by S. C. York
“I better move off this couch before I leave sweat stains, I can’t even—”
“I know, right? Come on,” she grabs my arm and leads me farther into the heart of the boat. I try to be enthusiastic, but I’m just drained and have zero enthusiasm for this multi-million-dollar yacht.
What started as such a promising night has turned to complete shit, again. I’m officially zero for three. Thursday night sucked, Friday night was a letdown, and now this. Eva’s excitedly looking and touching everything as we move through. I smile at her child-like wonder. Her guard’s down, and I know it’s because we’re alone. If anyone else were here, she’d be typical Eva acting as if she was born on board.
“Nessa, drink up and shake it off like Taylor Swift says.”
“Easy for you to say, I’ll pass. Drinking is what got me into this mess.”
Opening a door, I finally see something that makes me gasp. The luxury of the stateroom is a far cry from my bedroom on Judson Avenue.
My bare feet sink into the thick carpet as I cross to the bed, running my hands over the soft sheets. Looking back at Eva from across my shoulder, I give her a genuine grin and place my wine glass on a table. I turn around and fall back, landing on a cloud of pillows, “You should go back out there. I need a minute to regroup.”
“If that’s what you want. Chin up, Chica, it’ll be okay,” she murmurs, closing the cabin door. I wish I could shake it off but too much has happened over the past few days. I’ve been pining for this summer for months, needing this time just to be me, before moving closer to New York City.
My thoughts take me back to last summer, when Sean made me feel so special. How was I so wrong about him? I can’t make that mistake again. I need to stay away from Ryan, he’s too confusing.
A vent in the ceiling blasts cold air on my bare legs, covered in goosebumps; I get under the blanket and try to fight off the bittersweet memories of Sean and me. But they come anyway. I thought I was over it, but there’s always a piece of heartbreak left inside, piercing the wound, making it bleed all over again.
Someone’s in bed with me. Waking up in in the dark cabin, I’m afraid to move. Moonlight shines through the portholes, but it’s not enough light. I must’ve cried myself to sleep; the last thing I remember was being emotionally shaken up over the Facebook fiasco.
Jesus, I hope it’s not some random guy from the party next to me.
Body heat radiates across the sheets. No chance it’s Eva unless she doused herself in Acqua di gio while snooping in Blake’s stateroom.
It must be him.
He smelled the same when he held me. Sensing I’m awake, he moves closer and nuzzles my ear. This time, I break out in chills of excitement.
Moaning, I move my head to the side, giving him access to my neck. Rolling on my back, I reach up to lightly rake my nails through his wavy hair. My moan echoes through the room when he slides his tongue into my mouth. He climbs over me deepening our kiss. I’m floating, this is a dream, and it feels amazing.
Wait, what the heck am I doing?
I don’t want to be another cliché summer conquest. Gently, I press his chest as his hands roam up and down my body.
I desperately want to relieve the ache he created, but this isn’t me.
I need to stop this before I reach a point where I no longer care, especially since I know what a jerk he is.
He’s hardly any better than Carter and those other preppy boys who were cruel to me. I need to get my head together and my hormones under control.
“Ryan, I never pegged you to be a man who takes advantage of a sleeping woman. You shouldn’t be in here like this. You scared the crap out of me when I first woke up and realized I wasn’t alone.”
“Vanessa, I’m sorry. I would never hurt you or any woman like that. You just looked too tempting lying in here with your hair spread across my pillow.”
“Your pillow?”
“This is my cabin; I live on the Majesty almost every weekend during the season. You’re in my bed, sweets. The very one I slept in, dreaming about you these past two nights.”
“I should go.” Feeling like he’s about to overpower me with more come-ons, I move to sit up.
His finger reaches out and strokes my cheek, “Carter admitted to snapping a picture of you. I handled it. Blake kicked them all out; the night doesn’t have to be over yet, stay with me?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I answer, picking the sheet.
“I go back to Boston tomorrow. I’d like to spend more time with you. Especially since our date got cut short.”
“And whose fault was that? You were a complete dick. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was at work this morning?”
“Yes, that was slightly awkward.”
“You think?” I say, smacking him with a pillow.
“Besides, you specifically said it wasn’t a date; you called it an excuse. An excuse to get me here. Congratulations! You ended up getting that after all.” I stare up at him partially reclined, angry at myself for letting him touch me after the way he’s acted. TJ’s words are still fresh in my head about what transpired at Nanny Night. And I need to know why he’s toying with me.
“Ryan, I’m just…just so confused. One minute you’re sweet and fun, and the next arrogant and snotty. Tell me, how was Fisher’s?” He sighs looking frustrated and runs his hands through his hair
“You heard about that?”
“Yep.”
“Blake can be a bad influence on me, and you caught me by surprise. I’m sorry for acting like an ass. I know this sounds conceited, I rarely need to put any effort into getting a girl. You feel different. You make me want to tease you—kiss you and—”
He gently grabs me, kissing me again.
I’m lost.
He’s the wave that pulls me under. A few pounds on the cabin door prevents us from going farther.
“Bro, you in there?” I reluctantly push Ryan away for the second time.
“I need to go,” I whisper, breaking free from his embrace.
“Bro, you’re missing the party, man, come on.”
Ryan turns away from me and gets up. He cracks open the door, using his body to shield me from view. He speaks to Blake, and I take the opportunity to compose myself.
Closing the door softly, he turns to face me. “So, sweet cheeks, are you staying or going?”
“Please stop calling me that. I hate it.”
“Only if you stay,” he responds playfully.
“I might but only because I don’t feel like facing my mother right now.”
“I totally understand. I don’t have a close relationship with mine.”
“We can’t stay here, and I don’t feel like socializing with Blaire and her minions. I’m assuming Blake doesn’t throw out stunning women from his parties?”
Ryan laughs, “Never. He’s a real player. If you think I’m bad, just wait. Blake is everything you’ve heard and more. I’m trying to avoid Blaire myself. Do you want to go for a moonlight stroll down to the Point?”
“Sure, I could use some fresh air. The Point’s one of my favorite places, but you have to promise me not to be a jerk. Okay?”
“Come on, Vanessa; I’m not that bad. You’re the one who keeps kissing me back.” He swats me on the butt and grabs his phone from the dresser. Opening the door, he gestures me through with a bow.
Covering my behind with my hands, I pass him, “No touching, keep your hands to yourself.”
“Nope, once I saw it, I knew I had to have it.” He playfully tries to swat me.
“Oh, my God, stop. Enough already, can’t you be normal?”
He’s fighting a smile. I elbow him as hard as I can, trying to throw him off balance. Instead, I end up bouncing off him, stumbling, but he reaches me before the fall.
“Careful, can’t have you hitting your head again,” he says, linking my arm through his.
We disembark, and he grabs my hand. He doesn’t let go and fiercely stares
down anyone who looks at me too long. He’s totally mastered the don’t fuck with me vibe. It’s emanating off him in waves. Averting my eyes, I look down, still disgusted at the poor behavior of the elite.
Holding hands in the lamplight, we stroll through the historic part of Stonington Borough making our way down to the end of town to the Point.
All the shops have closed and the cobblestone streets are empty. The silence is peaceful. I point out one of the historic homes called The Black House to tell him a cute story. The owners painted the quaint Cape jet black in protest of a dispute with the town’s zoning department. It was in the paper for months. Mom found it amusing and would keep me updated over breakfast whenever the latest developments made the paper. It’s now white, but the legacy remains.
He chuckles at the antics of the legal fight. The pavement ends, and we’re at Stonington Point. I sigh, taking in the view, “This is one of my favorite places. I come here often, especially when something’s troubling me or if I just need to think. Ironic, isn’t it?
He squeezes my hand and pulls me forward.
We cross through the dirt lot heading toward a solitary bench that faces the Sound. The sea’s as dark as night; only the frothing foam gives it color. Looking out to the left, Watch Hill, Rhode Island, is out in the distance and to the right, Mystic Harbor lights up the horizon.
“This is a beautiful spot, Vanessa.” He puts his arm around me to pull me close. “There’s a similar place in Marblehead. You’d love it there.” I nod and rest my head on his shoulder.
Gazing at the stars, I lace my fingers through his and pull him down on the bench. He sits close to me, pulling me into his side.
“This is my last summer here before I move in the fall. I’ve been pining for this for so long, and it’s turning out to be a complete disaster. Nothing like what I had imagined.”
“Let me make it special then,” he whispers. Grabbing my face on either side, he kisses me passionately. My hair flies in the wind that always whips hard here.The waves poundagainst the rocks. Seaspray hits us, but we don’t care.
I just want to forget the last two hours, losing myself in his kiss, I let it all go.
A car barrels into the lot behind us. The sound of tires churning up gravel interrupts our kiss. High beams focus in on us, blinding me. As my pupils adjust, I realize it’s a police cruiser.
“Oh, shit!” I mutter. Ryan looks at me puzzled, as an officer steps out.
“Vanessa, is that you, baby?” Fuck.
Ryan tightens his hold on me and calls out, “Is there a problem, officer?”
Sean takes his time stalking toward us, but his body’s tense. Shit, there’s a crazy look in his eyes.
He saunters over, his arms resting on his belt, heavy from his Maglite and Glock, “Nessa, doll, I heard you were in the area. I wanted to check up on you. You were a mess at the concert. Wouldn’t it be a shame if your future employer finds out what a drunk you are? I protected you when I could’ve had you arrested.”
“Thanks for the favor. You can go now, I’m fine.”
“But I came to collect my thank you. You give the best—”
“Stop. Just stop!” I scream at him. Breaking away from Ryan’s embrace, I charge him.
“What are you even doing here? Stonington isn’t your jurisdiction. You belong on the other side of the drawbridge, jerk!”
He smirks, enjoying my embarrassment.
After the night I’ve had I’m gone; snapped and looking for a fight. My rage boils over, raising my hand, I’m ready to smack the shit out of him.
“Watch it, babe, or I’ll arrest you for assaulting an officer.”
He makes a move to grab me, but Ryan saves him from the shellacking I’ve wanted to give him for seven months.
“What’s with you and handcuffs? Keep dreaming about that one, creep.
It’s obvious to both men how wound up I am. Ryan’s holding me back, my body’s caged by his arms and ready to spring if he would just release me.
Sean doesn’t stop. He just keeps going, “Baby doll, you’re missing out. Me and you, that vinyl shower curtain you like, a bottle of baby oil, us naked, slipping and sliding. Damn, I could come right now thinking about it,” he grins and mimics jerking off with his hands.
He’s nuts! And I’m mortified. What he’s saying right now is far worse than anything Ryan’s ever done or said.
My body springs forward, this time Ryan doesn’t hold me back. Blindly, I throw punches at Sean, embarrassed that Ryan has witnessed this. My leg kicks out, and I get him good, right in the balls. Sean falls to his knees, rolls in the gravel and grabs his crotch in agony.
“My nuts, you bitch, you broke my nuts!” He screams, contorting in rage and pain.
“Yeah, well, you broke my heart. Consider us even! Don’t even think of trying to arrest me for assault. I’ll call your shift commander and tell him how you drove out of jurisdiction.”
Shaking my head, I grab Ryan’s hand and walk past the cruiser to the sidewalk.
“This isn’t over, baby,” he yells from behind us.
“You go for stalkers, huh? That was crazy.”
“Funny, real funny—I’m sure you’ve had more stalkers than me, Ryan Stone.” I look behind us double checking Sean’s not following us.
“He’s a total psycho. I swear, he seemed normal when we met last summer. I can’t believe I was so upset about the breakup.”
“What? You dated that guy, him? You walk out on me, but creeper cop got to date you?”
“When you put it that way, I guess it does sound ludicrous. But you don’t date, remember?”
“Maybe you could be the exception.” He stops, linking our hands together.
I snort, “Who, me? Vanessa Lyman? The girl who still lives home with her parents and is such a klutz, she was shamed publicly on Facebook?”
“Don’t forget Instagram, and yes, I still want to date you after everything. But you must promise never to kick me in the nuts!”
“Okay. Just behave yourself.”
“What happened with lover boy?”
“We’ll need to take the long way back to the party.”
“I’ve got time, besides, I’m kind of avoiding Blaire right now.”
“You and Blaire, huh?”
“She was a mistake. Because of her, I implemented my three-date rule.”
“I need to hear this story.”
“I don’t gossip, Vanessa, ever. Not even about girls who are disposable like Blaire.”
“You think women are disposable?”
“That came out wrong.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Back to you and the creeper.”
“What can I say? We met last summer, ironically at the beach concert. He was on bike patrol—”
“Bike patrol?” He sputters, “Oh God, sweet cheeks, seriously? Your taste in men—”
“Stop it. You promised not to call me that anymore!” Playfully, I smack his arm.
“Anyway, he started chatting me up…”
“I bet he did.”
“Do you want to hear this or not?”
“My apologies, please continue.”
“We exchanged numbers, he called shortly after. Our first date was at Margarita’s.” He starts to say something; I put a hand over his mouth silencing him. He bites my finger then licks it.
“Gross.”
“Hey, you weren’t complaining about my tongue thirty minutes ago.”
“Oh, my God! That’s it. I’m not telling you the rest. By the way, Sean was just trying to embarrass me with that whole shower curtain thing. That never happened.”
Ryan picks me up swinging me around. I struggle, trying to escape. He bear hugs me into submission, “Tell me the rest.”
“I fell hard and fast. Sean was charismatic, I know that seems impossible, but he was. He would take me out on his jet ski to Misquamicut Beach. At night, we’d have cook outs, play cards, and go out to the bars in downtown Mystic.”
&n
bsp; “He sounds like he’s a real man of the world.”
“Ry—I’m a hometown girl. It was the time of my life. He was sweet and loving; every day was one big party. When the end of summer came, and I went back to school, everything changed. I became his weekend girl, and he had fillers during the week.”
“Ouch.”
“It was awful. I had no clue until Sean got caught screwing a married woman in the backseat of his cruiser. They were under the bridge on River Road, a popular spot from what I hear.
“What? That’s crazy. He didn’t get fired?”
“No, practically promoted.”
“What?” he says in disbelief.
“Wait, it gets better, she was an older woman. Instead of getting fired, he got high fived.”
“What? That’s—”
“I had no words either. It gets worse; she has three-year-old twin boys. Her husband’s a trucker, always out on the road. He had no clue either. I think they’re still married for the sake of the kids. Sean has no remorse at all. I don’t know why all of a sudden he’s behaving like this. We’re so over.”
Ryan’s quiet. He doesn’t say anything the rest of the walk back. The easy banter we just shared is gone. I’m nervous, not sure what he’s thinking.
The lights from the Fosters’ driveway are lit up like a runway, but instead of an airport these lead to a mansion. I’m about to make a smart remark but he cuts me off.
“Vanessa, I’m not a relationship guy. I’m not any better than your ex. I just don’t lie about it.”
“You’re into married mothers, too?”
He’s trying not to smile; I can just tell. He clears his throat and I’m puzzled why he’s so tense. His body’s wound tight when he turns to face me.
“Vanessa, you’re a cutie. I like you. I don’t want to lead you on. If you think you can handle casually dating, I’m up for it.”
“I bet you are up for it. What the hell, Ryan?” Dropping to my knees, I kiss his hand. “Oh, thank you, the great Ryan Stone has deemed me worthy of dating, but only casually, of course.”
“Forget it, Vanessa. I don’t need this. You’re too young for me anyway. I don’t know what I was thinking. Thanks for the reminder that all women are crazy.”