American Honey

by Heidi McLaughlin

  My first attempt to get up from the bed ends in him pinning me back down. I grab his side and tickle him gaining me the access to get up. I nearly fall over trying to get my shorts on because I’m laughing so hard. He is up within seconds and grabs me by my waist. My legs naturally lock around his waist and he almost opens the door to carry me out before he realizes he never put his pants on. He laughs as he sets me down and I dart out the door before he can catch me again.

  Chapter 9

  We spend the day at the beach mainly tanning and relaxing. I decide to get my toes wet, but that isn’t good enough for Beau. He runs up behind me, pulling me close enough to him that every fiber in my body reacts. Then throws me into the water. When I come up, I laugh as I swim up to him. A rare moment occurs for me as I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him softly and tenderly. Beau is awakening my inner self that wants to feel all these normal things you should be able to. Rob and Sienna come to join us and by the end of the day, we are all worn out. I never applied sunscreen and now I’m paying for it.

  Beau sits beside me with a bottle of Aloe Vera and slowly rubs it in a circular motion on my shoulders and back. A soft moan escapes my lips because of how good he’s making this feel. For a split second, I almost forget that I have a sunburn.

  “Aren’t you going to be a nurse one day? How could you not remember to put sunscreen on?” he jokes.

  I shoot him a dirty look and mock his laugh. “I just forgot, it happens. At least you’re here to make it better. Hey, how did you know that? I didn’t tell you.” We haven’t really shared too many intimate details about one another yet. Not knowing whether I’ll ever see him again once I leave, is stopping me from that.

  “Sienna told me and I’ll make anything better for you that I can Shay. Just say the word and I’ll do it.” He says in that perfect husky voice.

  “Well, how about you just keep doing what you’re doing, it’s so perfect.” I tell him as he continues to rub the Aloe on me.

  The movements of his hands are mesmerizing and I find myself closing my eyes and half the world falls away for a moment. I think I can hear him whisper, “Shh, it’s okay baby, just get some rest. I’ll be right here.”

  In my dreams, I go off to the perfect world where I don’t have to leave Beau. The almost too perfect world where we can almost fall in love. Love? Have I fallen off the deep end here? I don’t do love. Hell, I threw Brandon out because he said those very words to me. Beau has to be the sensible one in this, I’ll leave that to him. He seems sensible so far. Yeah, he’s slipped out that nothing can ever compare to me and he’ll do everything he can for me, but all that ends once I head back home. Short, just like every other so-called relationship I’ve ever been in. Bittersweet, well nothing has ever been this bittersweet and I’m not even sure this could be called a relationship. It’s more of a summer fling and the best damn one ever.

  I pick my sleepy head up and look over to see Beau smiling at me with those beautiful piercing blue eyes. “Hey sleepy head. I was getting ready to wake you.”

  “Hey,” I lazily grin back. “How long was I out?”

  “Only about an hour and a half.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry Beau.” I tell him.

  “You were tired, don’t you worry.” He grins as he leans in to kiss my cheek.

  My eyes roam his room until I find a box with old yearbooks sitting there. “Geez, how old are those?”

  “Aren’t you sunburnt still? You should be lying still.” He says quickly trying to change the subject.

  “Are those—“

  “Yeah Shay,” he cuts me off. “Those are from when I was, what did you call me? Busty Beau?”

  I face palm myself as I fight off the urge to laugh. “I thought you were past that.”

  “I am. You’re the one who saw the books. Want to see them? I think you are actually in this one.”

  Oh god, maybe this isn’t a good idea. He saunters over towards the box and grabs a yearbook a few books down. He flips it open as he sits beside me and begins sifting through the pages. This thing is ancient. I bust out laughing when I see Sienna’s picture. She’d die if Rob saw it. She looked like the problem child. I’m next and Christ, why do I have a side ponytail in my hair. On top of that, I have the cheesiest smile.

  “You were such a cute kid Shay.” Beau teases. I want to tease back, but I did plenty of that when we were younger.

  “Damn straight I was.” I smirk.

  When we get to Beau, I feel horrible for every mean name I ever called him. He was a chunky kid. His cheeks looked like they were filled with marshmallows, but his smile was the cutest thing ever. How did I never remember that smile? Seeing his picture, I remember every little thing about him and a tear escapes my eyes.

  “Hey, what are you crying for?” he asks.

  “I was so damn mean to you. I’m so sorry.” I say trying to stop the tears.

  “Shay, I told you I’m over it. I swear I am. It was the past and it’s over. Come here baby.”

  “Be careful,” I choke out. “the sunburn.”

  “Shhh, I got you. Hell Shay, we were kids. Kids are mean as shit to each other. I don’t blame you at all.”

  “Promise?” I say looking at him with tear-stained eyes.

  “With all my heart. I mean, I used to blame you, but I was also a fat kid so what did I know?” He tells me and yep, my heart just dove head first onto the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Beau Granger is it for me, but the distance may as well make us worlds apart.

  Damn cruelty. Damn it to hell. I smile the best I can and lean in to kiss him. He kisses me with so much force that if I weren’t sitting already, my knees would be weak. It just blows my mind that someone can have this effect on me. He tries to remove my shirt, but it brushes the burn and I whimper. God, I crave his touch, but the sun is stopping us.

  “Sorry baby, I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

  “Not your fault, remember the nursing student forgot her sunscreen.” I joke.

  “I’m so glad I ran into you. You have no idea Shay. I think I would have lived a miserable life if none of this had ever happened.” He tells me.

  “I seriously doubt that. Have you looked in the mirror? Girls must be practically throwing themselves at you. You’re like the total package Beau.” I suddenly wish I hadn’t said that. Now I feel like a complete idiot.

  “I look in the mirror every day and all I see is an unhappy guy looking for the perfect girl. She doesn’t seem to exist though, until now and the worst part about that is, she doesn’t even live here.”

  My jaw drops and I can feel tears burning my eyes. Why are these feelings coming about when we both know there is nothing we can possibly do? I feel like God is upstairs pointing and laughing at me. The girl who never believed in love, may finally get the chance to feel and understand it, but what’s the point?

  “Why are you so unhappy though? I don’t get it.”

  “Shay, girls do throw themselves at me, but I’m not settling for just anything. I’ve watched Rob and Sienna for a while now and it drives me crazy to see what they have, knowing I don’t have it. I want to make someone’s dreams come true. I want to be the one they can’t wait to get home to, but all the girls here are the same.”

  “What do you mean they’re all the same?” I ask.

  “They’re not you.” He whispers.

  Forgetting all about the sunburn, I jump onto his lap and kiss him long and hard. His tongue tangles with mine and for a split second, I push every doubt I have far back in my mind. He’s right, I’m going to live in the moment with this. He makes me happier than anyone ever has or ever could and right now, I’m not letting that go.

  Chapter 10

  Last night Sienna and I actually came back to her house. We’ve spent so much time with the guys, we’ve hardly had much alone time. She is the reason I came down here anyway. She wants to take me to the mall, so reluctantly I get dressed and we go. I remember this mall as a kid going with Mom and i
t was so small. Now it has so many stores, we end up spending half our day there. My phone rings and I look to see my Dad calling. I miss talking to him every day, it’s weird not seeing him. I know I will be happy to see him when I get home, but at the same time, I’ll be sad I won’t be seeing someone else.

  “Hey Dad,” I say happily into the phone.

  “Hey kiddo, I just wanted to check on you and see what was going on. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yeah Dad, it’s pretty fun. I’ve gotten at least one sunburn in, so I’m good. Hopefully the last.”

  “You ready to come home yet?”

  Typical Dad, I knew that was coming. He’s all alone so I don’t blame him for asking. “Yeah Dad, you know it.” Trouble is though, I’m lying. I’m not ready to even think about it yet.

  “I’ll let you get back to whatever you and Sienna have planned for the day. I just wanted to check in on you.”

  “I love you Dad. Bye.”

  I end the call as Sienna and I walk into Express. This is truly the devils store. I end up spending way too much money by the time we walk out.

  “Let’s walk down this way, I want to go into Victoria’s Secret.” Sienna says pulling me towards her.

  We walk through the mall until we get to Victoria’s Secret. She walks over towards the panties and starts holding different pairs up. “What do you think of this one?” She says holding up the red lace pair.

  “Oh, I like this one.” I grab the black lace thong and hold it up.

  “Beau would love that one. You should buy it. Oh, and this bra!” she says pulling the bra off the shelf. She just happened to grab the right size. Lucky bitch.

  “So you’re buying the red one?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, red is Rob’s favorite color.” She blushes.

  “You two are so cute together.” I grin at her as we walk up to the cashier.

  I try not to look at the price when I hand the cashier my credit card. “So are you and Beau.” Sienna throws back at me.

  I shoot her a look begging her not to start this. She shrugs her shoulders as we walk out the store and back to her car. We finish the day with a little Orange Leaf frozen yogurt before heading back to the apartment.

  I flop on the bed and stare at my bags while Sienna goes to shower. She has a date with Rob tonight. Now that they are official, they are spending more time together. I did come down here for her, but I am so happy for her, I don’t care. We are still spending plenty of time together.

  My phone dings and I reach over immediately smiling when I see the message.

  Beau: Do you want to come over since Rob and Sienna have a date tonight?

  Me: I thought you’d never ask.

  Beau: Really? Can I come pick you up?

  Me: Sure, what time?

  Beau: How’s 6?

  Me: Perfect

  Beau: See you then beautiful.

  I set the phone down and stare at the time. It is only three in the afternoon so I have a few hours. I walk out of the room and smile widely at Sienna. “What are you smiling so big for Shay?” she asks as she digs through the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “Want one?” She holds on out to me.

  I grab the bottle and take a sip before replying, “Beau is picking me up at six and we’re going back to his place.”

  Her eyes widen and her smile becomes contagious. “Hell yeah! Wear the new bra and panties!”

  “That’s already the plan.” I say confidently.

  “I’m going to wear mine too. Rob’s going to lose his mind when he sees it. Hopefully it stays in one piece.”

  “As much as that bitch Victoria’s Secret costs, I would hope so!” I laugh. She almost spits her water everywhere from laughing so hard. This is why I love her.

  “Better watch yours, you know how Beau looks at you. He looks at you like you are a freaking goddess, but then again, you do think he looks like God.”

  I smile because he does. Just thinking about him is making me antsy to see him tonight. I can’t wait until he knocks on the door. I just may jump him and beg him to take me right there in the kitchen. I won’t have to stare at this kitchen table after this summer, so it wouldn’t matter to me.

  “He is a God and damn is he good in bed.” I can’t help but smile like a lunatic.

  “He’s that good huh?” Sienna says before her phone rings. Her eyes light up when she looks at the screen and the way she answers lets me know it’s Rob. I’d feel much more comfortable sitting in my room instead of listening to their love fest. I wave to her before stalking back to my room and I carefully pull the new bra and panties out of the bag. Men are crazy about lace, it’s like some unspoken rule. As if Beau Granger doesn’t already eat out of the palm of my hand, he definitely will be tonight.

  ***

  Rob picked Sienna up thirty minutes ago. That left me exactly thirty minutes to finish getting ready. I sprayed my perfume on before putting on my new bra and panties. I stare at myself in the mirror for a moment, happy about the reflection before me. I put on a skirt and a tank top. He didn’t say we were going anywhere but back to his house, so I am aiming to be comfortable.

  Right at six, there’s a light knock at the door. My eyes dart in that direction and butterflies overtake my stomach. The assault causes me to hold my breath. I’m trying not to rush too quickly to get to answer it. When I open the door, the sight of Beau in his tight black t-shirt makes me weak in my knees.

  “Are you ready Shay? You look beautiful.” He grabs my hand pulling my knuckles up to his lips.

  “I am.” I say as I walk out the door making sure it’s locked behind me.

  We walk hand in hand to his white Dodge Ram. Like a true gentleman, he opens the door for me. He grabs ahold of my hand in the truck and doesn’t let go until we get to his house.

  It smells amazing as we walk inside. He leads me to the kitchen where the table is set for two. There are two unlit candles that he quickly lights before pulling a chair out for me. He walks to the oven and pulls out a pan of lasagna. Carefully, he sets it on the stove and begins cutting it. He places a plate in front of me and it’s literally making my mouth water.

  “I hope you like it. It’s my grandma’s old recipe.” He tells me as he sits across from me.

  “You made this?” I ask him in awe. I know my Dad can cook, but I’ve never met a man who knew his way around a kitchen. This brings a whole new meaning to the words ‘sexy man.’

  “I did. I’ve never made it before. She talked me through it on the phone.” He says laughing a little. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

  It’s these little freaking things that he keeps doing that’s making this harder and harder for me. “It looks amazing Beau.”

  I take a bite and it melts in my mouth. “Mmmm.” I moan with my eyes closed. “This is amazing.”

  “Shay, you can’t moan like that or I swear we won’t make it through dinner. I’m trying to behave here.” He says with a strained voice.

  I take a deep breath as I finish eating without tempting him too much. His eyes never leave mine as we eat and it’s turning me on so bad. I almost want to tell him we can just eat later, but he worked so hard on this, I’m going to enjoy every single bite.

  We finish eating and I help him clean up the kitchen. In a matter of minutes we are done and he grabs me by the hand. “Was it really that good or were you just being nice?”

  “Just being nice? Hell no, that was amazing Beau! I’ve never had a guy cook like that for me before. It was delicious. Thank you so much.”

  “I’m glad you liked it, I’ll have to tell my grandma.” He smiles. He’s so proud of himself and he should be. I haven’t seen him fail at anything he’s attempted to do. He’s pretty amazing.

  I look at him seductively and swallow before I plunge off the deep end. “If you’re still hungry, I have dessert.”

  “Fuck,” he growls. “I was trying to be a gentleman tonight, but now that you’ve said that, I can’t wait any longer.”
<
br />   Before I can think, he grabs me by the waist. My heart beats rapidly in my chest as we gaze into each other’s eyes. His lips lightly brush mine before assaulting them. Yep, I should have shopped cheaper. Victoria’s Secret doesn’t stand a chance against Beau Granger.

  Chapter 11

  With ease, he carries me straight to his room. He never disappoints me and I can tell by the way my chest rises and falls with every breath I take. Dammit, Beau. Slowly, he lowers my body to the soft mattress and straddles my lap. His fingers trace the hem of my shirt and I shudder when he actually touches my skin. My body knows just how to react to him and I love it.

  His hand glides up my shirt and when it touches the bra, a preying grin appears across his lips. He raises my shirt up, tossing it on the floor before doing the same thing with my skirt. “You look so fucking sexy in lace.” He says as he trails kisses from my breasts to top of my panties.

  I suck in a breath trying to hold myself together. I don’t know what it is about him, but I want it all. The minute his hand dips below the waistband of my panties, I whimper. My body has taken control and I am more than willing to let it go. He looks at me and smiles, “How much do you like these panties?”

  “I just bought them so maybe a little.” I tell him trying to catch my breath.

  “Oh, good so you aren’t attached to them? I’ll buy you a new pair sweetheart, I promise.” He says huskily. I have no clue what he’s talking about until I hear the fabric rip. He holds the remnants of the panties from Victoria’s Secret before laying it across my stomach. “You have no idea what you do to me,” is all he says before he licks his lips and kisses my thighs.

  His tongue against my clit is enough to send me over the edge, but my body knows there is much more in store where Beau is concerned. He begins to finger me as he sucks on my clit and I practically have to fist the sheets to hold myself together. My toes are on the verge of curling and he’s continuing to work his magic. When I come, I close my eyes and float into Beau heaven. I love it in Beau heaven, my whole world stops and it’s the best feeling ever.