Sweet Alibi

by Adriane Leigh

  A sexy chuckle escaped Tristan’s throat. “Sounds like they’re about done,” he said, taking another sip of his wine. Heat flashed to my cheeks at Drew and Gavin's love fest down the hall.

  A few minutes later Drew sashayed out of her room, Gavin’s hand in hers and a dopey look on her face. Gavin wore a happy grin and raised his eyebrows when he caught Tristan’s gaze. I rolled my eyes at the unspoken macho gloating that passed between them. Damn Drew and her insistence on bringing her latest man candy to moan and groan with all summer.

  “That's the best manicotti I’ve ever had.” Gavin rested his feet on the railing of the porch. We were lounging on the deck overlooking the ocean after dinner. Beer bottles, wine glasses, laughter, and easy conversation floated between us. Dinner had been a success―Gavin ate three helpings alone.

  “Glad you liked it,” I said as Silas lifted the wine bottle and poured more into my glass as well as his own. Drew was perched on Gavin's lap with one arm draped around his neck, her other hand holding a wine glass. Gavin caressed her thigh with one hand while holding a beer in the other. I watched and felt a yearning in the pit of my stomach for Kyle.

  Silas sat in a lounge chair and I on the floor leaning against his legs. Tristan was across from us, a relaxed grin tipping his lips. The setting sun glinted off the golden streaks in his hair. I wanted to run my fingers through his tousled locks. My eyes traveled from the high cheekbones and the stubbled jaw to the neckline of his shirt. I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers along that delicious jawline that looked like it was cut in stone and trail my tongue from his collarbone up his neck and land at the smooth skin under his ear.

  “Georgia?” Drew nudged me with her bare foot.

  “Huh?” My eyes bolted to the dark green depths that were watching me thoughtfully. Damn, he'd caught me.

  “Distracted?” Drew arched an eyebrow at me.

  “No.” I took a sip of my wine to divert myself from the Drew inquisition.

  “Gavin asked when you were hoping to start renting out the house.”

  “It would be great if I could get some people in before the end of the season, but if it doesn't happen until next, that's okay.”

  Gavin nodded in response.

  “We should go out tonight. Wilmington has a few clubs,” Silas spoke up from behind me.

  “Yes, let’s go out. I want to dance.” Drew wiggled in Gavin's lap and nipped at his lips. He slid his hand further up her thigh to land at her hip.

  “Looks like that's not all you want to do,” I smirked.

  “Shut it.” Drew admonished. “What do you say, G?”

  “I'm in for the night. But you guys should go,” I replied.

  “I'm not going without you.”

  “Don't be such a downer, love.” Silas shook my shoulders playfully.

  A giggle escaped my throat as the wine’s effect fizzed around my brain. “Next time I will. Promise.”

  “Party pooper.” Silas frowned when I turned to him.

  “Did you just call me a party pooper?”

  “If the shoe fits, love.” he said before Rihanna’s Rude Boy chimed from his phone. “Oh, something more interesting may have just developed.” He slid from his chair and answered the phone in a flirty voice. Silas had countless guys he was talking to at any given time. I’d overheard more than a few sexy phone calls that had me blushing at the memory.

  I turned back to Drew and found her making out with Gavin. He'd set down his beer and both hands were caressing her body―from her legs, up her torso, around her back, and back down.

  “I'm going to take a walk,” I mumbled as I stood.

  “I'll join you.” Tristan followed me down the steps to the beach. Thoughts blurred across the landscape of my brain as I sought an excuse to bow out. Don't get wrapped up in this charming stranger.

  “Thanks for letting Gavin and I tag along this summer. He's not much company now, but once you get to know him, he's a pretty cool guy.”

  “Sure. Drew would probably have driven me insane if she'd had to be separated from him all summer.” I took a sip of the fruity pinot coloring my glass.

  “Well, whatever the reason you said yes, I appreciate it. It's great to get away for a while. It's also the farthest I’ve sailed the boat, so that was a great experience.”

  “How was the trip up?” I could see a small smile playing on his lips as he watched me.

  “Pretty good. I’m glad Gavin decided to drive―he’s a pain in the ass on a boat.” He brought the glass of wine to his lips and I watched his throat move as he swallowed, thinking again of running my tongue up the line of his neck. Everything about him was unbelievably sensual.

  He brought the glass down and held it lightly in his right hand, his thumb caressing the rim slowly. The thought of his fingers tracing across my sensitive skin…God, every movement he made seemed carnal. Each glance oozed with sex, like lava seeping into my bones and turning them to molten jelly.

  Oh please, Georgia. He's a ladies’ man. Every single move is calculated, like an African cat moving in for the kill.

  “Gavin's not experienced?” I shook the erotic thoughts from my brain and continued the conversation.

  “Oh, he's experienced,” he crooked a grin my way with amusement dancing in his eyes, “but with sailing, no.”

  I laughed. “Are you experienced? With sailing, I mean?” Oh my God, was I flirting with him? I needed to clear my thoughts of this ridiculously sexy man. My cheeks flushed, a little from the wine and mostly from the delectable guy walking beside me.

  “Master sailor.” One corner of his mouth lifted salaciously. My stomach did a traitorous flip-flop. I turned to watch the silver rays of moonlight reflecting off the water. We walked down the beach in silence. The wet sand beneath my feet was cool and soft, the waves occasionally lapping my toes with the still-too-cool May water. Tristan laughed and shook his head every time I ran from them.

  “Trade places then.” I maneuvered and gave him a playful shove into the cold water. As soon as my hand connected with his bicep, fire flared through my fingertips. My hand tightened for a breathless moment before I let go. The giggle died in my throat when I thought of the ramifications of this connection I’d had with him since we'd met―dangerous things could happen this summer.

  “God, that is cold.” His eyes washed over me with a laugh. I tried to relax and tell myself to stay away from him to avoid the flips in my stomach whenever he was close.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, just thinking about things.”

  He nodded before taking another sip of wine. “Are you and Silas…a thing?” he asked without looking at me. I coughed on the liquid going down my throat.

  “Uh, no. Not ever. Never,” I laughed.

  “It seems…complicated.”

  “It's not. He's like my brother…my family, for all intents and purposes. His family kicked him out at sixteen when he told them he was gay and he hasn’t spoken to them since. He's just always been there.” I shrugged thoughtfully.

  “You’ve known him for that long?”

  “No. We met in college. He's from Utah. His parents are pretty religious; they didn't take well to a gay son. His grandma in Raleigh took him in. He finished high school there and we met at Duke.”

  “That's good that he has some family.”

  “Had. She passed away our last year of college. She left him everything―she'd written his parents out of the will for what they did to him. He was sole inheritor to everything she had, which was a lot, and the reason Silas can afford to…float through life, I guess you could say.”

  “He doesn't work?”

  “Sometimes. He's tried his hand at a few things, but it's never long before he moves on to the next. He's in between things at the moment, so he was eager to spend the summer on the beach with me.”

  “I'm glad he has you then. You seem inseparable.”

  “Where I go, Silas goes. He moved in with us for a while; Kyle
didn't love that, but he knew better than to question it.” He didn’t question it because he was hardly around when I’d sunken into another depression and had known if Silas hadn’t been with me, I would have fallen headlong over the cliff.

  “Kyle?”

  “My boyfriend. He's back in D.C., trying for a promotion at his law firm, so he couldn't come for the summer.”

  “Ah. You’ve been together a long time?” Tristan’s eyes turned to meet mine. Butterflies raged in my stomach. Why was I hesitant to answer this question? Yes, we’ve been together a long time. I love him. I'm going to marry him. We’re going to have kids. We’ve planned it since we were fifteen.

  I didn't say any of those things though. “Yeah, since high school.”

  He only nodded in response. We walked quietly. The sun had set hours ago and only the bright light of the moon guided us along the shore.

  “Drew mentioned you were escaping some lady problems in Jacksonville.”

  “She told you that, huh?” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “She did.” A wry smile curved my lips.

  “I was seeing someone…sort of…briefly. She wanted more and I didn’t. It didn’t go over well,” he finished.

  My mind conjured a blonde bimbo, all long legs and platinum hair, keying his car. Whatever he'd done, I'm sure he'd deserved it. Commitment-phobes irked me.

  We walked a while silently before we drifted closer and our shoulders grazed. Nerves tingled and goosebumps formed. My breathing hitched, my mind hazy with the energy that bounced between us. I slowed down and put my palm to my forehead.

  “Are you okay?” Tristan placed a warm hand on my forearm.

  “Yeah, the wine.” The wine plus Tristan’s nearness had my brain bubbling with arousal.

  “Do you need to sit?” Tristan placed his hand on my shoulder, prepared to catch me if I stumbled. Didn’t he know he was making it worse? His touch was the reason my head was spinning like a tilt-a-whirl.

  “No, we’re almost there. I'm fine.” I forced a small grin.

  “Okay, but if you need to stop, tell me, okay?” He ducked his head and his eyes blazed into mine. My breathing was short and erratic, but I still couldn't break his gaze. I slammed my eyes shut for a moment to shake the cobwebs from my brain.

  “Yeah, I'm fine.” We walked the remainder of the way back to the house with our shoulders lightly brushing. It was the most innocent and erotic touch of my life.

  Seven

  Georgia

  THE NEXT MORNING I woke early, still foggy from the wine and the walk Tristan and I had taken. We'd returned to a quiet house and I feigned exhaustion, sending us our separate ways. I’d heard Silas murmuring on the phone to one of his boy toys back home, and soon after, intimate moans and grunts echoing down the hall from Drew and Gavin's room. Those two were going to kill me. Popping in my ear buds, I fell asleep to the acoustic vocals of my favorite band.

  I stretched, facing the morning light filtering in through the window. The house was silent, but I could hear the rolling waves pounding the shore through open windows. The soothing sound of water meeting sand was becoming the soundtrack to my life. It would be sad when summer ended and I’d have to head back to the horns and sirens of the city.

  I padded to the kitchen barefoot in the oversized Duke t-shirt I’d slept in. It was old and worn, but soft against my skin―a favorite to wear to bed. I bee-lined for the coffee pot and found fresh hot coffee waiting for me.

  Who on earth would be up at this hour? I knew it wasn't Silas―it was a miracle if he was up before eleven. Drew wasn't an early morning person either. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after eight. Pouring a mug of coffee, I made my way to the French doors and found them already opened, the breeze causing the lightweight curtains to dance and twist seductively.

  Tristan relaxed in a chair, his ankle resting on the opposite knee. He looked out at the water, a cup of coffee in his hand. Gorgeous, an early riser, and a coffee drinker―could he be more irritatingly perfect?

  He faced me and a grin spread across his face.

  “Hey.” His eyes glinted in the sunlight. Oh yeah, that grin. And that delicious bed-head hair. He could be more irritatingly perfect.

  “Hey.” I cursed myself for taking my coffee out here. His hair was still shower damp with a few stray locks across his forehead. He was barefoot in a pair of worn jeans and a white t-shirt. He looked utterly edible.

  I heaved a sigh and prayed for strength to get me through the summer in the same house with this guy.

  “Morning person?” I sat and took a sip of the hot liquid.

  “Yeah, I run most mornings: run, shower, coffee, work. It’s my routine. Sleep well?” he asked.

  “Very well. Did you? Was the room okay?”

  “The room was great. The soundtrack courtesy of Gavin and Drew, not so much.”

  I chuckled. “God, I know, they’re awful. Are they like this all the time?”

  “So far, yes.”

  “Great.” I griped and he laughed back at me.

  “But waking up to waves is amazing. I love living on the water,” he said thoughtfully, returning his gaze to the horizon.

  “Me too. Have you always lived on the water?” I took a sip of coffee; the warmth caused a shiver to run down my body.

  “Yeah, I’ve had the boat a few years now and spend many nights on it during the summer.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  “It is. Have you ever?”

  “Slept on a boat, no. But I can imagine the gentle rocking lulling you to sleep.” I closed my eyes and soaked up the morning sun.

  “The rocking is good for many things,” he crooked a sideways grin, “including sleep.”

  I shook my head with a wry grin. “Funny man, huh?”

  He only shrugged. “You should let me take you sometime. On the boat, I mean.” He bit his bottom lip mischievously. I balked at all the sexual innuendo rolling off him.

  “Sounds like a good time.” My voice had an uncharacteristic lilt. Lightning jolted through my bones as my heart thundered erratically.

  “I promise you it will be.”

  A tremor pulsed across my skin. God, this man was going to be the death of me. I cleared my throat and took another sip of coffee.

  Focus, Georgia. Kyle. Remember Kyle.

  “Are you docked in Wrightsville?” I queried, trying to steer the conversation back on a safer course.

  “Just outside of town. Down the road, actually. We could go today if you'd like,” he said.

  “You’re not sick of being on the boat?”

  “Doesn’t really happen. It’s my home, more than any house on dry ground could ever be.” He took a sip from his cup.

  “Hmm.” I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. Was he asking me out? Or was he just being friendly? Probably friendly. I’d told him last night I was with someone. “Maybe we can ask the others.”

  “Well, I guarantee you’re not going to get Gavin on a boat. The one time I took him out he bitched and moaned the whole trip. Thought about throwing him overboard more than a few times.”

  “And we'll never separate Drew from Gavin,” I frowned.

  “I think she mentioned something about rolling around in bed with Gavin all day today, anyway.” He flinched. “But ask Silas. It's a great day for sailing.” He lifted his head as puffy white clouds passed over.

  “He won't be up for a while yet. Did you want to go soon?” I watched his profile. I’d never used the word “beautiful” to describe a guy before, but there was no other word to describe him. He obviously hadn't shaved since yesterday as stubble whispered along his jawline. A small moan escaped my throat before I could stop it. I closed my eyes as heat crept up my cheeks.

  “Okay? Coffee too hot?” He was gazing at me with a knowing smile. I swear he knew more than he let on. A mischievous glint flickered in his deep green eyes that had my heart galloping in my chest.

  “I'm going to get in the shower.
Thanks for the coffee.” I tipped my cup to him as I stood.

  His eyes widened for a moment before an easy grin tugged at his lips. More than a little flustered, I left him alone on the porch.

  There was a text message on my phone when I returned to my room.

  Miss you. From Kyle. I decided to call him instead of replying to the text.

  “Hey.” I sensed a grin on his face when he answered the phone.

  “I miss you, too,” I sighed and settled cross-legged on the bed with my coffee.

  “Were you up?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I just got coffee. What are you up to?”

  “I'm just taking a break. Going into the office later.”

  “You’re working already?” I frowned. I could visualize him at the dining room table with his laptop and legal textbooks spread out. Those textbooks had become another design element in our small apartment. Stacks littered just about every room in our home.

  “Always more to be done,” he replied absentmindedly. “So how’s the beach?”

  “Great. I love it. I can't wait for you to see it.” A smile brightened my face at the thought of Kyle here. Waking up with him Sunday mornings. Coffee on the deck watching the sunrise.

  “I can't wait either. I have to get back to work. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. I'm glad you’re having a good time.”

  I frowned. The way he said it made it sound like I was on spring break. “Yeah, we’re getting a lot of work done.”

  “Great. I'll talk to you later, babe. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I said before hanging up. That was Kyle, always brief and concise, a trait he'd picked up in law school. An asset as a lawyer but not so much with your significant other.

  I finished my coffee, made my way to the bathroom, and stripped before stepping into the shower. I stood beneath the spray, letting the water relax my muscles and my mind. No nightmares last night―the first time since I’d been here. From the time we were teenagers Kyle had been soothing away the heartache left in the wake of my nightmares, but this time I was alone.