Spring Fling

by Claudia Burgoa

  “After a few years, I started dating Brad.” Glancing away, I added, “And then she brought you home and introduced you as her boyfriend.”

  “Um, wow.” He rubbed a hand over that scruffy jawline and momentarily made me forget about all the betrayal.

  “You honestly never knew I crushed on you?”

  “Lauren mentioned something after we’d been dating a while. She got drunk one night and let it slip. You were already dating Brad, and I…”

  “Was with her.”

  A beat of silence passed. Then he smiled crookedly. “Since eighth grade? Really?”

  I laughed. “Yeah.”

  “What about now? You still got that crush?”

  “I’m too old for crushes.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  My heart skipped a beat.

  His hand slipped into the belt of my robe, tugging me forward. I intended to yell, but the second our eyes met, the air around us crackled.

  His fingers tightened on the belt, and his voice dropped about three octaves to ask, “You mean there’s not even a little part of that crush left in there? Maybe the ghost of that girl in eighth grade who would have jumped at the chance to be my date at a wedding?”

  He was making me breathless. My heels lifted off the floor so I was standing against him on tiptoes.

  His beard kept distracting me, the stubble making my hands twitch to rub against it.

  “You like my beard.” He smiled, perceptiveness in his words.

  “I’ve always wondered what it was like to kiss someone with one.”

  Kyle stretched out his neck one way and then the other as if he were getting ready for some big event. Grasping the collar of the robe in both hands, he tugged me up while he bent down.

  Full contact. That’s how I would describe the first brush of his lips. Kyle kissed like he meant it, like his sole purpose in life was to deliver the best kiss I’d ever have. My hands closed around his shirt, clutching him for balance. He didn’t lift his mouth even once, but continuously delivered lip service, drowning out every memory of every kiss that had come before him.

  His beard… Sweet Lord, as our lips glided together, the stubble on his chin rubbed against me, rough but soft, ticklish but arousing.

  Moaning, I released his shirt to grab his face. Rubbing my palms against all that texture, I strained up, wanting more. Kyle lifted me, pinning me against the wall at the same moment his tongue plunged past my lips, tangling with mine.

  We kissed endlessly, his head turning this way and that, rubbing his beard all over my chin and jaw until my entire body tingled.

  He only pulled back when someone knocked on the door, his eyes silvery slits and his lips a bright cherry color.

  Leaning my head against the wall, I breathed heavily, trying to come back to reality but too thoroughly trapped wherever he’d taken me.

  “Well?” he asked, still pinning me against the wall. “Beard or no beard?”

  “Beard.” My voice was hella throaty.

  “Be my date for the wedding,” he asked again. “Be my date for the entire time we’re here.”

  “I’m not going to be any fun to be around.”

  “All the more reason you need me.”

  I couldn’t stop staring at his lips.

  I couldn’t believe he’d just kissed me. That Kyle Calhoun just became the best kiss I’d ever had.

  An arrogant look crossed his face as if he knew what I was thinking, and I admit I was too worked up to even be offended.

  My eyes drifted closed when he kissed me again—this time a little bit softer, this time much shorter.

  “I’ll be your date,” I heard myself saying. “Why the hell not?”

  * * *

  * * *

  I woke up early to avoid my family and steal some quiet time out on the large stone lanai beneath the morning sun. The ocean breeze rustled the palm trees overhead creating natural music, and the table I’d chosen looked out over the giant infinity pool, the turquoise ocean stretching beyond it.

  I was mid sip of my latte when the intrusive sound of a chair scraping over the ground made me pause. Kyle dropped into the seat across from me, a pair of black sunglasses shielding his eyes.

  He wasn’t wearing a shirt.

  Drink still poised at my lips, I perused his hard body, wide shoulders, and sculpted chest. The tattoo running down the inside of his bicep wasn’t the only one he had. There was a rather large one covering his left shoulder. It looked like a giant gear, the kind you’d find in a clock… or maybe in a car.

  He had always been into cars.

  There was also a tattoo wrapped around his right side just under his ribs, two lines of script.

  His brown hair was uncombed and messy but was trimmed neatly around his ears and neckline.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, forcing my eyes up from his muscles and tats.

  “Eating breakfast with you.” As he spoke, he flipped over the mug that had been upside down on a saucer. Almost immediately, someone came over with a pot of coffee and filled it, setting down a small carafe of cream. “You already order?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “I’ll have whatever she’s having,” he told the waiter.

  When the waiter moved off, I set down my mug. “I ordered a salad.”

  “Liar.” Once again, I was distracted by the sinew of muscle in his bicep as he added cream to his coffee. “I knocked on your door earlier, but you were already gone.”

  “I went for a walk on the beach.”

  “What kind of family fun is your mom forcing you into today?”

  I made a face, gazing out over the pool and beach. “Tonight is the rehearsal dinner.”

  He lounged back. The sun glowed over him as though the sky thought he needed a spotlight. “You mean going to the wedding isn’t enough?”

  “Maid of honor duty.”

  “You’re kidding,” he deadpanned.

  “Even got the ugly bride-chosen dress to prove it.”

  He didn’t say anything after that, and neither did I. We shared a comfortable silence, both drinking our coffee and enjoying the view until the waiter appeared with a tray of food.

  Plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit were arranged in front of us.

  “Salad?” he asked, smirking.

  “I can order you one if you prefer.”

  “Shut your filthy mouth.” He scolded me, tucking into the food like he was starved.

  I watched, transfixed, as his lips wrapped around the fork and the tip of his tongue jutted out to catch a drop of syrup trying to escape.

  He practically oozed sex, and now that I knew what a stellar kisser he was, it was all I could think about. I sat there envious of his stupid fork and that stupid syrup clinging to his lips.

  Even though we both wore sunglasses, our eyes locked. The fork lowered slowly from his mouth, and he paused in chewing.

  He broke eye contact first, stabbing another bite of pancake. Instead of shoveling it into his mouth, he held it across the table toward me. Glancing between him and the fork, I stayed still, not sure how to react.

  “I have the same thing.” I pointed at my plate without looking at it.

  “Mine’s better,” he refuted, offering the fork again.

  Leaning forward, I let him feed me, heart hammering wildly.

  “Good?”

  I nodded.

  Using the fork he just fed me from, Kyle snatched an entire pancake off the stack in front of me, dragging it to his plate.

  “Hey!” I protested. “You have some!”

  “I shared with you.” He spoke reasonably.

  I snorted. “A bite. You just took the whole thing!”

  “Inflation,” he cracked, smiling so all his teeth showed, along with all the food filling his mouth.

  “You’re disgusting.” I was pretty sure the insult was ruined by the laughter that followed.

  “You didn’t seem to think so yesterday.” He waggled his eyeb
rows suggestively.

  My cheeks warmed, and I ducked my head.

  “What is this?” Lauren’s surprised voice cut into our breakfast.

  Glancing around, I saw my sister and Brad staring right at us.

  “Pancakes,” Kyle replied like it was obvious.

  “You came,” she said, coming closer.

  Placing my fork down, I took a drink of water, hoping it would push down the food suddenly lodged in my throat.

  “You seem surprised when you’re the one who invited me.”

  “You invited him?” Brad questioned her.

  “Well, I—” She started, vague, but her eyes turned to me. “So you two just ran into each other out here?”

  “Nope. I came looking for her,” Kyle answered.

  Lauren’s expression cut into me. In the blue depths, I saw some anger and a little bit of disbelief. “Don’t eat too much of that,” she instructed, pointing to my plate. “I don’t want you puffy and bloated tomorrow.”

  Kyle’s fork appeared in front of me again, holding a huge bite of pancake dripping in syrup and butter.

  “Ooh,” I crooned, accepting the bite. As I was chomping, I glanced back at Lauren. “If you were that worried about how I was going to look at your wedding, you wouldn’t have picked such a hideous dress for me.”

  “Mom asked me to find you. There’s a whole list of pre-wedding stuff that needs done.”

  “She’s busy today,” Kyle interrupted. “You’ll have to find someone else to be your lackey.”

  Lauren made a sound, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “What else could she possibly have to do?”

  “She’s hanging out with me.”

  Becoming all kinds of huffy, my sister propped her hands on her hips. “You’re the maid of honor. It’s your job.”

  Had she always been this bratty when she didn’t get her way?

  Thinking about it, I realized I always just did what she wanted. It had never bothered me. But it did now.

  “I’ll be back in time for the rehearsal dinner.”

  An incredulous look spread across her features. I turned back to my breakfast.

  “C’mon, babe,” Brad cajoled, taking her arm. “Let’s go eat.”

  “See ya later,” Kyle called out as the couple walked away.

  “So this dress you keep mentioning…” he said when they were gone. “Is it that heinous?”

  Groaning, I reached for my coffee. “It’s brown. Who the hell picks a brown dress for a tropical wedding?” Not to mention it was cut all wrong for my body, and it made me look like a tomboy.

  “Guess she was worried you’d upstage the bride.”

  “Whatever.” I scoffed. “Lauren’s always been the pretty one. Guys never look at me when she’s around.” Shuffling my food around on the plate, I muttered, “I thought Brad was different.”

  “You done?” Kyle asked, fork banging against his plate.

  “Huh?”

  Pushing out of his chair, he produced a few bills, tossing them on the table. “C’mon.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’re spending the day with me.”

  He meant that? I thought he was just saying that to piss off Lauren.

  When my butt stayed in the chair, he leveled me with a sexy look. “You’d rather put up with bridezilla all day?”

  Jumping up, I asked, “What are we doing first?”

  “Shopping.”

  “We’re at a tropical resort, and you want to go shopping?” My eyes narrowed. “Are you actually a man?”

  Pulling the sunglasses low on his nose, he flashed mischievous eyes over the rims. “Want me to show you how much of a man I am right now?”

  My toes curled against my flip-flops. “What are we shopping for?”

  “A dress. No date of mine is being forced to wear a paper sack.”

  My eyes widened. “You think I should get a new dress for the wedding?”

  “Who’s going to stop you? Lauren?”

  He was right. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Why was I willing to put on that poopy gown and march down an aisle where everyone would see?

  “I want something sexy,” I announced.

  Kyle laughed and offered his arm, and we headed inside the resort to the boutique avenue I’d passed yesterday. “You know, I hate shopping,” he said. “But I’m willing to make this exception for you.”

  “I’ll give you a reward for helping me pick something. What do you want?”

  “Cake,” he said, not even having to think about it.

  I echoed his request. Of all the things he could ask for, he wanted cake? “You’re in luck. There will be plenty at the reception tomorrow.”

  “How about that one?” Kyle suggested, pointing to a dress in a shop window.

  Stopping in front of the display, I considered the bandage-style dress, the kind that hugged your body and hid any flaws. The color reminded me of a sunset, the top a light peachy color that gradually got darker until the skirt was a deep orange.

  It was beautiful and sexy and probably not appropriate for a wedding.

  “It’s perfect,” I announced, taking his hand and pulling him into the shop. “I need to try it on.”

  Kyle was lounging against the wall when I stepped out of the dressing room, feeling slightly self-conscious because the dress clung to me like a second skin.

  “What do you think?” I asked, pressing a hand against my abdomen.

  As he straightened off the wall, his piercing gaze perused the length of my body, then did it again. A slow smile pulled at his lips. “No one is going to be able to take their eyes off you.”

  “Really?” I doubted.

  He nodded.

  I felt a little guilty when I stepped back into the dressing room. Lauren was going to be pissed if I showed up in this. God forbid anyone look at anyone but her.

  Then I remembered the morning I’d found her in bed with Brad, and any guilt I was entertaining died.

  The handle on the dressing room door rattled, and I spun around. “Someone’s in here!” I called.

  The door opened anyway, and Kyle slipped inside. “Thought you might need some help with the zipper.”

  Butterflies went wild in my stomach, and my throat felt dry.

  As he stalked closer, the space felt so much smaller, and suddenly, it was hard to breath. “Turn around,” he instructed softly.

  Grasping my shoulders, he guided me around, fingers finding the zipper. I didn’t need help, but I couldn’t find the words to tell him that.

  Even if I could, I probably wouldn’t have used them.

  The faint sound of the zipper sliding down was an extreme form of foreplay. Air brushed over my bare back, and goose bumps rose along my arms.

  A single fingertip dragged down the center of my back, following the length of my spine. Shivering, I turned, meeting his intense gaze.

  Swooping in, his lips claimed mine, kissing me deeply right from the start. I made a sound, clutching at his bare shoulders while both his arms locked around my waist, pulling me close.

  This wasn’t a kiss. This was a mouth fuck. His tongue was thick and skilled, penetrating until he knew every last secret, but I couldn’t possibly care.

  In an attempt to hold on, I wrapped my leg around his, using his body as an anchor. I wasn’t nearly as skilled in kissing as he was, but I gave all I had.

  A swift knock on the door barely broke through the haze I was under. Then a woman asked, “Is everything okay in there?”

  Kyle lifted his head, and I made a sound of protest. With a small smirk, he pressed his thumb against my damp limps. “Everything’s fine. I was just helping her with a zipper.”

  How could he sound so normal right now? It pissed me off, so I bit his thumb.

  Jerking it back, his eyes narrowed, but then he chuckled. “There’s more where that came from.”

  My skin burned slightly where he’d scraped it with his stubble, and I wanted more.

 
; “C’mon,” he said, clearing his throat. “Let’s get out of here. If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll take you right here.”

  He slipped out of the room the same way he’d slipped in.

  Sinking onto the stool in the corner, I pressed a hand to my overheated cheek. “I’d let you,” I whispered.

  * * *

  * * *

  Rehearsal dinners were stupid. It was like a pre-wedding before the wedding. So basically, I got to stand there and watch my sister marry Brad before watching her marry him again tomorrow.

  In case you didn’t know, betrayal tastes bitter.

  What was worse were the pitying looks I got from the people who knew all about our sordid family drama. By the way, almost everyone knew.

  Lauren’s giggle floated down the hall, all the way to the end of the trail of people on their way in.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t wish her well. I actually did. It was just that I couldn’t understand why she thought her happiness was more important than mine.

  Not in a rush to get there, I hung back, basically loitering along to the restaurant. Because of the procrastination in my steps, I noticed right away the moment someone stepped up beside me.

  “If you walk any slower, someone might try and take your pulse,” Kyle whispered against my ear.

  Little tingles spread down my neck and farther south. Tucking my dark hair behind my ear, I checked him out from the corner of my eye. “Is it that obvious?”

  Reaching between us, his fingers slipped in between mine. “Nah, now it just looks like you were waiting around for your date.”

  Halting in the middle of the hall, I glanced at our clasped hands. “You want to come to dinner?”

  His shoulders rolled under the navy-blue dress shirt he wore. It was open at the throat and rolled up his forearms. Instead of dress pants, he had on a pair of jeans that made me want to straddle his strong-looking thigh and rub against it.

  Yep. I just thought that.

  “Guy’s gotta eat,” he said.

  Just like he’d told Lauren this morning, he spent the day with me. After shopping, we went down to the beach, rented jet skis, and spent a couple hours playing around in the ocean. After that, we hit the beach bar for a drink and some tacos.