by Jill Patten
His hot breath storms across my skin in labored puffs, and I feel his chest rise and fall in a staggering pattern. “My God, Phoebe, what the hell are you doing to me?” he asks in a breathy whisper. Butterflies explode in my stomach, and it pleases me to know I’m having as much of an effect on him as he has on me.
I finish rinsing the suds from his hands and dry both of ours off on a hand towel hanging close by. I want to turn around and kiss him, but I know if I do it’ll lead to another round of the best sex of my life. After my multiple orgasms earlier, I’m so tired that all I want to do now is sleep.
Once both of our hands are dry, he wraps his arms back around my waist and places tender kisses on my bare shoulder. “Will you stay the night with me?” he asks then interjects before I can answer. “And before you answer, know that I’m not asking you so we can fuck all night long. I’m asking because I can’t think of anything better than ending this night with you in my arms.”
My heart flutters, and I’m suddenly so nervous I can’t answer him. I nod so he doesn’t hear the anxiety in my voice.
He releases me then bends down and scoops me up in a quick movement. I giggle as he swings me around like a child, and I feel as if I don’t have a care in the world. There are only the two of us in this room having the time of our lives without worrying about tomorrow. He carries me over to his now messy bed and sets me down gently. “Wait, I need to text Tiffanny and Kristy so they don’t think I’ve disappeared in the ocean or been abducted by some hot, blond surfer,” I say, flirting with him as I bite my lip to hold back my smile.
He climbs in beside me and pulls me against him so close it feels as if he’s drawing me into his soul. “If I had it my way, this hot surfer would hold you hostage and never let you go.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know what you’re saying. If you spent enough time with me, you’d change your mind.”
“We can agree to disagree.”
Turning around to face him, I rest my head on his arm and look at him. “Blue, we barely know each other. There’s so much about me you don’t know and probably don’t want to, and I’m sure the same goes for you.”
He gazes lovingly in my eyes several seconds before saying anything, and then cradles the side of my face in his hands. “Phoebe, how about you let me be the judge of that? I’ve seen enough to know I like what I see,” he says softly, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip.
“Blue, you’re simply too good to be true.” I kiss his thumb.
“I’m the real deal, baby.”
BLUE
At some point in time, we both fall asleep, but I’m suddenly awakened by the sound of my door lock unclicking. With quick reflexes, I sit up straight in the bed. Blinking repeatedly to get my eyes focused, I try to see who it is. Nobody has a key to my place other than Molly and Thad, so I’m hoping it’s one of them and not some weirdo breaking in.
“Lance.” It’s Molly’s voice.
“Shh.” I glance over to see if Phoebe’s still sleeping, and thankfully she is.
“Are you awake?” she whispers.
“No, I’m talking in my sleep. What do you think, dumbass?” I whisper back.
“Why are we whispering? Is someone else here?”
Slow and quiet, I climb out of bed, slide a pair of shorts on, and pad over to the kitchen where Molly’s standing. “Yes, so please be quiet. I don’t want to wake her.”
“Please tell me it’s not Phoebe,” she says, a little louder than a whisper.
I reach for the door and very slowly open it. Motioning for Molly to go outside, I follow behind her.
Once it’s closed, I turn to Molly. “What are you doing here at this hour?” I ask, still keeping my voice low.
She holds her phone in front of my face and says, “It’s only midnight. It’s not as late as you think, and if you answered my texts, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
I wince. “Sorry, I’ve been preoccupied, as you can see.” I stretch my arm in the direction of the sleeping beauty in my bed.
She rolls her eyes.
“Anyway, what’s going on?”
“I was a little worried about you after the way you left. I wanted to see if you were okay and to ask if you’ve seen Phoebe. We haven’t seen her since she took off after you.”
“I’m fine and she’s fine. She texted her friends to let them know where she’s at.” I walk down the steps to get farther away from earshot in case Phoebe does wake up and decides to eavesdrop by the door. Molly follows me down.
When we reach the bottom, she spins around to me. “So that is her in your bed?”
“Yes.” Why the hell do I feel like a child being scolded by my mother?
It’s dark out, but I can still see the hard stare she’s giving me. “Just so you know, she’s the one who attacked me.” I point to my chest, feeling like I have to defend myself. “She initiated all of this.” Of course, I want it just as much if not more than her, but Molly doesn’t need to know that.
She looks at me as if she’s trying to figure out something in her mind. “Don’t screw with her feelings. Girls are vulnerable. They latch on easily.”
I laugh. “She’s not that into me. If anything, I’m pretty sure she looks at me as a good fuck while on vacation. I’ll be far from her mind by the time she gets home.” The thought saddens me. I’m really digging her, and I wish we could have more time together.
Molly points her finger at me. “You better hope so. Did you pay her back the money you stole?”
“No.”
“Lan—”
“Chill,” I interrupt, holding my hand up to stop her from lecturing me. “I haven’t yet, but I will. I’m still trying to figure out how to do it without her knowing it was me who took it. I can’t have her hating me.”
“I swear, if you don’t pay her back, I will tell her what you did.”
“Molly, stay out of it and let me handle it.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. I’m worried that as soon as she leaves, you’ll forget about it. You know, out of sight, out of mind.”
“I said I’ll take care of it. It’s getting late and I’m tired,” I say, letting her know I’m finished with our conversation.
Her expression falls, and she looks at me as if to say ‘please don’t screw up.’ “Goodnight, Lance, love you.”
“Love you, too,” I reply.
She turns away, and I begin to climb up the loud, metal steps without making too much noise.
“Lance!” I turn around, and she’s jogging up the beach. She stops at the bottom of the steps. “The other reason I came here was to tell you Shane decided to let things go. He said he’s not pressing charges again. His friends talked him out of it, but you still need to be careful. You know how he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t pull something when you least expect it.”
I nod. “Thanks for the heads-up, sis.” I wait until she turns away before I go back inside.
Without waking Phoebe up, I slide back in bed naked as I was before and pull her backside to me then fall asleep.
The next morning I wake up to the lock on the door being tampered with again. My eyelids spring open, and I instantly know I’m in bed alone. “Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?” I ask, sitting up in bed.
Phoebe is already dressed and ready to go. When she hears me, she stops mid-motion. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I thought I’d—”
“You thought you’d run out before I woke up. Why do the walk of shame? Are you regretting last night?” I ask, running my hand through my hair to keep it from falling in my eyes.
“No! God, no,” she exclaims, her eyebrows bunched together. “Last night was…incredible.” She smiles.
I wonder if I can convince her to stay long enough for an encore.
“Ditto,” I say, thinking about how different it felt from our first time to last night. She was merely a stranger that first night, but it still left an impact on me. But after last night, I
’m not sure I’ll ever be able to have another girl without comparing her to Phoebe. “We should probably give it another round just to make sure that’s as good as it gets,” I say slyly, biting my bottom lip as I smile.
She grins and shakes her head. “You’re a sneaky little devil. I see what you’re doing here. You’re too much, you know that?”
I chuckle. “You really want me to answer that?” I’m shamelessly flirting, hoping I can convince her to stay a little longer.
She shakes her head. “No, I’m pretty sure I have an idea of what you might say.”
I pat the empty space her beautiful body occupied earlier. “Please?” I say, silently asking. My bottom lip protrudes, and I lower my lids to give her my best puppy dog impression. “Don’t make me resort to begging. It’ll crush my ego.”
She blows out a loud laugh. “I doubt that. Your ego is so big I’d need a map to navigate my way through it.” The playfulness leaves her face, and she turns solemn. “Seriously, though, I really have to go. This is our last full day here and I need to shower, brush my teeth, change my clothes, and who knows what Kristy and Tiffanny have planned for the day.”
“Am I going to see you anymore after this?” I ask, sounding a little too desperate.
She shrugs her shoulders. “I honestly don’t know. It all depends on what we’ll be doing.”
“Will you take it the wrong way if I ask for your number so I can text you before you go in case we don’t cross paths again?”
She stands staring at me, and I cringe inside because I know she’s mulling it over in her head.
“Never mind, don’t worry about it. If it’s meant to be then it will happen.” I keep my voice even and force a smile so she doesn’t see or hear my disappointment.
She still doesn’t answer me as she walks over to my side of the bed, picks my phone up, and hands it to me. “Type in your passcode, please?”
I do as she asks and then hand it back to her. She works her thumbs over the screen several times then gives it back to me.
“You have my number now. Text me so I will have yours.”
A crazy-ass feeling swims in the pit of my stomach, and I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s kind of what girls describe as butterflies. Damn, I better not be turning into a fucking pussy.
She bends down and gives me a closed-mouth kiss. Her soft lips linger on mine long enough for me to think she might possibly slip me the tongue. Much to my disappointment, she pulls back and our moment is over. She gives me a sideways smile, and I feel like she doesn’t want to leave me. “Bye, Blue. Thank you for last night. It’s not one I’ll ever forget.”
“Me neither.”
And just like that she walks out the door and possibly out of my life forever.
I want to run after her and tell her not to go.
I want to stop her and force her back in my bed.
I want to tell her I’m feeling something I’m not familiar with, but it’s enough for me to know I want to spend more time with her. Enough for me to know I want to try that thing they call a relationship. Maybe something along the lines of boyfriend/girlfriend status.
Knowing what I want can never be, I slide back down in my bed and roll over to where her sweet scent still lingers. Inhaling deeply, I take it all in and hope I never forget the smell of her.
When I wake up, I immediately grab my phone and look at the time. Shit! I have fifteen minutes to get my ass downstairs and start my shift. Falling asleep was the last thing I expected to do.
I take the quickest shower of my life, grab a protein bar from the cabinet, and practically slide all the way down the stairs. Before I walk in, I scroll through my contacts in search of Phoebe’s name. Once I find it, I shoot her a text.
Me: Some psychic lady told me to text this number. Said it would bring me 7 years of good luck. I feel lucky already.
With a smile on my face, I slip my phone in my pocket and walk inside the shop.
Thad throws his chin up at me once when he sees me. The place is swarming with people, so I jump in behind the counter and get busy helping my brotha out.
The day flies by and I’m thankful it takes my mind off of Phoebe for several hours. It also makes me forget to check my phone to see if she ever texted back. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I notice the notification light blinking. Entering my passcode, I go straight to my texts. She responded.
Phoebe: I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong number.
Her text was sent minutes after mine.
Then there’s another a couple hours after the first one.
Phoebe: Blue, it’s me! I was joking.
Then another an hour later.
Phoebe: Are you mad? I’m sorry.
The last message came in about thirty minutes ago.
Phoebe: Seriously? Is this how you want to end our friendship?
At first, I find the texts comical but after reading the last one, I’m not amused anymore. I type up a quick one, hoping I can smooth things over.
Me: Hey, just got your messages. Sorry I didn’t text back, I’ve been working. We were swamped.
I hit send and impatiently wait for her to reply. While I wait with my phone in my hand, I climb up the steps, taking them two at a time. Once I’m inside, I go straight for the fridge and grab a beer.
Leaning up against the counter, I tip back the can and guzzle the entire thing down. She’s taking too long to answer. She’s probably so pissed at me she doesn’t want to fool with me anymore. Or she’s sending me a payback message. I like to think she’s caught up doing something like I was and can’t text back yet. Whatever the hell it is, I’m losing my mind playing the waiting game.
I open the door to the fridge and grab another beer. I’m getting antsy and I need something to calm me. Quickly, I drain the can and toss it in the sink with the first one. I go for my third one. If Phoebe doesn’t text back soon, I’ll have the entire twelve pack polished off within thirty minutes.
When I toss the third can into the sink, I jump when a barrage of banging fists slam repeatedly against my apartment door. “What the fuck?” I mutter.
“Blue! Open the damn door, bro.” Thad’s impromptu visit is just the distraction I need.
When I turn the knob, Thad and one of my other buddies, Nate, have their fists up and ready to pound again. I take a quick step back to keep them from hitting me in the face. “Whoa, dude.” I chuckle.
“Blue, my man, where have you been?” Nate asks as we do one of our old signature handshakes.
“Here or below. Thad works me like a damn dog,” I say jokingly.
“I haven’t seen you in the water in over a week. All the guys have been asking about you.”
I take a couple of beers out of the fridge and toss one to each of them.
“Oh yeah?” I pop the top to another then rest my backside against the counter.
Thad finishes swallowing before he joins in the convo. “I have nothing to do with him ditching you guys. I’m pretty sure it has more to do with the pretty blonde he’s latched onto this week.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up.” Nate holds his beer in one hand with his index finger pointing up. “The infamous player, Mr. King, has given a chick more than one roll in the sheets?” He shakes his head. “I don’t believe it.”
I laugh. “First of all, I haven’t admitted to any fucking. Second of all, I think the player finally got played.” My head drops in defeat.
“And you’re sulking?” He shakes his head again while he stifles a laugh. “This is unbelievable. I can’t wait to tell the guys. Your reputation is going to shit, man.” He faces Thad, and they high-five each other.
“Oh fuck off, you two,” I say with a smile.
“So, what did you do to her?” Thad asks.
“Dude, I don’t know. She stayed here last night, we exchanged numbers, I texted her, and…that’s it. No reply. Nothing.”
“Bro, she stole a trick from your playbook. Kudos to her,” Nate mocks as he he
lps himself to another beer. He nods to Thad as if to ask if he wants another then tosses it to him. Thad catches it one-handed.
“Yeah, and it sucks.” I drain the can and quickly start on another. “But the strange thing is I don’t even have to force it with her. I mean, she’s fucking perfect. She surpasses a ten.” I pause, deciding if I want to admit how infatuated I am with her. “I’m diggin’ this chick and it’s driving me fucking crazy.”
“Dayum,” they both say with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I know.”
We sit around, chat, and drink beer until they both get summoned by their women via texts.
It’s hours later, and by the time they leave, I feel sluggish. I must’ve drunk more beer than I’d planned. Maybe I’ll pass out and stop filling my head with reasons why Phoebe’s not texting back.
My phone vibrates in my hand. I nearly drop it to see if it’s her. When I open my messages, my chest fills with disappointment. It’s Molly asking if I’ve taken care of the situation yet.
Hell no, I’m trying to fix the other shit I’ve caused. I answer her by not texting back. She’ll know.
Scrolling through my messages, I check one more time to make sure I’m not missing anything. If I wasn’t so drunk, I’d walk to her hotel. Hell, I’m so fucking screwed up in the head I can barely see straight.
Through my blurred vision, I give it one more try.
Me: Please don’t do this.
PHOEBE
Even though I tell Blue I have to get back to my friends, I’m not ready to be bombarded by all their questions yet. On that note, I decide to explore the upper end of the beach from where Blue lives to see what else this place has to offer.
As I stroll along the wet sand with the water lapping over my feet every so often, I notice the farther I walk, the less it looks like a tourist destination. It’s built more for the locals with less hotels and more houses on stilts.
