One More Time_A Second Chance Romance

by Rye Hart

  CHAPTER 12

  RHETT

  “Hey! Look what the cat dragged in!”

  “Nice to see you, too, Tommy,” Ana said.

  “Especially after I laid you so well last night?” Tommy asked.

  “That wasn’t me. You went back with a blond girl,” Ana said.

  “Oh, our little babies have grown up and fallen in love,” Chanel said.

  I laughed at the interaction as the girls grabbed some pool cues.

  “Told you they would be here,” Ana said.

  “Do they really have endless rum punch and barbecue ribs?” Chanel asked.

  “Yep. And it’s been fabulous,” I said.

  “Did you guys even get out onto the island?” Chanel asked.

  “We did for a little bit. We had a morning excursion after breakfast,” I said.

  “Which we didn’t see you two at,” Tommy said. “I was hurt. I was going to treat you to a little rendezvous morning romance. You know, get you a plate of breakfast and such.”

  “Except you’re a couple of mornings too late,” Ana said, grinning.

  “Were you guys okay this morning?” I asked.

  I saw Ana’s eyes dart quickly over to Chanel as she rubbed chalk on the end of her stick.

  “Do you even know what that stuff does?” Tommy asked.

  “It makes sure the tip of the stick doesn’t slip against the ball,” Ana said.

  “Kinky,” Chanel said with a smile. “And we were fine. Just slept in and ordered room service.”

  I could tell she was lying to me, and I wasn’t okay with that because she’d made me a promise that she would talk to me if something came up.

  “How was the excursion you guys took?” Ana asked.

  “It was fun. We took this little bus to a beach and snorkeled. Fucking fish everywhere. Then we caught it back after about an hour because we were hungry,” Tommy said.

  “Because he was hungry,” I said.

  “I know, but Rhett has problems being alone. It’s hard, weaning him from my teat,” Tommy said.

  “Ah, a boob guy,” Ana said. “I can respect that. Your friend here’s more of an ass guy, though.”

  “And that’ll be enough of that,” Chanel said.

  “What did you guys get into?” I asked as we paired off into teams.

  “Guys against girls? I can dig it,” Tommy said.

  “Oh, we went to all these beautiful little shops. I picked up this necklace made with shells this woman and her daughter had collected on the beach. And a disposable camera Ana and I used to take pictures at this lagoon we found. I figured I could develop them, take pictures of those pictures, and put them all over my blog post dedicated to the island. Oh! And did you know the locals here cook their food in the massive leaves of the trees that grow in the forest? I had this sweetened rice mixture while we were walking around the shops. It tasted. So. Good.”

  I watched Chanel light up as she talked about walking through the little island town. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile kept growing. Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and the more she talked, the more her hands waved in the air. It warmed my soul to watch her light up like that and be so animated and so passionate about something. That was another thing I enjoyed about Chanel. Everything she did, she did with the whole of herself. She never held anything back, and if she enjoyed it, you would always know it.

  It was why sinking into the depths of her body was so mesmerizing. Because when she writhed against me, she held nothing back.

  Which was why I worried about why she was lying to me about her morning.

  “Sounds like a hell of a trip,” Tommy said. “Ana, did you get any souvenirs?”

  “This cute little dress, a pair of lace-up sandals, and I had my caricature drawn on the street,” Ana said.

  “Not nearly as animated as Chanel, but I’ll take it,” Tommy said.

  “Sorry. If you want Chanel-level shit, then go to Chanel,” Ana said.

  “That’s okay. I like the Ana-level shit just fine,” Tommy said.

  The two of them migrated to the other end of the pool table as Chanel made her way to me. She bent over and ran her pool cue right into the wrong ball and then fell apart with laughter. I watched as she gathered herself and tried again, but her giggles kept throwing off her posture.

  “Would you like me to help?” I asked.

  She cleared her throat and reared up and then shook her head lightly.

  “I’m okay. I’ve always sucked at pool anyway. I came for the rum punch,” she said.

  “Would you like me to get you one?” I asked.

  “Eh, I can get it myself later.”

  She was acting odd, and it was making me nervous. She was having trouble looking me in my eyes, and her posture was turned away from me. I scanned the room, trying to see if anyone was making her uncomfortable, but Tommy and Ana were off in their own little world as they made out against the pool table we were standing at.

  “Yum,” I said.

  “I don’t know why I expected anything else,” Chanel said.

  “Wanna get out of here?” I asked.

  “Nah. I’m okay here. The view’s nice, and I’m kind of tired of being yanked around.”

  “Chanel, are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  “You know I can tell you’re lying.”

  “That more of your SEAL training?” she asked.

  “Are you having second thoughts? About what we’re doing? Because all you have to do is say so.”

  I watched her sigh as she leaned her pool cue against the table. She walked over to the couch that lined the wall and flopped down. I resisted the urge to follow her, wrap my arm around her, and pull her close. It felt like she needed the space, but everything inside of me was screaming to not leave her side.

  The only thing was, I didn’t know why. All I knew was I had been trained to follow my gut when I didn’t have all the pieces in play.

  So, against my better judgment of Chanel, I went and sat by her on the couch.

  “No,” she said. “I’m not having second thoughts.”

  “Then what’s bothering you?” I asked.

  “I’m just tired,” she said. “It’s why I didn’t come to the breakfast this morning. I was just tired.”

  She wasn’t being truthful, but I didn’t want to press the subject. If she wanted to open up to me, she would. I couldn’t make her, and there was nothing I could do to coax it out of her. This wasn’t like how we were back in high school. It had been ten years and a hell of a lot of heartbreak since we had last seen one another. I couldn’t expect her to suddenly open up to me about whatever it was that was bothering her.

  The only thing I could do was take her at her word when she said it wasn’t about us.

  Once Tommy and Ana were done sucking face, the four of us played a decent game of pool. It didn’t shock me when the girls decided to turn in early. It lined up with Chanel’s story of being tired. But the moment they left the pool hall, Tommy turned to me with that disapproving look in his eyes.

  “The two of you are fucking,” he said.

  “No, we’re not,” I said.

  “Then you want to fuck her,” he said.

  “Of course, I want to fuck her. Have you seen her?” I asked.

  “Dude, that’s shitty territory. You’re supposed to be getting yours with whoever you want instead of dwelling on the past. That wasn’t the point of this trip. Clean slate and clear head, remember?”

  “Tommy. You’re literally gravitating to Ana as much as you can. They come together. They always have. I can’t help it if you want to go sit with them and Chanel’s there. They’re best friends.”

  “I saw that look. You were worried about her. You’re falling for her again, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “I’m not fucking her, and I’m not falling for her. Not my fault you wanna bang her best friend’s brains out, and Chanel happens to always be with her. This is on you. Qui
t trying to pawn this off on me,” I said.

  Tommy and I made our way back to our room as he continued to throw questions at me. He was trying to trip me up in my lie but I wasn’t going to let him. I wasn’t going to tell him we were fucking. I was going to respect the fact that Chanel didn’t want me telling anyone, but it was getting harder to deny him when he asked me if I had feelings for her. Because I did. In a way, I always had. I had missed her on all those missions. It was our memories from high school that kept me going during some of the darkest days of my SEAL career. Moments when I thought I wasn’t going to make it home. Moments when I thought I was going to die alone in whatever barren wasteland they had sent us to.

  It was her face that always got me through. It was her smile that always gave me hope.

  I couldn’t let shit like that slide. She meant a hell of a lot to me then, and she meant it now. Lying about it hurt, but if it got me more of her, then I was willing to make the sacrifice. I finally got Tommy to shut up about it and go to bed, but as I closed my eyes, my mind began to wander.

  Why had she been so weird at the pool hall? Was something wrong? Had someone said something to her?

  Had someone found out?

  Maybe that was what happened. Maybe someone had found out about us, and she was trying to create distance. But she’d made me a promise that if it had something to do with us, then she would talk to me, and I had to trust her on that.

  Even though I didn’t know what was wrong, I had to trust her. I didn’t have any other choice if I wanted to sleep that night.

  So, I closed my eyes and imagined her body against mine. I imagined her skin underneath my fingers and her juices on my thighs. I imagined plowing into her, hanging her over the edge of the balcony for the ocean to catch as she came around my cock. I dreamed of her in my arms as we panted together, our sweat dripping down our bodies as I pinned her against the balcony window. I could hear her lips muttering my praises, telling me how much she loved my cock and moaning out how she was about to come.

  I allowed myself to be swept under by her waves as the ghost of her scent blanketed my body all night.

  CHAPTER 13

  CHANEL

  I woke up the next morning to another day at sea. The ship had cast off from our first dock and was headed for the horizon again. I rolled over and saw that Ana was already awake and headed to the bathroom to get ready for breakfast.

  “Don’t forget the auction is this afternoon at lunch and then the date will be tonight,” Ana called to me from the bathroom.

  I groaned and shuffled in beside her to brush my teeth. “I’d almost forgotten about that damn thing,” I said.

  Ana laughed. “Not a chance sister, you’re doing this.”

  “I know, I know. Hey, you know Tommy signed Rhett up too,” I told her.

  “Good. Now he can’t bet on you, and you can spend some time with someone other than him,” Ana said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on Ana. It’s been nice, and I’ve been enjoying myself. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  Ana sighed. “I guess, but still, I wish you’d put yourself out there a little more.”

  I shook my head and continued getting ready for breakfast. I told myself she just didn’t understand the connection Rhett and I had. She hadn’t understood it in high school, and she didn’t understand it now. Ana had never been one for commitments, and she thought they were a waste of time. I wasn’t going to change her mind on that, so I didn’t even bother. And there was no way in hell I was telling her about the bet Rhett and I had made. I got warm all over just thinking about it.

  We finished getting dressed and headed to breakfast. My eyes scanned the room for the guys but didn’t see them. I felt a tinge of disappointment but tried not to let it get me down.

  “How about we do a spa treatment after breakfast? Get you all shined up for the auction and your date?” Ana suggested.

  “That actually sounds really good,” I said.

  We finished breakfast and went over to the elevators, chatting about the rest of the day’s events.

  The elevators opened to the most tranquil level I could’ve imagined. The walls were painted in maroon, and there were silver and floral accents everywhere. There was a cheerful woman who greeted us at the desk and very few customers sitting around in chairs. I approached the desk and scheduled a full day of services for both Ana and me. Then we sat down and waited our turn.

  We started off with the manicures and pedicures. We were given glasses of wine to sip on while the massage chairs loosened us up, and it was phenomenal. Ana and I were chattering away about all the things we would do once we docked in Curaçao the next day. We wanted to explore the shops, but this time, we also wanted to spend some time on the beaches. Ana wanted to try snorkeling, and I wanted to experience the crystal-clear waters filled with wildlife. We decided to do all our food that day on the island so we could experience all the things their culture had to offer.

  Then, we were off to get our massages.

  The two-hour massage was fantastic. Ana and I were in the same room, moaning and groaning as our bodies loosened up. I had no idea how tight all my muscles were, and I could feel my back popping and releasing the tension from my body. The massage was toe-curling good, and as we turned over onto our backs, I felt Ana reach for my hand.

  “I love you, girl.”

  “Love you, too, Ana.”

  We stripped down to our bathing suits and wrapped our bodies in the plush robes that were waiting for us after the massage. A private essential oil steam was waiting for us on the other side of the deck. Then we would go straight from there into a hot tub where we could sit and drink as long as we wanted. That was what I was looking forward to. The hot tub was right by one of the best views of the boat. I could look out over the deck and see miles into the horizon.

  “I don’t know about you, but I feel great,” Ana said.

  “This was definitely needed,” I said.

  “We’re gonna be so fresh for Curaçao. I might make the decision to walk around in a damn bikini all day.”

  “We’ll need to get you a wax for that,” I said.

  Ana slapped me playfully as the bartender brought over our drinks.

  “Alright, there’s no putting this off any longer, lets go get you ready for the auction,” Ana said once our drinks were done.

  “Good God, I feel like such a piece of meat,” I said as we started back toward the elevator.

  “Maybe if you’re lucky, someone will slather some butter on you and eat you up,” Ana cackled.

  I snorted and slapped her arm. “You are not right in the head,” I giggled.

  “Tell me something I don’t already know,” she said.

  We got back to the room and I let Ana fuss over me while I sat back and laughed at her excitement over this whole auction business. I knew she had had the best of intentions when she’d signed me up. Neither of us had expected that I would reconnect with Rhett on this trip, and certainly not so quickly.

  As Ana chattered on and on about how much fun this was going to be and how I really needed some new prospects in my life, I couldn’t help but think about how good it felt to be in Rhett’s arms again. He was everything I remembered him being in high school, only better. He was stronger, smarter, sexier, and even more confident, but not in a bad way.

  The way I felt when his arms were around me was undeniable. I felt safe, I felt wanted, I felt cherished. And when his lips were on me, well, that was a whole other bucketful of sensations. The thought of it had me clenching my knees in desire.

  “Hello? Earth to Chantel,” Ana was saying. “Are you even listening to me?”

  I shook the previous thoughts from my head. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m just still really relaxed from the spa treatments I think. I must’ve zoned out.”

  “Mmmhmm,” Ana said, looking at me like she was unconvinced. “Any way, what do you think?” she asked.

  “About what?”

  She rolled he
r eyes and pointed to the mirror. “About how you look, dummy,” she said.

  I looked at myself in the mirror and almost did a double take. I hardly recognized myself. Ana had curled my hair and piled it up on my head in little ringlets. My cheeks were tastefully rouged, and my blue eyes popped with the hint of shadow she’d expertly applied. Lastly, the swipe of cherry-red lipstick across my full lips made me look like a damn bombshell. I couldn’t deny it, I looked good.

  “Damn Ana,” I said.

  “I know, right?” she giggled. “Seriously, you’re going to raise so much money.”

  I couldn’t help but think back to my little bet with Rhett. Whoever raised the most amount of money got to do whatever they wanted with the other for one night. I had to stop myself from imagining too much or I was going to get all hot and bothered all over again.

  “Now, here is the dress I grabbed for you to wear,” Ana said, holding up a deep royal blue shift dress from my closet.

  I was actually surprised that it was one of my more conservative dresses. When she’d told me that she’d volunteered me for the auction, I’d thoroughly expected Ana to grab the sluttiest dress I owned for the event. I was grateful that she hadn’t.

  Once I was dressed, I looked myself over in the full-length mirror and couldn’t help but smile.

  Oh yeah, I thought. This bet is as good as won.

  CHAPTER 14

  RHETT

  I slept like shit. I tossed and turned all fucking night after the girls left the pool hall. My past was haunting me, conjuring up memories of Chanel and me back in high school. I could feel her touch against my skin and my lips on her neck. I could see her bright smile as she looked up at me, her eyes filled with joy. She used to look at me like I was her world, like I was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Her aquamarine eyes used to reflect the smile on my face whenever I was around her. She would shine brighter than the sun, and her smile would light up any room she walked into. She was shy, innocent by nature but a determined force to be reckoned with. She would give all of herself if it meant someone else could benefit from it, and it was that selfless nature that my teenage self had fallen in love with.