by Penny Dee
We rode for a while before the city streets disappeared behind us and we were on the winding road leading out to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Streetlights gave way to native plants and fragrant shrubs as we wound our way along the unlit coastal road. The moon was high and cast a silvery glow along the coastline.
Being so late, the roads were empty and with my arms wrapped around Heath’s waist, it felt like we were the only people on Earth.
I breathed in the fresh summer night air, heavy with salt, as it rushed passed my face. Despite the late hour it was still warm even with the ocean breeze rolling up from the beach below us. Being on the back of Heath’s bike seemed like the most natural thing in the world and I relaxed, and enjoyed the ride.
Heath slowed the Harley on a ridge high up over the point. He pulled over and climbed off, taking my hand in his. Guided by moonlight, he led me down a narrow trail, walking confidently over the uneven ground until we reached a small clearing.
He stopped and I gasped at the view stretching out endlessly in front and above me.
We were on the bluff, not far from the edge of the sheer drop that plummeted to the Pacific Ocean below. Above us, a velvet night sky stretched out and sparkled with luminous star shine. Away from the lights of the beachfront, a billion stars twinkled brightly like sky glitter.
We sat on patchy grass and the world seemed so big and wide above and around us.
“This is so magical,” I whispered. When I turned to look at Heath he was already looking at me. In the milky light his handsome features were magnified.
“I come here to unwind. Like after a show when I’m still too wired to sleep. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the crowd and the noise. It calms me, you know?”
“I can see why. It’s beautiful.”
He leaned back on his elbows and his biceps stretched the fabric of his t-shirt. “I like the peace and quiet.”
I leaned back too and rested my hands behind my head. I felt so small beneath the star scatter above.
“So … you and Dean…?” Heath said, his eyes still fixed on the sky. “Are you really going on a date with him tomorrow?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Piper mentioned it in passing.”
“It’s just coffee, Heath. It’s hardly a date.”
“I know Dean. I know what he’s like.”
I leaned up onto my elbow and cocked a brow. “Oh really?”
He didn’t look at me, choosing to keep his eyes trained on the stars. In the star shine he looked almost angelic. His skin gleamed like marble. His eyes were dark and shiny like polished stone. His big arms were behind his head and his biceps flexed whenever he moved.
“He’s a player.”
As he said it the muscles in his jaw clenched.
I laughed. “Coming from you, that’s pretty funny.”
His face flinched but smoothed just as quickly.
“We’re nothing alike,” he said, his brows drawn in again. “I just think you should be more selective of who you go out with.”
“I can’t believe you of all people are giving me dating advice,” I said.
He looked mildly offended. “Just because I don’t date doesn’t mean I don’t understand the concept.”
There was silence for a moment. Just the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks below.
“Why do you care if it’s a date or not?” I asked. “We’re just friends, remember.”
“I don’t want you to get …”
“What?”
He gave a small shake of his head. “I just don’t want him to fuck with you.” He turned his head and his eyes found mine. “You deserve so much better than him.”
“Like you?” I asked before I had the sense to stop myself.
Seriously, what was wrong with me?
He turned back toward the starlit sky, his face serious. “No. You’re way too good for me.”
I didn’t know how to reply. It was the craziest thing I had ever heard. So I lay back down and rested my head against my hands again.
“It’s just coffee.”
“Whatever.”
I turned my head to look at him. “It’s not a date.”
“So you keep saying.”
I turned back to look at the star shine in the sky above us.
“I’m not in California to date anyone. But it’d be nice to have some friends.”
“I’m your friend.”
“Good. I like that.”
Heath kept his eyes on the sky. “But if we’re going to be just friends, H-bomb, don’t wear tops like that around me okay? Because that top makes me want to do some seriously unfriend-like things to you.”
* * * * *
I met Dean the next day for coffee at a small café and dessert bar just a short walk from the Pier. He kissed me on the cheek and gave me a friendly hug. Inside we were met with the rich, inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the heady sweetness of chocolate and caramel. We sat in a booth towards the back of the café and talked over coffee.
Dean was friendly and charming, and fully aware of his good looks. He listened patiently and was attentive. His smile was bright and perfectly white, although not as disarming as Heath’s. A student at the local university, he was studying law and worked part time at his parent’s photography business. Until he finished college, he was living with his parents.
We were on our second coffee when I heard the door open and looked up to see Heath saunter in.
You have to be kidding me!
He was with the girl from our bet who was wearing another tight and short denim skirt and a barely-there top. When his eyes found mine, he grinned.
I raised a brow and glared at him but this only made his grin grow broader.
They sat at a table on the other side of the room from us, but I had a clear view of Heath from where I was sitting. He deliberately sat facing me, that cheeky grin not far from his lips.
From that point on I was distracted. I tried to focus on Dean and our conversation but my eyes had a mind of their own and kept sliding over to the other side of the room. Heath appeared to be listening to whatever Miss Tight Skirt was saying but he was only being polite because he kept glancing over at me. When I threw him a disapproving look he grinned more. I rolled my eyes. He was enjoying himself. He was taking great pleasure in annoying me.
After a second coffee, Dean had to use the bathroom so I took the opportunity to escape to the dessert bar just to avoid Heath’s attention. I tried not to look over at him and his date, but of course my eyes wandered where they shouldn’t and fell straight onto Heath’s who was stealing another glance in my direction. His date had no clue. She appeared to be mindlessly talking about something he had no interest in, waving the straw of her iced coffee about and then slipping it between her glossy lips.
Within seconds of getting to the dessert bar, he was at my side.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered through gritted teeth.
“Having coffee with, Anastasia. You told me to ask her out, remember?”
“And you just happened to make the date for the same time and place as my date with Dean?”
His brow furrowed. “I thought you said it wasn’t a date.”
I shot him an exasperated look and shook my head, turning back to the dessert bar.
“You’re mad at me because I’m on a date?” he asked, hopefully.
“No, I’m mad because you’re crashing mine,” I replied, walking around the dessert bar but too distracted to take in the array of gourmet desserts because I was concerned about Dean coming back from the bathroom and seeing Heath with me.
Not that it should matter. But I didn’t want him to think anything was happening between Heath and I.
Because nothing was happening between Heath and I.
“What are you doing later? Perhaps we could catch up?”
“Are you seriously asking me out while you’re on a date with another girl?”
“It’
s not a date. It’s coffee.”
Was this the most infuriating man in the world?
“I’m busy,” I hissed, eyeing the bathroom door.
“So what’s the difference between him and me?” He nodded towards the bathroom.
“He isn’t asking me out on a date while still on a date with another girl,” I growled. “I’m busy tonight. Plus,” I nodded in Anastasia’s direction, “you’re probably going to be busy later.”
He shook his head. “She isn’t really my type.”
I raised a brow and cocked my head to the side. “She has a pulse, Heath. Isn’t that your type?”
“Hey, I do have standards, you know.”
“Yes, and I’ve seen those—” I used my fingers to do air quotation marks, “standards. They are usually throwing drinks in your direction.”
“Hey, I meant it when I said I was sorry about that.” He looked so apologetic, I almost felt bad for giving him a hard time.
“Whatever.”
I picked some ridiculously decadent chocolate concoction out of the dessert arrangement and put it on my plate.
“I was thinking about taking a ride out to our spot,” he said.
“We don’t have a spot.”
“Weatherman says it’s going to be the hottest night of the summer.”
“So?”
“Good breeze on the bluff.”
I sighed. “You’re not going to let this go are you?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Yes, he was the most infuriating man in the world.
Worn down I looked at him. “If I agree, will you leave me alone?”
Two dimples flicked next to his floodlight smile. “Pick you up around eight?”
I looked over at Anastasia who was tapping her foot against the table leg and sucking on the end of her straw.
“You’ll be finished by then?” I asked.
His gaze followed mine to Anastasia who was now looking at the bottom of her straw as if seeing how it worked for the very first time.
He turned back to me, his bright eyes firmly fixed to mine.
“I’ll see you at eight.”
* * * * *
Heath arrived on time. I heard the rumble of the Harley as it turned into our street and watched him from the window as he pulled up to the curb. My stomach flipped and curled at the sight of him as he climbed off the bike, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that clung to his broad chest and shoulders. I couldn’t deny it. When I saw him, he did things to me. Complicated things. Things I really shouldn’t feel. Things that made me hope he had kept his hands off Anastasia.
“Wow, you look great,” he said when I opened the door.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” He kissed me and God his scent was incredible.
It was another magical night on the bluff. The sky was clear and bright with a full moon. Heath had been right, the day had been hot and the evening the same, but up there it was beautiful. And the cool salty sea air rolled up from the ocean. When Heath took my hand, I didn’t stop him. Nor did I stop to over analyze it. I just curled my fingers around his and enjoyed the warmth of his hand around mine.
We lay down on the grassy embankment looking up at the explosion of stars above. It was magical. We talked about everything while the ocean breezes blew in from the waves below to cool the summer heat. We had been there for a while before Heath mentioned my coffee date with Dean.
“We’re friends. That’s all,” I said, turning to look at him. His skin glowed luminous in the light of the moon. His lashes were long and the shadows deepened his dimples as he spoke.
“Does he know that?”
“He knows.” I rose up on my elbow. Moonlight washed us in milky light. Heath looked almost angelic. Being there—with him—was doing stuff to my head. “What you said. Last night. That I was too good for you. That’s not true. I’m not too good for you. But—” I bit my lip and his eyes shifted from the sky to me.
“What?”
“You scare me.” I laid my head against his chest and his arms came around me.
He smelled so good and his strong arms made me feel safe. And happy.
Too damn happy.
“I wish I didn’t,” he said softly.
“Me too.”
“The best thing I could do for you would be to stay away from you.” His voice was soft and raspy. “But you make that too damn hard. I like being around you too much.”
“I like being around you too,” I whispered. “You make me wish I was here for longer than I am going to be.”
“I don’t want to wreck things by overstepping lines,” he said. “I like you too much to do that.”
I felt the gentle thud of his heart against my cheek and it was comforting. His thumb caressed the bare skin of my shoulder. Being in his arms felt right. I just had to work out how Heath fit into my life.
After a while, he disentangled himself from our embrace, gently laying me onto my back and shifting onto his side so he was looking down at me. He gave me a half-smile. The back of his fingers found my cheek and drifted down to my neck, setting tiny fires beneath my skin.
We were close, enough for me to feel the strong thump of his heart and the gentle whisper of his breath on my face. His eyes dropped to my mouth and seemed to glaze over as he scraped his white teeth across his bottom lip. Soft fingertips followed his line of vision, tracing invisible lines across my lips. His brow furrowed and I shivered, waiting for him to lean forward and kiss me. Willing him to lean forward and kiss me.
I closed my eyes. California Harlow was yelling at me to say to hell with it and begged me to go for it.
To reach out. And. Just. Kiss. Him!
Up here in this magical place my reckless inner voice was far louder than it was in the cold reality of daylight.
But I was at the edge, done with resisting him, ready to dive in.
Drunk on the starlit atmosphere I about to step off the edge when he said, “Don’t worry H-bomb. I’m not going to kiss you. I know we can’t be anything more than friends. And I don’t want to fuck up what we have by trying.” His fingers were tender across my cheek. “It’s better this way. I’ve never had a girl who was just a friend. Other than my friends’ girlfriends.” He smiled and it was the most incredible smile I had ever seen. “I think I’m going to like it.”
I took a giant step back from the edge and California Harlow threw herself on the floor with a cry. She had missed her chance.
Georgia Harlow breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Somehow Georgia Harlow was able to keep dodging the bullets California Harlow shot her way.
Chapter Five
My friendship with Heath seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Almost immediately we slipped into a comfortable and often comical routine, which usually consisted of Heath flirting rapaciously with me and me reproaching him. It was easy with him. Relaxed. We talked easily, about everything, and we laughed, sometimes until our stomachs ached. Heath seemed to like me close. I didn’t know why. I just knew I liked it.
We both knew it couldn’t be anything more. I would be gone in the Fall and Heath seemed happy with whatever we were. In fact, he seemed more interested in spending time with me than the string of women who offered themselves up to him every time he stepped out his front door.
It confused me sometimes and I often wondered what he wanted from me. But there was no point in trying to make sense of it. I couldn’t compare what we were to anything because I didn’t know what we compared to. Other than best friends. He was protective like a brother, flirty like a lover, attentive like a boyfriend, and as fun as a best friend.
Yes it confused me. But it also made me smile whenever I thought about it.
If he wasn’t performing somewhere, he would be waiting for me at the end of my shift at The Palace to take me home. On my days off he would turn up on his bike and we would spend the day together. Sometimes we’d just spend the day riding up or down the coast, and other days w
ere spent at the beach or exploring local sights.
I hadn’t seen him with a girl since Anastasia at the coffee shop. I told myself it wouldn’t bother me when I did. But as the days passed I began to wonder. The lines were beginning to blur, no matter how much I insisted they weren’t.
When Fat Tony gave me a weekend off so I could do some sightseeing, Piper and I drove up to San Diego to visit the colorful Bazaar Del Mundo for some shopping and pre-lunch margaritas.
After more shopping at the Horton Plaza, we drove to the Coronado Ferry Landing to explore the stores. Then we visited the legendary Hotel Del Coronado where we sat out in the sun at the Sun Deck Bar and Grill and had lunch, enjoying the sea breeze blowing in off the Pacific Ocean.
Vengeance had left town during the week to attend a two day festival just out of Tuscan and were due back sometime over the weekend. Because they didn’t have the cost for flights, they were taking the Greyhound and Bandit and Devo were driving a beat-up tour van full of gear. It meant they didn’t know when they would roll back into town.
Piper and I decided to have a girl’s night in on the Saturday night, complete with face masks, cucumber eye packs and a few pitchers of homemade sangrias.
“So what’s happening with you and Heath?” Piper asked over a third glass of pretty potent sangria.
“We’re friends,” I replied, applying a second coat of polish to my toes.
“Friends? That’s all?”
“Yeah. That’s all.”
“Does he know?”
I shook the bottle of nail polish. “He understands I’m not looking for anything more than that.”
“He might understand that … but …”
“But…?”
She paused, looking at me. “It’s just … I’ve never seen Heath like this.”
“Like what?”
“When he looks at you, it’s like you’re the only person in the room.”
I shrugged and wiggled my toes to help dry the polish.
“We’re just friends. And he understands that. He’s probably with some hottie right now, as we speak.”
Secretly I hoped I was wrong.
