Honeymoon Rebound

by Eddie Cleveland

  “No mistake,” Benji jumps in. “What can we say, it’s complicated.”

  Brian looks from Benji to me and back again then tilts his head and shrugs. “Ahhh, I’ve seen it all by now anyway. ‘Complicated’ is always the most fun.” He winks at me and I give a tight-lipped smile.

  “Can we head out now?” I ask sweetly, hoping this guy will let us get on with it and stop trying to get the details about my sex life.

  The fact is, for the past four months Blair never laid a finger on me. At the time I told myself he was under stress from the wedding coming and his promotion at the law firm. I knew deep down something was wrong though. Instead of seeing his behavior for the big red flag it was, I kept wondering what I was doing wrong.

  Now, I might fuck two different guys. I mean, if that’s how I want to play it. This honeymoon “restart” could be how I get my sex life going again. Heat climbs up the fronts of my thighs and whooshes up my body as dirty thoughts of how I could spend the rest of my vacation overtake my imagination.

  “Yeah, of course.” He leads us to the boat and the other two guys help Benji and me get in. Brian goes over the safety of all this with us and we get strapped into our harnesses before we’re zipping out across the vast expanse of every blue I’ve ever seen before.

  I squint at the shoreline, watching it shrink before my eyes as we speed across the water. Next thing I know, Benji and I are holding hands as we fly up in the air from the back of the boat, steadily moving up in the sky until it looks like a bath time toy for a child.

  I look out over the island and soak in the lush green palm trees and rolling hills. For a moment I’m not a jilted bride or a woman trying to find herself or anyone. My head is clear and my soul is free as we sway up at the end of the long line.

  “No, see, I’m gonna die. This is how I’m gonna die.” Benji snaps me back to reality. I look over at him and realize this might feel like the ultimate freedom to me, but this is obviously the ultimate terror for him.

  “Hey, so the guy who spilled your drink? Finn?” I yell over the wind blustering past our faces.

  “You mean Aquaman? Tell me something good, Joss. I need a distraction,” he pleads.

  “We’re going to meet up for a private surf lesson first thing tomorrow.” I smile.

  “What? See, I’m the matchmaking king.” He beams.

  “Yeah, well, you thought Blair and I were a good match, so…”

  “No, that’s not on me. I didn’t set you two up. I didn’t have anything to do with the groundwork for you two.” He holds up his hands, letting his death grip on the hand bar go.

  “Fine, I can’t pin Blair on your matchmaking skills,” I agree.

  “Nope, I had nothing to do with that. But I’ve got a good feeling about this guy. You’ll be making little statues in my honor and writing songs about me once you go on your date tomorrow.” The last clouds of fear clear from his eyes and he looks genuinely happy up here with me.

  “Maybe. I guess I’ll find out after my date with the hot yoga instructor,” I tease.

  “Are you fucking serious?” Benji opens his eyes wide. “Look at you slutting it up like a pro. Good for you.” He points at me.

  “Hey now, no slut-shaming.” I give him a look.

  “I’m not slut-shaming, I’m slut-fame-ing. I’m proud of you. I thought you were going to be all mopey and impossible when you got up this morning. Aren’t you glad I made you get your booty out of bed now? Hmm?”

  “So, you think I should go on dates with them both?” I bite my lip. I really want him to say yes. I know I don’t need his permission, but his blessing would help me put any shadows of doubt aside.

  The line tugs us forward and down and Benji yells, “Oh thank you, Lord!” up at the few soft clouds overhead. I can’t help but laugh.

  “You held it together pretty good.” I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.

  “Yeah, thanks to your double dick dilemma,” he answers. “And let me put it this way, if you don’t go on your dates with both of these sexy guys from Hawaii, I will never, in my life ever, speak to you again. Does that answer your question?”

  It does.

  It doesn’t take long before we’re being guided into the boat and heading back into Waikiki. Even though we’re going so fast the wind is hurting my face, I kind of wish Brian would speed it up somehow.

  Time is ticking away and I’ve got a date to get ready for.

  7

  Cohen

  My bike rumbles loudly, too loud for the guy working at the valet booth at least. He points down the sidewalk, his lips a crescent scar across his face as he yells at me to keep moving. Yeah, my bike is a Harley, but she’s feeling her age these days. Can’t blame her, she’s been on the road for forty years. Most people start to rust a bit when they hit their forties too.

  I give him a wave, pretending I can’t hear him and search for Joss. I’m not sure if she was keeping an eye out here or if my bike caught her attention with all its noise, but either way, she walks out through the front door in this little dress.

  Holy shit.

  The material shimmers over her curves like whiskey coating sin. I trace a line from her ankle up the inside of her legs with my eyes. It’s a long, lazy road until I reach her face and I’m happy to take my time. Still, when my gaze settles on her eyes, I don’t want to look away. Her body is sexy, but those eyes are like when I got to look at the Milky Way for the first time from the observatory.

  Pure fucking perfection.

  “Ready, gorgeous?” I stand and hold out a helmet to her.

  Joss stares, wide-eyed at my ride.

  “You didn’t say anything about a motorcycle.” She gives her head a little shake from side to side.

  “Is it a problem?”

  “No, it’s just …” She bites her lip.

  “Are you scared?”

  “No,” she answers too quickly. “Well, not really.” Her mouth tells me a different story than her eyes, doubt dances all over them.

  “Hey, you can’t park here. You’ve gotta move!” The valet starts shooing me away again.

  Joss throws her shoulders back and makes her curves bounce in a way that’s impossible to peel my eyes off her. “No, this is good. I’m facing my fears today. I already went parasailing, I can do this.” She juts out her chin, grabs the helmet with both hands and snaps it on.

  I help her get perched behind me and her dress slides up giving me a peek of her sheer panties. Fuck. I want to park my Harley and dive my face between her thighs as she sits there, just like that. My nostrils flare and my cock twinges but I force myself to get seated. Her panties and the view of her pussy are all I can think about as my bike backfires like a shotgun and we roar away.

  The ocean air slicks over us, my Harley complaining loudly as we climb the steep mountainside up to the observatory. I’ve been here so many times, I could follow this familiar path in my sleep. Once I help Joss off the bike and we head up the steps toward the building, I grab her hand and guide her off the path to the front of the building.

  “I thought we were going inside?” she whispers like we’re a couple of spies getting ready to break into a top secret facility.

  “We are.” For some reason, I whisper back, but then I clear my throat. “This is the way I get in.” I lead her to a side door and Marco opens it for me from the inside.

  “Thanks, buddy.” I grab his hand and pull him in, clapping his back. “Marco, this is my date, Joss. And Joss this is …”

  “Hey, aren’t you the guy who helped him teach yoga today?” Joss squints slightly.

  “Good memory, I’m Marco.” He gives her hand a quick shake.

  “So, you’ve got two jobs?” she asks.

  “Most people on the island do,” I cut in. “Either two jobs or a great side hustle. Unless you’re a lawyer or doctor or something, you need it to get by,” I explain.

  “Oh.” She walks along with me to the telescope.

  Marco lo
oks back through the glass doors at the front of the building and then at me. “We’ve got the astronomy club coming in soon, so you don’t have much time,” he warns me. Whether it’s about parking spaces about to expire or limited time in the observatory, it seems like Marco is my human stopwatch, always anxiously ticking down the seconds of my day.

  “Got it,” I respond. He takes off, getting ready to let the main crowd in and sell them tickets.

  It’s only Joss and I in the room, but it doesn’t feel empty. The tower is filled with a heavy feeling like the atmosphere right before the skies open up for the daily afternoon rainfall. I love that feeling. Now it’s time to find out if Joss is the kind of girl who seeks shelter from the storm, or does she lift her head to the sky and dance in the rain?

  “How does this all work?” She holds her hand out to the telescope and I slide in behind her, easing up against her a bit as I show her how to use it.

  “You look through here.” I point and she leans over slowly, the hem of her little dress rises, almost giving me a peek of her round ass. Maybe I should step back and give her some space, but she wasn’t looking for a night out with Saint Cohen. “See there? You should be seeing the Milky Way.” I let my fingers graze her arm.

  “It’s … beautiful.” Her voice is shrouded in awe.

  “It really is.” I stare down at her ass.

  “Here, do you want to look?” She stands up suddenly and catches me.

  Smooth.

  “I’ve seen it a million times, you enjoy.” I wave her off.

  “A million times, huh? Sounds like a lot of dates.” Her lips turn up and light dances in her eyes like she’s filled with the entire universe.

  “I know what you’re trying to say, but you’re wrong.” I hope she can see my sincerity, but totally understand why she thinks this is my power move or something. “I only brought one other girl here and we were together for over a year. I really like stargazing.”

  “Wow, are you saying I’m not like other girls? ’Cause I’m gonna point out that’s exactly what a pickup artist would say,” she teases me. I step into her, sliding my hand across her lower back and pull her in tight.

  “I don’t care if you’re like other girls or not like other girls. This right here,” I move my finger back and forth between us, “is about me and you. And if you have any doubts, I’d love to fix them for you.” I curl my body over hers.

  “Is this ‘Wild Cohen’?” she breathes.

  “No, you haven’t met Wild Cohen yet, but I’m about to introduce you.” I thread my fingers through her thick hair and she parts her lips, looking up at me. They’re so plump and pink, they’re practically begging to be kissed. Sliding my free hand over the small of her back, I pull her in tight and watch her eyelids slide shut as I taste them. Her mouth parts and my tongue explores her soft, sweet mouth. Tenderness gives way to passion and my hand slides down over the curve of her ass, squeezing that sexy fullness and she moans in my mouth.

  “Sorry to interrupt, dude.” Marco yells in through the door, stealing my moment for the second time today. “There’s paying customers on the way. You’ve gotta clear out.”

  That’s fine by me. I was looking to take this somewhere a little more private anyway. And I know exactly where we can go. “Got it,” I call back and grab Joss by the hand, “c’mon let’s go.” I lead her out of the tower and back out the side door into the darkness.

  “Where are we going?” She follows behind me.

  “You’ll see.”

  8

  Joss

  I’ve been on this island for twenty-four hours now, not that I remember the first twelve. Those were spent in an alcohol induced coma. Everything is happening so fast. When I agreed to go on this honeymoon with Benji, I had no idea I’d be creeping through the dark in heels to some undisclosed location with some guy I just met. Part of me wonders if I’m jumping into this too quickly, could this be a mistake? But then, I mean that kiss. My lips tingle with the memory of his blanketing them. That kiss made me feel sexier than I can ever remember feeling with Blair. It stirred something in me. Something primal.

  We round the corner and a path lit by patio lanterns made of shimmering mason jars sparkles in the inky night. There’s enough light to make out a gazebo at the end of the path with a telescope inside. It crests the ridge of a steep hill that drops off into the ocean. With each step, the sound of another day washing away from the beach gets louder.

  “This is … it’s like a dream, isn’t it?” I marvel at the palm trees, silhouetted by darkness arching up toward the huge moon rising over the waves. “Unbelievable.” I step up into the gazebo with Cohen and stare out at the stars sparkling above the pale water crashing on the shore.

  “Agreed.” He soaks me in, his stare boring into me.

  Cohen looks at me like he’s spent his entire life searching for something and can’t believe he found it. I don’t know if his awestruck look is one he’s perfected for every girl he takes out, but I blush anyway. Did Blair ever look at me like that? I try to dust off the old memories, back when we were finishing up law school together. Before he got hired at one of the biggest firms in the state. Before his life orbited around his job.

  I was always sort of envious of his work, if I’m honest. Not the job itself. I have the same one and I can’t stand it. It was how proud he was to be a lawyer. Back in law school, I thought I’d feel the same way. Instead, each day began bleeding my soul dry, until I forgot who I was. Even then, I thought I’d have a backup identity as the successful lawyer’s wife. Now the idea makes me cringe. What the hell was I thinking?

  “Holy shit.” My face twists up and tears race down my cheeks. I try to swiftly swipe them away, but Cohen steps into me, concern darkening his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “He was right to leave me at the altar. We didn’t love each other.” I look up at Cohen and watch as he decodes the meaning in my words.

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  “Yeah.” I deflate and avoid his eyes. I can’t look at him. Being publicly rejected in front of my brother, my parents, and even my great-aunt Edna who flew halfway across the country—despite her throbbing varicose veins, to watch me walk down the aisle—it’s too much. If I let my thoughts go there, I won’t be able to crawl back from the black hole of hopelessness. It’s too embarrassing to think about let alone spill my guts over.

  Cohen tilts my chin up and his lips tenderly cover mine. Instantly, all my confusion and sadness and stress stops. My eyes slide shut and my body sinks into him. He wraps his strong arms around me. Those crashing waves might as well be flowing up around me, because I’m weightless. Not to mention I’m powerless to swim against the surging undertow sweeping me further from my pain. Further from the fake image I lost myself in for a while. Further into Cohen.

  My eyelashes flutter back open when he stops kissing me. I don’t know why I didn’t expect him to be so close to my face. It’s jarring when someone is looking at you with that kind of intensity.

  “He was an idiot. I don’t know him, and I don’t need to.” He holds up his hand as I get ready to explain and I close my mouth. “Trust me, he did you a favor.” He kisses me again and, suddenly, the last thing I want to discuss is Blair.

  “Can we talk about something else?” I stare out toward the dark horizon.

  “Of course, in fact…” He opens his leather jacket and pulls out two dew-covered bottles of beer hiding in his inside pockets. He places one in my hand and pops the lid on both of them. “I’d like to make a toast.” He holds his up.

  “Well, aren’t you smooth?” I giggle and take the bottle from him. “Do you always carry a brewery around in your jacket?” I tease him.

  “Only on special occasions.” Those dimples make my heart flutter.

  “What would you like to toast to?” The hoppy mixture wafts up around us, giving me flashes of my flight last night. I almost cringe and force the image from my mind. What a difference a day ca
n make.

  “How about to your ex for doing us both a huge favor?” He laughs.

  “Sweet, but I’d rather not toast him, you got anything else?” I press my lips flat.

  “Okay, how about to new beginnings?” His voice drops a bit, a shiver runs over my skin, but not from the cool ocean breeze.

  “It’s better than what I was going to say, so I’ll cheers to that.” I clink the side of his bottle and we both take a swig.

  “What were you going to say?” Cohen dangles the bottle between his fingers casually.

  “I was going to do a toast to yoga.” I shrug.

  “To … yoga?” He tilts his head and his light hair falls across his forehead.

  “Yeah, I’d like it if I could do even one yoga pose by the end of this, you know? I don’t know if you noticed but I’m not flexible.” I cringe when this morning’s little mishap pops back in my head.

  “Toasts don’t work like that though. They’re not like candles on a birthday cake. They’re not for wishes.” He arches an eyebrow, amused.

  “Well, they kind of are, right? We’re really wishing for ‘new beginnings’ or ‘good health’ or ‘happiness’ or whatever. Why couldn’t I do a toast to learning a yoga pose?” I don’t back down. The darkness hides the burn in my cheeks.

  “Is that why you came to my class? Were you hoping to learn?”

  “Not exactly.” I bite my lip. We finished talking about Blair. I’d rather not discuss anything to do with him again. “Technically, I’m here on my honeymoon,” I explain. “With my friend not with my ex, but anyway, it was an extra on the hotel package. I figured the vacation was non-refundable and my best friend said he could get the time off, so I said fuck it.” I take another long drink of my beer. It’s going down smooth.

  Unlike my dating game, apparently.

  “If you want to learn, I’m your guy.” He smirks.