The Right Guy

by Kate O'Keeffe

  “What was his name again?”

  “Rob. It’s Rob.”

  “He looked like he knew his way around a woman, that guy.”

  “Yeah, yeah, he did. He knew his way around me. Just like you say.”

  She leans against the doorjamb and lets out a sigh. “That’s what I need. A good man, a skilled man, one who knows what to do. Do you know what I mean?”

  “Preach it, sista,” I reply, sounding so unlike me that we both get a surprise. I clear my throat. “They’re a rare breed.”

  “Hey, shouldn’t you be getting ready to go? You don’t want to invoke ‘the wrath of Bridezilla.’” She uses air quotes.

  “That’s why you need to get out of here. Go on.” I shoo her out of the bathroom and close the door.

  My lie sits uncomfortably in my belly. Even though I know it was the safest thing to let her believe I was with Rob, it feels wrong. I switch the shower faucet on and step inside. As the warm water washes over me, my mind is clouded with Jake. Being with him is better than I could have dreamed.

  And oh, my, he does things to me.

  But does a guy like Jake want to be with just one woman? He’s been a player since we were teenagers, with a seemingly endless stream of women. Even if he says he’s given all that up, even if he says it’s always been me, I can’t help but have my doubts.

  Leopards and their spots.

  I rinse my body off and apply my shampoo, massaging it into my scalp.

  Problem is, I’ve been with a man like Jake before, a handsome, charismatic man with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing women want to be with him. Zeke Daniels was his name. My belly twists at the mere thought of him.

  Zeke was the one I let in, he was the one I should have stayed far, far away from. My mom warned me he was “just like your good-for-nothing father.” She told me he’d charm me and leave me without a backward glance, just like my dad did to her, leaving before I was even born.

  I hate to admit it, but she was right, though I didn’t want to see it at the time.

  Like Jake, Zeke was good looking in that chiseled jaw, defined pecs, The Bachelor kind of way. Also a lot like Jake, Zeke was going places, a real alpha kinda guy. And, to top it all off, he was fun and smart.

  So far, so spectacular, right?

  Problem was, it turned out Zeke was kinda spectacular at one other thing: being a cheating, lying sack of crap.

  Fast forward thirteen months and one broken heart, and I don’t want to repeat the same mistake again. Falling for a womanizer—the Zekes and Jakes of this world—is not something I’m planning to do. Only with Jake, the ramifications would be so much worse than merely a broken heart. When—not if—it all goes wrong, I’ll lose the only real family I have, my anchor.

  How could I ever recover?

  What I need is someone I can rely on, someone who will be there for me, come what may. Someone uncomplicated, in it for the long haul. As I rinse the shampoo from my hair, my belly twists in an uncomfortable knot. Could Jake be that man? My head screams a resounding “No!” My heart may want to believe what he says, may want to be with him, to give myself over to him, heart and soul, but I’m not sure I’m strong enough to take that chance.

  CHAPTER 19

  Jake

  This is torture.

  I’m sitting at a long rectangular table in the shade at some restaurant in Cabo, surrounded by people eating and drinking and talking. Yeah, I’m eating, but I’m not tasting it in the least. And I’m only kinda half listening to Big Red’s latest story.

  Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t think I could remember what he’s been saying even if my life depended on it. Something about a parrot in Guatemala? Nah, I got nothing.

  What I am doing is putting all my effort into not looking at Taylor. Not thinking about how incredible she looks in her sundress. Not thinking about that insane body of hers underneath it. Not thinking about how I want to peel that dress off her in the privacy of my room.

  And it’s a hell of a lot harder than I expected.

  She’s sitting across the table from me, talking to Lacey and Ash. And she’s doing a much better job of coming across as normal than I am—as though we haven’t just spent most of the morning having the most spectacular sex of my life.

  When we first got here—separately, at her insistence—she roved around the table, taking photos of people, stopping to chat. She looked relaxed, unfazed—and she barely even glanced my way.

  For me, no matter how hard I try, my eyes keep drifting back to her. The light tan of the skin on her bare shoulders, the way her long hair is tied up loosely, a few strands falling around her gorgeous face. The curve of her neck, the way her necklace pulls my eyes down to her beautiful breasts.

  “You okay, dude?” Big Red asks, his brow creased.

  “What? Oh, yeah. Just something . . . in my throat.”

  Taylor’s eyes meet mine across the table for a brief moment before she looks down, a soft blush blooming on her cheeks.

  Her shyness only makes me want her more. Not that I thought that was humanly possible. She laughs at something someone says, flashing me another coy look across the table. I smile back at her, a secret shared only between the two of us.

  Man, I’ve got it bad.

  She’s got this way of touching me like no other woman ever has, and it gets me, right in the heart. I guess it’s the little things. I love that she rolls her eyes when I make a weak joke, the way she groans with pleasure when she sinks her teeth into a good taco, not caring that the sauce dribbles down her chin. I love the little dimples in her cheeks when she smiles, the way her eyes dance when she teases me. I love that she’s such a good friend to my sister, humoring her wedding-related craziness, not getting phased in the least by how bridezilla she’s been in the run up to the wedding.

  And God do I love what she did to me earlier today.

  “—and I’m still not over it, dude.” Big Red’s voice punctuates my thoughts.

  It takes a Herculean effort to tear my attention away from Taylor. “Over what?”

  “Over the fact Tim’s wedding is on the day of the next game.”

  “There’ll be other games.”

  “Have you gone soft, Harrison? It’s the Giants we’re talking about here.”

  I shake my head. Don’t get me wrong, I love baseball, and the Giants are my team. But I can miss a game and still survive. There are some things more important in life. And I’m looking at one of them across the table from me right now.

  He leans into me. “I got coverage on my phone. We can sneak away and watch it someplace.”

  I glance at Ash. I bet she’ll be thrilled by that particular plan on her big day. I shake my head and smile at Big Red. “Sure.”

  There’s a ting ting ting as Tim stands, down the table from me, a half-drunk glass of beer in his hand. “I’m just going to say a few words.”

  Big Red leans back in his chair, arms crossed. “I hope it’s not more poems and crap. I’m still recovering from the last time you made a speech, dude.”

  There’s some laughter, and Tim shoots him an amused look. “When you can find a woman to stick around long enough to write a poem to, Big Red, then you can talk.”

  Ash reaches up and high fives Tim to whistles and laughter around the table.

  Big Red attempts a retort. “Yeah, well maybe I don’t want to—” he begins and stops when he realizes that not only is no one listening, but he sounds like a total sad sack to boot.

  Big Red’s not exactly a relationship kinda guy. He’s a player, a love ’em and leave ’em type. A lot like I used to be, I guess. But for me, the idea of a serious relationship with a woman is pretty goddam appealing right now—only if that woman is Taylor Jennings.

  “Yeah, okay. Settle down,” Tim says. When the laughter subsides, he gets back to his speech. “First up, I know most of us are leaving today. Thank you all so much for coming to Cabo with us. It’s been awesome to have you here, and it means a lot to us b
oth to get to share this with you.”

  Ash nods, tears welling in her eyes. She’s smiling, her hand over her heart. “It does. It means so much.”

  My sister is such a softie. And I love her for it.

  “I think we’ve all had a good time, right?” Tim says. Again, people cheer. “Some of us have had an extra good time, right, Harrison?”

  All eyes turn to me.

  I shoot Tim a withering look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I deadpan.

  Taylor is concentrating on Tim, her head turned away from me. I bet she’s feeling about as awkward as I am right about now, but she’s doing a much better job of covering it up than me.

  Tim laughs and moves on. I’m more than grateful he doesn’t dwell on it, even if he didn’t need to say anything about it in the first place.

  “And, to the rest of you, here’s to one more epic night in Cabo!” Tim raises his beer glass to whoops and cheers from the table.

  None too soon, we finish our meals and get up to leave.

  As I walk out of the restaurant onto the street, Tim grabs me in a headlock, punching me on the arm.

  I wrench my head back, pushing him away. I’m only half kidding. “Thanks a lot for that, man.”

  “Come on. It’s nothing new. Dude, you can’t help yourself.”

  We walk together along the marina, trailing behind the rest of the group.

  I shake my head. “It’s not like that. And you know I’ve changed, anyway.”

  “Good, because Ash will kill you if you lead her best friend on.”

  I stop in my tracks, turn, and look at him. “What did you say?”

  “You’ve got to be careful with this one. Taylor means a lot to Ash, and she’s a great girl. Hell, she’s practically family, right?”

  I glance around, ensuring no one else is in earshot. “How did you know?”

  “Would you believe it was a lucky guess?”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “No.”

  “Yeah, okay. When we turned up at your room, you had that look like you’d been up to no good all morning long.”

  “Nice, man. Thanks.”

  “You know what I mean. You look tired but wired, happy but still horny as hell.”

  Was it really that obvious?

  “Plus, I saw her bikini top on the floor.”

  “Ah, the real reason you worked it out.”

  “Look, I know you said you’ve dialed back on serial dating, but this is Taylor. If this goes bad, the shit will definitely hit the fan.”

  “Yeah, I know. But it’s not going to.” I glance up the street. Like a homing beacon, I find her standing with Lacey and some of the others by a souvenir shop. She’s smiling and laughing, looking so incredibly beautiful.

  Something in my chest moves.

  “What does she want? I mean, did you discuss it before it happened?”

  I think of that incredible kiss in the pool only hours ago, and where it had led us. “No, there was no discussion. We were too busy doing other things.”

  “So, you have no idea what Taylor wants?”

  After a beat, I shake my head. I have no clue whether she wants something more than a fling, some weekend Cabo fun. This morning, in my room, I came clean about how long I’ve wanted her, how much she means to me. But Taylor? Other than sharing her fears, she didn’t say a word.

  What does she want from me?

  Tim puts his hands on my shoulders. “Listen, Harrison. The way I see it, this can only go one of two ways.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him. “Is that so?”

  “Yup. Either it all turns to crap and Ash is pissed and Taylor never talks to you again.”

  “Not liking that version.”

  “Or you’re meant to be together.”

  I look back over at Taylor. In her blue sundress falling just above her knees, nipped in at her waist to show off her womanly curves, she looks almost luminous, everyone around her paling in comparison.

  I might have no idea what Taylor wants from me right now, but I’ve got a pretty darn clear idea what I want from her.

  CHAPTER 20

  Taylor

  “Be good, girl!” Lacey collects me in a hug. “And if you can’t be good—”

  “Be good at it.” Lacey and I both chant our favorite call from college.

  “You’ve been an awesome roomie,” she says, giving me a squeeze.

  “I’ve hardly seen you,” I reply.

  Come to think of it, where has Lacey been? I’ve been so wrapped up in what’s been going on in my own life, I haven’t stopped to wonder how Lacey’s been spending her time.

  “Exactly.” She grins at me, waggling her eyebrows.

  I shoot her a questioning look. “Is there something I need to know about?” I ask her under my breath so no one else will hear.

  “Absolutely not,” she replies, her voice breezy and totally unconvincing.

  “Yeah, there is. I can tell. Who is it?” I glance over at Big Red and Greg. They’re chucking each other on the arm and joking around, generally being the he-man larrikins they are when they’re in a pack. I roll my eyes. Men. It couldn’t be one of them, could it? Maybe Big Red? He’s a great looking guy, but not exactly Lacey’s type. I scan the rest of the group, glancing at Chloe and Phoebe.

  My eyes land on Jake.

  He’s standing next to Tim a few feet away. Tim is talking, but Jake’s eyes are trained on me. It sends a shot right through me, and my belly does a flip.

  I’m not going to think about him right now.

  I return my attention to Lacey. “Well?”

  “Let’s just say while you were doing your thang, I was doing mine,” Lacey says.

  I let out a nervous laugh. “I didn’t have a thang. I mean thing.”

  Lacey knits her brows together. “Yes, you did. With Rob.”

  “Oh. That.”

  She puts her hand on my arm. “Honey, he can’t have been any good if you’ve forgotten about him already.”

  I steal another glance at Jake. He’s got his head down, and Tim’s hands are on his shoulders. “No. I mean, it was good, but . . . I’ve moved on.”

  Her eyes widen. “Really? A one-night stand? That is so not you! Taylor Jennings, I didn’t know you had it in you. Pun totally intended.”

  “Yup, that’s the new me. Hit ’em and quit ’em. My new motto.” What? I clear my throat. “Anyway, have a safe flight back.”

  To my relief, Lacey seems to accept my new made-up persona and moves on to Ash. “See you when you’re in that big white dress in just a few days’ time.”

  “Oh, my God.” Ash’s hand is on her chest, her eyes huge. “My wedding! It’s only six sleeps away.”

  As if this is news to us all.

  “Yeah it is, girl! But I’ve gotta go. Until then. Love ya!” Lacey blows kisses at us all. “Come on, Phoebes, get your little butt over here. We’ve got a flight to catch.”

  Ash and I say our farewells to the rest of the wedding party. It’s just Tim, Ash, me and Jake left. We’re not due to fly out until early tomorrow morning, so we’ve got a free afternoon and evening to do whatever we want.

  I take Ash’s arm in mine, and we walk over to the guys. It should feel like the most natural thing in the world—me hanging out with my B.F.F., her fiancé, and her brother. We’ve done it a million times before, and it’s always been easy, comfortable.

  Only now, everything’s changed.

  “What now, bride-to-be?” I ask her.

  “Well, we thought we’d go to Medano Beach. It’s just a short walk, and they have loads of watersports like parasailing and those banana things they trail behind boats. It’ll be fun.”

  We reach the men, and I concentrate on not looking at Jake. If Tim’s comment during his speech at the table is anything to go by, he must have guessed Jake was not alone in his room earlier today. The last thing I want is for either Ash or Tim to catch on to the fact it was me in there with him.

  “Here she is, the w
oman of my dreams.” Tim lifts Ash up off her feet and spins her around.

  “Be careful, I’ve just had lunch.” Ash is laughing, gazing down at her fiancé.

  Jake and I are left standing together.

  “Hey.” The low rumble of his voice makes my body tingle.

  “Hey.” I glance up at him, my belly doing a flip when our eyes lock.

  Tim places Ash back on the ground and slips his hand into hers. Turning to Jake and me, he says, “You two coming to the beach with us?”

  “I sure am,” I reply as Jake says, “Yeah.”

  Ash and Tim walk ahead of us hand in hand, looking every inch the soon-to-be-married love birds they are. Jake and I fall in behind as we walk side by side along the marina toward the beach. The tension between us mounts with every step, and I know I can’t keep up my charade for much longer. I say a little prayer that now that we’re alone no one can guess what lies between us.

  “This morning was incredible,” he says without preamble. He stops and faces me, his hand lightly brushing my arm. “Taylor, you are incredible.”

  I glance up at him as a group of shrill, laughing women pass us by. One of them wears a sombrero with a white veil attached to the rim, the words “Last chance to hit this” written across her butt. Classy.

  “I can’t wait to get you alone again,” he murmurs, moving closer to me.

  I glance down the marina to check if Ash and Tim are in sight. They’re in their own little world, still holding hands, moving slowly away from us toward the beach.

  Jake steps closer to me, and the bachelorette party, the tourists, and the noise of the marina around us fade into nothing.

  “Jake, I—” I begin, but don’t even know what I want to say. That I can’t wait to be alone with him again, too? That as wonderful as this morning was it scared the crap out of me because I know it’ll ruin everything? That a guy like him, someone who likes to play the field, who has never had a girlfriend for longer than a few months, could never be the right guy for me?

  All of it. All of it is true.

  “You know how I feel about you.” His fingers reach my neck, tangling up in my hair, tugging my head back. He leans down and kisses me on the lips, and I swear I could swoon.