sliding against his just so.

The familiar taste of him made her wild.

His response was immediate, devastating. One hand fisted in her hair, the other gripping her hip hard enough to bruise. She arched into him, remembering how he liked pressure just there- The sound he made was animal, primal.

He hitched her up against the wall, his movements sure despite the whiskey on his breath.

The brick scraped against her back through her thin dress as she wrapped her legs around his waist, but the slight pain only made everything sharper, more real.

One of his hands splayed across her lower back, protective even in his hunger, keeping the rough wall from marking her skin.

His other hand slid torturously slow up her thigh, fingertips tracing patterns that made her breath catch. When he reached the lace edge of her underwear, he groaned against her throat. "Fuck, Ashley."

She arched into his touch, desperate for more. His mouth found that spot under her jaw that always made her weak, and she couldn't help the whimper that escaped. The sound made him press harder against her, his hips pinning her to the wall.

"The things you do to me," he breathed against her skin, and for a moment, he sounded so much like her Cole that tears pricked her eyes.

His fingers hooked under the lace of her underwear, dragging it roughly aside.

The possessive gesture was so unlike her Cole that her breath caught - and God, something about that difference sent heat pooling low in her belly.

This Cole was unhinged with barely contained need, his touch demanding rather than coaxing.

When his fingers finally found her, the growl that rumbled through his chest was almost feral.

Her head fell back against the brick as he stroked her, his movements deliberate but untamed.

This wasn't the careful lover she remembered - this was something wilder and darker, and her body responded with an intensity that shocked her.

"Look at me," he demanded, crooking his fingers in a way that made her cry out.

She forced her eyes open to find his face inches from hers, pupils blown wide with desire.

The raw hunger in his expression short-circuited her brain, erasing any thought of comparison.

There was only now, only this - his fingers working her higher, his breath hot against her throat, the delicious pressure of him pinning her to the wall.

She rolled her hips against his hand, desperate for more.

His teeth scraped her pulse point in response, not gentle at all, and the sharp edge of pain-pleasure made her gasp.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, pulling harder than she'd ever dared before, and his reaction was immediate - he ground against her, adding a third finger that had her seeing stars.

"Fuck, the sounds you make," he groaned, voice rough with need. His thumb found her clit, circling with devastating precision. "Want to hear you scream for me."

Her whole body trembled as he worked her higher, every stroke of his fingers making her arch deeper into his touch. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could only feel. His mouth traced a burning path down her throat, teeth scraping skin, marking her in ways she'd never allowed before.

"Please," she gasped, not even sure what she was begging for. Her hand found him through his jeans, palming his length, feeling him hard and straining against the denim. The sound he made was almost pained.

"Christ, Ashley." His fingers faltered inside her as she worked his belt open, she slipped her hand into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around him. Hot, hard, perfect. He pulsed in her grip as she stroked him, remembering how he liked it just this side of too tight.

His forehead dropped to her shoulder, breath coming in harsh pants against her skin. But he didn't stop moving his fingers, matching her rhythm until they were both trembling on the edge.

"I need-" she started, but he was already hitching her higher, positioning himself. The head of him pressed against her, hot and thick, and oh God, she wanted him inside her more than she'd ever wanted anything-

The sharp crack of a door slamming shattered everything.

They turned in time to see Dale's back disappearing into the building, his stride rigid with hurt. The sight was like ice water down her spine, reality crashing back with devastating force.

Horror flooded through her as she realized how he'd found them - her hand guiding Cole's cock inside her, the tip pressed against her entrance, about to- God, she'd almost let Cole take her right here, against a building wall where anyone could see. Where his brother had seen.

Dale, who'd supported her the other night. Who'd listened to her deepest secrets and offered nothing but understanding. Who'd had to watch her nearly fuck his brother mere days after she'd run to him for comfort?

Cole went still against her, then pulled away with mechanical movements.

The loss of his heat left her trembling as he set her down, her legs barely able to support her weight.

She watched him tuck himself away and zip his jeans, each motion precise and controlled.

His walls were slamming up so fast she could almost hear them.

"Cole-" Her voice cracked on his name. She tried to smooth down her skirt with shaking hands, suddenly aware of how wrecked she must look, how obvious what they'd been doing.

"I don't want you."

The words broke something in her, worse for how quietly he said them. How calmly.

"You don't mean that-" She reached for him, but he stepped back, his expression carved from ice.

"You think just because you have the perfect ass and surprisingly good kissing skills that I want you?" His laugh was cruel, empty. "Every man with a heartbeat would want you when you kiss him like that."

"Stop it." She could see it happening - him retreating into that cold, sharp version of himself, using words like weapons. Her body still thrummed with a need for him, making his rejection cut deeper. "You don't mean it."

"You're not my type." The finality in his voice shattered what was left of her heart. His eyes flickered toward the door Dale had disappeared through. "But you are his."

He turned and walked away, leaving her there with her back against cold brick, her thighs still trembling, her body aching from his unfinished touch. The space between her legs throbbed with need, and loss, and humiliation.

She slid down the wall, not caring that the motion scraped her through the thin dress. How had everything gone so wrong? Ten minutes ago, she'd been in Cole's arms, feeling more alive than she had since waking up in this timeline. Now...

Now, she'd lost them both.

It was the last she saw of Cole that summer.