Free Spirit

by Andi Bremner

  He stood up, grinning at her as his eyes raked over her body. “Not a problem. Happy to wait for someone as beautiful as you.”

  Juliette flushed and waited for his words to make her stomach flutter. She was warmed by his compliment, but it just didn’t make the butterflies come to life.

  “Anyhow,” Doug continued, “you might want to change.”

  She cast her eyes over his casual board shorts and t-shirt. “Into?”

  “A bathing suit,” he said. “I thought since you can’t swim and I happen to be the best swimmer in the whole of Myrtle Beach—”

  “The best swimmer?” She arched her eyebrow and planted her hands on her hips. “Modest much?”

  He laughed. “Just stating facts. Anyhow, I thought I might give you a lesson. If you’re up for it of course.”

  Juliette considered him a moment. “Well, that all sounds great,” she said. “The only thing is that because I can’t swim, and I don’t swim, I don’t actually own a bathing suit.”

  He stared at her a long moment before he eventually shook his head in disbelief. “Well, I guess we can fix that.”

  Juliette hesitated a moment before she nodded. “Just give me a minute, okay?”

  Rushing back inside she made her way up to her room, taking a moment to pull her hair back into a ponytail and grabbing a bag into which she threw a towel, hat, and sunscreen. Then, adding a dash of pink lip-gloss to her lips, she raced downstairs.

  “Whoa,” Ryan said as she barreled straight into him. “What’s the rush?”

  “Sorry,” she apologized, making to move around him. “Off to my first swimming lesson.”

  His eyes snapped to the doorway, focusing in on Doug. “With Houghton? Really? Noah know about this?”

  Juliette bristled. “Yes, with Doug. And yes, Noah knows.”

  “He does?” Ryan looked stunned.

  Juliette shook her head, shaking off his comment. Doug looked over at her, another brilliant smile spreading over his face. “Ready?” he asked, completely ignoring Ryan. “Let’s go.”

  ****

  Juliette was terrified to get in the water especially after her last experience in the ocean. Doug had taken her to a part of the beach that was sheltered and flat, and where, he assured her, it was perfectly safe to swim. There were no sharks, no dangerous rips, no massive tidal waves and no sea lions masquerading as drowning people. At her last question he’d raised a curious eyebrow so she’d explained her encounter with Merve and hence Noah.

  “So, it was you who got Daniels back in the water,” he said lightly. “Should have known.”

  “He came in to rescue me,” she explained. “He could hardly watch me drown just because I’m stupid and half blind.”

  “Hey, you aren’t stupid,” Doug corrected, “or half blind. Although I thought I was half blind when I saw Daniels out this morning in the water.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Surfing. Looked like he was enjoying it, too. Think I even saw the grumpy ass crack a smile once or twice.”

  Juliette was still pondering Doug’s words when he grabbed her hand and tugged her down to the water, the coolness wrapping around her toes and swallowing her ankles. She froze, a combination of the cold water and her fear making her muscles rigid. She bit her bottom lip and swallowed as she stared out at the dark blue water. In this particular spot the tide was low and gentle, the water almost flat and completely smooth. There was no reason for her to be scared, not today and not with Doug by her side. But the truth was Juliette had always been a bit of a baby, she’d always been scared and nervous, even if she’d spent her whole life fighting against that fear.

  “How about for today’s first lesson,” Doug suggested after a few moments, “I just teach you to float.”

  “Okay,” she agreed warily, tugging at her new bathing suit, and letting him lead her deeper in. She drew in a deep breath, told herself to be brave and reminded herself that she’d faced tougher situations than this. She remembered arriving with her social worker to her first foster home and being terrified as she was led up the path to the house. It was large with fancy lace curtains hanging in the windows and a tire attached to a rope hanging from a tree outside. There was a broken tricycle in the front yard and a clapped out yellow car parked out front. She’d been told that her new family had two kids her age already, a boy and a girl, and that they were excited about getting a foster daughter. The social worker had told her all about the school she was attending and the fact that the new family had a puppy. It all sounded too good to be true, which it turned out it was, and Juliette had learned not to have any expectations when it came to foster families after that. Some were better than expected, but most though, were worse.

  On the way to the beach Juliette and Doug had stopped in town and visited a large chain store, which Juliette insisted was all she could afford. Doug had waited patiently as she tried on a variety of swimsuits before settling on a pink two piece. It cut low over her breasts and then skimmed the top of her thighs with the boy cut bottoms. She’d thought, in the change room lighting, that they were quite modest, but now, standing so close to Doug and having taken note of his eyes raking appreciatively over her, she was reassessing her opinion. Maybe she should’ve selected a more conservative one piece instead.

  It took a while for Doug to get her to relax and lie back on the water, lifting her feet from the sandy bottom. The first time she’d clung to him, her heart hammering with fear as she recalled that horrible sensation just a few days ago, of the water tumbling over her head and the tide sucking her down. But soon, with his gentle coaxing and his firm hands keeping hold of her at all times she was able to float on back and stare up at the blue sky.

  “And when you’re floating,” he told her, “you can just relax and move with the water.”

  “What if a wave comes?” she asked nervously.

  “You just float with it,” he told her and then paused, “unless it crashes down over you of course.”

  Laughing, Juliette let her feet float back down to the sea bed, and they both made their way back to shore where they dried off.

  “Fancy an ice cream?” Doug asked, gesturing to an ice cream parlor up on the boardwalk.

  Juliette’s eyes twinkled as she took in the classically quaint shop. “Love one!”

  She pulled on her shorts but left her top off, and then followed Doug up the sandy beach to the store, pausing when they reached the boardwalk to brush the sand off their feet. Grabbing her hand Doug pulled her with him across the busy path and into the store.

  Juliette took her time analyzing the different flavors before deciding on double choc chip. When the assistant handed it over and Juliette took a delicious long lick she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Wandering back outside, she and Doug sat down on some tables just outside the store as they enjoyed their ice creams.

  “Is there any reason,” Doug said after a long moment of neither of them saying a word, “why Daniels is staring at me like he wants to peel the skin off my body?”

  “Huh?” Juliette opened her eyes, which she hadn’t even realized she’d closed, and looked over at Doug, following his gaze until she found Noah. He stood with another guy, on the path outside a store. The store, she noted vaguely, was a surf store, and the guy with Noah was talking excitedly, although Noah barely seemed to be listening. Instead, as Doug had already pointed out, his eyes were locked on them. And he did not look happy.

  Then, without even bothering to say anything to the guy who was still speaking, Noah strode down the path towards them.

  “If there is anything I need to know, Juliette,” Doug was saying, his eyes fixed on Noah, “now would be the time to share.”

  “What do you—”

  “You and Noah,” he said quickly and sharply. “Anything going on there?”

  Juliette flushed and looked back down at the ice cream in her hands. She could lie but it would be a lie, and she avoided lying unless she absolutely ha
d to. The truth always came out in the end, and people only got hurt.

  It turned out that her lack of an answer told Doug all he needed to know.

  “Shit,” he swore, before getting to his feet and turning back to Noah. “Hey, Noah…”

  “What the fuck?” Noah said, his eyes sparking with fury as he stepped up to them.

  Juliette swallowed over the lump in her throat. Suddenly her ice cream wasn’t sliding down so easily. “Hi, Noah, Doug just took me for my first swimming lesson.” Her voice was light and breezy, but it was forced. She knew it, and she could see in Noah’s eyes that he knew it, too. It was the first time she’d seen him since sneaking out earlier that morning, and she couldn’t help her mind from conjuring images of last night.

  He narrowed his eyes at her, his eyes dipping to her bikini top. “Swimming lesson?”

  “Well I can’t swim,” she began, “so Doug said he’d teach me.”

  Noah swung his eyes back to Doug. “So. This is swimming lessons?” he repeated.

  Doug drew in a deep breath. “Noah. If I’d known you two had anything I wouldn’t have…”

  Noah shook his head. “So, is this a date or not?”

  Juliette jumped to her feet. In her haste, she fumbled her cone, and everything from that point on seemed to happen in slow motion. The ice cream, perched precariously on top of the cone, came loose and with the jolt of her sudden movements flew up in the air and then landed on her, splattering her breasts, sliding down her stomach and disappearing beneath her shorts. Or at least the melted parts did, the rest of it just seemed to cling to her in cold icy lumps, sliding over her skin.

  In her hand, she still held the empty cone.

  A few people around looked over and laughed, and Juliette felt her face flush darkly and, to her horror, her eyes spark with tears. What the hell? She never cried. She never, ever, ever cried, and yet here she was, about to cry because she’d dropped ice cream on herself.

  Grabbing at some napkins off the table she swiped at the sticky mess, which only served to make it worse.

  Noah and Doug both stared at her. Then Doug started to laugh, a deep, hearty laugh that helped Juliette blink back a few of the hot tears which were threatening to spill. It was only when she heard Noah’s unfamiliar throaty laugh that she glanced up, catching the warm sparks in his eyes, the previous annoyance—and jealousy?—of a moment ago seemingly forgotten.

  Her mouth twitched as she wiped at the mess on her stomach, and a giggle bubbled up inside her.

  “You’re making it worse,” Doug said through his laughter. “I’ll get some water.”

  He vanished inside the ice cream parlor, leaving Juliette alone with Noah. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes trying to gauge his mood. It seemed a lot lighter than it had when he first approached.

  “I missed you this morning,” he said, his voice a low, husky whisper that warmed her core.

  “I thought it best not to stay the whole night,” she explained.

  He nodded.

  “You know,” he said, stepping closer and keeping his voice low, “I could always teach you to swim. You don’t need Houghton.”

  Juliette’s face broke in a huge smile. “Really? I don’t want to bother you. I know you don’t go in the wat—” She broke off, her face coloring a little. Noah hadn’t told her anything about Charlotte, about the accident or about avoiding the water, and she didn’t want him to think she was listening to gossip. That she was going to his friends and family and asking questions about him.

  His eyes darkened. “I don’t go in the water?” He ran a hand through his dark hair leaving it standing out at odd angles as he gazed around the crowded boardwalk.

  Juliette nodded. “I understand…”

  “I’ll teach you to swim,” he interrupted, his voice hard. A muscle moved in his jaw, and he didn’t look at her.

  Juliette opened her mouth to say something before she closed it again. Noah was going to teach her to swim. Noah who’d grown up in the water but who’d avoided it for the last few years was going to go back in. For her. She couldn’t deny that a part of her thrilled at the idea that he’d do that for her, that he’d do something that was obviously incredibly painful for her. Maybe there was a way after all, she thought to herself, that she could help him back into life.

  Chapter Twelve

  Juliette

  Doug returned with some water to help clean the ice cream off Juliette and then, muttering something about having an appointment he’d forgotten about, asked if Noah could see her home. It was an excuse, Juliette got that, and she wondered why he was so quick to step back from her. Before Noah had shown up he’d been nothing but friendly, but now it seemed like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.

  Parking the pickup outside his mom’s house Noah walked her in, waiting as she unlocked the door. Renee had gone to the markets and then was catching up with friends for lunch. She’d told Juliette she’d been gone for most of the day. Ryan seemed to be out, too, which gave Juliette pause for thought.

  “Hey,” she said, “I have an idea.”

  Noah arched an eyebrow at her before looping an arm around her waist and drawing her back against him, his warm mouth nibbling her ear. “Me, too.”

  Giggling, Juliette wriggled in his arms. “Careful. I’m all sticky.”

  “I like sticky.”

  Still giggling, Juliette managed to put some distance between them. “No. I have an idea of how to get Ryan back for intruding on my shower.”

  Noah’s eyes darkened at the reminder that Ryan had seen Juliette naked.

  “He does have to pay for that,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”

  Juliette quickly explained her idea to Noah, who burst out laughing. “I love it! Let’s do it.”

  It took them quite a while, but they got it done, all the while laughing with each other. Juliette hadn’t heard Noah laugh quite so much, and it warmed her more than it should. The man had been through so much pain and heartbreak, and he deserved to be able to laugh again.

  Afterwards, when everything was ready for Ryan’s return, she announced that she was going to have a shower. She was covered in sea water, which made her skin itch, and ice cream, which left her sticky.

  “I’ll join you,” Noah told her, his eyes burning a dark chocolate and his mouth curling.

  Juliette’s eyes went wide. “This is your mom’s house!”

  “My mom will be gone all day,” he replied. “And besides, you’re a guest here. Surely you can have guests over.”

  Grinning, Juliette didn’t reply but simply moved backwards, untucking her shirt as she did. “I’ll warm the water,” she said before walking away, slightly thrilled at the idea of being in Noah’s arms once more. He was dark, troubled, and exciting, and he made her feel things she hadn’t even realized she could feel. She knew he wasn’t offering anything more than that, and for her, that was perfect.

  ****

  Noah

  Standing in his brother’s room Noah ran a hand through his hair, wondering what the hell he was doing. He was sending Juliette mixed signals, and he knew it. Telling her one minute that he couldn’t do a relationship, that he couldn’t fall in love, and then barging in on her date in the next moment like a jealous fool and now unable to keep his hands off her. He’d behaved like a jerk when he’d seen her with Doug, but he told himself it had nothing to do with Juliette and everything to do with Charlotte. Doug had had a thing for Charlotte and once … well, once she’d had a thing for Doug. It was a long time ago, before she and Noah were married and whilst they were on one of their extended breaks and of no consequence really. But still he’d never been able to get along with Doug completely since then, their friendship taking on an awkward strain that had never fully repaired itself.

  And then seeing Juliette with him. Seeing her sitting there, licking a fucking ice cream like it was the greatest thing she’d ever tasted, her face all relaxed and happy… Well, he hated it. Hated that only ho
urs ago, he’d held her in his arms in his bed and now she was sitting there with Doug Houghton, of all people, who was making her smile and laugh and who was looking at her like he wanted to eat her up himself. Noah told himself that if she’d been with anyone else he wouldn’t have minded, but he knew that wasn’t entirely true. The way he felt about Juliette, the way she made him feel, it was like she was a drug, a heady, intoxicating, euphoric drug, and he couldn’t get enough of her. Like all addicts, he feared he was addicted.

  He heard the shower turn on down the hall and stepped out, pausing when he saw the discarded items of clothing leading like a path towards the bathroom. The bikini top, the shorts, the bikini bottoms. He swallowed over the thickness in his throat as he pushed the door open, the bathroom already thick with steam.

  Pulling off his clothes, he climbed into the shower behind her taking a moment to let his eyes wander over her body from behind as he did. Her butt was smooth and peach shaped, and on her hip sat a birthmark in the shape of a sea horse which made him smile. Juliette lathered up her hair, arching her back as she massaged her scalp, and without thinking he let his fingers slide into the suds, taking over the ministrations of her massage. Making a little sound, Juliette let her hands drop down as she leaned back to let him shampoo her hair. Pulling her against him, her butt pressed up against him, he maneuvered them both under the hot stream of water to rinse her hair, his hands following the path of the suds down her body, down her slender throat, through the valley between her breasts, over her flat stomach and then disappearing at the junction of her thighs.

  “God, Juliette,” he whispered in her ear, loving how she trembled when he did. “You’re so beautiful.”

  A small sigh escaped her lips and she made to turn around, but he stopped her, his hand splayed on her stomach as he shook his head. “No.”