by Xavier Neal
Chapter 4
Levi
You know sharks really aren’t that awful towards people unless they’re provoked. Trust me. Once you put all the ‘Sharknado’ bullshit aside and Jaws moments you grew up fearing, and look at the creatures with a more objective viewpoint, you learn they’re almost majestic. In fact, there are many ocean creatures that are fun to be around. The only ones I have a huge problem with are jellyfish. I’ve been stung by those bastards more than once. The range of reaction I have always varies, which is why I’ve been lectured repeatedly about the importance of wearing wet suits rather than just swim trunks. What can I say? I prefer the way the water feels on my skin with no barrier.
The shark I’ve been watching continues what I can only label as pacing.
It’s kind of funny. Seems like I’m not the only one waiting for someone.
“You do know the point of the baseball cap in a ‘disguise’ is to hide your face.” Calen travels down the steps on the side of me. “Wearing it backwards is like basically not wearing it all.”
“I’m not trying to hide my face. I was too lazy to brush my hair.”
Too exhausted to be honest. I drove Kady home at three last night knowing Calen and I were supposed to hit the waves early. The thing about it is I didn’t want her to leave. I didn’t want our night to end. Ever. This massive ache grew in my chest the moment she stepped into her house. It was the craziest thing. When I suggested they both stay for dinner and Adrianna announced she had plans, I was prepared to spend the night wishing Kadence was in my arms, but then Calen did the best thing any wing man ever could. He volunteered to take Adrianna home insisting he needed to check in on his co-worker at the hotel he’s staying at. This gave us the chance to spend time together alone. We ordered in, watched a Lethal Weapon movie marathon filled with playful arguing that lead to playful fighting that lead to me getting her off once more, and then we nearly fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was without a doubt a perfect night. Day and night really….Oh, and before you get into the millions of questions about why isn’t Calen staying with me if we’re best friends, and why isn’t he staying with me if he has a key, that’s all on him. He prefers to stay where it is the company puts him up. It’s closer to this place, which is where he spends the majority of his time when it’s a ‘dual visit’ and not just a weekend away.
Calen, who is now beside me, folds his arms across his chest. “How late did you go bed?”
“You mean how early.”
The correction receives a lifted single brow.
“Crashed around five.”
“Jerk off fest get out of hand?”
His pun receives a shake of the head. “Took Kadence home around three. Got back like thirty minutes later. Had trouble winding down.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I cancelled this morning.”
Getting the text he was needed for an impromptu rescue and recover situation was a glorious gift. A glorious, allow me to have at least five hours of decent sleep, gift.
I shrug. “I would’ve been fine after a power nap.”
“You would’ve been like an episode of Baywatch. Stupid mistakes and needed mouth to mouth. Which I’m not fucking giving you.”
He’s a little more on the cautious side than I am. Can you tell?
“How’d the surgery go?”
Calen welcomes the change of topics with an enthusiastic smile. “Pretty well. It was a mature shark, which made the team a little worried at first. She’s in aftercare now. I’ll probably swing by to check on her one more time before we head back to Highland.” His face grows a nervous expression. “And now that we’re on the subject, you should know, I’m thinking about going back to school for that kind of shit.”
“To be a doctor?”
“An aquatic vet.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Over the past couple of months, seeing these surgeries, being right there on the front lines for them has me wishing it was me saving those animals. Wishing it was me that was getting scrubbed in to save a life. Besides, if you really think about it, being able to operate on marine life is the next logical step up in rescue and recovery.”
I give him a quick nod. “Do it.”
The uncertainty in his eyes starts to waiver. “You think it’s a good idea?”
“Definitely. Plus, you know the best schools in the state for that are here in South Haven. They’re probably fuck expensive like everything else in this city, but you could crash with me for free. Save you some cash.”
“I’m actually pretty good on that front.”
“Bower and Powell pay that well?”
He bobs his head from side to side. “Not exactly. Bryn’s fiancé paid off all my debts as a favor.”
Completely concerned, I snap, “What kinda favor?”
“Long story….”
“Extremely,” a feminine voice invades the conversation.
Our attention swings to an attractive, light brown skinned, pregnant woman descending the stairs.
As soon as she’s within reach, I extend my hand. “You must be Bryn.”
“And you must be Blaine, the doll Barbie replaced Ken with.”
I chuckle and shake. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the personality.”
She gives her round stomach a caress. “Lies. Everything he told you that was unflattering or unbadassery is lies.”
“It’s a good thing he hasn’t uttered a bad word yet.”
Her blue eyes narrow. “I’m pretty. Not stupid.”
Another laugh escapes me.
Fuck it. I’ll say it. When Calen moved to Highland for work, I was worried that being so far from the waves, from me, from his family would cause him to wither into an unbearable workaholic; however, after hearing about his first day with Brynley, I knew he’d be alright. She sounded like she would have no problem keeping him on his toes and now that I’ve met her? I can see it for myself.
She turns her attention to Calen. “How’d the surgery go?”
“Successful. She’s in aftercare. How’s your shark?”
“You own a shark?” my voice filled with surprise.
“Not exactly.”
“Yes exactly,” he playfully chastises. “You can come and visit Steven anytime you like, fuck whoever it may inconvenience whether it’s a driver or pilot or the entire staff of this place. Not to mention you’re allowed to pet him when you demand and over feed him treats at your discretion. That’s ownership. Or maybe it would be better to call you a brat. Like, ‘Daddy buy me a pony, but pay the world to take care of it for me’ level of brat.”
Her glare becomes lethal. “You ever been throat punched by a pregnant woman?”
His head tilts sarcastically at her.
Not sure she’s joking….
“Steven?” I smoothly intervene. “Is this him?”
Bryn smirks and gives the shark a small wave. “That’s my boy.”
“Is that why he’s just been swimming back and forth? Has he been waiting for you?”
She nods proudly. “He knows after I give him a treat where I will be headed. Usually, this room is empty unless they’re doing a school tour, so it’s the easiest place for us to gossip alone.”
I stifle another chuckle and slide my hands into my pockets. “You gossip with a shark?”
“Steven.”
“Steven,” Calen childishly mocks.
He’s punished with a good jab to the arm. “Ou!”
Oh yeah. Definitely a good friend for him.
“Steven is a great listener,” she informs. “Always has been, but it’s pretty obvious he misses me. I know they’re not giving him enough attention.”
“No one but you ever does….”
She nails him in the bicep again. “Damn it! Same spot, Bryn?!”
This time I don’t hold back laughing out loud.
“I will explain his jealousy, how Steven became ‘my shark’, and why my fiancé Houdinied his debt away during lunch.”
Cale
n carefully asks, “Do you mind if we skip it? I wanna squeeze in a surf before we go. Waves have been fucking perfect all weekend.”
“Go ahead. I’ll just order clam strips in the hotel bar.” Her eyes widen. “And fried shrimp.” She hums as if envisioning them already. “And a milkshake. Two scoops….”
The dessert sentence reminds me of the treat Kady and I shared last night.
Never thought having all the ingredients to make ice cream sundaes would ever come in handy outside of babysitting my nieces and nephew.
An idea pops into my head. “Bryn, can I ask you a chick question?”
“You might wanna ask Calen. His pussy is more evident than mine.”
His face falls to a glower.
She’s right to an extent. He is a hopeless romantic. Falls in love practically every time he gets laid. It’s a recipe for disaster yet he’s never learned to change up a few ingredients. Kinda hoping he does with Lani. There’s something about the two of them together I could see working out in the long run.
“I just started dating this….incredible woman, and I wanna send her something.”
Hm? No. Sending gifts to a woman I’ve been on two dates with is not too much….It’s…the right level of romantic. Isn’t it? Look, I haven’t done this type of sentiment in a long, long time. I need a refresher.
She gives me a puzzled expression. “Are flowers not good enough?”
My face cringes. “I don’t know….Are they?”
“Well, depends. How often do you send chicks you’re banging flowers?”
“We’re not sleeping together.”
“You two didn’t hook up last night?” Calen instantly questions, shock in his voice. “Couldn’t close?”
“I always close.”
“Except last night,” Bryn promptly points out.
Maybe I should’ve asked Calen. It appears she really is just like hanging out with one of the guys.
“It was a choice.” The announcement is proceeded with skeptical looks from both of them. “It was! Kady’s different and believe it or not I wanna do more than close. I wanna close and keep closing. Catch my drift?”
Calen shoves his hands into his work khakis. “There’s something I never thought I’d hear out of your mouth again.”
Nope. Don’t wanna talk about what he’s referring to.
I meet eyes with Bryn again. “I never send chicks I’m hooking up with flowers. The only women who get them in my life are my publicist, my stylist, my sisters, and my mom on their birthdays.”
“Well, aren’t you a kiss ass,” she playfully coos.
With a casual hand toss in the air, I retort, “I like to stay in their good graces.”
Total believer in the whole there’s nothing worse than a woman scorned thing….
“Send her flowers then. Just not the same type you send to them. And if you really want extra credit-”
“Which I do-”
“Add a little something else to make it special.”
“Like a box of chocolates?”
“No Surfer Gump. Be a little more creative than that.”
“Like a fruit basket?”
Outrage immediately appears on her face. “I don’t think I’ll ever complain again about Wes being bad with gifts….”
Calen mumbles, “You will.”
“Let me try to say this a different way. Cater the bouquet of flowers and the extra gift to her personality. Like if it was me, weird shaped flowers and a ribbon with the Starfleet symbol on it would totally make the panties drop.”
Instinctively, I prepare to proclaim once again I’m not just looking to have sex with her, but am taken off guard when the knowledge bomb explodes. “Wait. Wait. Wait. You’re a Trekkie?”
Her face hardens at the same time she takes a step closer to me. “Would you like to see how hard a pregnant woman can fucking punch?”
Both of my hands fly up in surrender. “Sorry.”
Calen cocks a grin. “She takes that shit about as seriously as she does her love for Steven.”
“Fuck yeah I do.”
After I swallow all urges to poke fun at her geeky choices in television, I state, “I think I get what you’re saying. I’ll figure something out. Thanks for the advice.”
She winks, steps towards the glass, and calls to Steven like he can hear her.
It’s been years since I had to think this hard about getting something for the woman I love. Er…like. I meant like. I don’t love Kady. We barely know each other…but I do really like her and wanna remind her how different she is every opportunity I can. She is momentarily making room for me on her beloved Five Year Plan, and I wanna do everything in my power to stay on that damn thing for as long as possible.
Chapter 5
KADENCE
“I can’t believe we are really watching this show,” Lani sighs from her position on the white chair across from me.
“I can’t believe I actually like it,” Henley adds, throwing a blanket over her stretched out lower half that’s hogging the couch.
“I can’t believe Kady didn’t come home ‘til after three,” Adrianna sings.
My face slowly lifts to see two shocked expressions and one smug smirk.
She’s like having a fucking tabloid in the house.
“Um…I’m gonna need details,” Adrianna commands as she tosses her legs over the arm of the white chair she’s lounging in beside Lani. “And really fucking good ones. I had to ride home with some random dick I wasn’t going to be riding so you two could be alone. I need details. Fuck that. I earned details.”
No joke. She has earned at least a few details. She bailed early like a champ. Didn’t whine. Didn’t complain. Didn’t even insist we leave together. She just whispered a rally cry of ‘get some’ and took Calen’s offer for a ride home. It was a really kick ass wing woman thing to do. Should’ve known it was going to come at a high price. An extremely high price.
Lani adjusts herself in the chair, the look of relief in her eyes too apparent to ignore.
Adrianna taps Lani’s dangling arm with the tip of her toe. “Did I forget to mention you should expect Calen’s call today? I gave him your number.”
Our best friend’s eyes darken. “I’m gonna kill you.”
“You can try....”
“It’ll be easy. You won’t know it’s coming.”
“But I can be prepared, which is why I will be making all my own meals in this house for the next several weeks and installing an electronic lock to my bedroom door with a pass code that changes every eighteen hours.”
“No blood shed in the house. That shit stains too bad.” Henley pauses the show on the mounted flat screen television above the fireplace. Her head rolls to me seconds prior to me lowering my attention back to the project I’m working on. “Fess up, Kady. Did you let him tap that?”
I slide my laptop onto the glass coffee table that’s flooded with junk food. “Not exactly....”
The offense in Adrianna’s tone causes me to cringe. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“That she’s not a girl but not yet a woman,” Henley snickers.
Her joke receives a sarcastic smirk. “Thank you, Britney.”
“Puh-lease,” Lani joins the taunt train. “She hasn’t been a girl since Alex Moore finger banged her on Hen’s couch Halloween night during sophomore year of high school.”
Wow. Are we really discussing the origins of my sexual history? Do your friends do this type of shit? No? Just me? How the hell did I get so lucky? No. I don’t make pros and cons lists when it comes to them though if I did, you can bet your ass this ridicule would fall under con.
Adrianna wiggles her eyebrows at me. “And of-course we all remember how you were last to ditch that v-card. Holding onto that damn thing like an autographed Usher poster.”
“God, our senior year was so fucking busy,” Henley recalls, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
It was. In so many ways….Fun pre-lude to college. That’s for
sure.
“Let’s regain our focus here,” Lani commands to everyone in the room. “So…you didn’t give it up?”
“No.”
She continues her interrogation, “But did you let him have a taste?”
Her follow up question causes me to shift in my seat. “A touch.”
