Salt Water Wounds (Oyster Cove #1)

by Jennifer Foor

  He’s wearing a pair of swimming trunks and a T-shirt with the arms cut off. He smells fantastic as the breeze blows in my direction. “Hey, sweetness. Sorry it took me a while. I couldn’t find my trunks.”

  “Buck? What the hell? You drove here?”

  “Yeah. I figured you’d park somewhere near your spot on the beach.” He’s spreading a blanket down in the sand a few feet away from me. Behind him sits a cooler large enough to hold meals for a few days. I can only assume it’s full of beer. He’s also managed to bring a bag with a small radio. He takes it out and then pulls his shirt over his head, shoving it in the bag to keep it from getting sand all over it. “I thought about what you said, us being friends and all, and after I upset you this morning I couldn’t sit around and do nothing about it.” He pulls two beers from the cooler. “Truce?”

  I grab the cold beverage and clank it against his. “Fine. Friends.”

  Buck stares out at the water, while I roll over on my stomach in hopes of getting the same amount of sun on the reverse side. The music plays a familiar country tune, while Buck sings the lyrics quietly to himself.

  “Just say my name, stay right there, I’ll come runnin’ for you.”

  I keep quiet while listening, enjoying him being this relaxed. He’s not singing to me, but I pretend he is. My eyes stay closed and face in the opposite direction so he isn’t able to see my reaction.

  Another song comes on. He hums half and then sings the chorus in a low tone.

  “Want me to put lotion on your back?” His question almost shocks me.

  “If you want.” I hand him to lotion in hopes that when his hands touch me I’ll be able to control how it makes me feel.

  My arms are up with my face rested against them. I can feel the lotion being poured at the small of my back then he’s drawing it around, making circles with his strong, overworked hands. Buck isn’t just rubbing it around, he’s massaging my shoulders, my neck and then finally my earlobes. My nipples, smashed into the towel, begin to tingle. As he slips back down and focuses on my hips and lower back I’m half tempted to moan, but keep the bouts of pleasure to myself. I wouldn’t want him getting the wrong idea when he’s only trying to keep the peace between us. I also don’t want to appear desperate.

  Then he starts on my thighs, and as he reaches where friendship could be misconstrued as something more, I cave.

  “That feels nice.”

  “I thought maybe I put you to sleep.”

  “Pretty sure that’s not possible at the moment.” I turn over, causing him to sit up straight to give me room. “I want to be angry with you, Buck.”

  He runs his soppy hands up my calf. “So be angry.”

  It’s hard to speak when he’s touching me like this. “You’re distracting me.”

  “It’s intentional.”

  “You’re a jerk.”

  “Don’t I know it? I’m sorry about last night, sweetness. It was a momentary lapse that caught me off guard. If I had a do-over we’d still be out on that boat.”

  “That boat. You mean the Layla?”

  “That’s not fair.”

  I roll my eyes and stand up, because if I don’t get away from him I’m going to ask him to have his way with me right in front of anyone who could walk by. “Life isn’t fair, Buck. You of all people should know that.”

  I leave him on his knees as I make my way down to the water’s edge. The frigid water hits the tips of my toes and then goes back in until another wave takes its place. Just as the chill strikes my outer limbs, I feel something warm wrapping around my waist, his lips coming up to my ear. “You’re right. It’s not fair. Maybe this is crazy. Maybe I’m not ready, hell maybe I’ll never be, but right now I can’t get you out of my head. The idea of you hating me makes me hate myself. I enjoy spending time with you.”

  I close my eyes and let my arms fall over his. For a few minutes we stand together, my back to his so he can’t see my worry. Then I give in. I turn around and place my arms around his neck, our eyes finally meeting. “I’m not sleeping with you again, not until I know it won’t end the same way it did before.”

  He grins. “That’s fair, but just so you know, it was the best damn two minutes I’ve had in almost eight years.”

  I laugh and fall into his chest. He’s trying to get under my skin and it’s working. Damn if this man doesn’t get to me like no other is able.

  He kisses me. Doesn’t ask permission. Doesn’t wait for a response to his humorous joke. He just leans forward and places those delectable lips against mine. When I reciprocate things heat up pretty quickly. Before I know it, he’s picking me up and carrying me in the water. We’ve had a warm spring, but the ocean isn’t like the bay. It’s take months to get to a comfortable temperature.

  The water hit’s my ass first, I cling to his body, desperate to stay dry and not freeze to death, but Buck has other plans in mind. He crouches down while holding me, forcing me to endure the chill with him. I scream as it happens, burrowing my body into his as much as possible.

  He’s laughing and holding me down, my feet begin kicking as I fight to free my body. Then a wave comes and crashes into us, it takes me under, spinning me away from Buck. When I come up he’s close to shore waving at me. I give him the middle finger and go under to fix my hair and remove the sand I know has accumulated in my bikini bottoms.

  When I come up for air he’s already on his way back to torture me more, so I make him chase me. By this time I’m used to the frigid water temperature and content staying in the ocean for a while. He makes it to me in no time, pulling me close and kissing me again. As he pulls away his eyes take a while to open. “I need your help, Perry.”

  “With what?” I ask.

  “I need you to show me how to do this again. I need you to tell me when I’m screwing up, and give me hell if I hurt your feelings.”

  “You’re asking me for another chance?”

  “I am.”

  “What if that’s not what I want?”

  His lips brush over mine, his tongue teasing me, while his hands mess with the strap to my top. He’s undone it. Buck takes the bikini and shoves it down inside of his trunks. He’s laughing, while I wrestle with him. “You scoundrel. Give that back.”

  “Not until you do a flip.”

  There’s no one else near us. The only other people in the water are barely visible. I giggle and back away from him, bending my back and letting my body take me under the water. When I come up he’s catching me.

  My arms are covered in goose bumps, but inside I'm on fire. I run my knee up Buck's groin, not surprised when I realize he's hard in the cold water. "That's impressive."

  "Yeah? Maybe you could do something about it."

  "Like an underwater blowjob?" I honestly don't know how possible that will be since I'm terrible at holding my breath.

  "Maybe you could supply me with a warm place to hide in."

  "A warm place?" I act as if I have no clue what he's implying.

  "Yeah, like that little prize between your legs, you know the one I got know last night?"

  The mention of it gets me riled up. I want him to keep talking dirty, but at the same time want to stop and ask where this is really going. "We've been down this road and I didn't like the way it ended."

  "I require practice. Lots of practice."

  "And if I refuse?"

  He shrugs and teases me with his wet lips. "I'll get out, with your top, of course."

  "You're rotten," I playfully hit him.

  "Come on, sweetness. Forgive me. I'm pretty damn turned on out here all alone with you in my arms. There's no one here to see us, and the water is too dark for them to know what we're doing. I could easily slip inside with your legs wrapped around my back."

  I start shoving his shorts down. "You think that will work?"

  "It never hurts to try."

  Our next kiss is almost animalistic. Nothing else matters except for the two of us. I’m falling victim to my own lust again
, and if feels freaking unbelievable.

  We’re bottomless in the water, Buck holding onto our articles of clothing with the grip of a sailor, while the rest of his body works to keep me close. My legs are tightly fixed to his waist, and with little effort I feel him entering me. His size feels like he was made for me. Maybe I’m being selfish or perhaps naive, but I’ve never had this kind of sexual connection with another man. He’s very tentative with his kisses, passionate yet consuming. My hands dig deep in his hair as his face dive down to caress my neck. He rises me up above the water until my breasts are exposed and then suckles on each of them, taking his time as if he doesn’t care if we’re caught.

  The waves crash around us, but all I can think about is this encounter lasting longer than the first. He uses the lack of gravity to his advantage, bobbing my body away then close again, all while remaining inside of me. The friction is intense, so much that each thrust feels like the first. I’m holding on for dear life, praying the slipperiness wouldn’t tear us apart. We’re kissing again, this time our tongues coming fully out of our mouths to touch and play. I flick at his lips and move, waiting for him to do the same back. We play like this, constantly moving underneath the dark wake.

  Moments go by, the sounds of nature masking our own. The sun goes in and out of clouds. A seagull swoops down and perches in the water a few feet from us, though nothing distracts what we’re doing.

  Then it happens. The crashing ripple of his orgasm. I watch his face scrunch, his teeth gripping his bottom lip, while his strong body holds me tight. He lets out a bellow and finally falls limp. I’m able to hold him while he regains his composure, the whole time wondering if this experience will end the same as the last. I begin to withdraw, hoping I can get away before it happens and offends me, but he takes my hand and pulls me close. Buck brings his lips to mine and places my bikini top back around my neck. I feel him tying the lower part, before slipping my bottoms over my legs again. Once I’m dressed he lets me go to tend to himself. We exit the frigid water and reach the blanket, covering up before we catch cold.

  Buck begins laughing. He’s holding his stomach and rolling around me like he’s seen something I’ve missed. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just… well, I haven’t done anything like that since I was a kid.”

  I crack up with him, because the idea of what we’ve just done is quite daring and comical.

  As Buck settles down he pulls me into his arms and keeps me there. He’s rubbing my back and kissing the top of my head like the night before. “I’m glad I caught up to you today. This beats dishes and laundry.”

  “It’s nice being comparable to chores, Buck.”

  “You know what I mean. I’m happy we’re not fighting, or whatever happened earlier between us. It was driving me crazy. I know you think I don’t have my head on straight, but the thought of not being able to hang out killed my mood.”

  “I figured you’d spend the whole day punishing Bristol for the tattoo ordeal.”

  He chuckles. “Yeah, you’re not going to believe how that went.”

  I lean on my elbow waiting for his explanation.

  “She had her mother’s initials tattooed on her ribcage. At first I wanted to kill her until I saw it. Then I felt like shit. She wasn’t doing it to spite me or rebel. She was doing it to honor her mother on her birthday.”

  “Wow. That’s actually pretty thoughtful.”

  “I know. Although, I did still warn her to get rid of that artist, motorcycle driving boyfriend. He’s too old for Bristol. She’s probably been lying about her age. Either way, she’s been told to break it off.”

  I can’t help but notice Buck seems different today. He’s calm and collected. His smile is contagious, and he seems like a different person than the man who couldn’t live with his actions the night before.

  Then my phone rings. I dig it out of my bag and peer down at the screen. I don’t recognize the number, but use my phone for business and sometimes get calls from vendors. I answer promptly. “This is Perry.”

  “Mom, it’s me, Nick.”

  “Nick. What’s wrong? Why aren’t you calling me from your phone?”

  “I’m at the police station.”

  “Why? Is it your father? Did he get picked up?”

  “Granddad called and said your moped was vandalized and I knew Dad would get in trouble for it so I took the blame.”

  “You what?”

  “I already signed the paperwork. They said you need to come to the station.”

  “I’m on my way,” I say while already standing up. Buck is right there with me when I hang up and begin gathering my things. “I have to go.”

  “Why? Is your boy okay?”

  “He’s been arrested.” It kills me to say it out loud. “It’s a big mistake. My father reported my moped vandalized and Nick took the blame for his father so he’d stay out of jail. I’m not even sure how my father knew about it unless…” Then it hits me. “Buck, have you spoken to my father?”

  “I…Damn, Perry, I didn’t know it would lead to this.”

  I wave him off. “I need to go. I told you to keep my father out of my business. All he does is constantly try to intervene. Now this. I have to go, Buck.”

  “Please don’t be mad. Hold up, I’ll go with you.”

  “No!” I’m furious and need time to think. “I’ve got this.”

  “Perry…” I keep walking as he says it. Buck overstepped. Maybe if I didn’t have issues with my parents I wouldn’t feel so betrayed, but I purposely explained to him that I didn’t want to involve my parents in the Peter drama and now my son is a victim. Right now I need someone to blame and it falls on Buck.

  Chapter 15

  One step forward, ten steps back. That’s how I feel it’s going with Perry. We have sex, and then we fight. Isn’t sex supposed to happen after the altercation?

  Truth be told, I don't know much about women. Maybe I'm out of my league. It's possible I'll never be capable of being another woman's companion, because I'm not cut out for it.

  I've clearly overstepped this time, and because of it Perry's son is facing charges that could stay on his permanent record if he's convicted. When it comes to a parents kids, there's nothing more important. She's liable to never speak to me again, and I can't blame her. I'd be pissed if she accidentally caused my child to be in any sort of trouble.

  It doesn't matter that I did it to look out for her. She won't see it that way.

  We have two attorneys that live on the island, and they're out of the same office. I make a quick call hoping to catch them on a weekend.

  "Mike Black," he answers.

  "Mike, it's Buck Wallace. I know it's the weekend, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

  "Hey, Buck, what's going on?"

  I don't divulge the dynamics of my questionable relationship with Perry, but explain the situation with her son, and that he was only taking up for a friend.

  When the call ends I know he'll do his best to help Perry. He’ll at least guide her in the right direction to have the charges against her son dropped.

  Oyster Cove is rarely quiet. There’s always someone home, and in most cases friends over to visit. The twins, who still live under my roof, have the most guests. I’ve gone into their room and barely been able to see the floor because it’s occupied by sleeping teenagers. I’ve always had a motto about them partying. As long as they keep it under control and at our house, I don’t mind that they want to have a good time. Granted, they’re nineteen, and if they weren’t allowed to do it, they’d been sneaking around getting into trouble.

  When I walk inside and find the place uninhibited, I feel relieved. I need a break. After a quick shower, I grab something to eat and head to the boat dock to check on the boys and maybe do some work on the Layla. From taking her out on the water the night before, I noticed there was a leak in the air hose, and the motor is smoking when I push the engine over five knots. Keeping busy is how I’ll deal with
my issues. As a man, I tend to prefer to walk away from the drama until it settles down on it’s own, rather than cause more frustration and force a better result. It’s not worth it. People need to think before they speak, and in this case I don’t think Perry wants to look at me.

  On the way to the marina, I stop and grab a six-pack of beer and a bag of ice. I may as well plan on hiding out and making sure my beverages stay nice and chilled.

  Once I arrive and break out my tools, I get started working, hoping that if I stay occupied I won’t think of how I screwed things up with Perry again. It’s frustrating to finally get the nerve to put myself out there and get to know another woman intimately, and not knowing the first thing about how to do it successfully. At this point I’d be surprised if she let me in the bar to drink. The look on her face said it all. She made me feel as if I betrayed her by going to her father, which makes no sense to me. As a father myself, I can’t imagine my kids being in trouble. What could the man have done that was so bad she’d turn down his help and run in the opposite direction?

  Parked at the marina, I still get a sense of being on the water, without having to burn up gas while doing it. There’s something about the crisp spring breeze hitting me in the face, or the smell of the salty air as I sit with my eyes closed. I used to feel like I was trapped in a life that was basically forced upon me because I made the wrong choices too early. Now I know this is where I was born to be. Being on the water is like refreshing the soul. It’s the only place I can find solitude and peace.

  Sometimes I wish I wasn’t as good at what I do for a living. I repair the air hose and find the source of the smoke from the engine, which turned out to be a loose connector in the oil line. I tune the carburetor, installing new plugs and lubricating some old parts to run more efficiently, then start the motor and let it run for a few minutes to make sure everything is in top shape.

  Two beers in and I’ve run out of immediate tasks, so I lay back on a cushion and watch the boats coming and going.