“You were drunk!” she snapped.
“Not that drunk.”
“And you were pissed he grabbed me before you could.”
Okay, she had me there. I gaped at her for a moment before Kelly reached us.
“So, uh, what’s going on guys? Are we gonna do this or what?”
“Yeah,” I said glaring at Lyndsey. “We’re gonna do this. But, you two had better take this side of the street, and I’ll take the other. For some reason I feel like being alone.” I flung the words at Lyndsey as I grabbed a stack of flyers out of Kelly’s hands and stormed off to the other side of the block.
Lyndsey
I watched, speechless for once, as Nick stomped off across the street, punching a telephone poll on his way. I cringed as he shook his hand out afterwards. That had to hurt, and I wondered if he went around punching things a lot. I really hoped he didn’t.
When I finally looked back at Kelly, she was standing there with a really amused look on her face.
“Uh, sorry about that, we sort of disagreed about something,” I told her as we walked further down the block.
“So is that what they’re calling it these days?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Disagreeing? Looked an awful lot like you’ve got the hots for each other.”
I huffed out a breath. “Well, it’s not.”
“Ohhhkay,” she said, as we walked up to a door and she handed me the flyer she’d just rolled to place in the door handle.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to be a bitch, but trust me, he’s a lot more interested in you for that kind of thing then he is in me,” I said.
We walked back down to the sidewalk and Kelly suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh no. No, no, no. You thought that Nick . . . and me?” She struggled to control the giggles for a moment. “Let me put that one to rest. I’ve got a fiancé, Ian, and Nick and I are just surfing buddies. We met this summer when he came to live with Gabe. Nick and my fiancé get along great. Nick’s a good guy, but not my type.”
I could feel the heat rising in my face. “God, that’s kind of embarrassing. I just thought . . . I mean, you seemed really happy to see each other . . .”
Kelly smiled at me and suddenly I liked her a lot more. “It’s fine, I can see where you’d get the wrong idea. When you spend a lot of time out on the waves with someone you kind of bond, you know? It’s a surfer thing. Do you surf?”
“Actually Nick was teaching me last weekend.”
“He’s damn good, I bet he was a great teacher. You should come out with us sometime, we’d give you some pointers too.”
We were heading up the walkway of the third house on the block at this point, and at the suggestion that I go surfing with Kelly and her group I couldn’t help glancing across the street to where Nick was talking to a little old lady in her front yard. I didn’t realize I’d slowed down, caught up in the view of his long tan legs in a pair of gray-and-white board shorts, and his broad shoulders under a tight black T-shirt. He was hamming it up for the old lady, and she was smiling away. He’d probably be the highlight of her day.
“He actually is a nice guy,” Kelly murmured next to my ear as she moved by and headed up to the next house.
I stopped my gawking and quickly followed her. “So, what’s his story anyway? He was in Afghanistan, but he made it pretty clear he doesn’t talk about it.” I stepped up onto the wooden stairs of the house porch, and they creaked loudly.
She nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, before he got to town Gabe warned us about that. He only said that something really bad happened, and Nick was partly at fault, so he’s had a hard time dealing with it. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be in a war zone and have all that responsibility. You screw up and people die, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said, visions of little girls swinging in parks flickering through my mind, “It’s a hell of a lot of responsibility.”
Nick
My fucking hand hurt, but I was in the midst of trying to charm an older woman into taking a flyer from me, so I couldn’t do much about it. As she chattered on about her dachshund and how much he ate each day, I cursed my own lack of control. Why had I let my temper get the best of me like that? I didn’t think I’d broken anything but I knew I’d bruised the shit out of my hand and needed to get it on ice. I had my issues with panic, but losing my temper had never been my thing. Except, apparently, when Lyndsey was around. This was the second time I’d punched something because of her and I needed to get a handle on it. Not only did it hurt like fuck, but I was liable to scare her and every other woman within a mile away for good.
I finally managed to say my farewells diplomatically to old Mrs. Whitcomb—we were BFFs now—and made my way down to the last block of our assigned street. I kept a low-profile eye on Kelly and Lyndsey, not wanting to get too far from them in case anyone gave them trouble, but so far they seemed to be doing fine. The air outside was really clear, so I could smell the diesel of trucks that sped by on the highway a few blocks to the north. It gave me a headache that added to the painful hand.
I was coming down the walk from a super seedy looking place that had a big doberman pinscher lunging at me in the front window, when Gabe came pulling up in his POS VW Jetta, surfboard sticking out of the sunroof.
“Dude!” he hollered as he climbed out of the door and slammed it. I made my way down to him but pulled my hand back before he could high-five me.
“What’s going on?” he asked, looking confused.
“I hurt my hand.” Master of the obvious.
“How?” He looked at it as I held it up in front of him. Bruises were starting to show across the backs of my fingers.
“Telephone pole,” I said without elaborating.
“Wait . . .what?”
“Don’t worry about it, man. How were the waves?”
Gabe shrugged, turning his attention back to my face. “Super sweet. Had some great rides, but then a tour boat descended and it got too crowded.”
“Well, you’ve missed all the excitement . . . and all the work, of course. This is my last block.” Gabe smirked at me, undoubtedly proud of himself for his impeccable timing. “But, Kelly Karp is here and so is Lyndsey from The Grill.”
“Your Lyndsey?” Gabe nearly shouted as he started craning his neck every which direction to spot her.
“She’s not my Lyndsey,” I gritted out, “and why don’t you shout it a little louder because I don’t think the people over on Lanikaula Street heard you.”
He started laughing. “Chill out, dude, it’s all good. So, where are the lovely ladies?”
I looked across the street where they were finishing the last house on the block. They came down the walkway and saw Gabe and me before they said something to one another and headed our direction.
“They’re on their way over, and you’re giving me a ride back to campus to get my truck by the way.”
“Of course I am. I’m giving all three of you a ride back to campus,” he responded, just as Kelly and Lyndsey walked up to join us.
After greeting the girls and watching Gabe make an ass out of himself in front of them, I looked at the Jetta, the surfboard, and the four of us and rethought my plans for getting back to campus. “Gabe, we’ll never all fit in here, I’ll just walk back.”
“Shut up you big baby.” He raised his eyebrows at me and then looked very obviously at Lyndsey. “Of course we’ll fit, but Kelly has to sit in front because she’s the smallest. Rosie doesn’t want to share with your big ass.”
Lyndsey looked at Gabe warily. “Who’s Rosie?” she whispered to me out of the side of her mouth.
“Gabe’s surfboard.”
“He named it?” She sounded amused as she opened the back door and checked out the small backseat. There was a giant duffle bag on one half, the top end of the surfboard sticking up through the middle and a tiny space behind Gabe’s seat on the side of the car where we were standing.
I bent down next to her,
looking at that tiny space and then my own 6’2” frame. “He names everything,” I said, my head right next to hers.
She cleared her throat, and I could see her stifling a smile. “Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
At this point Gabe had gotten in, wedged Kelly next to Rosie in the front passenger seat and started up the engine, vintage surf tunes blasting out of the stereo.
“Get the hell in, Nick, everyone’s waiting on you.”
“Dude, can you move your seat up?” “No.”
“Well then I’ll have to walk, because I can’t squeeze my legs in there. There’s only about four inches of space between your seat and mine, and that’s not even dealing with where the hell Lyndsey’s supposed to sit.”
“Just get in the damn car, Nick,” he replied, winking at me in the side view mirror.
Okay, so now we were entering familiar territory. I had a stubborn streak a mile wide and no one but no one set it off easier than Gabe.
“Nope, not getting in, can’t fit my legs, can’t fit Lyndsey.”
“Just sit her on your lap.” He drummed on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.
“Dude, maybe she doesn’t want to sit on my lap. Did you think of that?”
“She doesn’t mind, do you Lyndsey? Taking a seat on Nick’s hot, muscular legs? It’s every girl’s dream.” He winked at her over his shoulder.
Lyndsey looked like she was ready to bolt screaming down the street. Kelly giggled, which just encouraged Gabe.
I shook my head and peered at Lyndsey, then I lowered my sunglasses and looked over the top of the lenses at her. “I really can walk,” I offered.
She cleared her throat and said tentatively, “No, it’s fine, let’s just get in.”
“Are you sure?” She’d been ready to tear me a new one only an hour or so before, I didn’t imagine she was too interested in cozying up with me right now.
“Really, it’s fine.”
“Dude!” Gabe hollered. “It’s fine. Get. The hell. In. The car.”
Thoroughly defeated I sat down on the edge of the seat and squeezed my legs in behind Gabe’s seat. The vinyl was hot, and it felt like my knees were somewhere directly under my chin. I knew I must look ridiculous.
But the next part was even worse. Lyndsey held on to the top of the doorframe and swung her legs across mine so she was sitting sideways on my lap. I managed to get the door closed behind her and she leaned back against it giggling. She wiggled around trying to get comfortable, and I gritted my teeth to keep from groaning at the zing that shot through my crotch when her wiggling brought her into contact with certain newly attentive parts of my anatomy.
“Uh, Lyndsey,” I said, my voice weirdly hoarse. “Can you sit still for a minute?”
She quit moving and looked at me curiously. “Did I hurt you?” She sounded so concerned. I couldn’t believe I’d made her worried about me when the only thing wrong was my rapidly swelling dick.
“Not exactly,” I said clearing my throat and trying really hard to remember the formations we’d marched in during basic training at Fort Benning. “I just need you to sit still for a minute.”
She froze, and peered at me. I smiled, although it probably looked more like a grimace as I tried to get under control while I breathed in the scent of coconuts from her hair and felt the heat of her skin. All that kept going through my mind was: damn it, what am I going to do with this girl?
Lyndsey
He asked me to quit moving, so I did. It took me a second to realize why he was saying that, but when I felt him hard underneath me I got it. God. I saw his chest rising and falling as he breathed slowly. When my gaze reached his eyes, my own breath caught. He looked at me with this languid expression, like he had all day to peruse me. Like he wanted to take all day to peruse me. You can’t have him. You can’t have him, I chanted in my head.
“Hey,” he said quietly, and the rest of the car ceased to exist for me. The blaring music, Gabe’s terrible jokes, Kelly’s little glances in the rearview mirror, it all faded away.
I swallowed, overwhelmed by how sexy his voice sounded. It was the kind of voice you’d expect from a guy when you lay in bed together after really rocking sex. Low and satisfied.
“Yeah?” I whispered back.
“I’m sorry about before—the fighting. I still don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m sorry. I would never upset you on purpose. I mean you don’t know me very well yet, but I hope you know that at least.”
I struggled with where to put my hands for a few minutes, resting them on my lap, with my elbows pinched in to my sides, but I finally gave in and moved one hand up to his shoulder, unable to resist running my fingers through his silky hair. He sighed and his eyes shut for a moment.
I looked at his hands, now smoothing across my thighs in little circular patterns, like his fingers had a life of their own. “I know you didn’t mean to make me mad,” I said. “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you. You didn’t do anything wrong, I was taking stuff out on you that I shouldn’t have.”
He smiled at me, and it wasn’t his usual cocky grin, or his come and get me grin, but a really sweet, almost sad smile. “I never got the chance to ask why you work for SOaDA, Lyndsey.”
I felt myself stiffen, as he slipped inside my head. “Mostly it’s a good cause.” I lied. “But also, I had a friend once whose boyfriend did some stuff to her. I always wished that there’d been a group like SOaDA for her.”
“So no one’s ever hurt you though, right? I mean I’m guessing there’s a lot of girls in the group who’ve been hurt by guys.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right, but I’m not one of them.” I lied some more.
“That’s good,” he said even more quietly as he reached out and took a lock of my hair between his fingers. “Because I’m really not a violent guy, Lyndsey, but I’d have to kill anyone who ever hurt you.”
Chapter 5
Lyndsey
Tuesday after classes I headed straight over to The Grill to get set up for the afternoon. When I arrived only Leesa was there, which was unusual, but not unheard of.
“Where’s the old man?” I asked, using her nickname for Raoul. I tied my apron on and started prepping things to take out to the tables.
Leesa didn’t turn from the stove as she answered. “Oh, he’s running a few errands, checking in with the doctor, stuff like that.”
“Is he still feeling sick?” In over two years at The Grill I’d never known Raoul to miss a day of work, be sick, or go to a doctor.
Leesa glanced at me briefly over her shoulder. “Did I ever tell you how we met?” she asked.
“No, and I can’t believe I’ve never asked about that.”
“Well, you should hear all about it, girl. Come sit.” She patted the tall barstool that she sometimes used while she was chopping vegetables.
She leaned against the countertop next to me and got a wistful look. “When I was just a little bit younger than you are now I met this man. Oh, he was handsome, and all the girls wanted to get with him. I was waiting tables at this little place down on Mamala Bay, and he was the new short order cook. The other waitresses would spend all their time back in the kitchen flirting with him, and then we’d get all these female customers who wanted to sit at the counter instead of at the tables.”
“Why at the counter?” I asked, confused for a moment.
“Because, girl, they could see into the kitchen from there. They’d watch our short order cook working away in his sleeveless shirt.”
I laughed. “So, what happened with you and this guy?”
“Well, after he’d dated just about every other woman in a five mile radius, he came up to me one day and said, ‘So, you ready for your turn yet?’”
“He did not!” I shrieked. “Oh, my God!”
“Shh, shh. Yes, he did say that, and I told his big sexy self that I had no intention of ‘taking a turn’ with an
yone. I said, ‘I’m a lot of woman, so I’m doing you a favor by telling you that if you date me, you won’t be able to handle anyone else.’”
I laughed and gave Leesa a high five before she continued.
“Well, he stood there and thought about it for a minute and then he said, ‘Okay. Just you and me, this next weekend. I’ll pick you up at your house at seven on Saturday.’ Then he walked off. We never talked about it again, and that Saturday at 7:00 p.m. he showed up at my mama’s house and took me out.”
I was totally taken in by the story at this point, but Leesa paused to walk over to the small fridge she kept on the counter by the door to the bar. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of ginger ale. After she popped the lid off, she came back and handed it to me. She knew me too well. I smiled at her and took a big swig, relishing the spicy taste as the first bubbles popped in my throat.
“Sooo? What happened?” I asked, certain that Raoul was going to make an entrance in the story and save her from the arrogant short order cook.
“Well, we started dating. He’d bring me flowers at work and take me out every weekend. I tried not to fall for him, but oh girl, he was something else.” I saw the foggy look on her face and had to smile at her remembering this hot, young guy that she had crushed on once upon a time.
“We’d dated for about two months, and we’d had the most wonderful time for all of it, so I decided that maybe I was ready to sleep with him.” She looked at me and winked. I could feel my face heating up and turning red, but I giggled too. Thinking about Leesa so young was fun.
“And did you?”
“Of course I did. I might have been a nice girl, but I was as red-blooded as any woman, and I’m telling you he was testing every bit of willpower I had.
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