Twisted Secrets

by Amy McKinley

  Jeffrey took mercy on me after one look at my strained features and put me on bar, which went great until Chloe needed a bathroom break. I glanced out the large picture window across from where I stood at the register. The sky was a seething mass of dark clouds, from which fat drops of rain fell. There were a few patrons inside, mostly regulars, and with the weather what it was, I didn’t expect many new customers. I was wrong when the bell chimed on the heels of that thought.

  The room seemed to shrink as Xander walked in, taking up entirely too much space. I wasn’t the only one to notice. Most of the women lifted their heads, interest evident in their expressions and body language. Moving like a professional athlete, he made his way to the counter, his presence packing a serious punch.

  Chloe wasn’t back yet from her bathroom break. It looked like I would be waiting on him. I bit down on my lip then realized what I was doing. Xander stopped in front of me and frowned.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah.” I waved away the exhaustion he must have observed from the half-moons hanging beneath my eyes. “Long night and a breakup. But I’m better for it.”

  He tilted his head to the side and took my measure once more. “The timing of this probably sucks, but would you want to go out to dinner tonight?”

  Should I? I needed the distraction, and I was attracted to him. I let a second pass before I fired off the questions that rolled through my head. “Married?”

  He chuckled. “Nope. Never have been.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “Not presently, but we’ll see how this date goes.” He grinned, and I was momentarily sidetracked.

  I pursed my lips because my next question was rude, but I wanted to know. “Ever cheat?”

  Anger flashed in his gaze, and the tension in my shoulders eased. “No. Not my style.”

  “In that case, I’m up for something, but maybe not dinner. I’m pretty tired and won’t be great company.” I wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d changed his mind. I sounded a little crazy—or maybe just scorned.

  “How about the beach? If you’re not working tomorrow morning, I can pick you up early, and we’ll make a day of it?”

  “Which beach? Here or your island?” I wasn’t ready to chance being alone in a remote location with him. I liked him and even felt safe around him, but that seemed like a little more than I could deal with.

  “Here. But I’m leaving for the island on Sunday, if you want to go then.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’m good with a beach here tomorrow.”

  The door chimed behind him, signaling another customer as Chloe strolled back in after her much-longer-than-necessary break. We made quick plans for him to swing by and pick me up at nine. Since I didn’t have class or work, there was no reason not to go. To be honest, I was looking forward to it, relieved to be done with Charles, and determined to have fun.

  Xander left with his black coffee, and Chloe grabbed my sleeve, tugging me back. “That’s what I missed? I’m sorry I took so long on my break.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her. “I thought you were just using the bathroom.”

  She shrugged. “Jeffrey told me I could take a few minutes longer if I wanted. Not sure why.”

  “Really? It was probably so you didn’t wait on that guy.” Jeffrey had it bad for her, and I was sure he would have seen Xander as competition, as he hadn’t even gotten up the nerve to ask Chloe out yet.

  “Oh, I doubt that. It wouldn’t have mattered. He’s hot but too old for me. Just be glad Melanie wasn’t here.”

  That was true. Our coworker Melanie had this weird jealous streak if we got attention from a guy she’d set her sights on. I’d recently learned she’d dated Charles, and when she’d overhead Ava say something about the advisor being my boyfriend, she’d lost her mind. We’d gotten over it enough to be civil at work, but I was a little wary around her because of it. It was sad—she was a lot of fun, and we were friends.

  A customer came to the counter, and Ava stood to pack up her things. Chloe took care of the new person while I slipped around the counter to have a word with Ava before she headed out for her flight.

  Her gaze caught mine, and a devious smile curved her lips. I shook my head and laughed. “We’re just hanging out tomorrow. It doesn’t mean anything. Besides, I got out of a relationship hours ago. I don’t need to jump into a new one.”

  “Pfft. That hunky guy is what you need to get under and effectively get over the professor.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll be back next week, and I want a full report.”

  As she exited the Coffee Hut, I couldn’t help but think she could be right. Not about the get under part—I rolled my eyes at her retreating form—but taking a chance on something new, even if it was only to take my mind off a messy breakup, seemed like a good plan.

  9

  Riley

  The sun sparkled off cresting waves and sent a jolt of excitement through me at the prospect of riding them. We pulled into a parking space, and Xander turned the engine off. After he got out and shut his door, he came around to mine. With my sunglasses firmly in place, I could check him out without getting caught. He had muscles on top of muscles, and I marveled at how he moved. The tattoo on his bicep and part of his chest practically begged my fingers to run over them and trace the intricate swirls.

  I was glad I’d worn a cover-up over my black bikini. Xander had on navy swim trunks with a gray stripe down the side and no shirt. It’d made for a tension-filled ride to our destination as I tried not to stare. His shoulders flexed as he lifted the surfboards from the bed of the truck and balanced them on one shoulder. In his other hand, he carried a cooler full of drinks. “Want to grab the bag in here, and I’ll take these?”

  I pulled my beach bag from the passenger-side floor, looped the straps over my shoulder, then pointed at the cooler. “I can carry that if you want.” Or I could watch him do it. I grinned when he shook his head.

  “I’ve got it. If you can take my bag, we’re good to go.”

  I plucked the tan bag from the bed of the trunk and fell into step beside him. Little granules kicked up behind me, hitting my calves after each footfall. Pausing, I bent down, slipped off my flip-flops, and hooked my fingers through the straps, dangling them from my hand. The sand was cool beneath my feet, but that would change as the sun climbed the sky.

  We wove through the other beachgoers then stopped midway to the shore, and Xander lowered the drinks then rested the boards in the sand. He rotated his shoulder, and I wanted to ask about the pink scar but didn’t. Instead, I dropped the bags next to the cooler, took off my cover-up, and dropped it into my bag. My flip-flops went next to it, along with the shoes he’d toed off.

  “I’m pretty sure you mentioned when we went to lunch that you’d surfed before, right? Or do you need a lesson?”

  I let my gaze crawl over his features, wondering what his game plan was. I couldn’t get a read other than him genuinely wanting to know. He focused on my eyes, and for a second, I was a little surprised. Maybe I’m more into him than he is me? Not once had he checked me out. Mentally, I shrugged. It was a good thing. I had to stop overanalyzing.

  His brows climbed his forehead, and I realized I was staring at him but not answering his question about surfing. Embarrassed, I flashed a quick smile. “I’m not a pro, but I can hold my own.”

  “Great. Let’s do this, then.” He passed one of the boards to me, and I maneuvered it parallel to the ground and tucked it under my arm. The beach was wall-to-wall of people already, but with Xander by my side, we cut a clear path through them. We closed the distance to the water and waded in enough before lying prone on our boards.

  The turquoise ocean was gorgeous and as warm as bathwater. The sun beat down on us, but I didn’t mind. Side by side, we paddled out. Every once in a while, I snuck a look at him. Beads of water clung to his broad shoulders as his powerful arms flexed with each stroke.

  Refocusing on why we were there, I pushed into a
sitting position, letting my legs dangle on either side. Scanning the horizon, I checked for a promising wave. Xander pulled up not too far from me and did the same. It didn’t take long before he pointed to a swell in the distance. “There.”

  “I see it.” I turned and paddled toward the shore, working on picking up speed. As soon as the powerful wave neared, I dug my arms in harder then gripped the sides of the board, popped to my feet, and dropped down the vertical wall of blue water to ride the face. I balanced with one foot in front of the other and my arms extended. Worry over getting hammered slid from my thoughts during the smooth ride.

  My speed increased, and my heart thundered in my ears, in harmony with the quality wave. In the pocket, the wave broke behind me. Whitewater frothed. I kept my sight on the opening of the curl.

  I hunched low and cut through the barrel, and the wave crashed behind me, sending a spray of water to kiss the back of my calves.

  I heard Xander roar in excitement and turned to see his fist pump in the air at my ride. I grinned then readjusted my position, so I was once more sitting on my board. I wanted to wait to paddle back out so I could watch his approach.

  After about five minutes, he charged a wave. His shoulders bulged as he jolted to his feet with an ease I’d seen only on professional boarders. My breath hitched in my throat as he turned hard and surged up the face. If I hadn’t been interested in him before, it would have pushed me over the edge, headfirst and diving quickly. But I already was. Watching him ride that wave made my attraction grow to impossible heights.

  When he got to my side and sat astride his board, we high-fived, both wearing wide grins. “Come on.” He waved me back out. Of course, I followed. We rode the waves for an hour before I got tired. I could tell that he could keep going, so I sat on my board, kicking lazy circles with my dangling legs while he caught two more.

  When he paddled up to me, I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was exactly what I needed, and I told him so.

  “I’m glad. It usually is for me too.” He linked his hand with mine, and we bobbed on our boards for a few comfortable moments of silence. Without asking any questions, he seemed to have known that I was angry and hurt about what Charles had done. I appreciated the day more than he could’ve realized. It was, in a sense, cathartic. “Want to head in and grab something to eat at the Sandbar Grill?”

  “That sounds great.” I hadn’t been hungry, but as soon as he mentioned it, I was ravenous. I dropped to my stomach on the board, and we headed to the shore. It didn’t take too long. Even if it had, I didn’t care. Everything was perfect, and I didn’t want it to end. After stowing our boards by our stuff and spreading our towels for when we returned, we set off in the direction of the beachside restaurant.

  By the time we got there, a line five people deep stretched from the window. There were two guys behind the couple at the front and a pretty blonde in an olive bikini who acknowledged Xander with a wave and “Aloha.” She was tanned and toned and looked like she lived to surf. The guys turned around and stepped up to place their order, but the girl didn’t move.

  “When did you get back?”

  The frown on her face snagged my curiosity. An old girlfriend? I waited for Xander’s response.

  “Not too long ago.” He made introductions, explaining that her dad was the police chief who was recovering from heart surgery, the one his brother Jaxon was working for.

  “Jackass is here?”

  I froze, unsure what was going on or why she would insult his brother. It wasn’t hard to figure out that her unflattering nickname was for Jaxon.

  Xander winked at me. “Yep. I take it you haven’t seen him? You staying with your dad?”

  “I just got here.”

  “Bound to run into him, then.”

  “Kayla, put your order in.” One of the guys tugged on her sun-kissed hair. With a troubled expression, she muttered a quick goodbye then stepped to the counter.

  After they ordered, they moved away, and I let the encounter go. Xander had slipped his hand around my waist when he’d introduced me. I had nothing to worry about.

  We placed our orders then took our food back to our towels. I sat and waited for him before eating. He popped the cooler and grabbed two bottled waters. He handed one to me then sat down, and we took the food out and dug in.

  The sandwich crunched as I bit into it, and layers of cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and a spicy sauce that I couldn’t quite identify sang across my taste buds. Surfing was intense and calorie burning. Not to mention that I’d gotten up late and hadn’t had time to eat. I washed my first bite down with water as Xander polished off half of his meat-lover’s sandwich. It was called something else, but I couldn’t remember the name. The gist of it was that it contained a heck of a lot of meat.

  Conversation buzzed around us from the other people on the crowded beach. Thankfully, we had a small bubble of space with the surfboards.

  “What got you interested in photography?”

  His question startled me, and I jerked my gaze from the water. “I like to uncover the hidden layers of what I’m taking pictures of. Through the lens, things are revealed. I’m able to see more than I would without it.”

  “It lets you strip away preconceptions.”

  I laughed under my breath. “You nailed it. That’s what it does.”

  “What are you looking to do with your grad degree? That’s soon, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it’s coming up fast. And I’ll continue to do what I do. Two galleries in Chicago represent my work, but I may want to try for another in New York. Maybe not here, though.” Living with my aunt hadn’t been great, but she’d done something right for me and had invested my parents’ life insurance money for me, which allowed me to do what I wanted. “If I decide to live here, I like anonymity. It makes life easier.”

  “I get that.” Finished with his meal, he leaned back on his elbows and looked out over the water. “A little over a week isn’t a lot of time to plan and secure where you want to go. You’re renting, right? How long do you have on your lease?”

  “Until June, so there isn’t a huge rush after graduation in May. I’m not ready to make any rash decisions yet.” I wanted to get off the topic.

  “What about the ex? Does he figure into your plan?”

  I finished chewing the last bit of my lunch and washed it down with a sip of water. It wasn’t something I had to think hard about, but I appreciated his patience. There was no weird pressure or awkwardness with him. “Charles doesn’t fit into my decision to stay or go. As far as I’m concerned, I won’t have to deal with him after I graduate.”

  “He goes to the same college?”

  Shoot. “You could say that.” I didn’t want to talk about me. I gathered our trash and put it in the carryout bag to throw away when we left. “You mentioned the island you’re doing renovations on is family owned. Do your parents live here, too, and your two brothers?”

  “We all do, except my parents are traveling. They’re taking advantage of retirement, so we don’t see them that much.”

  I mimicked his pose, leaning back on my elbow so that we were lying on our sides but facing each other. “But you aren’t normally around because of being in the military?”

  “I’m not gone as often as you think. It’s a few weeks out on missions here and there. Then we have time on base and also at home. I have no idea when I have to deploy next or when I’ll be back. But it could be in two weeks.”

  I pointed to the circular scars that looked relatively recent on his chest. “Bullet wound?” It made sense. He seemed to be able to move around and even carry the boards with relative ease. I hadn’t wanted to comment on them earlier, but it seemed like an appropriate time.

  “Shrapnel.” He frowned, and a shadow swept over his features. “I was lucky. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.”

  It was clear from the gruffness in his voice that Xander didn’t want to go into any details. Or maybe he couldn’t legally talk about
it. I wasn’t all that familiar with how the military worked. “What about your brothers? You mentioned you have two, right? Do you all plan to stay here, or have any of them moved away?”

  He laughed, and I grinned back at him. That had been a lot of questions, but I wasn’t embarrassed. I was genuinely curious.

  “I’m the middle kid.”

  “Good to know. I’ve got a handle on your personality now,” I teased.

  He reached out and tugged on a strand of my dark hair. Mirth flashed in his eyes, and that sexy grin curving his lips kept distracting me too. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to kiss me at some point. I blinked quickly, surprised by my train of thought so soon after I’d broken up with Charles. Does this mean I didn’t love him as much as I’d thought?

  “You may think you have a handle on my personality.”

  I jolted back to our conversation, grateful for the distraction from my thoughts. “Oh, I do. As the middle kid, you’re trouble.” I let my gaze linger on the wound then travel to a few other faint scars. “Maybe a thrill seeker too? With an older and a younger brother, you probably had to fight for attention, which caused you to act out. Maybe you’re a little wild?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  His voice dropped to a sexy purr, and I fought a full-body shiver. We were getting into dangerous territory. Part of me, the side that felt used and betrayed by what Charles had done, welcomed it. But even with Xander’s flirting, he never made me feel like an object, unlike Charles, with his roaming eyes and inability to focus or care about what I had to say.

  Again, my gaze strayed to Xander’s lips. I couldn’t fight against the pull he had over me. He picked up on the cue and leaned toward me, catching another stray lock of my dark hair and tucking it behind my ear. I shivered despite the heat. His fingers trailed lower then hooked behind my neck, pulling me closer. When we were an inch apart, he paused, giving me time to pull away. I didn’t want to. I inhaled sharply. Then his lips brushed over mine, slowly and softly. With each pass, my head swirled, and our surroundings faded.