Beach Reads

by Adriana Locke

  “I was ready to throw in my lesbian card for you.”

  Three drinks later and it would seem Carson had replaced me as Ebony’s best friend. He came through and did everything he said he would. He’d ordered our drinks, followed me through the bar, and pulled up a seat next to me. I didn’t know if it was a conscious thing or not, but he’d rested his leg against mine most of the night, and every time I spoke, he gave me his complete attention. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had given me his full attention, and yes, I am well aware that I’d just come out of a long-term relationship. The sad part, I was coming to realize, was that you could be in a relationship and not even realize what you were missing out on. Completely blindsided. But never again.

  “So, Carson Reeves, what brings you to Waikiki Beach?” Ebony asked, taking her role of wing woman very seriously and asking the tough questions. “Married? Single? Gay? Unsure?”

  “I needed some downtime from work, and a friend from high school is getting married tomorrow, so it worked out.” He took a swig of his beer and then directed his attention to me. Again. “I’m very much single.”

  Good god.

  “You’re here for a wedding?” I asked, trying to keep it cool, while also attempting to ignore the pulse of desire that surged through me. “Don’t tell me it’s for Anna and Dale.”

  His eyes flashed with amusement. “Been friends with Dale since we were fourteen. I’m standing beside him tomorrow when Anna makes an honest man of him.”

  “This is brilliant! If this isn’t fate, I don’t know what is,” Ebony hooted from across the table.

  The first thing that crossed my mind was that I would be seeing him dressed in a tux. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squeeze my thighs together at the thought. He was enticing in jeans and a simple white tee, so god help the female population when he strolled out wearing a tux, more importantly, god help me.

  “You better be careful tomorrow. Likelihood of you getting mobbed by every woman who sees you rocking a tux is extremely high. I’ll try my best, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to take care of that many women the way you took care of Red Polo Guy for me.”

  His eyes turned liquid and dropped to take in my lips before staring back at me. “Only woman I’ll be focusing on tomorrow is going to be you. I noticed you as soon as I walked in tonight. Knew the moment I saw you throwing your head back and laughing that I needed to know who you were. Fucking glad I made that approach. Red Polo Guy, as you like to call him, provided me with an in. Shot himself in the foot by being a sleazy asshole, but his loss is my gain.”

  “You’re very honest,” I murmured, before taking a sip of my cocktail and eyeing him.

  “It’s the only way to be. I’m here to relax, have a good time, and de-stress. If spending time with a woman like you is in the cards, I’m all in. Just met you, but the field I’m in means I’ve got a pretty good grasp on reading people, so I can tell you’re the kind of woman I want to spend my time with. I have no reason to lie to you.”

  “I’m beginning to question my sexuality again.” Ebony practically moaned from across the table. Her eyes locked on Carson, and her cheeks flushed. She turned to me, and in the most serious tone I’d ever heard her use, she said, “Marry this man, Gabs. I don’t care that you just met. Just marry the fuck out of him and then tell me every sordid detail about him.”

  And her filter had taken a hike.

  “How about we get through one wedding before we start planning the next?” Carson suggested before directing the next question to me. “You good with all this?”

  “Yeah,” I answered, before throwing in, “as long as it’s a spring wedding.”

  “You got it.” He winked and shot me a devilish smile.

  Suddenly, I was rethinking my stance of holiday flings because this man had confidence and determination, and he wasn’t afraid to use either to get what he wanted.

  I had no chance. And I hadn’t even seen him in a tux yet.

  Three

  Carson

  Fixing my tie, I looked back at myself in the mirror and sighed. Fuck, I was tired. The last job I’d worked on in Monroe did a number on me. Seeing people who’d become legit friends go through that kind of shit was hard to stomach. This job had already taken away someone I cared about once. I sure as hell didn’t want to experience that again.

  My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and Austin Hart’s named flashed across the screen once I pulled it out.

  “Hey man, what’s up?”

  “He’s alive! Where the fuck are you?” his voice boomed in my ear.

  I switched off the light in the bathroom and stepped into the room. “I’m taking some downtime in Hawaii. Here for a friend’s wedding that's happening today.”

  “Just a word of warning, Sasha, Missy, and Gigi are pissed at you. Like rip your balls off pissed.”

  Here we go. “What did I do now?”

  “It’s not what you did. It’s what you didn’t do. You packed your shit, said goodbye to Ben, Drew, and me, and disappeared. They are not happy.”

  “I just needed a break. The shit that went down was intense,” I admitted as I combed my fingers through my hair.

  “Yeah, I get you,” he said, sighing deeply. “But you’re doing okay? No bullshit, just truth. You all right?”

  “Yeah. I've got the beach, beers, and a free room. I’m real good.”

  And a sexy as fuck brunette I can’t stop thinking about.

  Gabrielle Mackenzie.

  Where the fuck had she come from? The moment I spotted her across the bar, I was captivated. The attraction was instant. The need to know her became a necessity. Every man with a pulse would have noticed her, but I didn’t give a single fuck about any of them. When I saw that stupid fuck make his approach, I sat back and watched. He laid it on thick. He got in her space and tension radiated off her, so the need to protect kicked in. Something ingrained into who I was as a man. I’d left the table I’d been sitting at with the guys without a word and with only one thing in mind—fuck up the man who was making her uncomfortable. When he touched her, my feet moved at a rapid pace. If I’d been intrigued with her on sight, I was enthralled with her the moment she spoke. Innocent and sexy rolled into the perfect package. The pink of her cheeks combined with the fire of her words was a blend of sexy I could see myself never getting enough of.

  One thing was for sure. I wanted her under me, on top of me, in front of me. I had four days before reality clawed me back and I’d leave the beaches of Hawaii for the mountains of Montana. Before then, I wanted Gabrielle Mackenzie to be the fantasy I lived while ignoring reality. I was stubborn as fuck. I needed to get the girl. I would get the girl.

  I heard commotion in my ear and muffled voices before Austin came back. “Oh fuck, man, incoming.”

  More commotion sounded and then, “Carson Reeves, is this you?” More commotion. “Is it him? You better not be messing with us, Austin; otherwise, no more Kardashian marathons for you.”

  My face split into a shit-eating grin. Sasha Hamilton and Missy Rogers. “Hey, ladies.”

  “Don’t you hey ladies us, mister! You’re lucky we’re even talking to you.”

  Fucking sass for days these ladies of Monroe had. Seriously, these women. Sasha had claimed Ben, and I had grave concerns for the guy who would eventually lock down Missy.

  “Start explaining yourself.”

  “Ask Austin. He’ll fill you in.”

  Quiet hit my ear, and for a moment, I thought they’d hung up on me. To be honest, it wouldn’t have surprised me.

  Then Sasha’s soft voice hit me, and my heart squeezed. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, Sash. I’m real good. Spending my days at the beach, nights chasing women. You know, normal stuff.”

  Her soft chuckle soothed me. “Met anyone good?”

  “Yeah, I have. Her name is Gab—”

  I was cut off again, and this time by Ben’s seventy-ish neighbor, Gigi. “Absolutely no chocolate cake for you wh
en you show your face again. I don’t care how delightful your tattoos or face are. And don’t think about seducing a cake out of me. It’s not going to work.”

  Did I mention she was seventy?

  “Miss you too, Gigi.”

  Her voice dropped. “I miss you too. Okay, maybe I’ll give you a slice. Purely because of that face God blessed you with. Now, I hear you are at the beach. Why you are in a hotel room confuses me. Get out there and find some ladies, and then come back here so I can hear all your juicy stories. I have a cake to bake. Gotta go.”

  Shaking my head, I couldn’t deny that the whirlwind of the Monroe crew brought a smile to my face. But I couldn’t let my mind drift back there just yet. I had a wedding to finish getting ready for and a gorgeous brunette hopefully just as excited to see me as I was to see her.

  The wedding was what you would expect a Hawaiian wedding to be. The beach as the backdrop, perfect weather, and the bride, groom, and guests drinking and eating fruit-inspired cocktails and fresh seafood. I thought it’d be your typical wedding until I met Gabby. My plans to drink, eat, and hang out with the boys and maybe find a girl to end the night with had been forgotten. Now, it was all about her. I wanted to spend the day peeling back a few of her layers, and I’m 100% sure Ebony would help me if I asked.

  I’d been standing up front next to Dale when she arrived. She stood out in the crowd. Her dark hair hung in curls down her back, her makeup was barely there, and the light blue dress hugged her curves like a second skin. Gabrielle Mackenzie was exquisite. Throughout the ceremony, our eyes were locked on each other. The only time I broke our stare was when I handed Dale the rings. Then my gaze swung back to her.

  The ceremony lasted for thirty minutes, then we got shipped off for photos and arrived back an hour later. With a beer in hand, I searched the guests for the lady in the blue dress. As soon as I found her, I made a beeline toward her. Ebony saw my approach, and a smile broke across her face. Her lips moved, and as soon as Gabby started to turn to face me, I knew Ebony had announced my incoming arrival.

  Gabby’s eyes ran the length of me, twice. She pulled her lip between her teeth to hide her smile. Fuck, she was cute. Ebony leaned in and said something, and Gabby nodded before Ebony disappeared through the crowd, leaving Gabby on her own to wait for me.

  “Well, look at you,” she said when I reached her. “Looking all dapper in your tux.”

  “And look at you,” I mimicked. “Looking all sexy in your dress.”

  Her cheeks instantly tinged.

  “Wanna get a drink?” I suggested, holding up my empty bottle.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  She followed me through the guests toward the bar, and as we got close, I stopped when I heard her chuckling behind me.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I was right.” She was now full-blown laughing, her eyes sparkling. “Every single female is staring at you like they want to maul you. I’m going to need an army of Gabbys to defend you if they attack.”

  “Wait! There are other women here besides you?” I faux gasped.

  “Ha! Ha! Very funny.”

  “Told you yesterday you were the only woman I was interested in seeing today. That hasn’t changed. Especially since you’ve turned up wearing a dress that sticks to your body like a second skin. Jesus, I thought you were gorgeous yesterday, but today, I’m finding it really hard to keep my hands off you.” I stepped in close and dropped my mouth to her ear. “And that’s just the PG version of what I’m thinking.”

  After I dropped that news on her, I headed to the bar and got the drinks. The rest of the wedding was filled with laughter, too much booze, copious amounts of seafood and good company. The girls, especially Ebony, had taken advantage of the open bar, and Ebony was now sitting opposite me, talking, while Gabby was dancing with the groom’s grandfather on the dance floor.

  “I’ve known Gabby for twenty years. She’s the best person I know. She’s sexy, funny, can make a mean lasagne, and she will protect those she cares about until her last breath. That asshole did a number on her, though. You’re just the distraction she needs, so I am definitely Team Carson.”

  “You do realize that I’m not looking for a relationship,” I stated carefully.

  “Yep. And she is so far from being ready for anything serious for a long time. She’s been burned. Just to make things clear. I’m talking about you and her having sex. Any kind of sex. She needs to loosen up. Lord knows that Brad pin-dick Evans didn’t know how to use it properly, but I’m thinking you know exactly how to use it.”

  I chuckled into my beer and turned my attention to Gabby spinning around the dance floor. She laughed at something Dale’s grandfather said before shaking her head. Through the other couples dancing, her eyes found mine, and she smiled. I placed my beer down on the table and started walking toward her. Her eyes never left mine. Tapping Dale’s grandfather on the shoulder, I asked to cut in, and before I knew it, I was moving around the dance floor with Gabby.

  I wasn’t a dancer. Fuck, the last time I danced was probably prom. But here I was.

  “Having a good time?” I asked softly as we swayed around the dance floor.

  “Yeah, I love weddings.”

  “Just got to tell you, we might have to get Ebony back to the hotel soon. I’m pretty sure she’s about cleared out the bar of vodka.”

  She laughed. “She is definitely living it up. We hardly drink back home, so an open bar and free drinks feel like Disneyland to us. Like Disneyland for adults.”

  “Disneyland for adults. I like it.”

  “Wanna head off now? Or do you have more wedding duties to do?”

  I looked at Dale and Anna and saw that they were getting ready to leave.

  “I think the happy couple is getting ready to leave anyway. Give me twenty, and I’ll walk you both back. I don’t want you two walking around by yourselves. Do you mind waiting just a little longer? Does that work for you?”

  She nodded, her eyes switching soft. “Yeah, that works for me, Carson.”

  Four

  Gabrielle

  “Meet me down here at 4:30 a.m.”

  After sending off Anna and Dale in style at the close of the wedding, Carson, Ebony, and I walked back to the hotel via the beach. Waikiki was putting on a phenomenal show. The balmy air and the sound of the waves crashing was the perfect backdrop to what was a perfect night.

  We made small talk. Ebony serenaded us. Then she decided to quiz Carson; he was thirty-two, never married, liked crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth, and was from Phoenix but traveled all over the country for his job. The tension was thick between us. It was undeniable and all-consuming. My body wanted him, but my head kept fighting it.

  Now, I stood in front of him, my heels dangling from my fingertips and my body begging for sleep after dancing for hours with Ebony.

  I stared up at him. My body was drawn to him in a way I couldn't explain, and he intrigued me. He was a mystery I wouldn’t have enough time to solve. I was on vacation. He was on vacation. By midweek, we were both leaving Hawaii and returning to our normal lives.

  “Okay.”

  His smile confirmed I’d chosen the right answer. “You won’t regret it.”

  Then our eyes locked, he took a step toward me, and time became non-existent. Had seconds passed? Maybe it had been hours? All I knew as I stared up at him was by the time I said goodbye to him and Hawaii, I would have memorized every inch of his face. I’d forever remember the freckle that sat just above his top lip and the small scar in his right eyebrow and the flecks of green in the chocolate brown of his left eye. It was the small details that would leave the biggest memories.

  I sucked in an unsteady breath as his fingertips brushed gently against my cheek. Slowly, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. My eyes fluttered shut, and I swayed against him, having no choice but to float into his orbit. His magnetic pull was beyond expectation. I had no chance of stopping myself, and honestly, I was beyond
wanting to stop. With my eyes still closed, he shifted against me, and the heat of his body enveloped mine. When his warm breath hit the shell of my ear, everything else ceased to exist. I was now at his mercy.

  “Go get some rest, Gabrielle Mackenzie; otherwise, I’m not going to be held responsible for what the cameras capture.”

  My eyes shot open and between my legs pulsated with need. Again, all I could come up with for a response was, “Okay.”

  Although this time, I knew he could tell exactly what I wanted.

  Walking to the elevator, I could feel him watching me. My mind was racing. My body was on edge and desperate for relief. All I wanted to do was get to my room, hide in the bathroom, and take care of business with him in my thoughts.

  “Oh, and Gabby,” Carson called after me.

  After pressing my floor number, I turned to him.

  “You looked stunning today.”

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  I spun around after hearing Ebony’s croaky voice coming from the other side of the room. Her hair was wild, her face pale, and she looked like she’d gone to hell and lost a battle with the devil.

  “I’m getting dressed,” I said, tying my bikini. It might be still dark outside, but I was in Hawaii, and Hawaii meant wearing a bikini wherever possible.

  “I can see that, genius! But why are you getting dressed? It's still dark. What time is it?”

  “Almost five.”

  “It’s the middle of the night. Are you crazy?” she shrieked and sat up before dropping back on her pillow. “Shit. Sore head. How much did I have to drink at that wedding?”

  Chuckling, I stepped into a sundress and pulled it up over my body. “I have no sympathy for you.”

  “I love you too.” She scoffed and dramatically started rubbing her temples. “But seriously, where are you going?”

  “I’m meeting Carson,” I answered while sorting through my suitcase and looking for a light cardigan to wear until the sun rose.