Crashing Tides Duet: Anchored and Adrift

by Ruby Rowe

  “True. I’ll talk to her, too. I’ll make her see how much I love Jake. I mean, she’s already witnessed how good I am to him, so I only have to convince her it wasn’t pretend.”

  Bringing my head to him, Elliott kisses it.

  “There’s my girl. Have some hope.”

  “I do.” I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and put what happened behind us. I also resist the urge to text Jake. I’ll do it later, when I get a minute alone.

  Right now, Elliott deserves my full attention. I really am looking forward to our trip.

  ***

  “You need to stop distracting me each time there’s a sign on the side of the road,” I say.

  “OK, I won’t distract you anymore,” Elliott replies with a chuckle.

  “Why is that funny?”

  “Because we’re here … in Laguna Beach.”

  I look all around and grin.

  “I’ve never been here. This is exciting!”

  Elliott pulls up something on his phone and punches a code into a keypad at a gated community. The black gates open, and after making a couple of left turns, he parks our rented charcoal convertible Ferrari in a driveway.

  “This is where we’re staying,” he says. I step out of the car and shield my eyes to survey the beautiful home.

  “That means we’ll have an ocean view from the backside of this place.”

  “Exactly,” he says as he retrieves our bags. The California sun beams down on us, so I pull on the neck of my sweater.

  “I wonder how warm it is here.”

  “The Ferrari read sixty-eight degrees.”

  “Oh, this will be heavenly.”

  Smiling, he holds his hand out, so I walk around the front of the vehicle and lace our fingers together as we approach the door.

  There’s a keypad by it, as well, and he punches in another code. Once inside the house, I’m immediately drawn to the ocean I see in front of me.

  “I can’t believe there are four sets of French doors. I’m opening all of them. It’s too beautiful outside not to.”

  “Sounds good. I have to go take a leak.”

  While I wait for Elliott, I walk out onto the balcony and absorb the breathtaking view. I breathe in the saltwater, and it reminds me of Hawaii and the Hamptons. I’ve really missed the beach.

  Elliott approaches from behind and wraps me up in his arms. Leaning my head back against his chest, I sigh.

  “My Sailor Girl,” he murmurs in my ear.

  “Mmm … I love to hear those words. This is exactly what we needed.”

  “I agree. The only time I plan on exerting myself is while I’m inside you.” Desire rumbles from his chest as he kisses my ear. Moving my hair aside, he grazes his lips down my neck, and his warm touch combined with the cool breeze send a shiver down my spine.

  “It’s still going to be too cold to swim.”

  “Not in the heated pool.”

  I look around. “Where is the pool?”

  “On the lower level. There’s a hot tub, too.”

  I lean over the balcony to peer below us, and sure enough, there’s a pool, along with a patio, hot tub, stone fireplace and lounge furniture.

  “This place puts our homes in the Hamptons to shame.”

  “Only the best for you.”

  Twisting around in his embrace, I loop my arms around his neck and give him a lengthy kiss.

  “I’m so happy to be here in your arms.” Feeling overwhelming contentment, I rest my forehead on his chest and breathe in his scent. It reminds me of our summers growing up, when he wasn’t mine to hug.

  I secretly loved when he’d pick me up off my towel at the beach to toss me into the ocean. It was the only time I got to feel him touching my skin to that degree, and I’d soak up every second of feeling his strong hands on me and his firm body against mine. I’d breathe in his scent of sand and sunscreen … salt and ocean.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asks.

  “How much I loved you at a time when I wasn’t supposed to.”

  He squeezes me. “I loved you, too, Sailor Girl … when I wasn’t supposed to.”

  I giggle. “I was thinking about when you used to pick me up and throw me in the ocean. It was exciting.”

  “It was, huh?”

  I yelp when he picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder.

  “Elliott!”

  “I think you need to be tossed in the pool then.”

  “No, you wouldn’t dare. I’m still in my clothes!”

  “Then I’ll undress you–once you’re in the water, of course.”

  Giggling, I bounce on his shoulder as he walks through the house and down a flight of steps. I could try to escape now that he stopped to open the patio doors, but I don’t since I’m secretly looking forward to being naked with him in the pool.

  Once the cool breeze hits my skin, I change my tune.

  “Wait–maybe we should make sure the water’s warm first or change into our swimsuits.”

  “Too late.” And just like that, I’m airborne and hitting the water, creating a massive splash. I come up wide-eyed and dripping wet, feeling weighted down from my heavy winter clothes.

  “Dammit, Elliott! You didn’t even take off my boots.”

  His eyes round, and he laughs. “Oh, my bad. I didn’t think about your shoes.” He coughs from his laughter, and I feel bad he’s not over his bronchitis. Wait, I’m not sorry. He just ruined my favorite pair of boots.

  “You’re in trouble,” I say.

  “Bring it on, baby; bring it on.” He pulls off his navy sweater. “Damn, it is a little chilly with the breeze.”

  “You think?”

  Winking, he continues to strip, so I decide to do the same. It’s much harder for me, thanks to every article of my clothing being soaked, so I wade to a shallower part of the pool to keep my balance.

  He dives in before I can see him naked, and dammit again. I missed it. About the time I get my second boot off, he reaches me and grabs hold of my sweater.

  After pulling it over my head, he meets my gaze with headiness in his grey eyes that appear bluer against the deeper indigo color of the pool.

  Once I’m naked, he grips my hips and walks forward with me until my back is against the wall.

  “I want to make love to you right here. I’m going to do it nice and slow while I’m staring into your gorgeous eyes; they’re those dark portals that always leave me wondering what you’re thinking.”

  “I’m thinking about how much I’d like that,” I whisper. He slides his hands up my arms and into my hair before he brings my mouth to his.

  His tongue slips in delicately, the strokes more of a feathery touch than the usual demanding prequel of his taboo desires. At the same languid pace, Elliott plays with my hair, and our kiss is oh … so … tantalizing.

  As his tongue explores my mouth, I feel as if I’m floating above the water. He rests his head against mine while his fingers continue to massage my scalp.

  “I love you, Sailor. I didn’t think I’d ever experience happiness in my life since I didn’t think I’d ever have you. I might get grumpy at times, from all the baggage I’m carrying, but I never take you for granted. I know how lucky I am, and I’ll spend the rest of our lives thanking you for it.”

  “All my wishes came true… I’m the lucky one.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jake

  “I feel like the luckiest man on earth one minute and the most fucked the next,” I say to Thatcher as we sit in his family room. I went back to his place after we had dinner at our grandparents.

  “Instead of talking to me in circles, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong? You said you needed to talk, so do it before you’ve had too many beers to form a sentence.”

  “I might as well tell you since you’ll hear about it soon enough. My parents are so pissed at me.”

  “Yeah, I picked up on that at dinner. They weren’t cooing over their baby boy like they usually are.”

&n
bsp; “Fuck you.”

  “I’m kidding, cuz. I only wish my dad paid that much attention to me.” Thatcher leans over and flicks his cigarette into an ashtray on the coffee table. He needs to stop that habit before it catches up with his health. “Money doesn’t replace that shit, you know?”

  “I’ll take some off your hands then,” I say.

  “Spill it, asshole.”

  “Fine.” I lift my head off the sofa to look at him. “Elliott and I are both in relationships with Sailor. I guess you could say the three of us are in a relationship.”

  He chokes on his scotch. “What happened to no sword fighting?”

  “Our junk hasn’t touched. Focus, man.”

  Turning to face me better on the sofa, Thatcher glides a hand through his light brown hair, and I can tell he’s itching to hear the dirt.

  “Elliott and I are not messing around. We’re only sharing Sailor, and it’s not like I’m living out some fantasy 24/7. It’s growing more complicated by the day.”

  “Yeah, but you’re still having threesomes with the gorgeous Sailor Lockwood. Am I right?” He grins. “I mean, I would prefer to bang her and another chick over Elliott, but whatever gets your dick hard.”

  “Douchebag, I don’t want to talk about the sex, and if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

  “Fine. What’s the problem?”

  “Sharing her outside of the bedroom is the issue. I thought I could deal with the repercussions, but Mom and Dad’s disapproval is affecting me more than I expected.”

  “Screw them. Do whatever the hell you want, but deep down do you approve of this arrangement?”

  “I thought I did, but now I’m having doubts, and the problem is, it’s this or nothing.”

  “Sorry, but it sounds like Sailor’s an entitled bitch.”

  I punch him hard in the shoulder. “Don’t call her names. This was my idea after she couldn’t choose and dumped us both. Elliott and I convinced her to do it.”

  “What the hell for? You were getting plenty of pussy before she came along.”

  “I love her. She’s a fucking angel in a human suit.”

  He rolls his eyes. “I think you’ve had too many beers, but if you want her, then lock that shit down. Stop watching Roberts slap his balls behind your girl.”

  “You’re such a dick.”

  “No, I’m honest. You wanted to talk, so I’m giving it to you straight. Either share Sailor and stop crying in your beer like a whiny bitch, or go take what’s yours. She’ll respect the confidence.”

  “You don’t know Sailor. She’s too sweet to ever hurt Elliott. She loves him, too.”

  He takes a drag off his cigarette and reveals a shit-eating grin.

  “Who knew you were the freak in the family? I’m telling Grandma.” He bursts out laughing, so I punch him again.

  “Shut up, dickwad.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “California. Elliott took her there for Christmas.”

  Shaking his head, he puts out his cigarette.

  “Cuz, that’s fucked up. At least if you’re going to do this, you should be there, too.”

  “We agreed to have time alone with her. I had her with me the last couple of days.”

  “Well, don’t she just have the best of both fucking worlds?”

  “Stop hating on her. This is my fault.”

  “Then be a man and fix it.”

  Sailor

  Elliott leaves me alone in bed to go answer the door. It should be the takeout we ordered. I’m exhausted after the last few days of socializing, our pool sex and the trip here. Neither of us was in the mood to cook or go out to dinner.

  Realizing this would be a good time to check on Jake, I grab my phone from the nightstand.

  Me: Hi. How was Christmas with your mom’s side of the family?

  Jake: Could’ve been better.

  Me: I’m sorry. I heard Jeanine was angry.

  Jake: Yep.

  Me: What are you doing?

  Jake: I’m hanging out with Thatcher.

  I bite my lip. I bet he’s talking about us, and I don’t know how I feel about it. One minute, I think I don’t give a damn what other people think, but there’s something unsettling about Jake’s family, and everyone on the Upper East Side, knowing I’m sleeping with both men. They’re only going to see me as a slut since they don’t understand how much I love Jake and Elliott.

  Me: I miss you.

  Jake: Same.

  “Who are you texting?” Elliott asks after carrying in two plates of food.

  “I was checking on Jake. I hope you don’t mind. I needed to know how he was doing after his talk with his mom.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.”

  “Are you mad?” I ask as I take my container of sushi from him. Elliott’s only in a pair of jeans, and I can’t resist examining his superb body.

  “No, we’re a family, right?”

  “His texts were short. I think he’s upset with me. Elliott, I want you to know that when I’m with him, I think about you, too. I mean, not every second, but there are many times I wish you could be with us. It’s not fair that I’m the only one never excluded. I feel shitty about it, and I think Jake’s mad that I left today.”

  Setting his food down, Elliott clasps my chin.

  “Stop feeling guilty. If you want to talk to Jake, talk to him. I understand, and he should be understanding, too.”

  I lean over to kiss Elliott’s lips. He’s been extra sweet lately, opening up to me more, and I love it.

  He cups my breast, somehow knowing my robe fell open, and I’m already turned on again. Sushi and sleep may have to wait. Elliott and I still have a lot of time to make up for.

  Elliott

  I play with Sailor’s silky hair as she sleeps next to me. The moonlight is shining through the vast wall of glass spanning one wall of our room.

  It’s too bright for me to sleep, and it doesn’t help that I’m dwelling on how worried Sailor seemed about Jake. It must be the holidays making me soft this week, but I keep feeling this impulse to do something that I can’t believe I’m even considering.

  Let it go, Elliott. This is your time with her. Jake’s the one being an asshole right now. But … maybe I could stop him from totally fucking up.

  Finding my cell phone in my jeans pocket, I leave Sailor in bed and walk onto the upper balcony off the living room. I begin Googling flights to Los Angeles, wondering again how I got so damn soft. It’s getting late in New York, but Jake’s going to do what I tell him before he ruins everything.

  “Hello,” he answers.

  “It’s Elliott.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Pack your shit and be at the airport at 4:00 a.m.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I booked you a flight to Los Angeles. It’s too late for you to make a red-eye, so that’ll have to do.”

  “Did something happen to Sailor?” he asks anxiously.

  “No, she’s fine, but you need to come here so you can remember why the hell we decided to share her. Besides, she misses you, so I want to surprise her.”

  “I have to go back to work the day after tomorrow, and I’m not even home. I’ve been drinking at Thatcher’s, so I was going to crash here.”

  “I know you have vacation you can take. Call a taxi, grab your shit, and head to the airport. With the time difference, you’ll be here by lunch.”

  “There’s no way in hell you want me interrupting your time with Sailor.”

  “I do if it’ll make her happy. Like I’ve told you before, I’m going to give her whatever she wants until the end of time, so get on that damn plane. You should have an email with the ticket info.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Sailor

  Eager to walk the beach, I fiddle with my tangled hair and take the last sip of my warm detox tea I brought with me.

  “Are you finished yet?” I ask Elliott. He�
�s about as slow as a sloth eating a carrot. He’s been picking at his French toast for twenty minutes while I sit next to him on a high back barstool at the kitchen island.

  “We’re on vacation. We’re supposed to be relaxing,” he replies.

  I poke his leg under the counter with my foot.

  “You sure didn’t seem interested in relaxing when we got here, or last night … or an hour ago when we woke up.” I snicker, waiting for him to give me that look of warning. “Who stocked this place with food?”

  “The property manager.”

  “For a price I’m sure.”

  “It was worth it.”

  “Oh, talking about money reminds me that I haven’t given you your Christmas present yet.”

  I admire his handsome, sleepy appearance as he reaches over and squeezes my hand on the island.

  “You’re my present. I don’t need anything else.”

  “Too bad. I’ll be right back.” Smacking a kiss on his cheek, I practically skip to the master bedroom to find his gift in my heavy purse.

  I’m in a great mood today, determined to make the most of our trip and not dwell on how Jake seemed short with me last night. OK, I’m dwelling a little, but I’m not going to let it spoil my day.

  Pulling up my loose pajama pants, I hurry back to the kitchen and place the square box in front of him.

  “What’s this?”

  “Open it, silly, and you’ll see.” Picking up the box, he rests back on his barstool and seems uncomfortable to even have the gift in his hands.

  “I only need you.”

  “Geez, it’s a good thing I didn’t get you my original idea.”

  He smirks and takes the lid off the ruby box as I stand next to him. Removing the wrapped surprise, he folds back the layers of tissue paper to have a look.

  “A coffee mug,” he says.

  “It’s not just any mug.”

  He reads the writing on it. “Clever.”

  “I want to hear you say it out loud.”

  “Ask Me About Sailing, but someone has marked out the ing in sailing and made it into the word Sailor.”