by JB Salsbury
“If she does, I’ll have a nice long talk with her about the pros and cons of pissing off the entire BSU football team.”
I open my mouth, close it, open it again, and then close it.
He smiles cockily. “Finally ran out of excuses, huh.”
“Okay.”
His cocky smile turns elated. “Okay? You’re in.”
“I’m in.”
He lunges, wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground. “Fuck yes, baby. Thank you.”
He’s thanking me? I hug him back, smiling into his neck. “You’re welcome?”
His chuckle vibrates against me. “We should probably get these boards loaded up.”
I slide down his body to my feet, and even with the concrete beneath me, I still feel like I’m floating.
Loren hooked us up with all the cleanest boards, some of them having never been used before. Even though they weigh very little, he refused to let me help him load them into the back of the truck.
“Do you surf?”
He settles a board on top of another. “I can. Let’s just say I’m better on the field than the water.”
“What position do you play?”
He carries another board past me to the truck, a sexy smirk aimed my way. “Tight end.”
I lift a brow and openly ogle his ass. “I should’ve known.”
This time when he passes, he kisses me.
The back door of the surf shop opens up and out walks the beautiful woman I saw working with him the first time I came in. She’s wearing a loose halter that is nothing more than a triangle of fabric with two strings, one around her back and the other her neck. Her hair is loosely curled in waves and I have a pair of underwear that covers more skin than her shorts do. I hate the way her beauty makes me self-conscious.
“Did the Billabong delivery come in?” Her eyes never leave Loren even though I’m standing less than two feet from him.
“Yeah, I unloaded it this morning, it just needs to be tagged and put out.” He smiles at me, then turns back to her. “I’ll be in in a minute.”
She still doesn’t acknowledge me, and Loren must sense it, because he grabs my hand and pulls me from my spot leaning against the wall to his side. “Brit, this is my girl, Bex.”
Finally she looks at me. “Hey.” I don’t read any hostility or jealousy in her expression.
“If she ever calls or comes by, interrupt whatever I’m doing to get me, cool?” He presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“Sure thing. Cool to meet you, Bex.” She turns and heads back to the shop and I watch her teeny tiny ass swing in her Daisy Dukes.
“She’s…nice.”
He barks out a laugh. “Brit’s a stoner. Don’t take her lack of enthusiasm personally.”
“She’s really pretty.”
“Eh, if you like that sort of thing, I guess.” He pulls me to his front, his hands roam from my hips up my back and down to settle at the top of my ass. “I find you much more attractive.”
I push up on my toes and kiss him. “Good to know.”
He smacks my ass, making me squeak. “You better get these boards back.” He presses me against the bed of the truck, and then he dips his head and kisses me. Long, deep…this is a goodbye kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight.”
He walks me to the driver’s side and kisses me again before I climb in. Once inside, he asks me to roll my window down and kisses me again. He groans and steps away. “Go. Or I’ll never stop kissing you. Wait!” He kisses me hard and then stops. “Those lips!”
I laugh and he shakes his head. “Okay, really, I need to go.”
“Go then.” He motions for me to exit the lot.
“I am.”
“Good.” He tucks his hands in his armpits as if to keep them from reaching for me.
“You go first.”
He reaches through the open window, pulls my lips to his and breathes “Brat,” before he kisses me a last time and then turns and jogs inside.
I spend the fifteen-minute drive home thinking I’m falling hard for a jock.
Chapter Twelve
Loren
Kaipo and I pull up to the Eta Pi house right at four o’clock. I pass my truck to the valet guy out front and Kaipo hands me one of the two Hawaiian lei’s he picked up from a nearby florist.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I say for only him to hear as we head up the front steps. “Riley’s going to think I’m into her if I give her this.”
“It’s a beach themed party and you can’t show up empty handed. And leis can be given for any occasion, between friends, family, they’re much less romantic than bringing her flowers.” He knocks on the door, and we’re let in by the house mom who waves us in and rushes back to the kitchen and staff of bustling caterers.
We remove ourselves from the chaos by going out back to where the tables are set up. To the right there’s a photographer with a beach-themed backdrop that includes a sandy floor and three of the surfboards Bex picked up from me this morning.
And what a morning it was. Having her all to myself, and being able to touch her regardless of who sees was a small taste of heaven. A heaven I have every intention of making our reality as soon as this night is over.
As if on cue, the obstacle between me and Bex comes sauntering toward me in a bubblegum pink mini-dress that looks like it’s sewn custom to fit every curve of her body. Which it probably was. Her skin is darker than I’ve seen it before, either some of that makeup magic women do or that lotion that stains their skin. Her hair is curled in loose waves and her makeup is heavier than usual. She moves in as if she’s about to kiss me so I hurry and hold out the lei between us. “This is for you.”
She rocks back on her high heels and eyes the flowers. “Those are so beautiful.” Her long, pink nails run along the petals and I wonder how long those nails would last mucking stalls on the farm. The thought of Riley shoveling horseshit actually makes me grin. The thought of Bex shoveling horseshit turns me on. “The purple doesn’t really match my outfit though.” She spots the lei in Kaipo’s hand. “Oh, this one’s pink!” She plucks up the other lei and drapes it over her head. “Becky!” She steps away to bark orders at one of her sisters.
“She just broke every traditional lei custom there is,” he mumbles.
I catch movement from the corner of my eye and when I turn I’m almost knocked backward by what I see.
Bex is wearing a dress. Not just any dress, but a red vintage-looking throwback to the 1960’s. The halter-style top showcases her creamy, soft skin and her full breasts are held to perfection with a healthy amount of cleavage. The top is form-fitting to the waist where it flares out and falls well above her knees. Her legs look a thousand feet long in a pair of high heels that she wears as if she’s grown up in them.
I know Bex comes from money, I’ve seen her credit card and the car she drives, but this is the first time she’s actually looked like a Bel Air princess.
“Hey,” she says to Kaipo. Her eyes dart to me and her cheeks flush. She has her hair pulled to the side, a long, messy, and yet somehow formal braid hangs off to the side of her chest.
“My Queen.” Kaipo sounds as in awe as I feel. He takes her hand and kisses it. “You are stunning.” I glare at him because he actually sounds like he’s falling for her. “I’ve seen unfathomable beauty in my life, and none compares to you.”
“Wow, thank you.” She seems genuinely flattered. “You’re looking awfully handsome yourself.”
He thanks her and then realizes he doesn’t have the lei he’d planned to give her. When he spots it in my hand he turns to take it but I give him a look that has him snatching his hand back. Smart.
I step close to Bex, her lips are slick with gloss and her perfume is like nothing I’ve ever smelled before—delicate, sweet, and sexy as all fuck. “This is for you.” I carefully drape the lei over her head and lean in to press a kiss on her cheek the way Kaipo told me is the traditional
way to lei someone. I take advantage of my chance to be this close to her by brushing my lips dangerously close to the corner of her mouth, and I allow my knuckles to pass up and down briefly against her breast. She sucks in a shattered breath and when I pull back her eyelids are heavy and she sways on her feet. “That’s from Kaipo.”
She blinks away the sexy fog that clouded her eyes and gives him a sweet smile. “It’s beautiful.” She brings the string of flowers to her nose. “Smells like Kauai.”
“You’re familiar with my islands?”
She shrugs one shoulder and I wish I could press my lips to her skin there, tempt her and tease her all night until I finally get her alone. Riley loops her hand in the crook of my elbow and pulls me away. “Come on, I have so many people I want to introduce you to. And we have to get our picture taken.”
I turn back hoping to get one last lingering look at Bex, but she’s too busy talking and laughing with Kaipo. I’m glad she has him tonight. He’ll treat her with respect and never leave her side. Lucky fuck.
The entire evening seems like a party for Riley rather than a social for the sorority. Riley has been the center of attention, from her placement at the head table to her multiple speeches given, and even a champagne mocktail toast to her final year as the sorority president.
I haven’t been able to keep my eye on Bex and Kaipo as they’ve been seated as far in the back as possible. But the fact that Riley is the center of tonight’s event has meant that she’s been too busy to pay much attention to me. Other than her dragging me around for photos to introducing me to her sisters, she’s mostly kept her hands to herself. During the catered dinner she slipped her hand onto my thigh under the table, but I made a quick excuse to go to the restroom.
Which is where I am now, washing my hands and milking the clock in hopes that by the time I return she’s finished eating and mingling somewhere else.
There’s a knock at the door. Guess my time is up. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“It’s me.”
I turn to the small, whispered voice coming from the other side of the door. I’m sure it’s Bex, but what if it’s Riley? No, it sounded like Bex. I think. I pull open the door and… “Get in here.” I grab her hand and pull her inside, closing the door behind her, hitting the lock, and then pressing her back against the door. Crowding her like an animal, I bury my nose in her throat and breath. “My God, I missed you. You always look hot, but in this dress? You’re on fire.”
Her hands follow my belt around to my back and she pulls me closer. “Are you bored out of your mind?”
“Not anymore.” I run my lips up her throat to her mouth. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
She smiles. “I should hope so, it’s the only reason I chased you down in—”
I sink into her lips and fuck me, she tastes as good as she smells. I drink from her mouth, licking and kissing until I know I need to stop if I’m going to have to make a public appearance. I rip my mouth from hers and put a foot of distance between us. “I have to stop.” I eye her sexy shoes, those long gorgeous legs, and her heaving chest and shake my head. “You’re too tempting. I can’t not touch you.”
“Shut up! Look at you?” She motions from my head to my feet. “You’re a living, breathing Calvin Klein advertisement. It’s annoying. Do you have a skincare routine?”
I chuckle. “No.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course you don’t. You probably wash your hair, face and body with one soap.”
“Yeah.”
She groans and drops her head back against the door. “Men have it so good.” When she looks back at me I’m smiling and contemplating kissing the fuck out of her again. “We should probably go.”
“Eight o’clock and I’m telling Riley it’s over.”
She brings her fingers to her mouth but once they touch her lips she shakes out her hand as if nail biting is a habit she’s kicked. “What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to tell her the truth. That I’m into someone else and want to be exclusive.”
“You’re not going to tell her it’s me, right?”
“If she asks, I won’t lie.”
“If she asks? She’s going to ask so that she’ll know who to torture.”
No. Fuck no. “If she even looks at you funny, things are not going to pan out well for her. I’ll make that very clear if I need to.”
The space between her eyebrows puckers. “Okay, but…I really do think she likes you.”
“She deserves someone who likes her back.”
“True.” She pushes off the door. “You go first. I’ll use the restroom and be out after.”
I drop one last closed-mouth but lingering kiss on her lips and whisper. “Eight o’clock.”
“Yeah.”
With that settled, I open the door and step out into the hallway only to freeze when I spot Riley just a few feet away from the door.
“I thought you were in there.” She picks a piece of lint off my shirt. “I heard you talking to someone, is everything okay?”
Shit. “Fine, yeah.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the screen, not sure why, just seemed like the most believable thing to do. “I was talking to my brother. Girl problems.”
“Bummer.” She puts on a dramatic pout. “Is he okay?”
“Fine.” I put my arm around her shoulders to lead her the hell out of the hallway before Bex comes out. She doesn’t seem to care that I’m dragging her away from the bathroom by the way she leans into my side and puts her arm around my lower back. “What’s next?”
“Dancing and dessert.”
“Great…”
The tables had been cleared and the music turned up. With dinner behind us, the temporary dance floor is drawing a crowd. It was obvious which in attendance brought their own liquor to the event because they’re the first on the dance floor.
I figure Bex has probably left the bathroom by now, but when I spot Kaipo across the space she’s not with him. I palm my phone in my pocket and consider texting her to make sure she’s okay when Riley grabs my hand and tries to pull me from my seat.
“Awww, I love this song, let’s dance!” She pulls weakly on my arm. “It’s Ed Sheeran!”
“I got two left feet, trust me, you do not want to dance with me.”
She pouts and then takes her seat next to mine. “President of the sorority and I’m not dancing at my own formal.”
“I’d just make you look bad,” I say because I know that’s all she really cares about. “I’m sure there are a dozen men here who would love to dance with you.”
“Yes, that’ll go over well. Excuse me sorority sister, may I borrow your date?” She slumps in her seat like a child.
I’m a dick. I groan and push to my feet. “All right, one dance.”
She smiles and grabs my hand, dragging me through tables and around people to the dance floor. As we pass the house windows I look inside to try and spot Bex. I know she’ll understand why I’m dancing with Riley, but I still want to see her eyes so I can reassure her that this means nothing and that I’m counting down the minutes until I can end it.
The back door swings open and I get a quick glimpse of Bex’s red dress, but she’s not alone. She’s with two of her sorority sisters. I smile her way but she’s too engrossed in conversation to notice me. The draw to rip my hand from Riley’s is strong, but I suck it up and take Riley into my arms on the dance floor wishing she were her cousin instead.
Chapter Thirteen
Bex
Walking out of a bathroom at a crowded event and running face-first into women waiting to use that bathroom is not uncommon. So I don’t think much of it when I come nose-to-noses with Lily and Becky after exiting the bathroom.
“Hey, Bex,” Lily smiles at me, the first indicator that something’s not right. The girl never smiles at me.
“Hi…?”
Becky angles her body to block me from going back outside.
“Is everything okay?” I
ask the girls.
“We were going to ask you the same thing,” Lily says, still smiling, and now I see it for the sham that it is because no one smiles when they’re genuinely concerned for someone’s wellbeing.
“I’m fine.” I narrow my eyes feeling a whisper of suspicion. “Why?”
“You were in there for a while,” Becky says.
“No I wasn’t.” Unless they’re counting the time I was in there with Loren which would mean they know more than they’re letting on. A brick settles in the bottom of my stomach.
Becky steps away to open a gap for my escape, effectively releasing me. “Okay.”
I squeeze through them toward the door when Lily calls at me from behind.
“You look so pretty tonight,” she says.
That’s the first compliment she’s ever given me. Something is seriously wrong. “Thanks?”
“Have a good night, Bex.” Becky looks at Lily and they spin away in unison toward the kitchen.
“What the fuck is going on?” I mumble to myself and head back out to the party.
If they know I was in the bathroom with Loren, would they be so passive aggressive? Or would they ignore me all together, and just be cruel? No, they were sitting at their table when I got up to join Loren, they couldn’t have seen.
I spot Kaipo talking to two guys near the punch bowl and casually look around the space in search of Loren as I make my way to him. It takes me longer than usual to find him because he’s in the one place I’d really hoped he wouldn’t be—on the dance floor with Riley in his arms. The visual of his hands at her lower back and her arms stretched up to rest on his shoulders makes jealousy flare so intensely I feel nauseous.
“I know what that look means,” Kaipo says as I approach. “Time to take a spin on the dance floor.” He excuses himself and offers me his elbow.
I slip my hand beneath his arm to rest against his gigantic bicep and he leads me away.
Loren and Riley sway gracefully around the dance floor and I wonder what it would be like to have him dance with me in the same way. The only thought that keeps me from running up to my room to cry in my pillow is that I’ll get the chance to dance with him soon enough.