Between Us

by Jen McLaughlin

  “See? We both agree,” I said, pointing at Cassie. “You need to move on.”

  “No.” Cassie crossed her arms. She might be a sweet girl, but when she said no? She meant it. Nothing would change her mind. “Tell me more about your secretive guy. Why are you all suspicious of him?”

  I leaned back in my chair and stared off into the distance. I’d taken off my hat earlier, but now I was wishing I’d put it back on. All it would take was one person to realize who I was, and my relaxing vacation would be over. So would my time with Austin…

  Well, crap. I slammed my hat back on. I couldn’t risk that. “I’m keeping the hat on. I can’t risk being seen right now.” I sat up straight, then leaned closer. “He just acts like a guy who has a lot of secrets. You know?”

  “You mean, kind of like you?” Quinn asked, eyeing me. She had a tinge of red across her cheekbones. Maybe because she’d been out and about with her dude the other day. “You’re not telling him who you are, after all.”

  “He knows,” I admitted, lowering my head. “He figured it out already.”

  “What?” Cassie squealed. “That’s not good, Mac. What if he tells someone, or sells the story of you two?”

  I shook my head. “He won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Quinn asked, her brow furrowed. “Mackenzie…I don’t know about this. I thought he didn’t know who you were.”

  Geez. Even Quinn looked worried. I got it, and I appreciated the concern. They were the best friends a girl like me could ask for, but I couldn’t live my whole freaking life as if I couldn’t risk being caught having fun. That wasn’t fair to myself.

  “He didn’t at first, but he figured it out and let it slip.” I shrugged. “If he was going to sell me out, don’t you think the paps would be here right now snapping pics of me?”

  Quinn peeked over her shoulder. Cassie stood up and searched the crowd, holding her hand over her eyes like a sun visor. She sat back down and looked at me. “Just because he didn’t yet doesn’t mean he won’t, you know.”

  “I do know.” I lifted my chin. “But I also know it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m so freaking sick of being scared to live. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t. He might sell me out, but he might not. And I’m willing to take that chance, for the first time in a long time.”

  Quinn reached out and squeezed my hand. “And if he turns out to be a jerk, we’ll kick his ass for you. Right, Cass?”

  “Right.” Cassie cleared her throat. “No matter what, we’re here for you.”

  I smiled at them, my heart going all warm and gooey. These were my girls, and I loved them. They’d been there through it all. The lies. The tears. The heartache. And they’d be here with me through all this, too. Whether it ended good or bad. It’s the one sure thing I could count on in life—them being by my side.

  “I know. And I love you.”

  Quinn twisted her face up and made a sound, then spoke in a Southern accent. “Now, now. Let’s not go getting all mushy and lovey-dovey. This is a vacation. It ain’t nothing but fun and games.”

  I laughed. I might have said something similar to that on the plane in one of my supposed lectures. I think it was after Quinn thanked me for bringing them with me. “Please. I don’t even talk like that anymore. I stopped when I became famous because my agent didn’t want me to be typecast as a little Southern girl—and ‘ain’t’ was the first word banned from my language.”

  “Yeah, but it’s still fun to do,” she said, grinning at me.

  Cassie nodded. “It really is.”

  Our food came, and we all fell silent. Once the waitress left, I picked up my spoon and dug in. “You’ll see, though. By the time this vacation is over, none of us will be the same. It’s going to be legendary. Just remember: you both have to make sure you live it to its fullest, like I am. Promise me.”

  Cassie looked doubtful, but Quinn nodded in agreement.

  “Oh, I am. I think you’re right. James is…he’s special. And I’m glad I met him,” Quinn said, her cheeks going pink. “He’s the complete opposite of me, and I like that about him. It’ll help me relax a little bit during break.”

  Cassie gripped her fork tight. “And I’ll be having fun in the sun, too. Don’t worry about me.”

  “With your forbidden man?” I teased her. “Hey, if he’s hitting on you, he can’t be that happy, right?”

  “He’s not hitting on me,” Cassie said. “We’re just friends.”

  I pointed my spoon at her. “That’s what they all say in the beginning.”

  Quinn laughed.

  Cassie frowned. “It’s true.”

  I had the feeling she wished it wasn’t true. I wouldn’t say as much, since I’d tortured her enough already. But I knew she had a crush on this Tyler guy, even if she didn’t want to admit it. And Quinn had James, while I…

  I had Austin.

  And I couldn’t freaking wait to see him again, even if he was hiding something from me. Nowadays, wasn’t everyone hiding something from the world? If they said they weren’t, they were lying. Everyone had secrets.

  He could hide his all he wanted…as long as he hid my secrets, too.

  A LITTLE while later, I leaned against the wall outside the hotel, my sun hat firmly in place and my big shades hiding my eyes. Austin had texted me earlier this morning, telling me to be ready for a day of fun in the sun—complete with the snorkeling he’d mentioned last night. I was more than ready for all that and more. Especially if the day ended with some hot sex.

  I’d gotten a taste of him last night, and now? I wanted more.

  The valet came over. “Can I get you your car, ma’am?”

  “Oh, no thank you.” I motioned toward the street. “I’m waiting for a friend to pick me up.”

  He bowed. “Have a great day.”

  “Thank you.”

  I turned to see a black Volkswagen pull up. Maybe early 2000’s. I had a feeling, even before he stepped out, that this would be Austin. The car door opened, and out came my man. The valet started forward, but Austin waved him away with a smile. “I’m here for her.”

  The valet looked at me, frowned at Austin, and walked away.

  “Hey,” I said, grinning. My heart fluttered at the sight of him, like it always did.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  He came up to me. His dark hair was spiked, and he wore a short-sleeved gray shirt with a dragon on the front and a pair of swim shorts. Black shades and shoes topped off the outfit. He looked effortlessly attractive and hot.

  Ridiculously hot.

  He came up to me, grabbed me by the hips, and hauled me up against that hard chest of his. I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, smiling up at him. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “I know,” he said, staring down into my eyes. “Am I allowed to kiss you in public, or is that not allowed?”

  I tipped my head back and grinned. “I’ll permit it this time.”

  He chuckled, then lowered his mouth to mine, knocking the breath out of me with his passionate kiss. His tongue darted in between my lips, brushing against mine, and his fingers flexed on my hips. He ended the kiss way too fast. “You ready?”

  I buried my fingers in his hair. “Not really. I kind of want to go back upstairs instead. What do you think?”

  “Uh-uh. Not happening.” He dropped a quick kiss on my mouth, then stepped out of my arms, grabbing my wrists so he could disentangle himself. “You’re following my rules today, and we’re going snorkeling.”

  “You being bossy?”

  “I am.” He cocked a brow. “You got a problem with that?”

  “Nope.” I trailed a finger down his chest, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. “But after I obey your commands all day, do I get hot sex as a reward?”

  He laughed. “I think I can handle that.”

  I brushed by him, swinging my hips as I went. I heard him suck in a deep breath, then he hurried past me to open the passenger door to his car. My heart
sped up a little bit at the gentlemanly gesture.

  God, what a cliché.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, shooting me another grin.

  I settled into the seat, letting him shut the door for me. His car was ridiculously clean. It even had one of those little green air freshener things that hung from the shifter, which made me think he’d cleaned it for me. No man kept his car this spotless. There wasn’t a single thing in it. Not an extra pair of shades or gum. Nothing.

  He slid onto his seat, buckling with a click, then started it. “You ready?”

  “Yeah.” I tugged on my seatbelt. “How long do I have you today?”

  “All day and night, if you want me.” He shifted into gear and pulled out of the spot. “I’m off at the bar, and I don’t have another gig until tomorrow night.”

  “I want to listen to you sing,” I said, perking up. “I missed your show the other night. Will you be at the same bar?”

  “Yep.” He shifted again, his long fingers effortlessly moving over the knob. “It’s the only place I sing, really. I don’t have the time or desire to shop myself around.”

  “But why not?” I crossed my legs and looked in the rearview mirror for a tail. Old habits die hard. “You should totally try to get yourself out there.”

  He grinned. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Why not travel a little bit? See the world, do a few gigs.” I shrugged. “It would be fun, and you never know what will come of it.”

  His fingers tightened on the knob, going white at the knuckles, but the smile didn’t slip from his face. “I can’t spend my life travelling the world, hoping to be noticed by someone who will back me.”

  I tapped my fingers on the car door, not understanding him. How could he be so laid back about a talent he could be using? As if it didn’t matter that he could hit it big? “Do you ever write your own songs?”

  He stole a quick glance at me, obviously hesitant to answer my question. “Yeah. Sometimes.”

  “Ever sold any?”

  He snorted. “Nope.”

  “I’d look at a few, if you’d let me.” I shut my mouth. God, why had I offered that? What we had going between us had nothing to do with my work, and I liked that. “If you have any, I mean. Maybe I could even buy one.”

  He shook his head, his jaw flexing. “I didn’t fuck you to sell you a song. They’re mine, and you’re not going to buy one because you feel the need to be nice to me.”

  “I’m not trying to be nice to you. I just thought—”

  “You thought it would make me happy if you offered me a chance. I’m sure most people are usually happy when you do.” He revved the engine. “But I’m not most people. All I want from you is what we’re already doing. So stop trying to buy my songs to stroke my ego. I don’t need it. I just need you.”

  My jaw dropped. He might be the first person to ever turn me down when I offered them a chance to advance themselves. For some reason, this made me inexplicably happy. He didn’t even want to try and sell me a song. That had to mean something. Like, maybe he actually only wanted me for me.

  He reached over and closed my jaw for me, chuckling. “I’ve surprised you, haven’t I?”

  “Well…yeah.”

  “I want you and only you. Is that a bad thing?”

  The thought made me get lightheaded and grow warmer. Sure, he’d been refusing my help, but I liked that. “No. That’s fine with me.”

  He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the car. He shoved my hat from my head and cupped my cheek. His gaze skimmed over me, sending jolts of desire through my blood. And the way he looked at me, his eyes narrowed and blazing heat, made me feel treasured. Cared for.

  My eyelids drifted shut, waiting. Hoping. Wanting.

  His mouth melded to mine, stealing all rational thought with nothing more than a kiss. It was ridiculous how much power this man held over me. I should be scared. I should push him away and save myself before it was too late. But instead, I pulled him closer.

  Screw rational thought. It never did anyone any good, anyway. So…I kissed him.

  I curled my fists over his shirt, holding him exactly where I wanted him, and opened my mouth to his. As he tasted me, deepening the kiss with a growl, I gave myself over to him. Not even bothering to try to hold back. What was the point? This was real, and I’d never felt more alive than I did now.

  In his arms.

  He pulled back, our breathing heavy and matched. He was killing me with all these short, hot kisses. Making me need more. “You’re going to kill me before this week is over.”

  I let out a little laugh. At least I wasn’t the only one wanting more. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

  “Well then.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I guess we’re even, aren’t we?”

  “I guess so.” I smiled up at him, feeling hesitant all of a sudden. Maybe it’s because I actually, truly liked him. I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. “So…snorkeling, huh? Have you ever been snorkeling?”

  “Uh, yeah.” He shot me a funny look. Probably because I’d changed the subject pretty abruptly. “You don’t live in Key West and not spend half your life in the water.”

  “But you weren’t born here.”

  “Nope.” He opened his car door, but didn’t slide out. Instead, he talked without me prompting him. “But I’ve been here almost all my life. Florida’s been my home for longer than I can remember.”

  “I see.” My heart sped up at the little tidbit of information he’d given me without me asking. Maybe I could do the same. Trust him a little bit. “Well, I grew up in south Texas—”

  “Wait a second, I thought you were from the South.”

  “I am.”

  He snorted. “Texas isn’t the South. It’s in the west.”

  “Don’t start with me, mister.” I glowered at him. “Texas is the South, no matter what anyone else says.”

  He laughed. “Fine, I’ll allow it. You were saying?”

  I shot him one last dirty look at his slight on my home state. “I was saying, I haven’t been back there in years. My mom still lives there, but I don’t go there to visit her. Like, ever.”

  He looked at me for a moment, then slid out of the car without a word. For a second, I thought he was going to ignore what I’d said. But when he opened my car door for me, his brow was furrowed. “Wasn’t there a messy divorce between your parents?”

  I took a shaky breath. I hated reliving that part of my life. I’d been young and so trusting. I’d been too young to know better. Too young to fight back.

  My dad had fought for me, thank God.

  “Mac?” he asked, his voice low. The fact that he’d started using the name only my friends used wasn’t lost on me. Did he know that? “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s not part of our deal.”

  I cleared my throat and forced a bright smile. “You’re fine. Sorry. I zoned out for a second. It’s not exactly my favorite memory in the world, but yeah. That story, unfortunately, was true.” I widened my smile even more, determined to look as if I didn’t care that the one person who was supposed to protect me had betrayed me. “It was a horrible custody battle that involved lots of money. I’ve tried to forget that portion of my life, though. Lots of bad memories.”

  And that’s all I was going to say on that matter.

  He nodded, throwing an arm over my shoulders. “Yeah, I get that. I have a few things I’ve purposely forgotten, too.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Some of the memories I probably shouldn’t have let go of, and others were good moves. It’s always hard to tell which is which, though, isn’t it?”

  I nodded. “It is,” I agreed softly. I hesitated. “Are you still in touch with your parents?”

  He rubbed his forehead. “My mom is gone, and my dad killed himself. So, no, I’m not in touch with them.” He looked down at me, his jaw tight. “Like I said, it’s not a pretty
story. We both have fucked-up pasts, I’d say, so how about we leave them there?”

  I bit down on my lip, trying to swallow my reply. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. Show him some sympathy, but I had a feeling that’s the last thing he would want. So I didn’t. I nodded. “Okay. Sounds good. No more doom and gloom talk.”

  His fingers flexed on my shoulder, and he smiled at me. I could tell it was forced, though. “Sounds good. So…when’s your next tour?”

  “Over the summer.” I wrapped my arm around his waist. I thought it would feel awkward, but it felt right. Like it was meant to be this way. My stomach did a little flip. “I just finished recording an album. I took a light course load this quarter so I’d have time to work.”

  He led me toward a small shack. It had a sign up that stated the cost of snorkeling, the rental fees, and a disclaimer that the company wasn’t responsible for the safety of the snorkelers. I swallowed hard. It looked awfully…shady.

  “You stopping in Florida?” he asked, his fingers running over my shoulder absentmindedly.

  “I’m sure we will,” I answered distractedly. An old guy with no teeth and a tropic shirt stood in the shack, playing a game of cards with himself. “Margaritaville” played in the background. “Is this place safe?”

  “Huh?” He let go of me and pulled out a wad of cash, thumbing through it and not looking up at me. “Yeah, of course. Frank is the best in Key West.”

  I eyed him skeptically, dropping my hand from his waist with no small amount of regret. I didn’t want to stop touching him. It felt too good. “Uh, are you sure? He misspelled peril.”

  He laughed. “Lighten up, sweetheart. It’ll be fun, and we’ll have the place to ourselves. If we went to a more commonly used place, we would have company. And eyes on us.” He looked at me meaningfully. “And by us? I mean you. I wanted you to be able to relax and have fun without worrying about cameras and videos.”

  I released the breath I’d been holding. So he’d brought us here to allow for some privacy? That was both thoughtful and sweet. He kept surprising me. I liked that about him. “Thank you for being so understanding. I’ll pay my half of the fee.”