After grabbing myself a drink, I spotted a table in the back corner and made a beeline for it before someone else beat me. Once I was settled in, I watched the car racing on the overhead screens, completely distracted. I hadn’t seen the guy coming towards me otherwise I would’ve been more prepared when he offered to take me out the back and give it to me good.
“Ah, thanks, but I have a boyfriend,” I lied quickly, hoping it’d be enough to deter the slightly drunk guy and send him back to where he came from.
“So what? I ain’t gonna tell him,” he slurred.
“Not happening. Sorry.”
“Come on. You’re nothing flash but I’d still root ya.”
Gee thanks. That made me feel really special. “Yeah, no thanks.” I tried again, downing what was left of my drink and hoping it came with a burst of confidence.
“Your loss,” he grumbled, rubbing his crotch, making me gag.
Despite the fact he was rude, drunk, and stunk like a brewery, he was nothing like I’d ever go for. He looked as old as my father and his beer belly hung over the top of his dirty jeans. But it was the look in his bloodshot eyes that was the final straw. It was almost scary.
Keeping my mouth closed, I hoped he’d take my silence as a final rejection and slink back to wherever he came from. But today just wasn’t my day. After calling more than a dozen salons in the area only to be told they weren’t hiring, I was no closer to having a job to go to on Monday morning. Then the bullshit with my brother and his friends. They kept telling me to ask them for help if I ever needed it, that they’d always be there, they’d always have my back then they’d laughed at me when I’d finally caved and asked them. Arseholes. Now this guy. I just couldn’t get a break.
“Last chance,” he slurred again, rubbing his chin.
“I’m good. Thanks though.”
“You’re not worth it anyway.” He drained his glass and slammed it down on the table between us before staggering away. It wasn’t until he was on the other side of the room that I sighed heavily, relieved he was gone.
I sat there for another five minutes before I gave up and collected my stuff. I didn’t want to be here anymore. Stepping out onto the street, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed home. I had nowhere else to go. It was moments like these that I hated being in the city. Back home, I could walk out into the paddock and scream until my throat hurt and no one would even know. It was cathartic. Here though, if I screamed someone would probably call the cops.
Wandering along the footpath, my head a million miles away, I ended up at the lookout on the top of the headland staring out over the water. Sunrise might’ve been my favourite time on the beach, but it was pretty spectacular at night too. The way the moonlight reflected off the water, the calm, rhythmic sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below had me relaxing for the first time in days and sinking into the bench.
I don’t know how long I sat there staring out into the night, but when I couldn’t ignore my phone any longer, I pulled it out of my bag to see a string of missed calls and texts from the boys. Not even bothering to read them, I slid my feet back into my shoes and headed home.
Tomorrow was another day.
It’d be a better day.
It had to be.
It just had to be.
8
Seth
“What?” I snapped, answering my phone as I tried to pull my boardies up and knot them.
“Hello to you too, little brother.”
“Shit, Bryce. What do you want?”
Grabbing the towel off the bed, I slid my sunglasses over my eyes and bounced down the hallway trying to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder. With an awkward wave to Elise who was on her hands and knees in her veggie garden, again, I tucked my board under my arm and jogged out onto the street.
“Geez, Seth. Is that any way to talk to your favourite brother?”
“Only brother,” I grumbled, turning the corner. “Look, Bryce, I’m so late. What do you need?”
“You need to come for dinner.” Bryce finally got to the point and I appreciated it.
“Can’t. Busy.” I turned the corner and saw the beach up ahead. I hoped Claire was still there and hadn’t already left. I felt like an arse already for cancelling on her all week, now I was running late. It wasn’t a great look.
“Well, get unbusy. You need to be here,” Bryce told me, and there was something in his tone that hinted there was more to the story than he was letting on.
“Come on, man. Can we do tomorrow instead?”
“What? You got a hot date or something?” Bryce taunted.
“Or something,” I offered.
“Are you running?”
“Yes. I told you, I’m running bloody late.”
“Well, be here at seven.”
“Bryce!”
“Seth! I’m asking you, please. Can you please just be at my place at seven tonight?”
“Emma’s gonna kick your arse if I’m not there, isn’t she?”
“No.”
“Bryce?”
“Fine. Yes. I was supposed to ask you three days ago, and when she asked me to confirm you were coming this morning, I might’ve told her you’d already said yes.”
“Idiot!”
“Yeah well, shut up. See you tonight.”
“Fine,” I agreed. I just wish I could’ve been there to see Bryce squirm. It would’ve been worth the trip to the city alone.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, and, Bryce?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m bringing a date.”
I didn’t wait for his answer. I had bigger problems to deal with. I had to get Claire to forgive me and then convince her to come with me tonight. I probably should’ve asked her before I’d agreed but it was too late now.
Finally, I reached the sand, kicked off my shoes and scoured the beach. It took a minute, but when my eyes fell on someone sitting on the sand, long blonde hair hanging down her back knotted in a braid, I started moving in her direction.
The closer I got the more my body paid attention. I’m not sure how my dick was sitting up and paying attention. The truth was, the reason I was running late was I’d spent a little too long in the shower, cock in hand, picturing Claire’s pouty lips wrapped around me. I knew I couldn’t show up without rubbing one out. The problem was, one wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the first shower that made me lose track of time. It was the second.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed away all my dirty thoughts and cleared my throat. Claire looked up, and I almost choked on air. She was more stunning than I’d remembered, but that wasn’t what had me feeling like an arsehat. It was the disappointment written all over her face.
“Hey, Claire,” I started dumbly.
“Oh. Hey, Seth,” she replied unenthusiastically.
“Look, sorry I’m late. I…I…I don’t have a good excuse. I’m just really sorry.”
Claire stood up, brushing the sand off her butt. The other day when we’d been running, I thought she looked fucking hot in her workout clothes, but seeing her in nothing more than her simple black swimsuit was giving me more ammo for the spank bank. “Well, I guess I should be grateful that you didn’t lie.”
“I am sorry.”
“Well, let’s just get on with it.”
“Okay. What are we doing?” I asked, trying to inject some excitement into the afternoon. I had some work to do if I was going to turn this around.
“Just waiting for someone. Oh, here he comes now,” Claire commented, pointing out at a wetsuit clad figure surfing like a pro on the wave rolling in.
He dived off his board into the whitewash before standing up, putting his board under his arm, and shaking the water from his hair. As he jogged up the beach towards us, my stomach sank. This guy looked smooth and confident, and I knew he could hold his own out there. Something that obviously impressed Claire.
“Looking good out there.” Claire smiled up at him, handing him a towel.
I felt like a third wheel. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.
“Still haven’t got that ego under control, have you?” Claire asked.
“Well, you know me, Claire Bear.” He dropped his arm around her shoulder, and she dug her finger into his ribs.
“Behave, Warner.”
“Never.”
I was just about to turn and leave when Claire remembered I was still standing there like a chump. “Warner, this is Seth. Seth, Warner,” she made introductions that didn’t give anything away.
Reaching out, I shook his hand, not missing how he tightened his grip deliberately. “Hey, man.”
“All right. Enough with the dick measuring,” Claire admonished, looking from me to pretty boy Warner. “Seth, we’re going surfing. And Warner here is going to help you.”
“I don’t need help,” I answered quickly. Even if I did need help, which I didn’t, the last person I’d be asking was this guy.
Ignoring my comment, Claire pressed on. “Warner’s a lifeguard at one of the other beaches, and he’s been surfing since he was a kid. He’s going to share some tips and tricks with you.”
Warner looked smug. His arm was still draped around Claire’s shoulders, his hand hovering dangerously close to her boob with its pointed nipple pressing against the skin-tight black Lycra.
“So, you ever surfed before, Sean?” Warner asked.
“It’s Seth,” I muttered through my locked jaw.
To think I’d been looking forward to this afternoon only to have this dickweed ruin it. I get that Claire thought she was doing the right thing, but I’d rather get knocked off my board and get publicly humiliated every time than have lover boy teach me to surf.
“Sorry, man.”
He wasn’t, but he was damn good at pretending.
Claire shrugged his arm off and bent down to pick up her wetsuit. Watching her bend over was hard, like riskily hard but I wasn’t about to complain. Biting my lip, I held in the groan.
“Got a wetsuit?” Warner asked, glaring at me. He’d obviously caught the way I’d been eye-fucking Claire and wasn’t impressed.
“Nope.”
“Gonna have to get one pretty boy.”
“Pretty boy?”
If this fucker wasn’t careful, I was going to wipe that pretty little smile off his pretty little face. Condescending prick.
“Boys!” Claire scolded, bouncing on her toes making her tits bounce. She had her wetsuit dangling around her hips and somehow, even though she was covering up all that smooth, tanned skin, she looked even more delectable. “Enough! Get your boards and get in the water.”
“We’ll wait for you,” I announced. There was no way I was going anywhere with this wanker without her.
“Go ahead, Seth. I’ll be right behind you,” Claire encouraged.
Feeling like this wasn’t a fight I could win, I tugged my shirt over my head, dropping it on the sand, emptied my pockets, and picked up my board. With one final look at Claire as she wriggled into the wetsuit, I reluctantly followed Warner down the beach and into the water.
He waited until we’d gotten through the breakers before he turned and asked the one thing that I could see burning in his mind.
“What’s the go with you and Claire?” He didn’t bother sugar-coating his question.
“I could ask you the same,” I replied smugly.
“Me and Claire. Ah yeah, nah. You’ve got the wrong idea there.” Warner chuckled as he climbed onto his board and started paddling.
“Didn’t look like it.”
“Claire’s my best mates’ little sister. We’re housemates,” he offered, seemingly unable to wipe the smile from his face.
“And that’s all?” I hated that I sounded like a needy, whiny bitch but it was what it was. I fucking hated people who played games. I wasn’t about to start now.
“Trust me, Isaac’d have my balls on a platter if I even thought about going there.”
“Right.”
“Don’t fool yourself. You might be a superstar on the soccer field, but you fuck Claire around and I can guarantee your balls won’t be safe either,” Warner pointed out.
“Are you two going to sit there gossiping all day, or are we going to surf?” Claire asked as she paddled past us smoothly.
By the time I dragged myself from the water I was feeling sore and sorry. Everything ached. I’d been dumped. Smacked up the side of the head by my board. My shoulders were sunburnt, and my ego battered and bruised. Claire, who I’d believed was a nice girl, turns out wasn’t so nice after all. She just laughed every time I did something dumb, which was about every five seconds.
Warner turned out to not be the dick I was expecting either. He’d actually been helpful and more than once, yanked me by the arm out of the whitewash while I gasped for air.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Claire asked hopefully.
The girl should’ve been an athlete. Standing on the board, I’d been knocked sideways when a wave hit and I’d been too busy eye-fucking Claire as she danced on the top of the wave looking so fucking graceful it almost killed me.
“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” I replied, feeling just a bit proud.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. You’re better than you were.” Warner chuckled.
“Couldn’t get much worse,” I grumbled.
“Oh, come on!” Claire wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. I could feel her boob pressing against my arm and electricity passed through my entire body. “You did great! I didn’t even need to rescue you today.”
“Actually, speaking of rescuing me…”
9
Claire
I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
Sure, Seth was cute, but I can’t believe I’d let him talk me into this.
It was the stupidest thing I’d done in a long time.
After we’d finished up surfing, I’d suggested fish and chips on the beach. Simple. Tasty. Cheap. But he’d had other ideas. Other ideas which had me racing home, jumping in the shower, and trying to make myself presentable.
My phone chimed, and I was still in my underwear holding the hair straightener. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I swore as the hair straightener touched my earlobe, burning it.
Pulling the plug from the wall, I tossed the arsehole straightener on the floor and grabbed my hair clip. Fuck it! It was going up. Quickly I sent Seth a text back that I’d be down in a minute before pulling half my clothes out of the wardrobe and dumping them on the bed. Future Claire could deal with the mess. After sliding my feet into a pair of fancy thongs, I grabbed my bag and bounced down the stairs only to find Seth leaning against a top of the line Range Rover. It put my poor little shit box to shame.
“Hey,” I greeted him breathlessly.
“Hey yourself,” he replied smoothly. Arsehole.
Why couldn’t he be puffing and panting and looking like complete shit? Instead, he was leaning on the side of the car, looking like every girl’s wet dream. Dark denim jeans, a white t-shirt that hugged every ripple and ridge on his long, lean body, and a pair of aviators hiding his mischievous eyes.
“You ready to head out?”
“Ah, yeah. Sure,” I mumbled, walking towards the passenger side only to find Seth following me.
“You don’t sound very convincing,” he whispered against my ear, his breath on my neck sending tingles down my spine.
When he reached out and opened the door for me, I almost tripped over my own feet. I don’t think a guy had ever, not once opened a car door for me in my life. And definitely not a guy I wasn’t related to. Seth definitely was something else.
Finding my backbone, I straightened my spine and turned back to face him. “Well, make it worth my while,” I flirted before climbing into the front seat and buckling my belt.
I couldn’t hear what he said as the door banged shut
or he walked around the front of the car, but he was mumbling something. His lips, those lips I was dying to taste didn’t stop moving. Wiping my sweaty palms on my knees, I straightened my dress, wishing I’d worn something else. This one wasn’t long enough. Sure, it was cute and summery, and I loved the way the straps crossed across my back, but another couple of inches to the hem wouldn’t have gone astray.
Seth cranked the engine, turned down the stereo, and backed out of the driveway. For early Saturday evening the traffic was still thick and the closer we got to the city the slower we crawled. Even though we weren’t talking, it wasn’t weird or uncomfortable like I would’ve expected. It was kinda peaceful sitting in the passenger seat staring out the window as dusk settled in over the harbour.
Out of the blue, Seth reached for my hand, wrapping his around mine. “I should’ve said it earlier, but you look fucking fantastic tonight, Claire.”
“You just thought of that?”
“Well, ah…”
He dropped my hand, and I immediately regretted my sassy, snarky attitude. Why couldn’t I have just said thank you? It was the right thing, the polite thing to do. I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck. Guess the awkwardness just arrived. Courtesy of yours truly.
Knowing I was the one who’d made it weird, I had to be the one to speak next. Apologise even.
“I mean, thanks, Seth. You don’t scrub up so bad yourself. Although I must admit, I do like the green boardies,” I explained with a wink.
Seth coughed loudly and it sounded like it hurt. “So,” he gulped down whatever it was he’d been choking on, “you like the boardies, do you?”
“They’re not bad.”
“Not bad? They’re fucking awesome.”
“They’re not that great. Your abs however…”
“Don’t even compare to those legs you’re showing off there, sweetheart,” Seth finished, nodding in the direction of my legs. Feeling subconscious, I tugged my dress down trying to cover up my thighs that were currently on display.
Needing to change the subject to safer topics, I asked if he’d managed to get any more details about why he’d been summoned on a Saturday night. “Did your brother say anything?”
Rookie (Playing The Field Book 2) Page 5
