by Ash, Nikki
“Uh!” I huff, standing, so I can wipe all the sand off me. When I notice my blanket is half in the water, I let out a loud groan. The tide must’ve risen while I was asleep. “Damn it, my blanket is soaked!” I bend over and drag the blanket out of the water and up the beach a few feet.
“You are aware you’re at a beach, right?” He laughs, this time out loud. “It’s made up of sand and saltwater.”
“Thank you for pointing that out, Captain Obvious.” I roll my eyes. With the sun now pounding on my body, the saltwater and sand quickly sticks to my flesh. “Ugh!” I groan. “It’s everywhere.” I glare at Keegan.
“Here, let me help you rinse all that sand off.” He moves toward me so fast, I don’t even see it coming. Before my brain can put the pieces together, he throws me over his shoulder like I’m a freaking ragdoll and darts up the beach.
“Put me down!” I squeal, my fist pounding on his ass, while tilting my head slightly to the side so I can watch the ocean getting farther away. “What are you doing?” I yell, and he just laughs. Laughs!
I try to figure out where he’s taking me, but my upside down view doesn’t really tell me much. When his feet hit the solid ground, my body is no longer bouncing. He’s jogging along a wood planked sidewalk that quickly turns into concrete. And then the concrete disappears and… we’re both in the air.
Before I can scream again for him to put me down, my body hits the cool chlorinated water. The asshole just threw me into the pool! Paddling my arms, I swim to the surface and find him right in front of me. He grips my hips to hold me up since I can’t reach the bottom of the deep end.
“You… you…” I splutter.
“You’re no longer sandy.” He winks.
I back out of his reach and then swim toward him. I don’t even know what I’m thinking when my hands land on his shoulders, and I attempt to dunk him under the water. The guy is all muscle and doesn’t even move under my touch. But he does laugh, and that pisses me off.
“Screw you!” I hiss, giving up and swimming away.
“Oh, c’mon!” he yells through a laugh. “Don’t be mad.”
When my feet can finally reach, I wade through the water toward the steps, but before I make it out, hands land on my hips and spin me around.
“I’m sorry. It was all in good fun.” He smiles apologetically, and my anger immediately subsides. “You’re at the beach, for what I’m assuming is spring break. It’s okay to have a little fun.” His words don’t seem to be said out of malice, but they still rub me the wrong way. I spent most of my life having fun. Being carefree. Before my parents died, Sierra and I had the world at our fingertips. To do with as we pleased. But everything is different now, and having fun isn’t going to help me graduate from high school or college, create a future for myself.
“And who said I wasn’t having fun?” Even I can hear how defensive my tone is, but he’s struck a nerve. “Because I’m choosing to lounge around and read a good book that means I’m not having fun? Does having fun have to be getting drunk and high? Hooking up at parties?” Holy word vomit…
His eyes go wide in shock. Bet he wishes he’d picked another girl to hit on, someone not as emotionally tainted as me. Then he speaks, and with every word, I feel like the biggest piece of shit. “Actually, getting high is the last thing I find fun. Being as my brother nearly overdosed last year. And getting drunk? Sorry, my grandfather was an alcoholic. Died from liver failure. So nope, I don’t exactly find that fun either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down for the occasional beer when hanging out, but I’m not really looking to get drunk. And as far as hooking up goes, I’m a man with a working dick. Do I like sex? Sure…” He lifts a single shoulder and quirks one side of his mouth up into a sexy smirk. “But I prefer to know who I’m fucking.”
He steps closer to me, until he’s so close I can almost feel the heat radiating off him, and in a voice so smooth it drips like the sweetest honey, he says, “Hooking up is a one-time thing. It’s fast and over way too quickly. It’s simply about getting off. And most times, unless the guy cares enough, the woman doesn’t even get off. I’d rather get to know the woman I’m fucking. Find out what turns her on…” His eyes drag down my body, and even though I’m in a somewhat modest bikini—one I’ve worn several times—I’ve never felt as exposed as I feel in this moment. It’s as if he’s stripping me bare without even touching me. “I prefer to get to know every inch of her body, find all the areas that will work her up until she’s wound so tightly, she’s squirming in pleasure and screaming out my name.” The apex of my thighs clench at his words, my chest rising and falling a little faster. Who the hell is this guy? Nope! Not going there…
“Well, I’m sorry about your grandfather and brother, but I have no desire to allow you to… get to know me in that way. So, while this”—I flick my hand between us—“has been fun, I need to get going.”
Keegan nods once. “All right. If you change your mind…”
“About what?”
“Having fun,” he replies. “If you change your mind about having fun, I’ll be here until the end of the week.”
Our conversation is clearly over, yet neither of us moves, facing each other in the water. I’m the one who said I need to go, so why aren’t I leaving? Because you’re attracted to him and it’s been almost a year since you’ve had any type of fun.
“You could be a rapist or a murderer,” I point out. “You could be luring me in and plotting how to rape and kill me. This is the shit Lifetime makes movies about.”
Keegan doesn’t laugh. Instead he says, “You’re right, I could be, and good for you for even thinking like that. Most women don’t. I’m staying at this hotel with some friends of mine for spring break. I’ve never been to jail or even been given a speeding ticket.” He smirks playfully. “I live and go to school in Carterville.” Carterville is the city next to ours, only about thirty minutes from here.
When I don’t say anything, he adds, “This is where you either tell me a little about you, so I know you aren’t going to rape or murder me either, or you tell me to get lost.” His lips curl into a huge flirty grin, and my insides turn to mush.
I have less than two months until I graduate. My book for school is ruined, and I’m not about to hang out with Sierra and her loser friends for the rest of the week. I can either spend the rest of my trip alone, or I can take him up on his offer to have some fun, get it out of my system, and when I return home, I go back to focusing on my future. Four days of fun isn’t going to ruin everything I’ve busted my ass to accomplish.
“My name is Blakely, and I’m staying at the hotel next door.”
When he realizes that’s all I’m going to give him, he says, “At least confirm whether you’ve been to jail. I gotta know if I need to be worried for my life.”
A groan escapes me when I think about what I’m about to say. “Three times,” I admit, and he cackles.
“Seriously?”
“My sister and I got caught stealing.” Definitely not my finest moment. The sad thing is we got caught while our parents were alive, which means we had more than enough money to pay for the items we chose to steal.
“Damn, should I hide my wallet?” He teases.
“Ha-ha,” I say dryly. “It was clothes.”
“Keep any of my sexy clothes away from you. Noted.” He nods with an almost straight face. The only indication he’s joking is a slight twinge to the corner of his mouth. “The other times?”
“A house party gone bad. There were drugs and underage drinking. We all got arrested.” I shrug, embarrassed even though I shouldn’t be. I don’t even know this guy, and those days are behind me.
“Wow.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Didn’t see that coming. The third time?”
“I was skipping school and a cop caught me. Brought me in for truancy.” I roll my eyes.
Keegan barks out a laugh. “Wow, you’ve been busy.”
“Hey, Keeg!” someone yells. “We’re going
down to the pier. You wanna go?”
“Nah!” he yells back. “Go without me.” Then he says to me, “So, are you down to have some fun?”
“Fine,” I say, dragging out the word. “Bring on the fun.” I fake fist pump, and he laughs.
“On one condition.”
“Oh, now you’re giving me conditions? Really?” I scoff.
“One condition,” he repeats.
“What?” I huff.
“No negativity. I have three more days before I have to deal with life. I came here to have fun, escape reality.”
“Okay, agreed.”
We get out of the pool, and Keegan throws his arm over the back of my shoulders like we’re old friends. “C’mon, my little jailbird, let’s go have some fun… legally.”
Blakely
“When you said fun, you didn’t mention the possibility of death!” I yell over the sound of the waves crashing against each other as the jet ski flies across the deep blue ocean. My arms are wrapped around Keegan, my fingers threaded together so I don’t risk letting go. Between his life vest and mine, I can barely reach around him. The wind whips my hair every which way, and the warm air smacks me in the face.
“No negativity!” he yells through a laugh.
“I won’t be able to be positive if I die!” I yell back, humor laced in my words. I’ve never been jet skiing before, but I have to admit, it’s actually a lot of fun—when Keegan isn’t going a hundred miles an hour.
Keegan slows the jet ski down a bit as we get closer to the shore. The waves are still splashing around us, but the wind has calmed since he’s no longer going as fast. “That was so much fun,” he says, sounding like a little boy. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
He glances over his shoulder. “Admit that was fun.” My lips twitch. “Admit it or I’ll throw you off.”
This time I laugh out loud. “Yes, it was fun!”
When we return to the shore and get off the jet ski, Keegan helps me unsnap my life vest and hands both over to the guy in charge.
“So, what’s next?” My body is drumming with adrenaline, and I’m excited to see what else Keegan has planned.
“I was thinking I could take you to dinner.”
“Oh.” I pout, and he chuckles.
“Hey now, my little jailbird, it won’t be anything as wild as a house party, but it will be fun, I promise.” He throws his arm around my shoulders with a light laugh and pulls me into his side.
“You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
“Nope.” His shoulders shake with laughter. “I can’t get over that underneath all that cuteness and innocence is a very naughty girl.”
“Funny,” I sass.
“So, dinner?”
I want to say yes, but at the same time I don’t know this guy. It’s one thing to hang out outside with him, but to get in a car and leave? I’m not sure that’s the best thing to do. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I admit. When he raises a single brow, I add, “I barely know you. I’m not sure I’m comfortable going out with you.”
His lips curl into a wide smile. “That’s okay, because I’m not taking you out. We’re staying in.”
“I’m not sure your room is any better!” I squeak out.
“Not my room.” He shakes his head, clearly trying not to laugh at me. “Just in my hotel. There are a few different restaurants.” He points over his shoulder.
“Oh, okay. That sounds good,” I tell him, slightly embarrassed that I jumped to conclusions.
We walk back to his hotel and enter the lobby. We’re both still in our dripping wet suits, and that’s when I remember I left all my stuff at the beach.
“Shoot! I need to go grab my stuff. My phone and everything is in my bag. Someone probably stole it all.”
“All right, how about you grab your stuff and get changed, and then meet me back here?”
“Okay, deal.”
We part ways, and I head back to the beach where I left everything when Keegan threw me over his shoulder earlier. Luckily, it’s all still there, untouched. I shake out my blanket, gather the rest of my things, and rush to the room. When I enter, Sierra and her friends are nowhere to be found. After showering and blow drying my hair so it’s not soaked, I throw on a black and white bandeau dress and some sandals.
When I exit the bathroom, I find Sierra and some guy I’ve never seen before making out on her bed. When she hears the door creak open, she pulls back and looks at me inquisitively. “I haven’t seen you all day,” she says, almost sounding as if she cares.
“You haven’t seen me since we got here,” I point out.
“Are you having fun?” She eyes my dress.
“Yeah.” I don’t tell her the specifics, though. The last thing I need is her throwing it in my face that I’m hanging out with a guy when I’ve said a million times I’m off dick. It’s not really like that, but she won’t believe me. “But if you wanted to maybe go for a walk down to the pier Mom and Dad used to bring us to, I could cancel my plans…”
Sierra’s eyes go soft for a quick moment, but then she shakes her head. “You need to stop living in the past, Blakely. There’s nothing there for us.” Then, without waiting for me to respond, she says to her guy friend, “I could really use a beer. Let’s go.” Getting up from the bed, she drags him out the door.
My mood instantly sours and I slam the door closed harder than intended on my way out. There was a time when Sierra and I told each other everything. When we would’ve spent this entire trip together. Once when I tripped over a kickball at school and scraped my knee, she refused to leave my side. The teacher told her she needed to go back to class, but she argued and told her she wouldn’t go anywhere until she knew I was okay. Now, she knows I’m in pain, but instead of being by my side, she’s running in the opposite direction. I’m terrified that once I move over five hundred miles away to go to school, it’s going to make it that much easier for her to push me away, and one day we’re both going to wake up and realize we have no family left. Not even each other.
“What’s the frown for?” Keegan asks when he sees me approach him.
“Just thinking about reality,” I tell him, using his words from earlier today.
“Well, then let me help you escape.” He smiles a boyish grin, and it’s then I notice he’s no longer in his suit. Like me, he must’ve showered. His hair is still wet and messy, but it’s shiny now. He’s sporting a pair of khaki shorts and a Billabong T-shirt. His feet are donning a pair of brown sandals. He looks like your typical surfer.
“You surf?”
“I do. I’ve lived near the beach my entire life. I was thinking I could teach you tomorrow.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“So sure I’m going to want to spend tomorrow with you, huh?” I joke.
Keegan laughs. “You came willingly just now, didn’t you?” His eyes twinkle with humor. “Didn’t even have to throw you over my shoulder.”
As we walk past the lobby and through the main area, I take in how gorgeous his hotel is compared to the one I’m staying in. Marble floors, restaurants peeking out of several corners. I even spot a Starbucks. My heart aches at the bit of nostalgia this place awakens. There was a time when staying at a luxurious hotel was the norm for my family. Dad would never stay anywhere but a five-star hotel, and even then, it had to be the Presidential Suite. Sierra and I grew up flying first class and traveling all over the world. Dad traveled for business, but Mom always brought us along to teach us about the world. And when we couldn’t go with them because of school, she would bring back books about the country and spend hours reading to us.
We stop in front of the hostess stand and Keegan hands her something. Maybe a reservation slip? I’m not sure what restaurant it is, but when we follow her down the hall and through a set of double doors, I have my answer.
“The movies?” I question, getting a good look at the massive screen in the front of the large room that’s filled with rows of reclining chairs and bar t
ables, so people can eat their food while they watch the movie. There aren’t a ton of people in the theater, but there’s still quite a few.
“You said you didn’t want to go out to dinner, so I figured I would take you in. Now I get dinner and a movie.” He winks then follows the hostess to where our seats are—directly in the center of the theater.
“What movie are we watching?” I ask, once we get situated.
“There were only three options,” he admits. “A kid’s movie, a newer adult movie, or a classic. Since you were reading Wuthering Heights, I went with the classic.” He shrugs sheepishly.
The lights drop and the commercials start. When the opening scene begins, I know right away what movie it is. “Armageddon is not a classic!” I whisper-yell through a giggle, and Keegan grins.
“Really?” he questions. “Well, I know it’s old. My dad took my mom to see it before I was born.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s still not a classic.”
We enjoy the movie while we eat our food—both ordering a burger and a shake. When we’re done eating, and the server has taken our trash, Keegan reclines in his chair, so I do the same. His hand rests on the armrest, and I notice little by little it gets closer to mine. Biting down on my bottom lip, I hide the smile that’s trying to break free, focusing on the movie. Eventually, Keegan’s fingers reach mine, and he links his hand with mine. The moment our skin touches, butterflies flutter in my belly. Then he faces me, and he grins the most gorgeous shy grin, and the butterflies go into attack mode.
Until our parents died, Sierra and I attended private school. One would think the wealthier you are, the higher class and more respectable you are, but the truth is quite the opposite. The kids we hung out with smoked, drank, did drugs, and had sex like it was going out of style. Guys didn’t date since they could easily find girls to fuck. Sierra and I both lost our virginity our freshman year of high school. We’d never even been on a date. We all just hung out. I guess if it’s all you’ve ever known, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. But sitting here with Keegan, on what feels a lot like a date, I feel like I’ve missed out. There’s something about actually spending time with a guy, wondering if he’s going to hold my hand, lean over, and kiss me. He’s actually trying to get to know me, woo me, instead of diving right into my pants.
