Kill Devil Hills: A Complete Beach Romance Series (4-Book Box Set)

by Sarah Darlington

  The counter, the dishes, the sink—all of it looked sparkling clean, as if I'd never been here at all.

  “Is that everything?” Noah asked.

  I nodded.

  It was over. My lie was over. My thing with Ben… probably also over. And it crushed me.

  I followed Noah out of the house, across the path that lead to the Turner's house, and inside with him. He said nothing. I said nothing. I only followed him up the stairs that led to the Turner's open kitchen and living room area. He set his filled trash bag down on the counter, while I still clutched mine tightly in my hands.

  Several minutes passed where neither of us moved and the silence continued.

  It was weird being in Ben's house. After all this time, it was my first time stepping inside. The layout of this house was the mirror image of the house next door. Yet, they were complete opposites. The decor in the Davenport house was modern and beachy. The decor in Ben's house was cozy, eclectic, and inviting.

  No one else was home.

  Tears burned behind my eyes, but somehow I managed to keep them at bay.

  “So, who are you?” Noah suddenly asked.

  Before I could answer Noah, I heard the downstairs door open and someone come inside. It couldn’t be Ben already…could it? I held my breath and listened to the sound of footsteps quickly moving up the stairs.

  Sure enough. It was Ben.

  He came into view, moving into the room. His dark hair slightly disheveled, while his face remained stoic. He stopped several feet away from me, shoving his hands in his pockets.

  I couldn’t read him.

  If he was angry, he hid it. If he was hurt, he didn’t let it show. I didn’t know the right words to say, but I knew I had to say something. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you.”

  “But you didn’t,” he retorted, his voice low and surprisingly calm. Too calm. “You lied this whole time. You let me think you were my friend. You took advantage of my trust. And for what? A free place to stay? A few free meals? How’d you even get into the Davenport’s house in the first place?”

  “I picked the lock,” I admitted.

  His eyes narrowed. “Of course you did. You’re just a regular criminal. Breaking and entering is nothing for you. Are you even pregnant? Or is that just another lie?”

  “Says the man who faked his own death and spent nine months in jail,” Noah said, chiming in to my defense. “And she’s clearly pregnant. She’s showing.”

  “Stay out of this, Noah,” Ben warned, his eyes still on me.

  “Just stating the obvious.”

  My hand instinctively rested on my stomach. I was getting bigger, but I hadn’t realized other people could tell yet.

  Despite his calmness, Ben was angry with me. That much was evident. But I desperately needed him to know that my intention was never to hurt him. I truly was his friend. I truly cared for him. He meant everything to me.

  “The only lie I told you was that my name was Lilly,” I said, hoping he could see past that. “Everything else we shared was real. You've been kind to me and you’ve helped me more than you know. If you want me to leave right now, I will. But you need to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

  He sighed. His eyes were so intense it was killing me. “How do I know you're not saying the right things just to manipulate me more?”

  Ouch. “You don't. You'll just have to trust me.”

  “Trust? How can you even ask me to trust you? I can’t now. So…maybe you should just leave.”

  Like a wrecking ball to the chest, the air left my lungs. He was done with me? Just like that? And where the hell was I supposed to go? I guess our kiss this morning hadn't meant as much to him as it had to me. The realization of that hurt more than I could have ever expected.

  “Do you even want to know my real name?” I asked, in one final attempt to break through to him.

  His jaw tightened. “No.”

  I huffed out in frustration. “You know what? I'm not sorry I lied about being Lilly. I did what I had to do. For me and for my baby. And if I had to, I’d do the exact same thing all over again.” I grabbed my other trash bag of stuff off the counter, the one Noah had collected, and now that I had all of my belongings, I left. In a blur of emotion and anger, I raced down the stairs and out the front door of the Turner’s house.

  Outside it was bright and blinding. Almost warm enough for shorts. The sun beat down on me as I took off speed walking in the direction of the bus station. I had my five hundred dollars from last night; I could easily get on a bus and start over somewhere else. But some part of me didn’t want to go. Not because of Ben, but because I liked it here.

  Well, maybe a little bit because of Ben. But I told myself that wasn't the reason.

  This town felt like home in a way nowhere else had before. And Ben wasn’t the only person I knew. Rhett and I had become friends. Last night the guys in his band had asked me to become an official member of their group. And I’d accepted.

  So, I changed directions. Instead of the bus station, I headed toward Chancy’s Claw. Because Rhett already knew my secret and he told me when the shit hit the fan, I should come to him.

  As I walked, I grabbed my half of a carton of orange juice from my bag and started to chug. I figured all my cold stuff was about to start to spoil anyway, so I might as well start consuming. By the time I reached the gravel parking lot of Chancy's Claw, I was full on leftovers and liquid. My morning sickness had improved lately so at least I didn't have to worry about that for the moment.

  Just then, the sound of feet running on gravel had me stopping in my tracks. I turned around and found Ben jogging my way. Always the athlete, I suppose, the guy ran so effortlessly. Whatever. I was so annoyed with him that the very sight of him bugged the hell out of me. Although my heart, the little traitor that it was, jumped at the sight of him.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded. I dropped my bags at my feet. They were suddenly too heavy to hold.

  He came to a halt in front of me. His hands landing on his hips. His breaths were only slightly heavier than normal. “Well, I ran to the bus stop first. But no one had seen you there. Then I ran here.”

  “Congratulations, Sherlock,” I said sarcastically. “You found me.”

  “Don't take this as me forgiving you,” he retorted, his eyes narrowing down at me, his chest moving up and down with each breath he took. “I'm just making sure you know what you're doing.” A single bead of sweat dripped down his face, almost deliciously so.

  Dammit, Juniper, focus.

  “I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much. I never needed your help before and I don't need it now.” I kicked my trash bags against the side of the Chancy's Claw building, figuring no one would touch them, and moved to open the restaurant doors. I yanked hard and nearly smacked Ben in the face with the door. Serves him right.

  He groaned and followed me inside.

  “I see your first instinct was to run to Rhett,” he growled, his voice lowered so only I could hear. “Since you're becoming such good friends and all.”

  What? I turned around to glare up at Ben for a moment. That sounded a whole lot like jealousy. “Rhett and I are just friends.”

  “Just like you and I are just friends?” he questioned.

  Our conversation halted.

  Because—speak of the devil—Rhett approached. “Um, what's happening?” he asked, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Ben and me. “You two look like you’re about to rip each other’s throats out. I take it that means you found out Hugs isn’t Lilly.”

  Paleness washed over Ben’s face. “Wait. What? Hugs isn’t a nickname?”

  I swallowed. “It’s my last name.”

  “So, this whole time Rhett knew when I didn’t?”

  Shit. Double shit. Somehow confiding to Rhett about the Lilly Davenport thing, instead of first telling Ben, suddenly seemed like the worst possible thing I could do. I swear to God, Ben looked at me as if I said I’d just fuc
ked the man in his Impala out back.

  “She needs a place to stay,” Ben said through gritted teeth. He avoided my eyes and only spoke to Rhett now. “Can you figure something out for her?”

  “Look,” Rhett started, slinging his bar towel over his shoulder. “It’s not like—”

  “Dammit. Yes or no, Rhett. Can you find her somewhere to stay or not?”

  “Yes,” Rhett answered.

  “Good.”

  And without another glance in my direction or even a goodbye, Ben turned and pushed his way through the double doors of the restaurant. Just like that he was gone. And I knew, without a doubt now, the tiny thing we’d started—whatever it was—was officially over.

  CHAPTER 13:

  JUNIPER

  You will not cry today, I promised myself. Not gonna happen.

  In general I wasn't usually a big crier. Don't get me wrong, I cried every single time Simba's dad died in the Lion King. But over regular things, I typically could hold my own. Which was probably why I'd been good at enduring Quinton's shit for so long. But losing my friendship with Ben had been...well, rough.

  To say the least.

  Staring down at my soggy bowl of Cheerios, I felt the emotions inside me begging to bubble to the surface once more. It had to be pregnancy hormones making me feel so much. It had to be. Otherwise there was something seriously wrong with me.

  “Oh good, you're up,” Rhett said as he came into the kitchen. He was freshly showered and dressed for work. “So, the band got another gig. It's for 80's night at the Jack the Rabbit Bar in Kitty Hawk. It's a pretty big deal. But we'll have to dress in 80's clothes and play 80's songs.”

  I sat on a barstool at Rhett's kitchen counter. I'd been staying here the past week. Rhett had actually been looking for two roommates to rent the two empty rooms in his house. It had worked out for me. But this was only temporary. I’d need to find a place of my own soon before I wore out my welcome.

  “That could be fun,” I said to him. “Everyone likes 80's songs.”

  “Yeah, we already have several in our set list. But it's still going to mean learning more new songs. You up for it?”

  “Sure.” Practicing and memorizing lyrics was about all I was doing every day, anyway, so this was nothing new for me.

  “Sydney's coming for the weekend today, too,” he added.

  “Okay.” Sydney, his girlfriend, was super nice. She hadn't had any issues with me staying here. But that was just another reason why I’d need to find my own place soon. How comfortable could a girl really be, whether she showed it or not, with me living with her boyfriend?

  Rhett grabbed the OJ from the fridge and poured himself a glass. “Also, we had a server quit at Chancy’s yesterday,” he said next. “And business is starting to pick up again now that the weather is getting warmer. If you want to start a job there, then you’re hired. Maybe get yourself some health insurance. Hell, I think even Noah and Ellie are hiring at their miniature golf business right now. You could probably work there and sit in a chair all day. Whatever is easiest while you’re pregnant.”

  Unless someone was willing to ‘pay me under the table’ then neither of those options would work. Rhett didn’t have the same fear about Quinton finding me that I had. He seemed to think that I could start using my credit card, or work, or go to the doctor…all consequence free. And if Quinton found me, so what? I didn’t share his optimism that everything would be alright, though. So far I’d played it safe, and so far no Quinton.

  I wanted to keep it that way.

  Just then the doorbell chimed, making me jump a little in my seat and the little hairs on my arms stand. I still had this fear that Quinton could be around every corner.

  “Yeah, that’s probably for you,” Rhett said, nodding in the direct of the door.

  “What?” My fear multiplied.

  “I’m going to go finish getting ready.”

  He left and the doorbell rang once more. “Who’s at the door?” I yelled after Rhett. But he ignored me and disappeared into his room. In the last week, we hadn’t had a single visitor. And no one could possibly be at the door for me, aside from one person—Ben. I had to assume it might be him.

  Getting out of my seat, the hairs on my arms still stood. But now it was for a different reason. I walked for the door. On tip-toes, I peeked through the peephole. And…sure enough, I saw that it was Ben.

  As if he could see me, I gasped and ducked away from the peephole.

  I figured eventually Ben and I would run into each other. I’d even pictured the moment in my head. It would happen months in the future. He’d have moved on and would be dating some random girl, while I’d have a brand new baby in a stroller. It would all be very awkward, but we’d be polite to one another, then we’d both continue on with our lives, each secretly wishing things could have been different. Wasn’t that the way it always happened?

  Instead Ben was here now. And I had no idea what that meant. Was it excitement or anxiety that now clawed at my stomach? Either way, I couldn’t just hide behind the door. So, I yanked it open quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

  Damn him—because he looked especially handsome today. His blue eyes were somehow brighter in the morning sun. His t-shirt clung to the lines of his stomach in this delectable, sexy way. And his hair had that perfectly disheveled look to it like it always did. Meanwhile, I felt like I’d doubled in size over the past week, I wore my usual sweatshirt, and I needed to run a serious brush through my hair.

  “I’m still angry with you,” were the first words out of his mouth.

  “Good morning to you too,” I snapped.

  He groaned. “I brought you something.” He handed over a small box, a little bigger than a deck of cards. “This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you or anything. I just don’t like the idea of you not having one.”

  Curiosity trumped all else, and I opened the box. Inside was a cell phone. Wow. Not as nice as the one I’d thrown in the trash back in Washington D.C., but still, a cell phone was a cell phone.

  “I got a new phone too. You’re on my plan. I programed my number into yours. And I put Ellie’s in there also. So, if anything happens and you can’t get ahold of me, call her.”

  “How much do I owe you?” I muttered in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he’d done this for me, especially since he still seemed so mad.

  He took a step in the opposite direction off Rhett’s porch. “They had a two for one deal, so you don’t owe me anything.”

  “That’s nice of you,” I admitted. Every bit of annoyance I’d been feeling toward him dissipated. I knew he was making up the ‘two for one deal’ too. This had to have cost him more than he was admitting.

  “Whatever,” he said, taking another step away. “I only did it so I’d sleep better at night.” He turned around to go.

  “Wait.” Shit. My heart raced. “I thought of another lie I told you.”

  He turned back around, saying nothing. But at least I had his attention.

  “I’m not twenty-one. I’m almost twenty-seven.”

  He scowled. “Anything else I should know?”

  No? “I am not a fan of ghost crabs,” I tried. “You couldn’t pay me to do that again.”

  He very nearly smiled. I saw it. The corners of his mouth flinched.

  “And I don't like your mom's lasagna. But I lied about that out of politeness.”

  He stood there staring at me for a moment. Then completely changed the subject. “You need to go to the doctor,” he told me, his tone all demanding. “Georgina goes every other week. There are blood tests, sonograms, glucose tests, etc., that you should have already had by now.”

  He sounded like Rhett. I had a feeling now that Rhett's pressure to go see a doctor was actually coming from Ben. “If I go then I'll have to fill out all the forms and then Quinton will find me. I can't let that happen.”

  “What's your plan then? To have the baby on Rhett's living room couch?”

  “No!”

&n
bsp; “Jesus, Juniper, you're twenty-seven, you're too fucking old to be arguing with me about the doctor.”

  My mouth dropped open. “I'm twenty-six,” I huffed. “And now that you know my actual age, you're going to use it against me?”

  “Yes.”

  A groan slipped from my throat. “Maybe you should just mind your own business and stay out of mine. There, problem solved.”

  “I can't, okay.” Pain crossed his face, like he wished he didn't care so freaking much. Meanwhile, some selfish part inside me was glad he did. “I'll consider some other options with the doctor,” he said. “I know there's a privacy act with medical stuff. I'll call my lawyer today and find out how it all works.”

  He had a lawyer? “You don't have to do that.”

  “You're not doing it.”

  That comment made me want to throttle him. Instead, I flipped him off. Seriously, I had no idea he had this stubborn side. “And you’re…” I couldn’t think of a good come-back. “You’re…really annoying when you want to be.”

  “So are you, Juniper, so are you.”

  He said my name again. My real name. I guess he’d learned it, probably from Rhett, in the past week. It sounded entirely too good on his lips. So good that I very nearly asked him to say it again. But I refrained.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” he warned.

  “Like what?” I wasn’t looking at him like anything. At least, I hadn’t meant to.

  Running a hand through his hair, further disheveling it, he sighed. “I need to go,” he said, but he didn’t make a move to leave. He lingered.

  He lingered, so I lingered.

  Neither of us said a word. I guess after a week of not seeing one another we both wanted to draw this moment out a little longer. Then Ben killed the silence by speaking first. “I’m still angry,” he said, as if I didn’t know, his voice different now, lower now.

  “We’ve established that,” I reminded him.

  “But we could call a thirty second truce…”