Bethany sighed and turned to face her friend, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her. “Jason has other friends you can talk and hang out with. My sister Ronnie will be there. Jane will be there. You’ll have fun. I bet Scott won’t even come.”
Bethany pursed her lips as she thought over what Jessica was saying. She was right. She could easily avoid Scott by hanging with the others. Besides, like she said, he probably wouldn’t even be there. He didn’t seem the type from their earlier interaction to like to hang out in a large group, anyway.
“Okay, I’m in.”
Jessica smiled. “All right. Pack an overnight bag, bitch.”
Three
Bethany
They were wrong about Scott coming that night. He was out with them and Bethany felt like she couldn’t escape him. What Jessica hadn’t mentioned to her was that some of Jason’s friends had girlfriends who glared at anyone that came close. The ones that were single had already partnered up with Jessica’s single bridesmaids and family. That meant that Bethany was sitting in the VIP booth at the club sipping her cocktail while the surrounding people made out with each other or danced.
The only other person alone was Scott, and he was glowering at anyone that seemed to step inside whatever radius he established around himself. He was sitting cool with ample space around him on one couch in their section while she was crammed into the corner of a sectional trying hard to not be squished by the couple next to her.
Seeing him sitting there slowly sipping whatever amber liquid was in his glass made her mad. So she decided to mess with him. It was only fair in her mind, after the comments he made earlier.
She heaved herself out of the plush cushion and wobbled slightly on her feet. Maybe she’d had more than she thought while she was sulking in the corner. After a few moments where she made sure she wouldn’t topple over, she carefully walked through the tangle of legs over to one of the empty spots next to Scott.
Their eyes met while she was walking toward him and she wanted to hold his gaze, show defiance, but she was more worried about falling flat on her face first, so she instead concentrated on staying upright.
When she reached him, she met his gaze briefly before turning and sinking down next to him on the couch, a foot or two separating them. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw the surprise that was written there.
Her lips curled into a smile with the knowledge that she’d put that look there. She sipped from her cocktail, looking over the club from her new vantage point. It was a little quieter here since she wasn’t sitting as close to the dance floor now. She felt like she could think now and her thoughts were on the man she was sitting next to that was looking at her like she carried the next plague.
She didn’t know him at all, but she couldn’t help but wonder who pissed in his cornflakes. From the corner of her eye, she saw him shifting in his seat, moving slightly to the right. He couldn’t move far otherwise he would risk running into the couple canoodling on the other side of him.
She drained the last of her drink and set it on the table in front of her before turning her body so she was looking at Scott. She let her eyes slowly rake over him, taking in his dark wash jeans and a gray polo that was just tight enough at the arms to show how his muscles bulged nicely.
“Are you done?” his deep voice asked.
She brought her gaze back up to his and saw he was now glowering at her again. “Sorry?” she asked, tilting her head to the side in mock confusion.
He huffed and shook his head before throwing the rest of his drink back. “Are you done ogling me?”
Her brows rose. “And if I’m not?”
He snorted. “Really? You’re going to sit there and blatantly stare at me?”
She leaned back slightly, settling more fully into the cushions behind her as she studied him. “How is my staring at you any different from any other person in here? I’m thinking the same thing when I look at them too: who are they? Why are they here? What do they do?”
“I’m sure they’re all here because they want to lose themselves in drink, not some deep philosophical reason.”
She raised one shoulder in a shrug. “Possibly.” She turned to look at the heaving bodies on the dance floor. “I look at some of them and see something else. That couple in the darkened corner dancing slower than the others? The way they’re looking at each other tells me they have some kind of relationship and probably came out to dance. That couple in the middle, practically fucking on the dance floor? They’ll probably end up in bed together shortly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t make it home before it happens.”
“So?” Scott asked, pulling her attention back to him. “So you picked out some special story with them. Doesn’t make it true or what I said any less true either.”
Bethany dipped her head. “I’ll give you that. But I think you have an awfully pessimistic outlook on it. I believe that they’re here because they want to be with people they know and love.”
“And what about you?”
“What do you mean?” she asked in confusion.
“Why are you here?”
She indicated where Jason and Jessica were on the dance floor, no space between their bodies as they moved to the beat of the music. “I’m here because my best friend asked me to be.”
“That’s the only reason?”
“I’m not sure what other reason you’re looking for?” She really didn’t understand where he was going with this line of questioning or what its purpose was.
“Are you here to hook up?”
“I told you I was here for my best friend.” She still wasn’t sure what it was he was going for. It made no sense that he was asking this when she’d already answered.
A smirk crossed his face briefly before it dropped. “Okay. So she’s out there, why are you still over here? Shouldn’t you be over there with her then?”
She glanced at Jessica and saw she and Jason were now basically eating each other’s faces. She looked back at Scott. “Really? You want me to interrupt that right there?”
The smirk that briefly made an appearance a few moments before was back in full force now. “Then why are you still here?”
Bethany was taken aback. What was it with this guy? He was such an asshole. And yet…she could almost excuse him for it because he was so nice to look at.
She felt a shiver of anticipation work its way through her at the thought that she should turn the tables on him. “Well, we’ve talked all about me. What about you? Why are you here?”
Scott leaned back and looked at her thoughtfully. She continued. “If you say you’re here for your best friend, I think you already know the next question I’ll ask.”
She leveled a stare at him and hoped she looked intimidating and not that little bit of drunk she was now feeling. The alcohol was now catching up to her.
“I’ll give you your argument,” he said, raising a hand, bringing a waitress over. “Another scotch on the rocks and whatever she was drinking.”
“Hanky Panky.”
“What?” Scott asked, shooting her a weird look.
“That’s what I was drinking.”
“There’s a drink called that?”
“Yep, and it’s on special tonight.”
Scott rolled his eyes and looked out to the dance floor. She used the opportunity to look at him again. She sighed. He was too attractive for words, really, and she would give just about anything to know what he was rocking underneath his innocuous clothing, but she knew that would likely never happen. He hadn’t liked her from the start, for whatever reason.
The waitress walked back with their drinks and Bethany smiled her thanks as she took her drink from her. She sipped it and enjoyed the delicious sweetness from the vermouth dancing over her tongue before swallowing it.
When they were alone again, she snuck a glance at Scott and noted the scowl on his face. She was regretting coming to sit next to him in her quest to… what? Antagoniz
e him purposefully? All she’d gotten out of it was a decent drink and more confusion.
She decided she’d rather go sit by the bar and maybe try to pick up someone random there than sit next to Mr. Buzzkill himself.
She stood and slowly left the VIP section, forcing herself to not turn back to look at Scott as she wound through the pulsating crowd to a stool at the bar slightly away from most of the crowd. She slid onto the chair and sucked on the straw sticking out of her drink slowly, scanning the bar.
Her eyes paused when she got a clear view of the VIP area where Scott was glowering at her. She raised her drink in a mock salute and finished the rest, waving the bartender down to order another.
After receiving her drink and adding it to the tab, she turned back to the room. Her eyes immediately snagged on Scott again, who was still looking at her, but not her face. If she was a betting woman, she’d say he was looking at her legs, which were on almost full display from where the short skirt of the gold sequin dress she was wearing had ridden up, exposing the top part of her thigh.
She shifted in her seat, tugging her dress down before adjusting her top. It had dipped too low with the tugging. It seemed she’d have to deal with a short skirt or an indecent top. She’d go for the short skirt.
She glanced at Scott again and saw he was now talking to a skinny blonde that was seated next to him. She huffed. If he could get some ass why couldn’t she? She then thought about how she’d put herself into the corner and realized why. She was purposefully distancing herself since it seemed like the one guy that had piqued her interest recently was unattainable and absolutely not interested in her.
And that realization called for another drink, even though her current one wasn’t done yet.
Four
Bethany
Bethany had passed out, and suddenly she was wide awake, gagging and dry heaving. She sat up, making her head throb as she coughed and prayed to God that she didn’t throw up all over the bed.
She slowly blew a breath out as she strived to calm her now rolling stomach. She hadn’t noticed her delicate stomach at first, but now it was all she could think about. She tried wetting her lips with her tongue, but her tongue was just as dry as the rest of her mouth.
She squinted and looked around the darkened room, making out the shape of the TV mounted on the wall and a full-length mirror. She looked to her left and could just make out the shape of the lampshade. She reached over and felt around until she found the switch, clicking it on.
She squinted against the light, the soft glow like a spear to her eyes. A smile spread across her face as she spied a small bottle of water on the bedside table. She grabbed it, twisting the top off and greedily gulping the water. Her mouth felt better after, but her stomach was still rolling.
She thought about trying to find the room service menu, but decided she wasn’t ready for that. She leaned back against her headboard and tried to remember the night before. It wasn’t easy. She didn’t remember much past going to the bar and ordering whatever number drink that was.
She took stock of herself, noting that she was still wearing last night’s clothing. She hadn’t even put pajamas on? How out of it was she? If nothing else, she would strip her dress off and sleep in her underwear.
A sigh caught her attention, making her jump. There was someone in the room with her? She looked to her right, where the sigh came from, and saw a sleeping Scott. He was passed out on the couch in her room.
She stared at him for several long moments, trying to decide if she was imaging him there because she was still drunk or if he was actually there. He sighed again and shifted, proving that he was in fact in the hotel room with her.
She glanced around the room and noted her suitcase in the corner, so she knew they were in her room. But why was Scott there with her?
She took a moment to look at him, noting that he looked so relaxed and even more handsome when he was asleep. His face wasn’t screwed up into a scowl and he wasn’t glaring, making him look approachable.
As her eyes slid lower, they widened and her mouth dropped open. He was still fully clothed, but his shirt had ridden up, exposing a rocking body. She should have known based on the way his suit draped and how good he made his clothes look the night before that he was sporting a very fit body.
The shirt had ridden up a little, but it had moved just enough that she could see the shape of some rock hard abs and a tantalizing V that led to what was sure to be the promised land. She would give anything to stand up and walk over to scrape her nails over his abs, feel how wonderful they are, and maybe make Scott groan.
But she knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t. She could imagine the revulsion on Scott’s face if she did, and she didn’t feel like facing his derision.
She nibbled on her bottom lip as she considered what to do. She really wanted to get up, go to the bathroom, shower, and maybe get breakfast. But she didn’t think she could do it with him still sleeping on the couch.
She felt self-conscious as she thought over what to do and how to wake him up. She didn’t feel up to standing just yet, so that ruled out walking over.
She glanced to her right and saw an extra pillow and a thought popped in her head: she could use it. Was it mean? Yes. Did she care? No.
She grasped it and eyeballed Scott, who was still fast asleep on the couch with no idea what was about to hit him. Literally. As she prepared herself to launch her attack, she took pleasure knowing she was about to scare the shit out of him and would likely make him mad.
She threw the pillow and watched it arc through the air before landing on his face. Scott jumped and pushed the pillow off his face, squinting and blinking as he looked around the room slowly, his eyes stopping on her.
She raised her brows as she watched him work through whatever was going through his mind. Suddenly, he sat up and righted his shirt and rubbed a hand through his hair.
“Good morning,” she said after a few moments of prolonged silence.
“Mornin’,” Scott said, his voice hoarse from sleep. He sounded even sexier with his sleep-thickened voice. He leaned over and propped his elbows on his knees, rubbing the heel of his hands over his eyes.
He sat back up and looked at her. “How do you feel?”
She narrowed here eyes at him, trying to figure out if he had an ulterior motive or not. He’d never been nice to her in the short time she’d known him, so him asking her how she was doing threw her off.
“A little queasy,” she replied when she realized she’d been silent too long.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Well, considering how drunk you were last night, I’m not surprised.”
She carefully considered whether to ask the next question or not, but decided she’d bite the bullet, anyway. “How drunk was I?”
He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. “You don’t remember?”
She slowly shook her head from side to side.
He chuckled. “Then I guess you’re lucky.”
“Why?” She braced herself for him to tell her she came on to him or told him her deep dark secrets, but was surprised by his response.
“You didn’t even know your name and you couldn’t remember anything about where you were staying.”
She blanched before color flooded her cheeks. “How did we get here then?” She waved her hand in the air to show the room.
“I went through your purse.”
Her eyes widened. She was one of those girls that used her purse as a catch-all, so she had not only her wallet, cell phone, and keys in there, but receipts, tissues, make-up, and even condoms—not that she’d used them recently.
She swallowed and giggled nervously. “Oh. Okay.”
“While you had an interesting assortment of things in there, you also had the keycard pack they gave you at check-in.”
That meant he’d been able to read her room number. That explained that at least, but not why he was still in her room.
“Ummm…thank you for help
ing me get back here. I think I’d be passed out on Front Street if you hadn’t.” She laughed tightly before saying, “While I appreciate the help, truly, why are you here? In my room, on my couch?”
He didn’t answer right away, instead sliding his eyes down her body, leaving her feeling exposed even though she was fully clothed, granted just in a flimsy dress. She barely restrained herself from pulling the sheet up to cover herself more fully, not wanting to give in.
His eyes met hers. “I was worried you’d pass out in a pool of your own vomit or try to do something, so I thought it best to stay to make sure you didn’t get into any trouble.”
Silence stretched between the two of them and she could hear the muffled sounds of people walking through the hall and in the room next door. She turned his words over in her mind. She hadn’t considered the fact that while he was an asshole, he would also have a decent and attractive moral compass.
“You wanted to make sure I was okay?”
He shrugged and stood, stretching, causing his shirt to ride up and reveal those delectable abs to her view again. “Yeah. You were pretty out of it and I would have worried all night anyway, so it was easier for me to just crash on the couch.”
She nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“You said that last night. Endlessly. Drunk you is very affectionate.”
He’d already assured her she had done nothing that was irredeemable, but that didn’t stop her from worrying that she’d thrown herself at him and he was just saving her the embarrassment at having done it.
She cleared her throat. “Still, it bears saying again. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
He didn’t respond, instead turning to the low table next to the couch to collect his wallet and keys, which she hadn’t noticed there before. He stowed them in his pocket and shot her a look before walking toward the door. “I’ll catch ya later.”
With that, he was gone, and she was alone. She stared for several long moments at the door, thinking back over the start of her morning. It was odd, that was for sure. And Scott had shown her a side she didn’t think existed in the short time she’d known him. There was obviously more to him than met the eye.
Romancing the Beach Page 2