The Hazards of Skinny Dipping
Page 20
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: Re: Hey
What if I was?
***
To: rbryce01@mail.com
From: amy_monroe@mail.com
Subject: One and only warning
Reed,
If you break her heart, I’ll break you.
Love,
Amy
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: One and only warning
Amy,
You have my permission to do that.
Reed
***
To: rbryce01@mail.com
From: amy_monroe@mail.com
Subject: Remember
Reed,
Remember my threat. She’s in love with you.
Amy
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: Remember
Amy,
That’s good, because I’m in love with her.
My breath hitched when I read his words even though he’d told me so many times.
***
To: rbryce01@mail.com
From: amy_monroe@mail.com
Subject: Re: Re: Remember
Reed,
Wow. Who would have thought?
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Remember
Amy,
You said it. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did.
Reed
And then they changed again.
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Help
Amy,
You have to help me. I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her.
Reed
***
To: rbryce01@mail.com
From: amy_monroe@mail.com
Subject: Re: Help
Reed,
She hates me, too. I don’t know what to do.
Amy
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Help
Amy,
I’m going to give her space, but it’s going to hurt like hell. I don’t know what else to do.
***
To: rbryce01@mail.com
From: amy_monroe@mail.com
Subject: Juliet
Reed,
She’s worth it.
Amy
***
To: amy_monroe@mail.com
From: rbryce01@mail.com
Subject: Re: Juliet
Amy,
Completely worth it.
The last document on the drive wasn’t to Amy. It was a letter to me.
Juliet,
I’ve been thinking things over every second of every day. I know I should have told you I was talking to Amy, but I was too scared to lose you. In the end, that fear was the reason I lost you. I know we belong together. No one else will ever make me feel the way you do. No one else could ever make me whole again. I’m still here—waiting. I keep thinking that, if I give you time, you’ll realize how right we really are.
Yours forever,
Reed
A box of tissues wasn’t enough. I loved Reed with everything I had. I’d needed time alone to figure things out, but I knew what I had to do.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I knocked, hoping someone in the house was up. Thankfully, a few guys playing pool heard me.
“Is he home?” I didn’t bother to say who.
“Yeah, he’s up there.”
“Good.”
I took the stairs slowly, still rehearsing what I was going to say to him.
I knocked softly, but he didn’t answer. I tried the door, and it pushed in. It was dark, but from the faint glow of the moon through the window, I saw him sleeping. He was on his back, with the sheet and comforter down around his waist, leaving his naked chest exposed. From experience, I knew the rest of him was probably naked too. He hadn’t made that up.
I kicked off my shoes and tossed my jacket on the chair before climbing in next to him.
I ran my fingers down his chest, and leaned in to whisper, “I’m ready.”
“Juliet?” His hand touched me like he was trying to make sure I was real.
“I miss you.”
He pulled me into his arms. “I’ve missed you like crazy. I’ve been out of my mind.”
“Me too.”
“Did you look at the rest of the emails?”
“Yes.”
“So, do you believe me?”
“Yes. But I’d be here even without them. I’m still a Reed addict.”
He laughed. “I hope you’re here for more than the sex.”
“Who said I was only addicted to your body?”
“Oh… it’s more?”
“Yes, it’s more. It’s all of you. It’s the way you make me feel, the way you make me smile even when I want to cry.”
“You’re crying now.” He wiped a tear off my face.
“I’m just emotional. It’s not too late, is it?”
“Of course not.” He kissed me, and I kissed back. I put everything in that kiss—the pain, the sadness, and the love. He did the same, and the kiss became something much more than merely physical.
“I know it’s late, but will you do something with me?”
“Anything.”
“You’ll need to get dressed.”
“That’s disappointing, but I’ll do it.”
I kissed his cheek. “We’ll both be getting naked later.”
“All right, that sounds like a good deal.”
I made a quick phone call while he got dressed.
“You need to drive.” I tossed Reed his keys.
“Okay…”
“Are you going to tell me who you called?”
“I called in a gate pass. We’re going to my family’s beach house.”
“That sounds great and all, but is there any particular reason why?”
“We’re going skinny dipping.”
“Isn’t it a little cold?”
“The pool is ready for the season already, and I have to do this.”
“Normally, I’d argue, but I’d probably do anything you asked right now.”
***
I stared at the water. It even looked cold. Maybe I should have just forgotten it and gone inside, but I wasn’t giving up. I pulled off my clothes and tossed them on the ground—next to the two white towels I’d remembered to grab on our way outside. Reed just watched.
“You don’t have to join me if you don’t want to. It was enough that you drove with me.” I wanted him to join me.
“This really matters to you, doesn’t it?” he asked. I could tell he was trying really hard to look at my face, but I wasn’t making it easy on him—standing there completely naked.
“Yes. But Reed?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s cold. Shut up and get naked.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” He pulled off his t-shirt, and the rest of his clothes followed.
I took in all of him. I’d never get tired of looking at him. “Ready?”
“Always.”
We jumped in holding hands. The water was even colder than I’d expected—I mean freezing. When we came to the surface, I started to laugh, really laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Everything.”
He moved to the wall and pulled me with him. “As much fun as this is, any time you’re ready to go inside, just say the word.”
“I’m ready.”
He didn’t wait another beat. He jumped out and held a towel open for me. He insisted on drying me off before drying himself. Wrapped in a towel, I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you, Reed Bryce.”
“You know I love you, Juliet Monroe.”
“I do know, a
nd that’s really—”
“Cool?”
“All I need to know.”
His lips met mine again, and I let him carry me inside. I’m sure you can guess what happened next, but what you might not know is that it was the best ever. But then again, it always is with Reed. Yeah, I said ‘is’, because we’re still together, but none of that’s part of this story. This story was about skinny dipping, remember? One last piece of advice: if you do decide to go skinny dipping, make sure to bring a towel.
Keep reading for a preview of Alyssa Rose Ivy’s Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance, Flight (The Crescent Chronicles). For more information about Alyssa Rose Ivy’s books, please visit her online at:
www.AlyssaRoseIvy.com
www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
AlyssaRoseIvy@gmail.com
Flight
the
crescent chronicles
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Preface
Closing my eyes, I tried to block it all out. Convinced I was about to die, I was only partly aware of his arms around me.
“You said you wanted an adventure,” he said quietly, teasingly, as he tightened his hold.
My stomach dropped out as an intense and complete feeling of weightlessness engulfed me. The wind stung my face as memories flooded my mind. I thought of my parents, of all the things I wanted to tell them but never did, my friends from home, and the experiences I longed for. Quickly my thoughts changed to more recent memories, to Levi.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered, somehow knowing my eyes were clenched shut.
Against my better judgment, I listened. The scream died in my throat as we hurtled toward the water that had seemed so beautiful from the roof above.
Chapter One
I’d sworn off men, or really boys, because those were the only type of males I tended to attract. The numbers on the pump moved painfully slow as I reminded myself of the decision. Tying my hair up in a knot on the top of my head, I struggled to save my neck from the heat created by my long brown hair. Even a ponytail wasn’t enough for the Mississippi heat. I had heard all about the hot summers of the south, but I didn’t expect the temperatures to be quite so scorching in June. I was terrified to think about what August would feel like.
Finally finished with the gas, I got back in the car to wait impatiently for my best friend Jess. We were only a few hours away from New Orleans, but after two days of driving, every minute was torture. I started the engine and turned the AC on high before leaning back into the comfortable seat. The new car smell still permeated my Land Rover, an over the top high school graduation gift from my father. I loved it and appreciated the gift but wished my dad had checked with me before special ordering it in what he believed was my favorite color—lavender. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that purple had stopped being my favorite when I was five.
After a few minutes, Jess slid into the passenger seat. “Want some chips or soda?” she asked while smoothing out her blond hair, putting a few strands back in place behind her ear. The effort was wasted. Her hair was still messy and matched the flushed expression she wore.
“Please tell me you didn’t make out with someone to get free chips.” I rolled my eyes hoping she would surprise me just this once by not having done it. We had been best friends since the sixth grade, and she had been boy crazy the whole time I’d known her.
“I didn’t make out with him for the chips; I did it because he was hot.”
Stifling a laugh, I pulled back out onto the road toward I-59. “Sure.”
“We’re only young once. Don’t be so uptight.” Jess snapped her gum loudly.
“Hey, it’s fine, but don’t come complaining to me when you get some weird communicable disease from one of the random guys you hook up with.”
“Allie, I love you, but you have to relax. Promise me you’ll at least try to have fun this summer.” She sighed dramatically.
“I’ll try,” I said with exaggerated frustration. I planned to have a great summer, just one that didn’t involve guys.
“That’s not good enough. You’re not going to let Toby ruin the entire summer are you? So you dated a jerk, who cares, forget about him.”
“I’m not going to let Toby ruin anything. I’m the one who dumped him, remember?” Thinking about Toby threatened to put me in a worse mood. He had only been the latest in a string of disappointing dating experiences. First there was Steve, we broke up when I found him cheating on me—with my best guy friend. After that was Matthew, who took commitment phobia to a whole new level when he actually set a cap on how often I could text message him. With Toby it wasn’t anything dramatic, the romance just didn’t live up to my expectations. Somehow, his declarations of how great of a power couple we would make didn’t cut it. As relieved as I was about avoiding him all summer, I still had to deal with him at Princeton in the fall.
“So does that mean you’re ready to move on?” Jess asked excitedly.
“No. I told you, I’ve sworn off men.”
“Sweetheart, you do realize that men have many valuable roles other than boyfriends, right? Instead, how about you swear off boyfriends and just have fun?”
“I don’t care what you do with guys, but I am never going to be the girl that just hooks up, okay?”
“We’ll see about that.”
Wanting to avoid a fight, I decided to ignore her last comment. Sometimes it was easier to let her think she won.
When I didn’t answer, she decided to continue. “Maybe getting away from high school boys will help.”
“Maybe,” I mumbled under my breath.
She appeared not to hear me and changed the subject. “It was so cool of your dad to let us come down and hang out at the hotel all summer!”
“You mean it was cool of him to give us jobs, right?” I tried to keep a straight face, but really, I wasn’t surprised by her choice of words. When Dad called to ask if I wanted to work at a hotel he had recently purchased in New Orleans, I agreed only if Jess could come with me. She wouldn’t be much use as a coworker but she did have the ability to make any situation fun. I was counting on her working her magic.
***
The Crescent City Hotel looked exactly as I expected; a historic building complete with wrought iron balconies and the dangling ferns that were in every picture I had seen of the French Quarter. Following along with the GPS, I turned onto Royal Street and pulled up front to the valet, not sure where I was supposed to park. Before I could worry for long, my dad knocked on the window.
He opened the door once I unlocked it, taking my hand to help me out. “Hey sweetie, how was the trip?” He pulled me into a hug as soon as my feet hit the pavement. If you didn’t know any better you’d think we had a normal father-daughter relationship.
“It was fine, we made great time.”
“Hi Mr. Davis!” Jess yelled as she ran around the car.
“Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you were able to come down with my Allie.”
“Of course! Thanks again for the job!”
“It’s my pleasure; I hope you girls have a nice time.” He caught my eye over Jess’s head. Even as little as he knew Jess, he was under no misconceptions about her work ethic.
Dad glanced behind him, lifting a finger and a bellhop a little older than us started unloading bags from the back of the car. Before he had finished moving our bags to the cart, Jess was already chatting him up. With my dad watching, the poor guy was trying to stay professional.
“Let’s go Jess.” I grabbed her arm and led her inside. Dad had already gone ahead.
The lobby felt huge, much larger than it looked from the outside. All the money my dad had poured into the updates showed. Large travertine tiles covered the floor and dark wainscoting framed the room, while a beautiful chandelier with dangling crystals helped light the space. The etched glass in the sidewall that bore the name of the hotel typified the way he had modernized the hotel without losing all
its historical character. I especially loved the solid mahogany bar. I’d like to say my dad had an eye for design, but I’m sure he had nothing to do with the selections. The fact that he was even at the hotel was surprising. He usually oversaw his properties from afar.
Looking up from the bar, I locked eyes with an incredibly hot guy. At over six feet tall with brown hair and wearing a tight shirt that barely concealed his muscular arms and chest, it would have been impossible not to notice him. He smiled at me and I found myself smiling back before I snapped myself out of it. Ignoring the invitation in his smile I quickly looked away. “You swore off men,” I reminded myself.
“Do you girls want to see your room or get some lunch first?” my dad asked, relieving me of my thoughts about the guy.
“See our room,” I answered quickly. “Is that okay, Jess?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said distantly. I didn’t bother looking, assuming she had found the same distraction.
My dad laughed as he led us to the elevators. “I put you girls in a suite on the top floor.”
The elevator reached our floor and we walked toward our room. It came as no surprise, but our suite was luxurious. Jess and I each had our own room with a bathroom and we shared a large common living space complete with a kitchenette. Two French doors in the main living area opened out onto a balcony overlooking the street below.
“Wow Dad, you really didn’t need to give us this suite for the whole summer.”