“Ok. It’s easy. Watch my feet. One, two, three, one, two, three, and then rock back. Like this.” She showed me the simple move and paused to let me give it a try.
This was the first time I had been on a dance floor in flip-flops, but was pleasantly surprised that they were perfect for the steps.
“Got it?” Her eyes sparkled as she started her first triple count.
I grinned. “Baby, I was born to shag.” I matched her steps and rocked on my heel as Chelsea’s laughter shot out.
“Please, no more jokes. Shagging is serious.” She zeroed in on my eyes with a mock reprimand.
I pretended to shake the humor from my face. “Like this? All serious?”
She spun under my arm and leaned into the crowd. “Yes. Exactly like that. There’s no laughing in shagging.” She let a giggle slip as I curled my hand around her waist.
The band played until midnight, and we didn’t leave the festival until the last note was launched in the air. I was fairly certain I had danced with every woman who lived on Brees Island and a few who didn’t. I also had the chance to show off my two-step, even though I knew this crowd was partial to their beach music. I didn’t know if I had ever laughed so hard or danced so much.
I draped my arm around Chelsea’s shoulder as we headed to the parking lot, my legs slightly achy from four hours of dancing.
“Did you have a good time?” She smiled at me.
“The best.” I kissed her on the forehead as I shuttled her into the Jeep.
“Wait. What about my car?” She looked over her shoulder at her parking spot.
“Oh, we don’t have time for that.”
“We don’t?” I loved the puzzled look on her face.
“No. I’ve got to get you home.” I jumped into the driver’s seat, cranked the engine, and peeled out of the lot, spewing gravel in all directions. I loved dancing with her all night, but I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms and dance a little more where no one else could watch.
***
Had it really been five weeks since I started working at the store? I wasn’t keeping track, but Chelsea had mentioned it in passing. I knew girls didn’t drop hints like that for nothing. It was some kind of milestone. She was coming over for dinner tonight, and I knew I needed to do something special to commemorate five weeks together, but hell if I knew what that would be. Flowers? No, that seemed too cliché. Wine and candles? No, we had done that.
If we were in L.A., I would take her to a five-star restaurant that overlooked the canyons. In Atlanta, we could go somewhere and listen to a cool indie band. She would love all the music. More than anything, I wanted to take her to my ranch in Texas, but all three of those ideas weren’t options tonight. I needed to think of something creative, something romantic, something that would make her smile, and something I could come up with within the hour before she arrived.
I lifted the screen on my laptop. After one of my calls with Rick two weeks ago, I realized if I was going to send out an email, I would have to find a computer on the island. I broke down, ordered one that night on my phone, and had it express shipped. More surprising than being connected to the world again was that Carl and Flora had wireless at the campground. Flora told me they had too many visitors who complained without it. It wasn’t worth the hassle to argue with them about the benefits of going internet-free. Carl had the wireless installed last summer.
I typed in “romantic date ideas” and waited for the search results to pop up. I took a sip of beer and skimmed the first few articles on the screen. Everything was the same old standard stuff: dinner, movie, flowers, champagne, bubble bath. I placed the bottle on the table. One item on the list had merit. I checked the time. I didn’t know if I would be able to pull it off, but I would try. For a pretty girl with blue eyes, I would try.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Chelsea
I looked at the copy of the email I had printed out and folded in half. The edge was peeking out of my purse. I was nervous, over-the-top nervous, and excited. I had been waiting for this day since graduation.
Out of nowhere, all of a sudden, Blue Steel Records emailed me. I repressed the burst of squeals that kept bubbling to the surface.
I had made it almost to the end of the summer without hearing from a single one of my inquiries, but the persistence had paid off. I didn’t have any details or any more information other than what was in the email. They wanted to set up a call with me tomorrow afternoon to talk about a three-song contract. Three whole songs. This was everything I had waited and worked for. At four o’clock tomorrow, I would be on the phone with the label, securing my place in music history.
Jake was going to be the first to hear the news. I knew he would help me figure the rest out—he always did.
I pulled into Brees Campground and slowed the car to a snail’s pace. There were children playing near one of the tents, still in their swimsuits. I remembered those days when I would spend the entire day at the beach building sandcastles with my mom. It was a great way to grow up. But with one little email, life was sending me in another direction—far from the beach and sandcastles.
I parked next to Jake’s Jeep. Before I had a chance to step out of the car, he had already opened the back door and grabbed my overnight bag.
I laughed. “Ready for a sleepover?” I closed the door behind me, and his free arm encircled my waist.
“You have no idea.”
Technically, we met seven weeks ago. We had talked about the morning Jake first visited the store and laughed at the memory. But we both knew the moment things changed between us was the night of my first visit to Silver Sand Dollar. The night after we dunked each other in the creek, the night he kissed me in the dark. I knew it was exactly five weeks ago. A girl didn’t forget a night like that.
“Are we having cowboy steak for dinner?” I looked at the fire. He had loaded it with driftwood.
“Actually, no. I picked up take out from Sailors on the way home. I thought we could take it easy tonight.” He stepped into the camper with my bag and emerged with a glass of wine.
“You serve wine now?” I smiled and took a sip.
“Yep. I serve anything you like.” He brushed my hair away from my neck and kissed my shoulder.
I loved how he was so comfortable with me. Kissing me when and where he wanted, touching me because he couldn’t keep his hands off. As if I belonged to him. It made me feel wanted. His confidence was contagious. It always brought out my bolder side.
“I have news.” I tried to steady my voice as I followed him to the fire.
“You do? What is it?” He raised his eyebrows as he looked at me.
“I got a contract!” I finally squealed. “I just read the email before I came over.”
“Congratulations. That’s awesome.” He wrapped me in a hug and kissed my forehead. “That’s really great.”
I inhaled the hug, feeling the warmth in his arms. This moment felt surreal.
“I knew someone was going to pick up your songs. You’re a natural.” He beamed.
“I’m really excited. They asked me to call in tomorrow at four to go over the details. I don’t think I can wait that long.” I bit my lip.
“Darlin’, it’s not that far away.”
“But, I’m so nervous and what if I screw it up? What if I say the wrong thing? I’ve never had a contract call before. You know, I don’t even know what three songs they are interested in. I’ve sent so many, I’ve lost track which label has which song.” I downed the rest of the wine in my glass and handed it to Jake.
He placed it on the table. “You aren’t going to screw it up. We can talk about it and figure out what makes sense for you before you get on the phone.” His eyes flickered from the firelight.
“Really?”
He shook his head.
“Ok, ok, that sounds good.” The offer was a relief. I had no idea how to approach a business call. The music came naturally, but all the rest was like sailing without a map. I paced
in front of the fire, all the questions about tomorrow’s call swirled in my head.
“Are you going to sit?” He watched me circle the chairs.
“I can’t. I’m too nervous. I was fine, and then I started thinking about it and I’m—”
Jake stood from the chair, tucked one arm under my knees, and lifted me against his chest.
“What are you doing?” I searched his face for an answer, but he ignored the question and headed straight for the Sand Dollar door.
He slammed it behind him with his foot and released me from his hold, only to press me against the closest wall. His hands tangled in my hair, his mouth hot against mine.
I groaned as he pushed my thin shirt up, and his fingers slid under the lacy edge of my bra. I had seen bedroom eyes before, but the look he gave made my legs feel shaky. These were I’m-taking-you-up-against-the-wall eyes. If he didn’t keep me pressed against the there, I would fall into a heap on the floor. His lips were firm against my neck as he trailed along my collarbone.
“Tell me,” he growled.
I knew what he wanted to hear, but I just wanted him to do it. Make me feel alive, consume every part of me.
He pinned my wrists above my head, slamming them against the wall. “Tell me, what you want me to do.” His other hand rolled over my nipple, and I bowed from the wall, wanting to absorb the intensity.
“Fuck me,” I breathed in his ear.
“Here?” He pressed his waist against me, and I could feel his hard erection against my leg. I loved it.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Right here.” Was that my sexy and seductive voice, begging him to fuck me against the wall?
“I want you so much.” He groaned as if I was the one torturing him, not the other way around.
His mouth descended on mine as he released the button on my shorts. I wiggled until they were touching the tops of my feet, where I could kick them away.
He freed my hands only for a hurried second to slide the tank top off my body and toss it to the floor. A devilish grin spread across his face before pinning me where he wanted me again.
“You know I love your body,” he growled as he kissed the top of my breast.
I turned my head to the side, trying to steady myself, but I felt as if I was melting into the wall with each lash of his tongue. He pulled the lace over each nipple so that they were exposed, ready for him. His tongue circled one, and then the other. Each lick shot heat between my legs. I arched into the wall, jutting forward and giving more to him as he sucked and bit against the sensitive skin.
There was no thinking, only bursts of heat and want. Behind the darkness, I drifted into his hands, into his control. He nudged my wrists higher against the wall, reached below, and unfastened his shorts. A powerful tug brought my thigh around his waist, securing my heel against his backside.
He smiled as his lips came within a breath’s reach of mine.
I tried to keep the whimpers at the back of my throat. If he didn’t take me now, I would scream. Scream for him to possess me. Fill me.
As if he knew he had pushed me as far as I could go, he shifted, nudging my legs to spread for him. A ragged moan escaped my lips as I waited for him.
“Please,” I whimpered. My eyes begged him to devour me.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he growled.
Gripping my ass hard, he thrust into me with a strong stroke.
“Oh shit,” I hissed.
His breath on my neck was hot and rapid as he pumped in and out of me. I tightened and clenched around him every time he rocked deeper, matching his intensity with my own. Damn, he felt amazing. Slight trembles split through me. I knew I was at the boundary of spiraling over the edge. The boundary that would make me quiver and scream until I couldn’t feel my toes.
My head rolled back, and I tried to steady my breathing, begging my body to calm the swells deep in my belly. It had to last longer. I wanted him like this all night.
“No,” he whispered. “Look at me.” It was a demand.
My eyes fluttered open, and I witnessed pure and total desire in his gaze as he buried himself in me hard and strong. With his arms wrapped around my waist, I snaked my hands against his neck and held on for dear life while I came fiercely in his grasp, wave after wave. Our eyes locked as he squeezed me tighter in his embrace and let the release bring us to our knees.
“Oh my God, Chelsea.” He breathed heavily in my ear. We draped across the floor, unable to move, a tangled web of bodies entwined.
I exhaled, running my fingers through his hair. My body had never felt so exquisite—damp, warm, tender in the spots he had touched. His—I felt like I was his. I always did after we had sex.
He kissed my shoulder and struggled to prop himself up. “Feel better? Did that clear your head?”
“Is that what that was about? You did it to distract me?”
He chuckled.
“And I just thought you were excited about the sleepover.” I giggled at him. He looked cute like this—his face flushed, his body relaxed.
He reached over my head and snagged a piece of paper off the table. He held it out to me.
“What’s this?” It was dark. I could barely make out the words.
“In honor of hanging out for five weeks, I wrote something for you. It came to me all of a sudden.” He smiled, showing his white teeth.
I couldn’t believe it. He had never shown me any of his writing even though I had begged for weeks to read a chapter from his book. I held the page forward, catching the crack of light from the window.
It would be easier if
You didn’t taste so sweet
If kissing you didn’t make me whole
My world wouldn’t be right if we didn’t meet
It’s like you looked at me and stole
My breath, my heart, and I’m in deep
It would be easier if
I didn’t crave your lips
If your warmth in my bed
Didn’t take me on a summer trip
This is something I’ve never said
But, baby, you saved me
“So? What do you think?” He was on one elbow, waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t know how to respond. What do you say when everything you’ve wanted to hear is written on a piece of paper? It was beautiful, simple, and perfect.
“I love it. I think it’s amazing.” I reached toward him, crushing his lips against mine. If he never said it out loud, it was ok. I knew he loved me. It was all in the words. “But I didn’t get anything for you. Was I supposed to?”
Jake laughed. I didn’t know what he thought was so funny. “No, darlin’, not at all. Lying here with you on the floor is all I need.”
“Good.” I crawled toward him, hovering over his chest. “But I think I know something you might like.” I kissed his neck. “Think you’re up for it?” My teeth grazed against his collarbone.
I loved the smile on his lips.
“Baby, I’m up for anything you have planned.” He settled onto the floor, and I did my best to show him that the past five weeks were the hottest, most amazing weeks of my life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Ben
I groaned at the sound of the crickets. First my phone and then Chelsea’s chirped with the morning alarm. It was dark, and I heard the rain pelting the aluminum roof. A man couldn’t possibly get out of bed with that perfect symphony tapping overhead.
A low rumble of thunder echoed, and she snuggled under my arm, radiating warmth against my bare chest. I pulled her against me. There was no way we were going into work at five thirty. I fished for the phones and silenced them, powering each one off. To hell with Hayden Davis if he had a problem with it.
Other than the hurricane, we never slept in together. Today was an exception. The store could take care of itself. I wanted to hide under the covers all morning with Chelsea and listen to the rainfall. I needed this.I needed her in my arms.
***
“I’m going to be in
so much trouble. I can’t believe you turned our phones off.” Chelsea bent next to the bed to collect the lacy lingerie set I had peeled off her body last night.
“Do you ever call in sick? Have I ever called in sick?” I teased. I could tell she was annoyed, but I didn’t regret it for one second.
“That’s not the point.” She turned for the bathroom. “My father probably used to like you. Now, you’re done.” She closed the door behind her, and I laughed.
“I’ll take full responsibility. Ok?” I called to her through the flimsy door. The sink was running. I wasn’t sure she could hear me.
She slid the door open. “What are you going to say? That I stayed over here last night? Uh-uh. No way.” She closed the door. “You do not understand.”
I strolled to the hall and leaned against the opposite wall so I didn’t have to speak as loudly. “You don’t think he knows about us? Come on, Chelsea. We’re adults. We can do whatever we want. Who cares what your dad thinks?”
The water stopped and the door moved to the side. She clutched her toothbrush firmly in her hand. “I care. I don’t want him to think I’m anything like him.” Her eyes hit the floor, and I recognized the look when she was trying to push tears away.
I had never considered she would connect our relationship to her father’s affair. It wasn’t bad; it didn’t hurt people. Was it because we weren’t married? Sure, we were in a conservative part of the South, but Chelsea wasn’t close-minded. She had been to a liberal arts college, had relationships, slept with other guys—as much as I hated to think about that part.
I tried to gauge where all of this was coming from. “You know what we have isn’t in any way like some secret affair, right? We can be together, go out. There are no other people. There is nothing wrong with what is happening between us.”
She put her toothbrush back in the holder and turned to face me. “I didn’t mean for that to sound like it did. Of course, I don’t think there is anything wrong about us. I love being with you. I loved last night.” She smiled. “But my parents have preached waiting for sex until marriage since the day my mother gave the birds and the bees talk. As far as they know, I’m as virginally white as it comes. I’ve never let them think otherwise. When he finds out, my father is going to think of me the same way I think of him. Like I’ve done something bad.” She paused. “And he’s going to hate you for corrupting me.”
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