Anchored_Book One of The Crashing Tides Duet

by Ruby Rowe

  “I already picked up on that. She definitely doesn’t come across as shallow, and I sure as hell know she isn’t after your money.”

  I shake my head. “You’re such a dick. No mistaking you’re a Davenport.”

  “I imagine she doesn’t need your money, though. Her family is filthy rich. Why does she even teach?”

  “She enjoys it.”

  “I heard about the predicament you’re in, and I imagine he’s here to see your girl.” Harrison tips his glass toward the open doors that lead out to the patio. I look over and spot Elliott.

  “I see my cousin can’t keep a damn secret.”

  “The news of your love triangle’s safe with me, and I’m rooting for you, man. Roberts is strange, the way he keeps to himself. It’s like he thinks he’s too good for even the Upper East Side.”

  “Elliott’s cool. He’s just a private man.”

  “We’ll see if you think he’s cool once he’s banging Sailor, too, or is that already happening?”

  Jerking my head his way, I glare. “Watch it. It’s complicated, and that’s all you need to know.”

  “Hey, I’m all for sharing as long as no sword-fighting ensues.”

  “Yeah, well no worries there. I don’t plan on getting my cock anywhere near Roberts’.

  “He’s looking for her.”

  “No, he’s looking around.”

  “We’ll see…” the asshole says. I should’ve known he’d turn out like his brother and father. Now, I am wondering if Elliott’s searching for Sailor. Maybe I should find her first.

  Sailor

  “You’re a lot of fun,” I say to Marybeth’s sister Naomi after she tells me the funniest story from her college days.

  “I know, right? I’m so much cooler than Bethy. I swear, she’s such a prude, and I don’t know how she landed Thatcher.”

  After Marybeth wouldn’t stop asking prying questions while she gloated over her home, I managed to slip away. That’s when I found her sister in the family room where we’ve created a mini private party, pouring drinks from our very own champagne bottles.

  “Thatcher really seems to be in love with her.”

  Lifting her long blond hair and holding it up in the back, she fans her face like she’s hot.

  “Oh, please. I’m certain he has a side piece. How could he not? I mean, have you seen the guy up close? Marybeth hinted their marriage is more for convenience and show.”

  “That sucks if it’s true.”

  “Yes, well, let’s drink to sucky situations.” Naomi swallows champagne straight from her bottle. Her tight, strapless gold dress rides up her thighs as we sit on the sofa, and it makes mine appear modest in comparison.

  I feel bad for Marybeth and Thatcher if their marriage really is for convenience. Maybe if I drink more, I won’t remember the gossip tomorrow, which is fine by me.

  My sister cheated on Elliott with Jake, Elliott slept with me soon after. I’ve slept with Jake, and I wish I could sleep with Elliott. Is my situation any morally better?

  “There you are,” Jake says. I turn my head and see his weak smile.

  “I’ve been getting to know your girl, Jake. She’s cool as shit.”

  “Hi, Naomi. I see you’re being a bad influence as usual.”

  “You’d know, wouldn’t you? Sailor’s doing well at keeping up.”

  I think about how true that is. I’m trying hard to forget how I’ll see Elliott and Nicole soon and how Marybeth was determined to get dirt on me to share. Hold up. How would Jake know Naomi’s a bad influence? Jesus, have they slept together, too?

  “I need to go,” I blurt out, frustrated for reasons I don’t even understand.

  “Naomi, can you leave us alone?” Jake asks.

  “Sure.” Getting up, she staggers from the room, still carrying her bottle.

  “I should’ve warned you about her.”

  “Have you slept with Naomi?”

  He sighs. “Yes, but it was a long time ago and a mistake. She has a reputation I wasn’t aware of before that said mistake.”

  “At least she doesn’t pretend to be someone she’s not.”

  “What does that mean? Are you angry with me?”

  “No, but I am angry over a lot of things.” I stand and feel lightheaded.

  “I think you’ve also had too much to drink.”

  “I heard a possible secret, and it’s gossip that makes me sad. I don’t want to own anyone else’s secrets because mine are hard enough to carry.”

  Jake cups my cheeks. “You don’t have secrets anymore, and the only people who need to know them already do.”

  “That’s not true, and I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “After that, we should probably leave.” He tries to take hold of my arm, and my bottle of champagne, but I don’t let him since I feel a need to get away from everyone and everything from my past.

  I walk out of the family room and into the living room, but I come to an immediate stop when I see Elliott talking to a girl I don’t recognize.

  Feeling nauseous, I cover my stomach and turn around to head down the hallway. Elliott calls my name, but I don’t stop until he grabs my arm and I’m forced to.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t have anything to say to you tonight. Jake and I are leaving.”

  “Please, hear me out.”

  I gaze up at him, and he looks fantastic … too attractive for words.

  “Fine.”

  “Sailor and I need a few minutes alone,” he says before he takes my champagne bottle from me and shoves it against Jake’s chest.

  Not giving his friend time to respond, he pulls me by the hand down the hallway. After looking inside a few rooms, he leads me into a spare bedroom and shuts the door.

  “I’ve missed you,” he says.

  “No, you don’t get to come back and say shit like that. You left me–again.”

  “I left because I thought it was best for you, and from the way you fled back there, it’s obvious you’re still angry with me.”

  “Only because after I told you about our baby, you gave me up for the second time, and then I see you with another girl tonight after you were also at Nicole’s. Why shouldn’t I be angry?”

  “That woman went to college with me, so we were catching up, and I went to Nicole’s to tell her I wasn’t seeing her anymore.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “I told you I loved you last week. Is that not reason enough?”

  “But then you left me.”

  “I’m sorry, but I thought Jake could make you happier, and happiness is all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

  “Then why the hell are we having this conversation?”

  “I couldn’t do it. I tried to stay away, and it hurt like hell.” Tipping my chin, he kisses me, and my head spins not only from alcohol but from the excitement he incites.

  Walking me backward, he lays me on the bed at the foot of it. “Scoot back.” I do as he says, and he’s soon over top of me, caging me in the way he likes to do.

  “This feels wrong. I agreed to come here with Jake.”

  “See … our conversations always lead back to him. Did you miss me? Did you wish even once I would come back for you?”

  “I missed you as soon as you left.”

  “That means there’s still a chance for us. Now that all the secrets are out about the past, we can focus on the future.”

  “If you want to be with me, you have to be willing to let me see Jake, too, until I figure this out.”

  “Jake’s my friend, and I want him to find someone, but I believe he was meant to bring you and me back together. It’s too strange how it happened, but if that’s what you need from me, I’ll try.”

  “I’m falling in love with him, and it’s not something I can simply shut off. I can’t choose one of you this very moment.” I brush my fingers along the side of his silky blond hair. “I love you, but I don’t trust you enough to give up my whole heart. Not righ
t now, anyway. I’m sorry, but I should get back to Jake.”

  “Tell me I can kiss you.”

  I gaze at him as the angel and devil on my shoulders feud.

  “OK, but only one kiss.”

  Elliott surprises me when he brings my wrists together and clamps them with one of his strong hands. He pulls them up over my head and pins them to the bed.

  I suck in a breath before he claims my mouth. He doesn’t neglect a single part of it, kissing me fervently. He strokes my tongue, and sucks on it, too, and as he nips at my swollen lips, I lift my pelvis, yearning to feel him against it.

  Every part of my body wants him to lie on top of it, but my mind is reminding me we can’t, not here or now. I whimper with the realization that this has to come to an end. Pulling my mouth away, I struggle to breathe.

  “Fuck, you drive me crazy,” he whispers in my ear, “and I can hardly take not touching your body. Soon, Sailor Girl. Real fucking soon.”

  Once he’s off me and I’ve straightened up my dress and hair, I leave him alone and head down the hall to find Jake.

  He’s waiting on the sofa in the formal living room with his elbows pressed against his knees and his head leaning over. His hands are threaded behind it, and I don’t need to see his face to tell he’s anxious.

  As soon as I touch his shoulder, he stops tapping his foot and looks up at me.

  “Are you ready to go?” I ask.

  “Sure.” As we make our rounds to say goodbye, Jake keeps a firm hold on my hand, but he never speaks to me directly. Once we’re in the car, I entwine our fingers again.

  “I didn’t know what to do back there. It’s not like we have a rule book,” I say.

  “I’m not pissed at you. I knew it was coming, but it was harder to handle than I expected.”

  “Are you watching Maddie tomorrow?”

  “No, my parents are able to keep her the rest of the weekend.”

  “Let’s go on another date then. Only you and me.”

  Looking over, he smiles. “I’m relieved you still want to spend time with me after talking to Elliott.”

  “I told you how I feel about you, and that hasn’t changed. He knows I’m going to keep seeing you.”

  Bringing our hands up, Jake gives mine a soft kiss.

  “So that it’s clear, I’m falling in love with you, too, Teach. I thought you should know.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Elliott

  “What’s up?” I ask Jake when he calls.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m walking to catch the train. I’ve been at the hospital.”

  “Why did you go back to work already?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I want to be off tomorrow night to see Sailor. You were with her last night, and you get her tonight.”

  “Yeah, we’re leaving in a few minutes. I called to find out what you decided. I didn’t want to put her in an awkward position by asking her what you said last night.”

  “She told me she needed to date both of us until she figured shit out. I told her it’s not what I wanted, but I would deal with it.”

  “So, you didn’t listen to what I said.”

  “I did listen, but I don’t want to share her indefinitely or forever. I’m willing to give her a little time to decide what she wants, but she has to choose at some point.”

  “Whatever you say, Doc.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’ve had a shitty day, and I still have to go chew my mother’s ass for never telling me about the baby, so I’m getting off here.”

  “Don’t wait up tonight.”

  “You’re a dick.”

  “But you love me, anyway.”

  “This is fucking messed up. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, but what other choice do we have?”

  “You could go back to your man-whoring ways. That’d be a big help.”

  “Now who’s being the dick?”

  “Aww, are you butt hurt? I probably have some cream for that in the condo.” He starts to reply, so I chuckle and end the call.

  Jake’s my good friend, and I don’t want this situation to ruin our friendship, but I can’t picture another outcome. This ordeal sucks.

  ***

  I need a stiff drink after visiting my mother and dwelling on Sailor being with Jake. Once I’ve changed into my sweats and a hoodie, I take a bottle of whiskey, along with a glass, out to the terrace. It’s chilly tonight, but I welcome the crisp air.

  It was a waste of time confronting my mother. She did what she always does and made excuses as to why it was best I never knew about the baby.

  I imagine like Sailor’s parents, mine were ashamed that I slept with her after Rebecca died, but we were young, confused and hurting.

  The only regret I have is that I wasn’t there for Sailor when she needed me the most. That won’t happen again.

  Damn, I’ve got to stop wishing I could change the past. I pop my neck, wishing like hell the tension I’ve been carrying around would go away.

  Sailor’s sexy giggle…

  I hear it before I watch Jake shove a chair aside and bend her over our dining room table.

  “We were supposed to sit here and eat the dessert we brought home,” she says, giggling again.

  “You are dessert.”

  Taking a slow drink of my whiskey, I weigh my next move. The sliding door is open, the moon casting light on this fucked-up situation. It’s one that has driven my pulse from 60 to 120 in seconds.

  He tears open the condom wrapper with his teeth.

  I should stop watching.

  I should…

  We occasionally fuck girls where we know the other could watch. I guess it’s been an unspoken gift to make up for the rest of the time when we’re dicks to each other.

  But this time is different.

  This time, he’ll be furious if I watch.

  Maybe it’s a test to see if I’ll shut the damn door.

  To determine if I’ll turn away and let him keep her to himself.

  Fuck that shit.

  If he wants to share, we’ll start right now, and I’ll see how much Sailor likes to take it from behind.

  Jake’s jeans are at his upper thighs as he rolls on the condom and lifts Sailor’s deep purple dress. She likes to wear loose ones, and maybe it’s due to a subconscious fantasy. The sweet teacher wants a man to have easy access to her pussy.

  She palms the table, and as Jake slides his cock right into her, she turns her head my way and presses her cheek against the wood.

  I inhale sharply and hold it. Her eyes are closed, but they’re going to open. They’re going to open, and she’s going to fucking see me, and the anticipation of what she’ll do makes it hard for me to exhale.

  I finally do, and it’s as if the air skips from my lungs in short puffs of exhilaration. I take another drink, and it’s difficult for me to swallow.

  My dick’s hard as nails.

  Her skin is flushed.

  Fuck, this could end badly, but I can’t stop watching my friend slam into her or deny how she’s enjoying it. Her lips part, and she opens her eyes lazily. Shit.

  Locking her gaze with mine, Sailor widens those dark portals, and I notice how her body stiffens. I think we’re now both holding our breaths.

  She snaps her eyelids shut to pretend I’m not there, or maybe she’s considering what to do. She slowly opens them, and the way she fixes her dark eyes on mine, never letting them go, is almost too much for me to take.

  I feel a euphoria I’ve never experienced before. A desire so strong I could combust. Jake might be physically fucking her, but it’s as if I’m the one pleasuring her, or maybe it’s Sailor pleasuring me.

  My cock aches, and all I want to do is reach in my sweats and stroke it. Their bodies slap together, and I can tell they’re both close to orgasming from the sounds of their breathing, the way Jake’s moving faster, and from how Sailor has balled her hands into fists.

  She closes h
er eyes again, the pleasure becoming too much, and as she falls into the abyss, her orgasm pushes Jake over the edge with her.

  Panting, Sailor opens her eyes again, and her forehead scrunches, the lines across it a paragraph I can read. She just realized she was thinking about me while she should’ve been thinking about Jake.

  Sailor

  Breaking my gaze with Elliott, I turn around and straighten my skirt as Jake removes the condom and ties the end of it into a knot.

  “That was by far the best dessert,” he says before pulling up his jeans and closing them. I quickly think of how to respond.

  “You know, let’s save the cheesecake for tomorrow and go to bed. I’m kind of tired now.”

  He gives me a passionate kiss, and all I can think about is how Elliott’s watching us. What will Jake do if he notices? What would Elliott say in return?

  I know what I thought about the incident. It was the hottest, most exciting moment of my life, and I can’t believe I allowed it to happen, but I was too afraid they’d fight if I stopped it.

  “Will you sleep in my bed tonight?” Jake asks with a crooked smile that melts my heart.

  “Sure.” My brain is in a state of chaos as I follow him from the room and head to my own to change. Confusion is crowding my head, and I don’t know which way is up or down–what’s right or wrong. Since two guys agreed to date me at once, is there a right or wrong?

  I don’t believe this is what either one of them had in mind, and it’s certainly not what I was expecting, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed every second of it.

  My phone buzzes in my purse on the bed, so I find it.

  Elliott: You’re mine tomorrow night; although I feel like I just had you. I didn’t know there was this side to you, Sailor Girl, but I’m happy to see it exists since I tend to think outside the box when it comes to sexual encounters.

  Me: I witnessed that. I’m moving to a hotel after work tomorrow. This is all too confusing with us under one roof. I’ll text you the info.

  Elliott: I understand, and I’ll be waiting.

  ***

  “You don’t have to move,” Jake says to me as he helps load my car.