The Mark of Cain

by A D Seeley

  “Oh.” It sounded like a safe enough plan. Plus, she’d have an excuse not to let go of him. “One problem…I don’t own a bathing suit.”

  “Just wear your bra and the shorts. Or, you can wear my T-shirt if you want?” he said, gesturing at his dry shirt on the wooden platforms of the deck where he’d thrown it during their make-out session.

  “But then you won’t have anything dry to wear.” His jeans were dripping all over the pristine wooden deck.

  He shrugged. “That’s okay. Come on. Please?” He asked so much like a little boy that she only had to think for a moment before she slipped her shoes and skirt off, leaving her in the shorts and her bra. It might be white and lacy, but at least it wasn’t see through…thank goodness.

  With her head held high, she said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  They went down to the diving platform, which Inac lowered into the water. Attached to the boat on both sides of it were steps with handholds—they must really be ladders. After turning on the floodlights, Inac ran to where the ladders were and flipped frontwards and slightly sideways so that he would miss the diving platform when he hit the water.

  After he broke the surface, he swam over to the edge of the platform where she had barely sat down with only her feet and calves underwater, her bottom wet as well as she dangled her legs in the dark ocean. Because she was nervous, she was going to take her time by slowly entering the water.

  “Come on, Hara. Just lower yourself into my arms.”

  He was resting his fingers on the platform but his arms were straight, giving her plenty of room. She slowly lowered herself, wrapping her long, gangly arms around his neck as though he was her own personal life preserver.

  She almost shrieked as the cool water rose to her neck, surprised at the shock of cold that felt oh so good as it washed the hot day off of her.

  Inac pushed off, causing her to let out a little scream as she clung to him for dear life.

  “Here, just kick with your legs. I’ve got you,” he said from below her as she almost pushed him under in her rush of fear.

  But he did have her. No matter how far they moved away from the boat, she was as safe in his arms as she would have been on her couch at home.

  Once she had calmed down, he began teaching her how to swim.

  “I did it!” she called when he had her swim the short distance from him to the boat about twenty minutes later.

  “Yes you did. Now let’s see if you can make it back to me.”

  After about another hour, she felt like she had been swimming her entire life. The almost-full moon was so bright that Inac had turned all the lights off, the effect turning the twinkling ocean into a place where magical things could occur. Everything was beautiful and peaceful; just like Inac’s arms.

  When she told him that, Inac just chuckled before silkening his mouth upon hers. Soon, they were making out in the water, Hara wrapped up completely in Inac while he supported them both with one hand on the platform behind her and one on her back as their bodies rose and fell in tandem with the bobbing ocean. She could do this all night if it wasn’t for the fact that they were both pretty pruney. In addition, she was shivering, more from the cool water than from his touch.

  Lucky for her, the evening didn’t end its magic there because, ever the gentleman, when they exited the water, Inac grabbed a towel and put it around her before pulling her into his arms to kiss and hold her, warming her up with his body heat. After some time, he led her back up to the deck to sit on the couch while he got the boat moving again.

  When he came back and she was again lying in his arms, she asked, “Don’t you need to watch where we’re going?” It hadn’t occurred to her before how he had steered the boat when he had been with her the whole time….

  “Nope. This yacht is crewed.”

  “What?! You mean other people are here with us?” she asked, tightening the towel around her chest to make sure that her soaking wet white lacy bra was hidden.

  He seemed to notice her movement because he said, “Don’t worry. They didn’t see anything that took place between us. They stay in their part of the yacht unless I ask them to come to ours.”

  “But during dinner you went and turned it off?”

  “No. I went and told the Captain to anchor it.”

  “Oh….”

  “Next time we’ll take out one of my smaller sailboats. That will be just the two of us,” he said as he gave her waist a light squeeze. She liked that he was making future plans with her.

  But was she his girlfriend now? They had made-out and she considered him her boyfriend. She just didn’t know how it worked….

  When they were once again docked at the harbor, she started grabbing her shirts to put them on. It was then that she realized she’d ruin both her blouse and camisole if she put them on with her wet hair and bra.

  “Um…Inac?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m still damp and my shirts are silk….”

  Without a second’s hesitation, he threw his T-shirt to her.

  “Thanks,” she said with a grateful smile.

  “No problem.”

  As she put it on, she couldn’t help but smell Inac’s salt air, forest, and spices scent all over it.

  “You going to smell that all day or are you going to come with me?” he asked after a few moments.

  She was embarrassed that he’d caught her so she chuckled, trying to pretend like it was no big deal—maybe if she thought it wasn’t, he would feel the same way.

  They stuffed her shirts and skirt into the storage compartment with her keys before they got on his bike. They were both soggy messes, but that didn’t matter. This time, though, she felt adventurous and didn’t want to wear the helmet, so instead, he threw it on the yacht.

  As they were riding, her wet hair whipping behind them like the tail of a shooting star as she laid her cheek on his bare back, she noticed how light the traffic was—for Los Angeles standards, at least. It must be pretty late. She was lucky that she was ahead in her classes and didn’t have anything due tomorrow.

  “What about my car?” she asked when Inac turned off the bike in her apartment parking lot.

  “Just leave your keys with me and it will be here when you wake up tomorrow,” he said with that smile of his that always made her heart pound.

  After grabbing her clothes, they walked hand in hand up the flights of stairs.

  “Do you wanna come in?” she asked once they made it to her door.

  “Do you want me to?” he asked with dark, intense eyes that spoke of his desire for her.

  Even though she knew it was late, she didn’t want the night to end.

  “Yes.” Thinking of a plausible excuse, she said, “Then you can get your shirt back.”

  “I’m not worried about that.”

  She didn’t really want to give it back anyway. She wanted to keep it forever as a reminder of tonight.

  Looking up through her eyelashes as shyness took over, she said, “Well, I’d still like you to come in for a little bit.”

  “Okay,” he answered as he opened the door for her. He was such a gentleman.

  They walked into the family room together, still hand in hand. She’d expected to find Crystal there. She hadn’t expected to have her joined by Tracker. A very hostile looking Tracker….

  “Hey. I’m home.”

  “And you’re both half-naked…and soaking wet,” Crystal said, her eyebrows almost in her hair.

  “Inac taught me how to swim, but we didn’t have swimming suits so we had to do it in our clothes,” she explained before Crystal’s mind could go where she knew it was going.

  “Really?” she asked with a sardonic brow.

  “Yup. And I’m not half-naked,” she answered, lifting the shirt enough to show her shorts underneath—Inac’s shirt was huge on her, acting like a mini-dress.

  “Your first pair of shorts and they’re Daisy Dukes,” Crystal teased.

  “Well, they were reall
y just to wear under my skirt so that I could ride his bullet bike.”

  “Wow. Tracker said he was worried about you, and now I can see why.”

  She could tell that Crystal was joking so she asked with amusement, “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

  “You’re riding bullet bikes with a shirtless hottie, as well as swimming with him in skank shorts.”

  “What can I say? With him, I’m a wild woman,” she said, using his nickname for her as she gave Inac a sly glance speaking of the intimacy they’d shared that evening. After he squeezed her hand in acknowledgement and gave her a grin that spoke of just how much he’d enjoyed it, she said, “A wild woman who’s majorly chafing. I’m gonna go change into something dry. I’ll be right back.”

  With that she skipped down the hall to her bedroom, embarrassed when she saw the two wet spots on Inac’s shirt in the exact places as her breasts. After changing back into the dry skirt she’d worn to school that day and a dark cotton tank that could get wet if her hair dripped on it, she went back to the living room. Crystal and Inac—who was standing there in his wet jeans and no shirt as though he walked around half-naked every day—were talking, but Tracker was getting more and more angry by the minute. She could tell by the vein bulging in the center of his forehead.

  “You and your boyfriend should come with us next time,” Inac was saying to Crystal.

  “We’ll definitely have to take you up on that,” Crystal said with an excited smile as she obviously checked Inac out—his pants were really low to the point where it was embarrassing Hara to look. She could almost see everything of his, which she knew Crystal was appreciating because her smile had changed into the one she used to come on to guys at the club. Hara was surprised to find that she could see Inac’s hipbones but couldn’t see the band of his underwear. He did wear underwear, didn’t he?

  “You can come too, Tracker. It can be a triple date,” Inac added, barely glancing at Track.

  Tracker’s scowl just deepened into the Grand Canyon—she should know, she’d seen photographs of how big and deep the canyon was.

  Hara begrudgingly handed Inac’s shirt back to him. “Sorry it’s a little wet,” she said as he slipped it on.

  “That’s okay. But, speaking of chafing…” he said as he pulled at his jeans and made a face. “I should probably get home and change too.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She really didn’t want to say goodnight, but she understood completely.

  “Can I pick you up at lunch and take you out?” he asked.

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sure. I get lunch at one-thirty.”

  “One-thirty it is then. I’ll meet you where you always park your car.”

  “Okay.”

  He leaned down, kissing her a few times in front of everyone—he even slipped the tip of his tongue in her mouth for a second as if to remind her of what they’d shared. And, even though she was embarrassed to be kissing in front of her friends, as well as she knew she’d get plenty of flack for it after he was gone, the kisses felt really good. So good that she didn’t want them to end.

  “Tomorrow then,” he said, winking at her as he left.

  As soon as the door closed behind him, she turned back to her friends.

  “So we got our first kiss, did we?” Crystal teased.

  Hara couldn’t help but smile. “Yes we did.”

  “From the looks of it, you got much more than that,” Tracker said with disgust. It was the first time he’d said a word since she’d come home. “You both have hickeys all over you.”

  “So?” she asked with defiance. His protective bit was getting really old.

  “So that isn’t you. Making out? Or did you two have sex?”

  “Of course not! And, even if we did, it wouldn’t be any of your business. Besides, you’ve hated him for no reason since day one.”

  “That’s because he’s playing with you!” he said, walking straight up to her.

  “Really? How I see it, if he was playing with me, he wouldn’t have been as sweet as he was tonight. He was a gentleman all night.”

  “Of course he was. Until he gets in your pants.”

  Hara was so angry that she had slapped him before she even thought about doing so.

  Tracker put a hand to his reddening cheek and said, “See who you’re becoming? Being around him is only gonna take you farther and farther down that path.”

  She had been about to apologize until he’d said that. Now she’d had enough.

  “Whatever,” she said, whirling around, her wet hair slapping him where her hand had just done the same. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Hara, wait,” Track said with such desperation that she stopped mid-stride to turn back to him.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She just couldn’t stay mad at Track.

  “I know. But you don’t need to be so worried. Tell you what, why don’t you hang out with us sometime. That way you can get to know him. He really isn’t how you think he is.”

  Track seemed to think for a moment before saying, “Okay. Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

  “Great. Now, if you don’t mind, I really am exhausted.” Learning how to swim had really taken it out of her.

  After saying goodnight, Hara changed into her nightgown, got into her bed, and was asleep within moments, dreaming of Inac’s touch.

  Chapter Ten

  ***

  When Hara walked outside her apartment to go to school the next morning, she found the flowers from their date the previous evening on her doorstep, gently arranged in an expensive-looking crystal vase. With them, she felt a familiar warmth; Inac was just so sweet and romantic. She knew that she was in love with him.

  After setting them on the kitchen table, she ran down the steps to also find her car in its space, just as Inac had said she would.

  For some reason, she just couldn’t stop thinking about him and all that had happened last night. She built him up in her mind until her first few classes began moving way too slowly in anticipation for lunch. She just hoped that Inac didn’t regret yesterday. She knew that she should because of how hot and heavy they’d been, but she didn’t. She just had to make sure they didn’t get to that point again, because she didn’t think she would be able to stop it the next time.

  ***

  Inac waited by Hara’s car, allowing the bright sunshine to seep deep into his skin; he was in a very good mood. His plan was going exactly as he intended. A few more days and she would be entirely under his spell.

  As it was, she was already acting completely out of character. She now had a temper, was drinking alcohol for fun, and gallivanting in the ocean in her bra; not to mention their heavy make-out session. Of course, none of these actions were bad in the least, but she believed they were, and that’s what mattered. During their next make-out session, he was going to let his hands wander until her mind wouldn’t be able to say no. Until then, he was going to lay the romance on thick.

  It was going to be her own fault when she died. He’d warned her last night with the white and purple lilacs. She’d even joked about her first love being the death of her. If she only knew….

  “Hey, beautiful! Did you get your flowers this morning?” he asked as she walked up to him, a broad smile on her face. She was a vision today in a simple white ribbed tank top with thinner straps than usual tucked into a shiny navy tulip skirt with a high, thick black stretchy waistband and her usual black flats.

  “I did. Thank you.”

  “Good.”

  He then pulled her into his arms to give her a kiss.

  “So what are we doing for lunch?” she asked when he pulled away.

  “I figured that it’s a nice day, so I brought us a picnic.”

  “That sounds perfect,” she said with stars in her eyes brighter than the sun above.

  Man. This was seriou
sly too easy. He really needed an added challenge to this….

  With one hand he picked the basket up that had been resting on the grass and put his other around her waist as they walked to a shaded area on campus. After spreading a red, velvety blanket over the freshly cut lawn, he began pulling out containers full of food to dish up for the both of them—the containers had all been in cases that kept them either hot or cold so they would taste the same as though they had just come out of the kitchen.

  “First, we have our appetizer,” he said with a lopsided grin.

  “What?” she said, giggling as he handed her a plate-like bowl from Herod’s with shrimp risotto in it.

  “What do you mean, what?”

  “I just didn’t expect such a fancy lunch.”

  “Well, when you own your own five-star restaurant, you eat well for every meal. Besides, I’m trying to impress you,” he said as he threw her his best smile.

  “You’ve already impressed me with your personality. You don’t have to try any longer. Especially with stuff like this.”

  “I just figured that since you’re becoming a new woman, maybe you should try some new food.”

  She smiled before humoring him by taking a bite.

  “Wow! That’s good.”

  After the risotto, they had beef wellington, which she also liked, followed by chocolate soufflé. To go with lunch, he had poured them both a small glass of eighteenth century red wine from one of his many vineyards in Italy. He didn’t pour more than that because she still had classes to attend.

  They chattered about nothing of importance until she looked at her watch, groaning at the time.

  “You have to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll walk you.”

  He hurried to put everything back in the basket before taking her hand with his free one to slowly walk her to class.

  “So how long have you been in college?” He just realized that, in everything they’d talked about last night and today, they’d never breached anything personal. Mostly they had talked about trivial things because they’d both been distracted from wanting to kiss one another. Now that they’d gotten that behind them, they could start getting to know one another. Or at least he’d get to know her. She would only learn about the character he was playing.