Spring Into Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

  On the boat, Bri is jumping up and down cheering, which makes me laugh and as the boat circles around, I hear Bentley let out a loud whoop when we pass him. Grinning ear to ear, I ride along behind the boat feeling a whole new high from this adventure. A few minutes later, I hit a wave from a passing boat and get a little wobbly.

  Not quite so gracefully as Bri, I drop the rope. My legs go in every which direction except where they are supposed to as I crash into the water. My nose burns from the water that shoots up it but nothing is going to kill my high right now. As I slip my feet out of the skis, my hands are shaking from the adrenaline which only intensifies when I feel Bentley’s hands on my waist and his chin on my shoulder as he swims up behind me.

  “Told you you could do it,” he says smugly, but there’s a bit of pride in his voice too.

  Grinning, I turn around and wrap my body around his in a bear hug. He reciprocates and my pulse, already erratic, goes haywire. Releasing my arms from around his neck, I lay back on the water floating, my legs still wrapped around his waist. I let out a loud hoot, the rush from skiing still there. Bentley laughs at me and I feel his hands on the back of my swimsuit bottoms holding me afloat. Leaning forward, I look into his eyes, still grinning.

  “Thanks.”

  Nodding, he replies, “Of course.”

  Our eyes, nor our grins, never leave the other’s until the boat is beside us. Jason grabs the skis as Bentley helps me back into the boat, his hands firmly on my thighs as I climb the ladder. Normally, I’m quite capable of climbing a ladder on my own, but after that adrenaline rush, my legs are nothing but Jello. My feet are barely inside the boat when Bri grabs my forearms, screaming and jumping up and down.

  “You did it! You did it!” she shouts as a reminder in case I didn’t recall what I’d just experienced.

  Laughing and overlooking how annoying her comment is, I nod with her enthusiasm and pull her into a hug. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I’m just rolling with it.

  “I did! Thank you for bringing me today,” I say to her, letting go and stepping back to unzip my jacket.

  “Of course,” she says and then drops her voice to a whisper, “Besides, I knew it would make Bentley happy too.”

  I pause as she says this and glance over my shoulder. Bentley’s bent over in front of us, stowing the skis. His broad back is a deep tan from working outside and his muscles flex with his every move. The tingle between my legs gets stronger, especially when he stands up and winks.

  “You girls ready to go to Party Cove?” he asks.

  Bri grabs my hand, leading us to our seats, and answering yes for us. Bentley grabs another Corona and takes a seat beside me, moving us into that comfortable position with my back against his chest as his arm hangs over my shoulder. Bri wiggles her eyebrows at me from the seat across from us and I roll my eyes although I’m really starting to like Bentley being this close.

  Bentley and I share the beer as Jason maneuvers us into the isolated cove. Boating by, you’d never know it was one giant party in here. All genres of music fill the air along with flirty giggles and splashes from bodies jumping off the rope swing. As Jason finds some friends of theirs to tie onto their boat, the boys get a few drunken wolf whistles in their direction.

  I shift uncomfortably in Bentley’s arm. He’s not mine. He could have any woman in this cove. I’m getting way too comfortable in this non-existent relationship. I start to lean up, but Bentley’s arm flexes and he pulls me closer. Turning to look at him, I see him smiling down at me as I playfully bite my bottom lip to which he grins bigger and shakes his head. The boat secure, the three other people on our boat step onto the one we’ve tied up to.

  “Should we join them?” I ask, honestly hoping he’ll say no so I can stay in his arms.

  “Let me put some sunscreen on your shoulders, you’re starting to turn red,” he answers, reaching for a bottle sitting on the ground.

  I watch him squirt the white lotion then rub both his hands together. They move to my shoulders and I feel his strong, rough fingers massaging the sunscreen into my skin. They move under my swimsuit straps and I catch myself sucking in my breath as he does. My body tingles at his touch, but it’s my heart pounding that scares me. This isn’t just a physical attraction. It’s much more than that, something I’ve never felt before, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it. Bentley’s hands slide down my back and around my waist, resting on my stomach. His beard tickles my shoulder as he sets his head down and whispers in my ear.

  “This or that?”

  Despite my internal freak out, I smile as he references the game we play over texts. As much as I want to say this, I don’t think my body, or my heart for that matter, can handle being in such close proximity of him or his woodsy scent that sends my hormones in a frenzy. Not to mention, I have no idea how I’d explain it to Bri and I know it would get back to my brother which would lead to a lecture.

  “That,” I say softly but find myself snuggling back against him, not making a move to get up.

  His low laugh fills my ear as his hands grip me tighter, not making any effort of letting me go. I take a deep breath, I’m getting in way too deep here. I don’t do commitment. I do fun, which Bentley and I have, but the kind of fun I do, I don’t think would go over well with any of the Ladners or my brother which would lead to a whole other lecture that I don’t want to hear.

  “Jules! Bentley! You coming?” Bri’s mousy voice calls out to us.

  Nuzzling his nose beneath my ear, he says, “Guess we are doing that.” He stands up, his fingers moving from my torso to my hand as he walks us over to the next boat.

  While I thought being with other people would put space between us, I was totally wrong. The next three hours I find myself sitting on his lap as we hang out with his friends, listening to Florida Georgia Line on the radio as he sings the lyrics to me. His left hand roams up and down my back and grazes the side of my stomach, teasing me with every move. The talk turns to water skiing and Bri and Bentley both brag about me as though I’d won an Olympic gold medal. My arm around his neck, I squeeze his shoulder when the subject changes.

  “It really wasn’t that impressive,” I say, leaning my forehead on his.

  “It was more than impressive to me, you were great out there,” Bentleys replies and then asks, “Why don’t you believe in yourself more? I know it’s not your brother, he brags about you all the time.”

  Shocked by his question, I lean back, but he doesn’t let me get away as he holds me on his lap. “I do believe in myself, when I’m good at something.”

  He lifts his eyebrows. “Jules, you’re probably better at more than you realize. You just have to be willing to push yourself, try new things.”

  I take a swig of his beer when he asks, “What kind of guys do you date?”

  Almost choking on the drink I just took, I cough. “Excuse me? Wh-what? Why?”

  His hand strokes my thigh in a calming manner which surprisingly works yet turns me on at the same time. “Just answer, Jules. What kind of guys do you normally date?”

  “Um, well… I don’t know…” I answer, I’ve never thought about it before.

  “If I had to guess, I’d say you date guys that don’t have much going on. Pretty boys, fun, but no career, no goals, just floating through life.”

  I start to object, but thinking back, Kevin definitely fits that description and so do the three guys before him. A guy with aspirations would probably want to settle down, want more than a good time for a few months until I get bored, and that is definitely not what I’m looking for.

  Bentley’s finger runs under my chin as he smiles. “So, I’m right?”

  I nod into his hand. Why are his eyes so mesmerizing?

  “So try something new, Jules. Find the opposite, a guy with a career, a good head on his shoulders, one who can challenge you,” he speaks slowly as though he doesn’t want to scare me off with his words. He has good reason because if he wasn’t holding on to me and I w
asn’t so damn comfortable in his lap, I’d be in the lake by now, swimming as fast as I could to get away.

  “Hey man, you guys ready to head back? It’s getting close to seven,” Adam says, breaking up the moment.

  Bentley doesn’t take his eyes off mine as he responds, “Yeah. We need to get back.” Slowly, his hand slides down and cups my neck as he makes sure our eyes keep contact. “Think about it, Jules. I might know someone I can set you up with.”

  Holding on to my gaze just a second longer, he moves my legs to the ground and we both stand up, walking back to his boat. Bri sits beside me as Bentley drives us back. Bri and I snuggle together, trying to stay warm in the cool afternoon breeze and I am really wishing I had that swimsuit cover up about now. She grins beside me and I shake my head laughing.

  “Stop!” I protest.

  “I told you so,” she says in a sing-songy voice.

  We both glance back at Bentley who looks sexy as ever with the wind blowing through his short hair. Turning away from him, we fall into a fit of giggles and I wonder what’s wrong with me. I’m getting along with my brother’s fiancée and I’m laughing like a little schoolgirl. Luckily, by the time we pull up to the dock at their parents’ lake house, our laughing fit is over.

  Bentley helps me out of the boat. My feet on the wobbly dock, he pulls my hand he’s holding toward him so that we’re chest to chest. His thumb rubs over the heart on my collarbone again, his eyes staring at it closely and I look down at it.

  Not breaking his gaze, he says, “I’d love to kiss that, but I don’t want to cross any lines since we’re… friends.”

  Lifting his eyes to meet mine, his dimple appears and I can tell he’s teasing me. Two can play at this game. I move closer to him, our lips almost touching and whisper, “Yeah… friends.”

  Spinning quickly, I smile and walk back toward land as Bentley stands behind me laughing. Stepping off the dock, I turn around and see him and Bri hugging.

  “You want to come in for dinner?” she asks.

  Looking over her shoulder at me, he smiles, but lowers his voice. I don’t think I’m supposed to hear him, but I do and my stomach sinks. I knew this was too good to be true. I knew I’d get hurt, but at least I didn’t fall completely.

  “I’d love to, but I have to pick Emmy up at seven,” he says. While I try to tell myself he wasn’t mine to begin with, it still doesn’t dull the ache in my heart.

  ***

  Jason maneuvers the boat through the no wake zone as I prop my legs up on the seat in front of me. Today was a damn good day. It’s the first time in forever that I’ve felt carefree and actually enjoyed my company. I hum as Jason kicks it up a gear, speeding across the lake so we aren’t late.

  Adam sits across from me smirking. “Guess you’re glad you didn’t bring Emmy?”

  My lips turn up and I laugh. “For sure.”

  Adam nods and gestures to the dock we just left. “So what’s up with you and Jules? She’s a little hottie. That heart on her chest is sexy as hell.”

  My eyebrows shoot up, not that I’m not aware of how attractive she is, but because Adam is talking about her in that way. The look on my face says it all and he holds up his hands in apology. Relaxing, I shrug. “Not sure what’s up with us, but I’d like to see where it goes.”

  Adam slaps my leg with a grin. “Good for you, man! That’s what I like to hear, it’s about time for you to move on.”

  I laugh and chug down a water. Adam’s always been a player so I’m not surprised by his reaction. Tossing the empty bottle back in the cooler, I tilt my head back and close my eyes. The first memory that comes to mind is Jules relaxing in my arms. My lips turn up as I recall my hands roaming over her body and the effect it had, I didn’t even know I could still feel that way by someone’s touch. I open my eyes and look over at Adam.

  “I need to see her again. Soon,” I state.

  Adam’s eyebrows lift and he shakes his head with a smile. “Wow, man, you got it bad.”

  He’s right. What is Julianna Rossi doing to me?

  Chapter 11

  “Jules, stop eating. We’re going to go cake tasting,” my brother scolds me as I cram another cookie in my mouth.

  Shoving cookies, candy, cake, basically anything filled with sugar is my coping mechanism. It’s been three weeks since I’ve seen Bentley although we still text almost every day. I’ve tried to just have fun and be friendly in our short conversations. More than anything I’ve just been trying to protect my heart, but it’s a lot harder than I ever imagined. Bentley’s invited me to come fishing every Sunday, but I’ve created reasons upon reasons why I can’t. I’m really being quite ridiculous, it’s not like we were even dating, but for some reason, some reason I don’t want to admit, I am not ready to face him again.

  “Sorry,” I mumble around the chocolate chip cookie stuffed in my mouth.

  Paulie stares at me, waiting for me to swallow, before asking, “What’s going on, Jules? Why are you stressed?”

  Damn, my brother knows me too well. Rising from the kitchen chair, I stand up and grab my purse. “No reason, just hungry. Ready to go?”

  The color drains from Paulie’s face as he stands up and shakes my shoulders. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant, Julianna.”

  “What!? Absolutely not!” I proclaim, offended he’d even think that, but embarrassed at the same that it’s been over three months since I’ve even had sex.

  My brother pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me and sighing. “Oh, thank God,” he mutters, but I’m still totally confused at his thought process.

  Once we’re in the car driving toward the bakery, Paulie looks over at me. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with Bentley.”

  I roll my eyes. “Not really, hung out with him at the lake with Bri. That’s it.”

  “He’s a good guy, way better than most of the ones you date.”

  Are you kidding me? This sounds too similar to what Bentley said to me. “What have you told him about me?”

  “Honestly not much other than the basics… including you’re single. He started asking about you after the engagement party,” Paulie says, shifting his eyes to me. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to give anything away. Paulie finally takes his eyes off me when the light turns green and he continues, “All I’m saying is that if you want to start seeing him, I’m okay with it and so is Bri.”

  My jaw drops and anger floods my body. “Oh, so now I have to get permission from both of you to date someone?” I yell, throwing up my hands and probably taking a little bit too much frustration out on him.

  “Julianna, calm down. That’s not what I meant,” Paulie says, pulling into the parking lot and putting the car in park. “It’s her brother, that’s why we discussed it. You can date whoever you want… just not Kevin.”

  I look at Paulie who is grinning. He runs his finger down my nose and taps the end like he always does and I smile back. Our eyes both move to the front of the car where Bri is standing with an adorable redheaded little girl who has to be elementary-aged. Both of them are waving big enough to catch anyone’s attention. We return the wave and I look at my brother.

  “That’s the flower girl,” Paulie explains as we get out of the car.

  Walking around to meet them, Paulie and Bri exchange a kiss while I squat down in my purple and white maxi dress so that I’m on the same level of the little girl. She’s wearing a frilly pink dress and silver, glittered shoes. I’ve always been a softie when it comes to kids. Growing up, I earned my fair share of rent through babysitting for all the single parents in our apartment complex.

  Sticking out my hand and smiling, I introduce myself. “Hi there, I’m Jules.”

  She curtsies and says, “Hello. My name is Ariel, I’m here to eat some cake for my wedding with Prince Eric.”

  I hide my laugh and raise my eyebrows. “Oh Ariel, that sounds like fun. Can I join you?”

  She giggles and takes my hand. “Yes! I love cake, Ju
les. Do you?”

  Oh, if she only knew… “Of course, who doesn’t love cake?”

  “Well, my Daddy, King Triton, isn’t a fan. He says too much cake will give you cavities,” Ariel informs me.

  Following Bri and Paulie, I turn to Ariel who is still holding my hand and nod. “Well, too much cake might give you cavities, but a little every now and then is probably okay.”

  She giggles as we sit down beside the engaged couple. Bri pats the little girl’s leg. “I see you’ve met ‘Ariel.’ She’s the flower girl and only in town until tomorrow. I thought she’d really enjoy this part of wedding planning.”

  Ariel and I lock eyes, big grins on our faces. “I think we both will,” I answer.

  Bri’s hand now moves to mine as she pats it and whispers, “Sorry Bentley couldn’t come.”

  At the mention of his name and possibly seeing him, my stomach flutters, but I just shrug trying to play it cool.

  “He really wants you to come fishing tomorrow,” she adds on.

  “I can’t, I’m going to the game with Doug and his wife,” I quickly reply, reminding myself to thank Smitty later for bowing out.

  “Oooh, Jules, look!” Ariel says, tugging on my dress.

  My gaze turns to where Ariel is pointing as the baker sets four plates of the largest pieces of chocolate cake on the table in front of us. Ariel and I pick up our fork and clink them together, both of our worlds are about to be chocolate-filled.

  Eight hours later, I’m lying in my bed and I think I’m in sugar shock. I have never eaten so much cake in one day. It’ll be a long while before I ever want to see it again. We had chocolate, vanilla, marble, red velvet, millennium burst, cinnamon swirl, and the list goes on. By the end of the afternoon, Ariel and I were sharing one piece of each flavor, giggling about anything and everything, because that’s what a sugar high does. It makes you completely delirious and causes you to bounce off the walls. I feel bad for her poor parents tonight and all I can say for myself is thank God for yoga pants.