I smiled a broad smile. “Freakin’ awesome. But that was always great between us.”
Butch was silent for a moment then asked. “How’s her health?”
I didn’t want to think about that. “One day at a time, buddy. One day at a time.”
Butch said, “That’s what I was trying to tell you before. Jax, there’s more to life. More, like what you have with Rosalyn and Eugene.”
I paddled my hands in the water and considered. “I hear you. But what’s that got to do with surfing?”
“You need to be here to take care of those two.”
“I will be. Rosalyn and Eugene are my life. But surfing big waves is a huge part of who I am.”
Even after what happened to me at Todos Santos, I was not about to give up big wave surfing. If anything, I felt more at one with the ocean. Before my near-death experience, the ocean was always my spiritual retreat, but now, my senses were keener and sharper. For me, the ocean, which had always felt alive, now pulsed with life, colors, sound, and vibrations. I couldn’t wait to wake up every day and paddle out. Fear wasn’t even in the equation.
“So, what are you saying? That you can’t function without this obsession?” he said.
I looked at my friend. “Are you quitting?”
“I’m not saying that. Just saying I need some time off before I paddle out into the big stuff. I’m going for it with Summer. And maybe one day I’ll get to know what it’s like to have kids. I want to be around to grow old, watch my family grow up.”
I thought about what Butch said. He was right. I was lucky to have a family, people that cared about me and that I cared about. I was extremely lucky.
We caught a couple more waves. When we were back in the lineup, I broached the topic of Sandy. “Remember when I told you about borrowing money from Sandy?”
He smirked. “Yeah. I guess you were pretty desperate. I get it.” He scratched his head. “You know she called the shop the other day.”
My throat constricted. “What did she say?”
“It was strange. She introduced herself—of course I remembered her—and she said she had some information about you. I had to put her on hold for a minute and when I came back she was gone. I forgot all about it ’till just now.” He looked at me expectantly. “What was that all about?”
“Holy hell. She wants her money and she wants it now. She threatened me. Said she’d talk.”
“That’s bizarre. Wouldn’t she be just as embarrassed about what happened between you two?”
“You’d think so. She’s gotten downright unreasonable. She said she’d go to the surf community and blab.”
Butch stared at me. “Who would believe her?”
I barked out a laugh. “I haven’t exactly been an angel.”
“Quit rubbing it in. You are pretty well known with the ladies. But this is different.”
I avoided eye contact. “She said she’d go to the cops if I didn’t have her money soon.”
Butch sucked in his breath. “Can she really do that?”
“I don’t think so. It’s not like she has any hard evidence.” Butch groaned. “But she could definitely do her best to humiliate me in surfing circles.”
“What are you going to do?”
I stared at the horizon. “When Tyler’s house sells, I’ll pay her back.”
“Damn, you’d better pay this woman back and fast. She doesn’t sound too thrilled.” His voice softened. “I know you didn’t want to sell the house, but it’s the right thing.”
“It’s just a house. That money will be our nest egg until I figure out a steady living. If Rosalyn needs more treatments, or …” I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she didn’t survive. It would be me and Eugene alone, and I needed to make a living somehow. And somehow did not include working for Sandy Farnsworth again, thank you very much. “I’m going for the Ride of the Year prize.”
“Okay, man, I’m with you. You’re in great shape. No reason you can’t be a contender. I’ll watch from the beach next time out though.”
We surfed a while longer. Then another set of waves came through, and I put myself in the priority position, my arms paddling easily into a glassy wave. “Last one to Taco Bell is a rotten egg!” I yelled over my shoulder.
I hoped that within the next week, I would have a shot at Ride of the Year at Mavericks. I sent up a small prayer to the surf Gods.
They answered in the next few days.
Rosalyn
In the days leading up to our trip, Jax was crazed, almost like a professional meteorologist, the way he checked his tide chart apps and the various buoy reports he followed. His laptop was constantly open, displaying charts, graphs and numbers that were gibberish to me. Looking over his shoulder, I spied the swell reports, which displayed wavy lines in vibrant colors straight out of a Matisse painting depicting what I imagined to be severe weather conditions. A chill covered my body. As timing would have it, there was a huge swell happening the week we were heading out to Half Moon Bay, which meant that Mavericks would be breaking.
Two days before we left, Jax said, “You’re sure you don’t mind if our vacation turns into a surf trip?” We were lying in bed as Jax traced small circles on my stomach with his warm fingers, making his way down toward my thighs.
“You know better than to ask me anything when I’m lying next to you naked,” I said. “But honey, I don’t know about this. After what happened in Mexico—”
He put his finger to my lips. “It’s okay. I train hard. But if you’re really worried …”
“Being worried’s part of being in love. You promise to be careful?”
“Of course I will.”
“And wear your flotation vest?”
“Yes, sweetheart, I will. It’s going to be fine. Now close your eyes, think about the ocean, and I’ll kiss you.” His soft lips caressed mine, and I forgot about the dangers of big wave surfing, for the moment.
Two days later, Jax, Eugene, Nelson, and I packed up the Explorer with Jax’s big wave guns strapped to the roof and made the drive to Half Moon Bay.
As Jax drove, his hand on my thigh, his expression was that of a man in another world. I tapped his knee. “Jax? You okay?”
He snapped to attention. “What? Of course, just doing my deep breathing exercises.” He gave me a nervous smile. “Turn up the tunes. Let’s blast your Led Zeppelin.”
The Inn at Mavericks is a cozy resort situated on a small bluff overlooking the harbor and the Pacific Ocean. There were six guest rooms, each with their own gas burning fireplace, comfy beds with luxurious linens and private patios.
“Dude! We really get our own room,” Nelson said as he raced into the room next to ours.
“Mom,” Eugene said, “Can Nelson and me eat some of that cool junk they have by the coffee pot?” He pointed to the decadent candy bars, potato chips, and nuts.
“Okay, honey,” I said, patting his head and looking into his trusting eyes. “Just don’t overdo it. We’re going to dinner early then Jax has to rest and get ready for tomorrow.”
“We get to see you surf! Flippin’ awesome!” Nelson said. “You better take off on the biggest wave of the day.”
I knew that Jax was already thinking about the fifty thousand dollar prize to be won for the Ride of the Year.
Everything was within walking distance in the small town. After dinner at a locally owned, home-style Italian restaurant, the four of us walked back to the Inn. The sky was alight with a dazzling display of burnt orange, pink, purple and wisps of clouds as the sun set over the bay, the sailboats silhouetted against a rapidly darkening sky.
Once the boys were in bed, Jax and I retreated to our room where I cracked open my book to read in bed and he laid out all the equipment he would need for the following day: wetsuit, booties, flotation vest, and his lucky Love Bone T-shirt.
When he was done, he looked at me with a mischievous smile, took a running start, dove onto the bed, and said, “Now that that’s done,
how about we work on my big wave preparation routine?”
I looked at him with mock surprise. “And what would that be?”
He grinned. “You lay back, I put my mouth all over your body…”
I swatted him with my book. “Don’t you have to rest before the big event?”
“You really want to know how I prepare?” He pulled my T-shirt with the Om symbol up over my breasts and kissed them.
“Stop it! You’re supposed to be staying calm.”
“And this calms me down.” He gazed into my eyes and stroked my hair.
Health issues aside, I couldn’t get enough of Jax. I didn’t like thinking this way, but if these were to be my last months, I was determined to savor the people I cared about. Eugene was in the room next to ours, and I was in bed with Jax.
I still wasn’t over the novelty of having Jax’s athletic body in bed with me again, and my heartbeat pulsed in my ears as my body flushed with desire. I wanted Jax. I wanted him in every way a woman can want a man, as a protector, a friend, a confidante, and as a hot sexual partner.
“Will it calm you down if I do this?” I asked, running my hand over his jockey shorts and the outline of his already hard cock.
He inhaled sharply and took my hand. “It will calm me down even more if you do this.” He guided my hand inside his shorts.
I slowly worked my warm hand up and down his hard-on as he lay on his back and closed his eyes, moaning. I wanted to take care of him for a change, so I asked, “Will you let me give you a blow job while you lay back and enjoy it?”
He opened one eye as I moved to pull his shorts off. “I think I could let you do that.”
I knelt between his legs. “You are so sexy.” I held his manhood in my hands and inhaled his delectable aroma. I eased my mouth over his raging erection, tasting the wonderful saltiness of Jax. I wrapped my mouth around the shaft, and he shuddered, moaning my name. With my tongue, I explored the entire length of him as it pulsed underneath my touch. He begged me not to stop. I couldn’t stop because the feel of him in my mouth was so beautiful, the way his hips thrust slightly toward me, gently. His eyes were glazed with arousal, his chest heaving. His hands gripped my tangle of curls and he pulled. I felt the strength of his powerful legs and the burning in his pelvis until I felt him tensing, his pelvis jerking up to my mouth. “Oh, Jesus … I’m gonna come.” I savored the spasms as he came in my mouth, his hands clutching my hair. Jax tasted heavenly. His voice was a rasp. “Rosalyn, I love you.”
He expelled a shuddering breath and when he recovered, he said, “Lay down, baby, I want to take care of you, now.”
Goosebumps rippled out from my thighs as his delicate touch tugged at my panties. Almost involuntarily I spread my legs as the foghorn quietly blew in the distance, the fire burned in the gas fireplace, and the tangy aroma of salt from the ocean tickled my nostrils. His fingers grazed over my most sensitive spot, a moan escaping from my lips. His fingers delved into my delicate softness and with wet fingers he massaged my growing bud using slow, heavenly circular motions. “Jesus, Roz, I want to taste you so bad.” He kissed my sweetness, waves of pleasure pulsating through every nerve of my body. My fingers ran through his hair, gripping tightly. I closed my eyes and relaxed, releasing a breath. Jax gently sucked, his mouth wet and hot causing my pelvis to tilt. I was always spellbound by my body’s reaction to his touch. My orgasm built until finally my body arched, my entire being losing control and I surrendered into a shuddering orgasm.
After I came, Jax lay at the foot of the bed for a while, his hand gently tickling my stomach, thighs, and pubic hair. Those captivating blue eyes locked with mine. “I just want to memorize how beautiful you are after you come. How’d you get to be so sexy?”
Then he moved next to me, his hard body pressed against mine, his hands stroking my face and hair, his lips kissing my ears and neck. I traced my fingers over his chest and down to his cock, which was already coming back to life. “Never did take you long to recover.”
“Not when I’m with you.” His body rolled on top of mine. He kissed me passionately then entered me with a delicious sharpness that made me gasp. “Oh baby, you’re so wet and sexy.” His hair falling into his eyes, he stared at me and moved slowly. “You like it like this?” Then he pumped faster, my legs curling around his back. My pelvis arched to meet him until neither one of us could take it, riding waves of orgasmic pleasure.
We fell asleep in each other’s arms. Jax slept peacefully, softly snoring, his body a heavy weight. But as the foghorn blew, I’d jerk awake from nightmares of Jax wiping out on a big wave, getting plowed under the massive force and never resurfacing. I’d never seen Jax surf big waves, and I didn’t know if I could handle it.
* * *
The next day at Mavericks, ominous storm clouds gathered overhead. The ocean resembled the swirling abyss of a witch’s cauldron. The waves slammed into the rocky coastline with a savage violence, and hazardous, spiky rocks jutted from the ocean, intent on impaling even the most prepared surfer. I instantly realized I was not prepared for the reality of the sadistic waves.
What was Jax thinking?
Jet Skis zoomed out to the lineup with the surfers and their big wave guns. The photographers were in position on boats, and the safety patrol was ready. I didn’t want to think about the rescues of surfers who got sucked over the falls of the terrifying waves, broke bones, became paralyzed, slammed into the jagged rocks, had the wind knocked out of them and lost consciousness or, worst of all, didn’t survive the impact of this brutal force of nature. Jax had assured me that everyone was well versed in ocean safety, and I already knew from what’d happened to Butch that the life flight nurses from Stanford were only minutes away. None of this did anything to ease my anxiety.
Eugene, Nelson, Butch, Summer, and I huddled on the cliff above the fearsome surf break next to the chain link fence that surrounded Pillar Point Air Force base. My eyes flicked up to the cliff on the right. There, like a reminder from a morgue, were the homemade crucifixes, memorials to the athletes who’d been unlucky at Mavericks. Those poor surfers who’d lived for the thrill of a big drop. What went through their minds when realization hit that they’d never see their families again? My body was engulfed in a sudden coldness that hit me at the core. I hugged myself tight then grasped Eugene’s hand and squeezed.
Butch and Summer, who’d made the trip from her home in San Francisco, had gone stand up paddling in the bay that morning.
Summer whispered in my ear, “I think I’ll stick to my SUP board. Safer.” She gave me a nervous smile.
“Awesome waves!” Butch said, his arm protective around Summer’s slender waist. “Jax’s going to kill it out there.”
“Freakin’ awesome!” Nelson said, turning to Eugene and slapping him a high five.
“Can’t believe we’re here,” Eugene said, a look of wide-eyed wonder on his face.
“You know how lucky you are?” Nelson said to Eugene. His eyes feverishly searched the crowd of surfers. “There he is!” he said pointing to Jax’s bright red surfboard, a small dot in the vicious ocean. “There’s your dad!”
A few peaceful lulls punctuated the sets, but when the waves came through, the brutality shocked me. How were the surfers paddling over and around those monstrous peaks? Several unlucky surfers got caught inside, as the fury of the wave broke over their rag doll bodies, and they dove to the bottom of the ocean. Would they be okay down in that icy water that looked like a black pit of murkiness? Would they even know which way was up?
Closing my eyes I took a pathetic breath that wouldn’t fill my lungs. Nausea crept up my throat and it felt like I was going to throw up. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. Those had to be fifty-foot waves, or larger.
Holding Eugene’s hand so tightly I thought I’d crack his bones, I used my other hand, and dug around in my bag for the present Jax had brought back from Oregon. I hadn’t been smoking pot with the Trinity program, but dammit, I needed to calm down. My fing
ers made contact with the good luck joint I’d rolled. I mean, it was from my parents’ farm and all, so it must be lucky. The kismet of the highest possible concentrations of THC was in order.
I lit the joint, took a deep toke and was instantly relaxed as the pleasant sensation from the pot moved from my lungs, to my bloodstream, and ended with a euphoric rush in my head. I inhaled another long toke, closing my eyes.
“Whoa! Check out this set,” Eugene said.
My eyes clicked open as a gigantic set of what looked like three waves rose out of the ocean. The whitewater slammed against the ocean as the waves broke, threatening to crucify the poor soul who was unlucky enough to get caught in a wipeout. I didn’t know as much about big wave surfing as Jax did, but I knew that it wasn’t a good idea to take off on the first wave of a set because if you wiped out, you were stuck with the waves behind it pinning you underneath the ocean. I took another toke.
We could barely make out Jax on his red surfboard as he got in position for the first wave of the set—and caught it. Another surfboard flew high up in the air behind the wave, twirling and ripping the surfer violently away. My hand dug into Eugene’s. I took another toke. We watched in what felt like slow-motion as Jax’s surfboard was perpendicular to the enormous wave before rapidly descending. His wetsuit-clad body was in free fall, his feet somehow still in contact with his board. His arms spread out like a tightrope walker, a massive amount of whitewater following, as though he were trying to outrun an avalanche. I held my breath and sent a prayer up to the Universe. And then, halfway down the monstrous wave, we watched in horror as Jax flew headfirst over his surfboard.
“No!” I screamed. There was a collective gasp from everyone huddled with us on the cliff as Eugene and Nelson strained forward, their eyes as big as silver dollars.
“Is he going to be okay?” Eugene said, looking up at me with wild eyes.
I had to keep it together for Eugene. “Oh, baby, he knows what to do.” Hold your breath! Deploy your flotation vest! Get out of the ocean, now! I covered my eyes. Maybe this was a mistake. I uncovered my eyes and glanced at Butch, who was calm, but Summer’s face was a fright mask. I took another toke.
Pleasure Point: The Complete Series Page 60
