The Cora Carmack Box Set

by Cora Carmack

  He was one guy. Hardly the first guy to catch my attention here, and definitely not the last.

  I didn’t see Katalin or the guys again either. I wasn’t interested in getting my mouth vacuumed for the second time.

  Instead, I made friends with another group staying in my hostel: Jenny, who was staying in my room, was Canadian; her brother John, along with their friend Tau, who was dark- skinned, gorgeous, and Australian.

  I followed them to a pub crawl that night. It was easy to just blend into their group and give my brain a break by listening to their conversations about the summer film program they were attending in Prague. I put up with the normal get-to-know-you questions for a little while, but by the time we got to the second pub, we’d all had enough to drink that we acted like old friends even though we didn’t know each other.

  Something in me must have been broken, though, because I couldn’t even stay interested in what Tau was saying, and the guy was a beautiful specimen of man with a to-die-for accent. John was a bit on the nerdy side, still kind of cute, but there was definitely nothing there either.

  I talked to a few guys at each pub we hit, but my eyes were constantly drawn to the door, waiting for someone else to enter.

  A very specific someone else.

  But that was stupid. He wasn’t just going to walk in at random. I knew that, but I couldn’t seem to get my head or my heart into the evening.

  Between pubs, I must have seen a dozen Internet cafés, each one whispering to me, calling me to go lose myself in messages to friends and the comfort of home (or as close as I could get to it here anyway). I resisted, and made myself do a shot every time my mind wandered to Hunt or Home, both of which were recipes for disaster.

  Needless to say, I felt like the walking dead the next day when Jenny plopped herself down at my feet, and pulled the blankets down off my head.

  I groaned, and buried my head into my pillow.

  “Fuck. Too bright.”

  She clucked. “Hangover. That blows.”

  I turned my head sideways, just enough so that I could talk and keep from suffocating on my pillow.

  “I’m going to blow your brains out if you don’t talk a little quieter.”

  She smiled like I hadn’t just taken a stroll into homicidal territory. I had learned one thing the night before . . . Jenny and I were really alike. Scary alike. It was a little like hanging out with my clone. Well . . . a clone that wasn’t hung up on some guy she was never going to see again.

  She said, “I have a solution.”

  “Does it involve ritual suicide? I’ve always thought that would be an interesting way to go.”

  “Damn. You’re morbid the morning after. No wonder you say you never have any issues ditching your one-nighters. They’re probably actually in a ditch somewhere.”

  “Ha. Ha.”

  In a much quieter voice, she said, “So, I was thinking we’d get some coffee, maybe add a little something special to yours. You know, a little hair of the dog. Then we’re going shopping because we’ve got plans tonight. Epic plans.”

  Whoo-hoo. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Epic plans.

  “I’d rather take an epic nap.”

  “Come on!”

  I wanted to bury my head under my pillow and forget the world.

  I said, “Go shopping with your friends.” “They’re guys. They’ll just be obnoxious and impatient the whole time. Besides . . . you’ll like this. Trust me. Close your eyes.”

  Gladly.

  “Picture a gorgeous guy. Are you picturing him?”

  Despite all attempts to do otherwise, I was picturing a very particular gorgeous guy. The same guy who’d been stuck in my head for two days now.

  “Now picture him shirtless, in swim shorts, and dripping wet.”

  Damn it. Why did my imagination have to be so good? There was no way I was going to get out of my rut if I kept this up.

  “Now multiply that times a hundred, add some music and alcohol, and that’s what you and I are doing tonight.”

  “Uh . . . Jenny. I don’t know what kind of geography they taught you in Canada, but Hungary is landlocked. I don’t see any beach parties in our future.”

  “Who said anything about a beach, drunky? We’re going here.”

  She literally shoved a flyer into my face. My head ached as I tried to focus on the writing.

  I saw the picture first. Some kind of rave with tons of people in bathing suits looking like they were having the time of their lives.

  Above that, the title read, “Night of Baths.”

  When I sat up to take a look at the flyer, Jenny took off rambling. “The guy at the front desk, you know the one with the eyebrow ring?” Oh, I knew him, all right. He’d provided an excellent welcome my first night in Budapest. “He said it’s similar to a pub crawl, but instead of bars you go to these thermal bath places that have been around, I don’t know, a bazillion years. Everyone wears bathing suits, gets trashed, and stays out all night long.”

  At the moment, my stomach didn’t seem up to another all-nighter.

  “I don’t know, Jen—”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? This sounds amazing. Plus, it’s my last night in Budapest. And I could use a wing woman if I’m going to snag Tau.”

  Right. I vaguely remembered her mentioning something about liking him the night before. I guessed it was good I couldn’t manage to drum up any attraction on my end, then.

  “Come on, Kelsey. You’ll regret it if you don’t. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime party.”

  Between the regrets I already had and the ones I was scared of having, life was starting to feel like an obstacle course of remorse.

  “Okay. I’ll go.”

  She squealed, and I swear my brain screamed in protest.

  Quieter, she said, “Sorry. Got excited. You won’t regret this Kelsey. We’re going to find some hot swimwear, and this will be the highlight of your trip. Just wait.”

  She was right. I just needed to get rid of this headache, and I’d be able to think a little clearer.

  And maybe I would take it easy tonight. I could have fun at this party without alcohol. My liver could probably do with a bit of a break.

  I’d help her get Tau and find a guy of my own. Then I’d be back on track, and could move forward.

  Jenny, John, Tau, and I bought wristbands that allowed us entry into all of the baths and covered our transportation between the different venues. We shucked our cover-ups, checked our things, and then walked into what I could only assume was an alternate universe.

  I’d opted against the sleazy bikini that had first caught my eye, and instead had bought a black-and-white wraparound number that crisscrossed over my chest, wrapped around my rib cage, and then crisscrossed at the small of my waist once more before tying to my bikini bottoms at each hip. I looked hot, but fashionable; and in the sea of skimpy triangles, I stood out as a challenge, which was exactly my intention.

  This venue flashed with neon lights, thumped with remixed techno music, and shone with, dear Jesus, so much skin. I saw bikinis and Speedos and even an acrobat hanging from the ceiling. And the cherry on top? There were fire dancers along the edges of the open pool. As in people . . . dancing with flames. Serious insanity.

  Set against mosaic tiles and marble columns, I felt like I’d time traveled back to the hedonistic festivals I’d studied in theatre history in honor of the Greek god Dionysus; though, I didn’t know enough to know if the architecture was Greek or Roman inspired, so I suppose it could have been Bacchus. Either way, it was like Woodstock meets Sea World meets Cirque du Soleil.

  AKA fucking crazy pants.

  “Is this for real?” Jenny asked.

  “Right?” I stood, staring in awe. “Somebody pinch me.”

  A man with a horrendously hairy chest and a Speedo so tight it was probably cutting off circulation passed by me at that moment, and did just that. I yelped and held a hand to my ass, gawking at his retreating back.
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  Jenny laughed. “Maybe this place is magic, and whatever we say comes true. Ryan Gosling, please!”

  We waited.

  The acrobat hanging from the top of the dome above the bath dropped backward, hanging on to her hoop with only her knees, but no celebrities magically appeared.

  Jenny snapped her fingers. “Too bad. This is still pretty awesome, though.”

  Awesome didn’t even begin to cover it. This was . . . incredible.

  “Thanks for making me come.”

  Jenny smiled. “Like I would have let you miss this!”

  The guys seemed to be enjoying it too, though their eyes were glued more to bikinis than the visuals and pyrotechnics.

  We walked farther into the room, past a bar and toward the steam-clouded bath. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes. A short guy with blond hair shouted and took a running leap into the water. He landed a few feet away from a chubby guy with a floaty around his waist like a neon green donut. My eyes kept catching on the girl curled around the hoop hanging from the top of the bath’s domed ceiling. It reminded me of one of those bird cages, with the circular perch in the middle. I kept waiting for her to sprout wings and fly.

  Then there were the abs . . . sweet baby Jesus, it was like there was a factory with a conveyor belt spitting them out because they just kept coming. I didn’t even know where to begin. It was a buffet of well . . . buffness, and I was about to be guilty of gluttony.

  “Should we get drinks?” Jenny asked.

  I shook my head. “I’m okay. Let’s check out the water first.”

  I took my first step into the bath, and I may have let out a strangled moan at the delicious heat. I smiled at Jenny and said, “Bet they don’t have things like this in Canada.”

  “Are you kidding? I would still be in Canada if we had shit like this.”

  I sank in the bath up to my waist and closed my eyes in satisfaction. The water lapped at my chest, and I could feel the tension in my muscles unraveling.

  “Can I spend the rest of my life here?” I asked.

  “You might get a bit pruney.”

  “Worth it.”

  We waded farther into the bath. There were bodies everywhere. People danced and laughed and splashed. With the heat and steam and music and lights—it was a sensual overload.

  The guys waded into the water behind us, and I said, “Time to snag you your hot Aussie.”

  Jenny smiled. “Patience. Trust me, I’ve been hanging out with him long enough to figure out, he needs a little push. A bit of jealousy should do the trick.”

  I almost felt a little sorry for Tau. Jenny was gorgeous, all dark to my light. Dark hair, brown eyes, tanned skin. As she scanned the bath, I knew she wouldn’t have an issue finding someone to make Tau jealous over.

  “And what are you looking to snag tonight?” she asked.

  “Just a bit of adventure.”

  A couple playing chicken toppled into the pool a few feet away, sending a wave of water over both of us.

  “I think you’ve found it!” she shouted, wiping at her eyes.

  I did the same, and smiled.

  I had found it. This was what I’d been looking for. The kind of experiences I couldn’t get in Texas. Maybe it was naive, but being here—visiting places and doing things that most people didn’t—it made me feel . . . special. It made me feel successful in a way that a college degree and a padded bank account hadn’t. Even if I never did anything else of note in my life, if I spent the rest of my days in a loveless marriage or a porcelain home like my mother, at least I had this to remember. At least I had these memories to set me apart from the crowd.

  We moved farther into the pool, and Jenny wasted no time before leading us up to two guys. She was kind of the perfect wing woman. Together, we could take the partying world by storm.

  “I’m Jenny,” she said to the nearest guy. “This is my friend Kelsey. And you are gorgeous.” He was actually. Tanned skin, killer green eyes, and shaggy hair that was curling in the steam. She added belatedly, “Oh, and that’s John and Tau.”

  Damn, she was good. Her brother and her crush held back a bit from the group, and I could see the way Tau’s eyes followed her as she smiled and chatted with her new conquest.

  I didn’t know whether to talk to Jenny’s friends or the cute guy’s friend. The friend was attractive too, tall and kind of skinny with long blond hair. But to be honest, I didn’t really feel like talking to either. Jenny was easy to hang with because she just talked, and she didn’t ask too many questions. She was a party friend, the kind that you click with instantly because you have similar partying styles, but don’t have to actually put forth any effort. John and Tau were different. They were both on the quiet side, and I felt like I had to work to talk to them. And the cute guy? Well . . . I didn’t have a great excuse for why I didn’t want to talk to him. I was trying to convince myself into starting a conversation when he beat me to it.

  He said, “Kelsey? That’s your name?”

  I nodded. “And you are?”

  “Lukas.” He spoke excellent English, with just a slight trace of an accent. German maybe? He asked, “Are you two sisters?”

  Jenny and I looked at each other and smiled. We didn’t particularly look alike. She was dark to my light, but our bodies were similar enough.

  I smiled at Lukas and said, “We are.”

  He pushed some of his hair back and gave me a wicked smile. God knows what it was with guys, but there was something about the idea of sisters that drove them nuts.

  “Where are you from?” Jenny’s guy asked. His accent was thicker than his friend’s.

  Jenny flipped her hair and answered, “Holland.”

  I saw Tau roll his eyes and scowl.

  Lukas turned to me and said, “Oh?” Followed by a string of noises that I was guessing was Dutch. I gave Jenny a look.

  Really? The guy had a German accent, and she picked a country right next door to his? She couldn’t have gone for something like, I don’t know, Sweden?

  I laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to flirt my way out of it.

  If that didn’t work, I could always make a swim for it. My eyes went to the space between Lukas and Jenny, my escape path, if I needed it. And as if the universe had framed him for me in that space, I saw Hunt.

  I blinked once, wondering if I was hallucinating him because of the heat, but he was still there. His head started turning toward me, and I panicked.

  I gripped Lukas’s other shoulder, and spun him until my back was to Hunt. The water sloshed around us, but there were so many people that he couldn’t have seen. Lukas’s hands gripped my waist, and I let it happen because the last thing I needed to do was cause a scene.

  It was only after my back was turned that I allowed myself to acknowledge how devastatingly gorgeous Hunt looked. I’d felt the muscles beneath his clothing, imagined them this morning, but seeing them in the flesh even for just a second put that all to shame.

  And for the first time in a long time . . . I was nervous.

  Jenny turned and raised an eyebrow at me. “What’s up, Kels?” Subtext: Hey, psycho . . . what’s your problem?

  What was my problem? He was just a guy. Guys had never been a challenge for me . . . or not in a long time anyway. But this guy . . . he had me on the ropes without even trying. All I knew was that there were a hundred girls in bikinis here, and I was sure I was the only one that had tried to kiss him with vomit-breath.

  I resisted the urge to peer over my shoulder and told Jenny, “Nothing. I’m fine. Just someone I’d rather not see.” And was dying to see simultaneously. Way to make sense, brain.

  Truthfully . . . I didn’t get him. And when I thought I had, I’d been wrong. It was that uncertainty, that complete lack of control, that made him the scariest damn thing I’d encountered in a long time. And the complete opposite of what I told myself tonight was going to be. I said, “There’s five other bath places, right?”

  We c
ould just move on. Find another place to party.

  “Yes, but . . .” Jenny threw a smile at the guys and said, “We can’t leave yet.” She moved to stand closer to her catch. I sighed. I didn’t want to make her have to start over with operation jealousy.

  “They could come with us.”

  I lifted my chin to look at Lukas, and he tightened his arms around my waist.

  Jenny turned and peered past my shoulder. “Who are you running from anyway— Oh!”

  “Oh? Oh! What does ‘oh’ mean?”

  A smile crossed her face that made my stomach jump in anticipation.

  She turned to the two guys and said, “Could you give us just a second?” She took hold of my shoulders and Lukas’s fingernails grazed my skin lightly as she pulled me out of his reach. She moved us over a few feet before asking quietly, “Would the person you don’t want to see happen to be a gorgeous piece of man candy with a buzz cut and biceps that some ancient civilization probably worshiped?”

  I swallowed. “Please tell me the reason you know that is because you’re psychic.”

  “No, honey. I’ve just got eyes.”

  Speaking of eyes, I swear I could feel his on my back, and I thought my spine might curl in on itself from the way it tingled.

  “He’s watching me?”

  “Like you’re the last piece of cake.”

  The water temperature felt like it was rising, and it had already been hot.

  Jenny asked, “Just looking for a piece of adventure, my ass. You already have an adventure. Who is he?”

  An enigma.

  “Just a guy I met the other night,” I answered.

  “And why the hell would you not want to see him? Did he have herpes or something? Because that’s a damn shame. Like paint splattered all over a Van Gogh. Or a naked Ryan Gosling. “

  “It wasn’t that kind of meeting.”

  She clucked her tongue. “Also a shame. So, then why are you avoiding him?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  As intriguing as I found him, I didn’t like the way he made me feel. Jumbled and uncertain and naked in a way that had nothing to do with my current lack of clothing. Lukas was the better option. Easier to pinpoint and control.