Page 12 of Mercenary

I might be more cautious about letting anyone in, but with my friend’s help, I’m learning how to let loose.

The pocket of my shorts vibrates loudly.

It’s Brendan, my soon-to-be-official boyfriend, who’s been hanging out by the bar with the handsome bartender who has been flirting with Luciana all night.

“You know what they say when a cell phone vibrates?” Luciana says.

“No, what?”

“Nearby someone is horny.”

“Half the cells phones in Cabo must be doing a happy dance with you in town.”

“Let’s go, amiga,” she replies, grabbing my hand. “And test the waters.”

As we walk across the beach, she squeezes my hand. “What happens in Costa del Rio—”

“Stays in Costa del Rio,” I finish her sentence with a smile.

And if the night goes according to plan, I’ll be leaving my pesky virginity behind in Mexico as well.

* * *

Brendan’s everythingI should want in a boyfriend. Kind. Sweet. Easy on the eyes, with his chestnut-colored hair and always earnest smile. A surfer boy with a tight, muscular body and easygoing manner. A guy more in love with me than I with him—something Luciana tells me is a good thing. I want us to work. I want my first foray into sex to be earth-shattering. I want to forget that his eyes aren’t . . . green.

“Stop,” I say, pushing him off of me.

“What’s wrong, babe?” he asks, yet does as I ask, rolling away from me and onto his back on the Mexican blanket. We’ve been making out for over an hour, kissing and caressing each other in what should have been an intimate exchange. Two young lovers on a moon-rich beach with not a care in the world. The perfect setup for losing one’s virginity. Except I’m not feeling it.

“I didn’t mean to come so fast but you get me all worked up. Let me make it up to you. Let me make you come.”

Ten strokes within my palm is all it’d taken for him to climax, which is how we started things out. Seems my surfer boy is as quick to climax as he is at catching waves. But the truth is, it’s my fault things aren’t progressing like I’d hoped.

I sigh. “That’s not it.”

“What is then?”

I reach down and tug my bikini top back up and into place. “It doesn’t matter.” I hoped the moonlight, the warm beach, exotic Cabo, and my hot surfer boy would be it. The one to make me feel things. To make me forget . . . him.

Or is it my rose-colored memory of him?

Brendan isn’t the guy for me. Best to end it with him now and not lead him on.

Break it to him gently.

“You’re a keeper, Mad. With any other girl, I’d be feeling pretty lame.”

“I better head back to my room. Luciana and I have to get up early if we plan on making our whale-watching trip.”

“That’s tomorrow?” Brendan rolls toward me. “What about the sunrise?”

I bite my lip. The whale excursion isn’t really tomorrow but the following morning. So much for being gentle. “Brendan, please don’t get the wrong idea . . .”

“Right. Wait until you see the sunrise from the deck of my beach house. Which reminds me, babe, this summer if you wanna stay in San Diego, you can move into my place. Plenty of space to store your board. We can surf every day. You’ll be riding like a pro in no time.”

“I . . . um . . .” He catches me with my pants down in an entirely different way than anticipated. Oh, no. He’s asking me to move in with him?

Two months ago, he’d commented on my stylin’ lime-green board and offered up surfing tips. I’d meet him at sunrise and spend the early morning catching waves before classes began. Out of the water, we’d slowly progressed from kissing to full-on body contact. He has both a nice package and is the whole package. Any girl would be lucky to have him. A shame she will never be me. Credulously, he smiles, unaware of the panic rocking my rapidly sinking ship.