Shady Bay

by Casey L. Bond

  Celeste hugged me and kissed my cheek. Tears swam in her eyes when she pulled back. She hugged me again and whispered, “It’s meant to be.”

  “What is?” I whispered.

  A throat cleared behind me. Jaxon stepped forward and dropped to one knee in front of me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box. It was the type of box to hold jewelry, and by his stance, I could guess the type of jewelry it held. I glanced at June and Celeste and then back to the hot man in front of me. “Mercy, you’ve quickly become one of the only people on this planet that I can’t live without. None of us can.” I glanced around and heads all nodded and Summer began to sniffle, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Eww.

  “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  I laughed. “What? Ha. Ha. You’ve had your laugh. It was hilarious. Now, get up.”

  He stayed put and opened the lid of the box. Two plain golden bands stared back at me. The thicker one, read “Mercy,” and the thinner, “Jaxon.”

  I started shaking. “What is this?” My voice trembled. Jaxon stood up and hugged me tight. His warm breathe tickled my ear. He whispered low so that only I could hear. “Marry me. You can be put on my insurance today. Let me help you. If in the end, the lump turns out to be nothing, you can divorce me. But let me help you today. It’s the only way I can.”

  “You would marry me just to give me insurance?”

  He nodded. “Of course. I’d do anything for you.”

  I glanced to June. She nodded. Brody must have told her. Celeste nodded, too, tears still streaking down her face, leaving black tracks in their wake. Her floral hippy skirt blew around in the breeze. Brody smiled and ticked his head toward Jax and Summer was just a hot, blubbering mess. “I love weddings,” she cried into Celeste’s shoulder. She rolled her eyes at the poor thing.

  “Okay.”

  Jaxon looked at me. “Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay. But,” I moved close. “I will divorce you and set you free as soon as I can, okay?”

  He smiled lightly. “Maybe you won’t want to let me go.”

  I turned red as he introduced the officiant, Brian Ayers. His hideous, Hawaiian-print shirt stretched over his beer belly. He was balding, badly. When the breeze gusted off the ocean, his comb-over reached for the heavens, before fluttering back down to cover his shiny, slick scalp. I couldn’t look at him. Every time I did, that damned hair-flap flew up and I nearly lost it. I couldn’t look at Jax, either. His sweetness made me want to cry. To say that I was a mess was a gross understatement. I was a hot one.

  My sundress fluttered against my bare legs. “Shall we begin?” Mr. Ayers searched the faces of the small crowd with a grin on his face. He pushed his aviators up onto his nose.

  Jaxon stepped forward. “We’re ready. Right, Mercy?” He squeezed my waist.

  “Yep. Yes. We’re ready. I think.”

  June started giggling, so Brody pinched her. “Ouch, you jerk,” she whisper-yelled, rubbing her arm.

  He just grinned at her and then pointed toward the main attraction: us.

  “You have the rings?” Ayers asked Jaxon.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me.”

  Jaxon removed my ring from the box and grabbed my clammy, hand. He slid the cool gold onto my fourth finger and repeated the traditional wedding vows, promising to love, honor, and cherish me for as long as we both lived.”

  It was hot out here. Sweat beaded on my upper lip and forehead. “You’re turn, baby.” Jax held the box out and I took his ring in my hand, which was visibly shaking. I slid it onto his finger. Mr. Ayers was patient as my voice shook through my vows. “You may kiss your bride, and then I need you to fill out the proper paperwork to make it all official.”

  Jaxon prowled forward. There was no other way to describe it. I felt like a quaking baby bunny caught in a snare as a hungry, foaming-mouthed wolf approached, knowing it had just scored dinner. Brody whistled loudly as Jax grabbed me quick and slammed his mouth onto mine. This was no chaste, church-worthy kiss. This was hot. Soon, I had forgotten that we had an audience. Jax pulled away first, a surprised look on his face.

  June, Summer, and Celeste all stood to the side with their mouths gaping open. It was Celeste who spoke up first. “Don’t stop on our account. Please, continue. One of you go get some popcorn.” She shooed Brody away. He just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

  “Alright, lovebirds.” Ayers produced two pieces of paper, printed identically. One is your copy and one will be filed with Horry County later today.”

  Jax completed and signed his half of the form without blinking. I took the pen in my hands. It was still warm from his fingertips. I paused and looked over at him. “Are you sure, Jax?”

  He smiled and that damn dimple appeared again. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my entire life, Mercy. Now, sign the papers, darling’. I’ve got big plans for my new wife.”

  My eyes widened in fear as his narrowed. I pressed the pen to the paper and scrawled my name. It was official. Jaxon and I were married.

  Mercy was overwhelmed. One minute she laughed, the next I caught her wiping tears away from her eyes. Our wedding reception consisted of brunch at Celeste’s. Summer had to leave, but June and Brody stayed with us. Mercy, June, and Celeste were in the kitchen whipping up eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits, and grits. The smells mingled together in the air making my mouth water.

  “You’re married, dude!” Brody clapped my shoulder.

  “Yeah. I think she’s more afraid of me than she is Cha-Cha.”

  “Cha-Cha?”

  I snorted. “She named her lump.”

  His eyebrows scrunched together. “She named her breast lump Cha-Cha?”

  “Sure did.”

  “She’s something else. Better hang onto her.”

  I wiggled the fingers of my left hand at him.

  He laughed. “If you want that ring to stay on your finger, you’d best work some of your Jaxon charm on that woman.”

  That was sobering. I’d had just a little taste of Mercy, but knew I didn’t want to let her go. Ever. That ring on her finger said my name, the same way mine said hers. She was mine, now.

  “Thank your little brother for engraving them for me.”

  Brody nodded and sidled back over to June.

  Celeste yelled in from the kitchen that the food was ready, so Brody and I headed to the table.

  I sat next to my wife. Damn if it didn’t feel good saying that. After Starla, I never wanted to settle down again. I wasn’t even married to that witch. But having Mercy beside me made my insides feel warm. I wanted to protect her. To love her.

  Celeste sat at the head of the table and Brody and June sat across from us. As everybody filled their plates and started eating, I slid my hand over to Mercy’s thigh. Her leg tensed under my touch and holy hell, I thought I’d have to leave for a cold shower right then. I started thinking about old men in nut-huggers and finally got my boy under control.

  Mercy’s face turned bright red as she glanced over at me. I just smiled at her and kept chewing. If she thought this marriage would be in name only, or in insurance benefits only, she was wrong. I was going to win her heart, one way or another. Up until that moment, I hadn’t realized it, but she already had mine.

  When Jax’s big, warm hand landed on my leg, I was shocked. But nowhere near as shocked as when his pinky eased the hem of my sundress up and led the way for his hand to travel up my skin. Thank God I shaved. His hands were calloused and rough, but his touch left a fiery path in its wake. I snapped back to reality when June took the can of whipped cream and foamed some onto her pile of pancakes. I wanted to jerk that can away from her and use it to place some whipped cream into Jaxon’s dimple, so I could lick it off.

  Oh, no. I was in so deep. He was just doing this to help me. Jax was just being the awesome person and friend I’d begun to know so intimately. But h
is hand, whose fingers kept inching up my leg, hiking my dress higher and higher, didn’t feel as if it were in the friend-zone. I glanced at him, my face hot as a poker. He smiled and kept rubbing. And chewing while he did it. Game on, Jaxon. Two can play.

  After breakfast, June helped Celeste clean up and the two shooed Jaxon and me out the door. I wondered what he had planned. It was ten forty-five. We had the whole day in front of us. And the night, too.

  The breeze was hot, salty and perfect as we glided down Ocean Boulevard in his car.

  “I like your car, Jax.”

  He laughed. “Car?”

  “Yeah. I like it.”

  “Baby, this isn’t just any old car. She’s a classic, 1969 Dodge Charger R/T.”

  “Well, she’s cool. Does she have a name?”

  “Delilah.”

  “Delilah? As in Samson and Delilah?”

  “Yep. Delilah seduced Samson and took his hair, his strength, right?”

  “Okay,” I drawled.

  “Well, this girl seduced me and took my money. A lot of my money.”

  I giggled. “You’re crazy, Jax.”

  He grew serious. “You’re married to crazy, baby.”

  I really liked it when he called me that.

  Our first stop was a miniature golf course that featured dinosaur sculptures, pyramids and caves. We had to ride a train that was made to look like mine cars to get to the top of the mountain where two courses diverged. “Did you pick this course just because of the train?”

  He laughed. “You know it, baby.”

  Offering me his hand, I climbed out and we headed for the diamond course. The sun became hot and before long, I pulled my hair up into a pony tail and sweat was pouring from me profusely. Never mind the saying that ladies perspire. This chick was a hot mess. At hole eighteen, we were tied. “Last hole, baby.”

  “Want to place a friendly bet?”

  His eyebrows rose. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe, if you lose, I get a foot massage.”

  He chuckled. “And if I win?”

  “You pick.”

  He leaned down, his warm breath tickled my ear. “You sure about that, baby?”

  “Sure. You don’t scare me.”

  He grinned, baring his dimple. “Fine. Since, we’ve covered first base, I get to round second with you tonight.”

  “If you win,” I added, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

  “Do we have a deal?”

  “Game on, Jax.”

  “Game on, baby.”

  He’d been holding back. It took me two strokes to get the ball into the hole that swallowed it up. He got a hole-in-one which entitled him to a free game the next time we came, and a trip to second base with me. Holy crap.

  We returned our clubs and started toward the car. Jax put his arm around me. “Don’t pout, baby. I promise you’ll like it.” I felt the familiar blush crawl into my cheeks and burrow inside. He chuckled and kissed my temple.

  Next stop: the Myrtle Beach Sky Wheel. Jax bought us tickets as I stared up at the imposing, glorified Ferris wheel. I’d always hated that ride. It made my stomach drop. Jax grabbed my hand and we stepped into the queue. It was early in the season and apparently they weren’t busy during the day. We waltzed right onto our own outer-space inspired, egg-shaped pod. The doors sealed behind us and before long we were slowly circling. My stomach was happy with the slower pace.

  I’d never seen the beach from up this high, so I eased out toward the window and took it all in. People, resembling small ants from so high, were scattered over the sand. I could see the bright rainbow parachutes of the parasails and watched the airplanes fly back and forth up the Grand Strand, advertising shops and dinner shows. It was magical. Warmth appeared on my back and Jaxon wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on mine. I grinned up at him. He certainly was touchy-feely. He nodded toward the parasailing boat. “Wanna go?”

  I grinned and nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “We’ll do that next. But we’ll have to go change into our swimsuits.”

  “Okay.”

  Jax kissed my temple and then my cheek. I could feel his sandpapery stubble on my skin as he nudged my head to the side. It was in that moment that I was happy I’d pulled my hair up. His chaste kisses turned anything but. He trailed kisses down my neck and across my shoulder, easing the strap of my sundress down for better access. Kissing across the nape of my neck, he eased the other strap down to match. A moan tore from my throat. That was all it took, not my ragged breath or the goose bumps dotting my flesh.

  That moan unleashed Jaxon and all his sexiness. Spinning me around quickly, he grabbed my arms and molded his lips over mine. I let him in immediately and pulled him in by his trim waist. He used my pony tail to maneuver my head to the side as he tore his lips from mine. He kissed just under my ear and down my neck again, across my collar bone and over the swell of my breasts. His hands roamed over my back, over the curves of my bottom and down my thighs. He pushed me backwards, devouring my mouth again as my back hit the side of our pod. Raising my leg, he grinded into me and a pressure, unlike anything I’d ever experienced, began to build. I gripped his shirt and pulled him closer, trying to push myself closer to him still.

  He stopped and eased my leg back down, before finger-combing my hair back into place and raising the straps of my dress back up onto my shoulders. I huffed. I didn’t want to stop. “Don’t pout, baby. Remember the bet.” He brushed his finger over my puffed out bottom lip. I was pouting, I realized.

  Jaxon paid the man at the Extreme Watersports counter while I waited for him on the sand. Walking back toward me, he smirked and pulled his t-shirt over his head. Watching his abs ripple almost sent me into orbit. I discreetly wiped my chin for drool. I locked eyes with him and pulled my tank-top off and then very slowly, unbuttoned and unzipped my shorts, sliding them down my legs until they hit the sand. His eyes darkened as he approached. The hungry look and clenched jaw meant I’d had an effect on him. And I loved it.

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  I smiled. Yes, I was playing with fire. I just hoped I didn’t get burned. I knew this would all end one day. Before I knew it, we were on a small boat beyond the ocean waves, being strapped into thick black harnesses by the staff onboard. “Ready to fly?”

  I nodded and the wind caught the parachute jerking us up and backwards. “Jaxon!”

  He grabbed my hand and smiled. “I’ve got you, baby.”

  We flew up and down the sand, marveling at the enormous hotels and tiny beach-front homes. When we finally stepped our feet back onto the sand, Jaxon retrieved our things and drove down the strip a little ways, before pulling into a very posh hotel. The Breakers was stunning, light sage stucco complimented Jaxon’s eyes. Tall marble statues of maidens pouring water from their buckets greeted us. Jax pulled a large suitcase out of the trunk of his car.

  “What is this?”

  “Our honeymoon, baby.”

  He clasped his fingers with mine and led me into the lobby. The clerk smiled knowingly and gave him the card to the ‘honeymoon suite.’ My heart melted a little bit and thoughts of Cha-Cha faded away.

  The honeymoon suite was on the top floor of the hotel. When the elevator pinged, we stepped out into a hallway. There was only one door on this floor, which meant there was only one room. Our room. Jaxon slid the card into the reader and the light blinked green, the door unlocked. Everything sparkled. The tile floors were white. A spacious sitting area greeted us first, with a plush white couch and matching chair that faced an enormous wall-mounted, flat-screen television. But it was what lay behind that caught my eye. An enormous four poster bed made from dark wood stood in an enormous bedroom. Gauzy white linens flowed from the canopy above. Red rose petals were scattered over the fluffy down comforter forming the shape of a heart. A bottle of champagne chilled on the bedside table, along with a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries.

  I covered my mouth.
It was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen, let alone stayed. Beautiful paintings of the ocean adorned the walls and I stepped past the bed into the bathroom. It was enormous. The shower was big enough to fit ten people comfortably and was tiled in brown marble. Glass doors would leave little to the imagination. A huge jet-tub was situated in the corner, rose petals scattered around it as well. Two hand towels had been formed into two swans that were kissing one another.

  “Jaxon, I don’t know what to say.”

  He sidled up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “Then don’t. Just enjoy.”

  I nodded and swiped away a tear that had escaped.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you, baby.” He said it so tenderly that it made me cry harder.

  “I’m not upset. I’m happy.”

  “You don’t look happy.”

  “I am. I promise. I just...no one has ever done anything like this for me.”

  He nodded. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” I sniffed.

  “How many?”

  I blinked. “How many what?”

  “How many guys have you been with before?”

  I laughed. “Seriously? How many girls have you been with before?”

  “This isn’t about me, baby. But I haven’t exactly been a saint, especially after Starla.”

  Just hearing her name made me cringe. “I know. Um, two. Two guys, Jax.”

  “Did you enjoy it with them?”

  “This is the weirdest conversation ever.” I tried to pull away.

  “No, it isn’t. It’s a simple question. Did you enjoy sex with them?”

  “The second was better than the first, I guess. My first time was with a boy I’d been friends with forever. We decided to experiment after prom. It was very underwhelming for me. For him, it was life-altering. He had stars in his eyes from that point on, but I didn’t feel the fireworks. You know?”

  He nodded. “The second?”

  “An ex-boyfriend. It was okay. Not mind-blowing, like in the books I read, but decent.”

  Jax squeezed me tight. “I hate coming in third place, but I swear that if you ever give me the same chance, I’ll be the best you ever had. Maybe even the last you’ll ever want.”