Page 24

“Me?” I say, the mirthless laugh out before I can stop it. “I wasn’t thinking any of those things until I realized we were essentially just…you know…fuck buddies.”

Her eyes go wide as she gasps. “Excuse me?”

Pfft …she has some nerve sounding offended.

“Um…yeah. You said so yourself right before I left the room!” I mimic her pose and feel pretty damn smug that I’m calling her out on this.

“Are you freaking serious right now? I never said we were…you know…fuck buddies. I would never say something like that!”

“Liv, please, you said that we all ‘buddied up’—your exact words, by the way—so…”

Rolling her eyes, she spins away with a huff and sits on the bed.

“That wasn’t what I meant at all. I mean, those were my words, but I just meant like we’re all couples now.

When the girls planned this trip and added you guys, Roxie thought she’d have me to hang out with so she wouldn’t feel so alone.

” Another eye roll, this time followed by a snort. “Unbelievable.”

“And then you casually threw it out there when we were talking to Mike and Loren about how you and I hooked up,” I reason, still totally feeling like I am the injured party here.

“Okay, Sebastian, what exactly would you have liked me to say, huh? And for the record, keep in mind that our friend is having some serious mental health issues right now. Would it have made you feel better if I said something about how you and I felt inexplicably drawn to each other and you were my knight in shining armor who selflessly offered me shelter from the dogs and snoring, which led to us magically making love? Would that have been less offensive to you?”

I could have done without the sarcastic tone, but other than that, all I can do is blink because…she’s right. That would have sounded beyond ridiculous. So, I do the only thing I can and throw myself on her mercy.

“You made it all sound very…casual. I’ve been thinking about the connection we have, and your words made it all seem very one-sided.”

Her expression softens and she slowly gets to her feet and pads over to me.

“Everyone thinks that writers always say the right things, but…that’s on the page when I have a chance to edit and rewrite things a hundred times.

In everyday conversations, I sometimes say something stupid.

” Her hand is on my chest, and she looks up at me with a sad smile.

“We do have a connection. You know that. But we also are just now starting…whatever this is going to be. Our friends are already way too involved, and I don’t really like that because I’m a private person.

I’ve learned the hard way that letting everyone know your business doesn’t always work out. ”

I know exactly what—or should I say who— she’s referring to, and I get it.

“Damn, Liv. I’m sorry. I guess I just…”

“You heard the words I was saying and had no reason not to believe them. So really, I’m sorry.”

Leaning forward, I kiss the tip of her nose. “I thought we said we were going to stop apologizing to each other.”

She laughs softly. “We were, but that doesn’t mean we don’t apologize when it’s really important.” I watch as she slowly pulls back so I can fully see her face. “And this is important. You’re important. It would just be great if everyone…”

I place a finger over her lips. “Here’s the thing—this trip sounded like a great idea in theory.

But I’m guessing we’re all sort of seeing the flaws in the plan.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a turning point and everyone just learns to be okay with doing things separately, and when we’re together, including everyone. ”

Her hand smooths up over my chest, my shoulder, and up to my jaw.

I really love when she does that.

“I think you are very sweet and very wise.” Then she kisses me and—just like it did earlier—the rest of the world fades away.

I kiss her back and we press closer and closer together before carefully making our way over to the bed and falling onto it.

Neither of us wants to break the kiss, so we keep going as we clumsily scoot up the mattress until our heads are on the pillows.

Then I gently tug at the tie on her robe until it loosens and falls open.

Liv tugs my t-shirt up and over my head.

And then I have both her hands anchored over her head, kissing her as if my life depends on it. She’s becoming essential to me, and it terrifies the crap out of me. This isn’t who I usually am; I don’t fall like this.

Ever.

But as Olivia writhes beneath me, all I can think of is how much I want more, how I don’t want this moment—this feeling—to end. I know it will. It has to. But for tonight, I’m going to savor every touch, every breath, every sigh, every caress.

Tomorrow’s another day and I’m hopeful we’ll come back and do this all over again.

“I thought you said we were going to do this over on the sound?” I ask, staring at the Atlantic Ocean.

Beside me, Mike is practically bouncing on his toes with excitement. “That’s what I originally thought, but then I found this place that lets you ride the jet skis in the ocean! The sound isn’t very deep, so this is going to be way more fun.”

Was it?

The sun is glaring down on the ocean, making the water sparkle like a field of diamonds, and I have to squint against the light.

“Maybe shallow water isn’t a bad thing,” I argue lightly. “I mean…none of us have done this before, so I’m just saying perhaps we don’t have to go big so soon.”

“Dude, relax,” Zayne tells me. “It’s gonna be great! You saw that family with the two little kids coming back a few minutes ago. If they can do it, so can you!”

I have a feeling the kids rode with their parents, so that’s kind of a moot point, and I’m really not confident in my skills. When the guys all get on their individual jet skis, I can feel them watching me, and I’m tempted to ask if I can just piggyback on one of theirs.

“Ash, man, come on,” Mike says. “You were looking forward to it all morning! We’re gonna do this and it’s gonna be awesome!”

“Fine. Whatever.” I make my way down from the dock, put on my goggles to protect my contacts, and climb onto the third jet ski, telling myself it’s fine.

I sit, gripping the handlebars like my life depends on it—which, at this moment, feels entirely possible.

The rental guy had given us a two-minute tutorial that consisted mostly of, “Throttle’s here. Try not to fall off.”

Easy for him to say.

“Alright,” I mutter to himself. “Just like a bike. Except… on water. And way faster.”

Mike takes off first, and I can hear his roar of laughter like he is living his best life. Then Zayne races away from the dock with a triumphant roar.

And then there was one.

I take a deep breath and twist the throttle. The jet ski lurches forward, sending a spray of seawater into the air. My body jerks backward, and for a split second, it feels like I’m going to fly right off the back. But…I hold on—barely.

“Okay! Okay, I got this!” I shout, though no one can hear me over the roar of the engine.

The water was smooth at first, and I’m cruising along at a comfortable speed.

It doesn’t take long for me to relax and enjoy myself.

I can even feel myself grinning a little.

This is actually kind of awesome. The salty wind rushes past my face, and the cool mist of the ocean feels refreshing under the blazing sun. I’m enjoying all the sensations when…

I hit a wave.

The jet ski bounces. Hard. I shoot up at least an inch or two off the seat, and my heart literally leaps into my throat. When it lands, it wobbles dangerously to the side.

“Nope, nope, nope—” I quickly overcorrect, turning the handlebars sharply. The jet ski veers off-course, cutting through the waves in an unsteady zigzag.

I’m in hell…I’m in hell…I’m in hell…

Somewhere in the distance I can hear Mike and Zayne dying of laughter. I can hear their shouts, but there is no way I can look at them without losing control completely.

Determined not to wipe out, I adjust my grip and try easing into the throttle again. This time, the jet ski surged forward smoothly. I find my balance, riding over the waves instead of fighting them. Now I’m feeling confident and starting to enjoy myself again.

Then, I get an idea.

Turning slightly, I cut across the water at an angle. The ski lifts off a small wave, catching air for a split second before landing again. Adrenaline is pumping through me.

“Holy crap! That was awesome!”

I try it again. And again. Soon, I’m zipping across the water like I actually know what I’m doing. The fear has melted away, replaced by pure exhilaration.

“I’m the king of the world!”

I know it’s a cheesy thing to say, but I am seriously enjoying the hell out of myself and have to remember to thank the guys for making me do this.

As I turn toward the dock, I see both of them waving their arms, pointing at something, and I frown.

That’s when I notice the enormous wave rolling in from the side.

“Oh, come on?—”

There’s no time to react. Suddenly, the jet ski launches off the crest like a rocket. For a brief, glorious moment, I’m flying.

Unfortunately, gravity quickly does what it does best.

With a mighty splash, I’m no longer airborne. The jet ski lands first, and I follow close behind. Right in the water.

When I surface, I’m coughing and laughing, and spot the jet ski floating a few feet away, still running, mocking me.

My friends, meanwhile, are several yards away, laughing hysterically.

Slicking my wet hair back, I grin. “Alright,” I say to no one in particular as I swim toward the jet ski. “Round two.”

For the next two hours, we are whooping it up and having a fantastic time. I fall off more times than I want, but so do the guys. When our time is up and we have to return to the dock, I am exhausted in the best possible way.

“Holy crap! That was amazing!”

Zayne claps me on the back. “See? I told you! I thought you were going to give up after that wave took you out the first time.”

“Yeah, we were betting on it,” Mike chimes in. “But now Zayne owes me twenty bucks!”

“Thanks for your confidence in me,” I murmur. We head into the rental office and pick up our personal belongings before heading out to Zayne’s truck. “So? What’s next? Lunch, I hope!”

“Sounds like a plan.”

There’s a sandwich shop a few blocks over and we opt to go there. I can’t speak for anyone, but I know I’m starving. We sit down and place our orders, and it’s the first time we’re just chilling.

“Do we actually have to stay out of the house the entire day?” Zayne asks. “I heard about what happened with Roxie last night, but it would really suck if we were banned from the house from like…ten in the morning until six at night. I’m not cool with that.”

Mike glances at him. “Did you tell Vanessa that?”

He nods confidently. “I did! This was supposed to be a fun group trip. I get that Roxie’s going through something, but she knew we were all coming.”

I’m about to comment when Mike beats me to it.

“She did, but it’s one thing to think about it and another to find yourself in the middle and you’re all alone. When Ash and Olivia hooked up, she seriously felt left out.”

I hate that phrase, but I don’t correct him.

“So…what, Roxie wanted to hook up with Ash?”

Mike sighs loudly. “That’s not what I’m saying. We’re all…you know…coupled up and she’s the odd man out.”

“I get that, but it’s never bothered her before. Why pitch a fit when we’re all on vacation?”

This time I do speak up. “This is all new. When we’re back home, she can go home to her own place or opt not to go out at all. Here at the beach house, we’re all kind of up in each other’s business, and it’s all right in her face. You both know there’s zero privacy there, even with our own rooms.”

“Please, I’m just happy the place is fully soundproof,” Zayne says with a wink. “You guys are like brothers to me, but I do not need to hear what you’re doing with your girls, and I sure as hell don’t want you hearing what I’m doing with mine.”

“That is the truth,” Mike agrees before looking over at me. “How are things with you and Olivia going? You looked tense last night after you got back from walking Gunnar.”

I think of Olivia’s admission last night about our friends and how involved they are, and I opt not to divulge too much.

“You know, this is all new, but we’re having a great time.”

Both their gazes narrow before Zayne blurts out, “Way to be vague, Ash. We weren’t asking for specifics, but you didn’t need to go all politically correct.”

He can egg me on all he wants; I’m not saying more. Instead, I turn the tables and face Mike. “How did things go with you and Loren last night? It seemed like she was setting the stage for something big.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing when I first went outside, but after a while, she got kind of pissy with me. When I asked her what was wrong, she put me on the spot about setting a date for the wedding.”

“Well, you did mention that you didn’t know what you were waiting for,” I remind him.

“I know, I know. But I got a little defensive about being ambushed like that. I thought we were having a romantic night in the hot tub and that sexy things were going to happen.”

“Please tell me you did not have sex in the hot tub,” I say firmly. “Because you were out there for a really long time.”

He grins and I’m about to lay into him about being selfish, but it turns out I don’t have to.

“Nah, we didn’t. We went up to our room and did it and then came back outside.” He shrugs. “It seemed like a waste to have the whole outside to ourselves and not use it more.”

“Man, I missed all of that,” Zayne comments. “Vanessa and I were oblivious to all of this.”

“So? Did you set a date?” I ask.

“We narrowed it down to three and Loren’s supposed to talk to her parents today. I’ll find out tonight when we go to dinner. That is, if we’re allowed to go to dinner with the girls. For all we know, we’re all going to be banished for a few days.”

I want to be mad about the possibility because I don’t want to miss out on so much time with Olivia, but…Roxie’s a friend and she was a friend first, so we all need to do what’s best for her.

“I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” I say just as our food comes out.

“I hope you’re right,” Zayne says. “I seriously hope you’re right.”

So do I.