Ocean's Fire

by Stacey Tucker

  Argan stepped back. “I do not smell good. I wanted to beat you here to shower before we go out. I hate to make you wait.”

  “I don’t mind,” Skylar said.

  “That must mean I really need a shower,” he joked. “I’ll be quick.”

  Great, Skylar thought to herself, another towel scene. She laughed out loud.

  “What’s funny?”

  “You in a towel,” she said, deadpan. “That’s what’s funny.”

  He gave her a quizzical look.

  “Just get going,” she said, pushing him up the stairs to his apartment.

  Ten minutes later, Skylar braced herself for Argan in a towel, take two. The first time she saw him shirtless she’d still been sorting out her feelings for him. This time she was done sorting and knew where her desires had landed.

  “God, I dreamed you up, didn’t I?” Her eyes moved up and down his glistening form. She assumed he’d purposely left himself wet, knowing it would have such an effect.

  “I’ll dress and we’ll go,” he said, staring at her. His eyes were intense and said nothing about leaving anytime soon.

  “Okay,” she said, silently agreeing to stay. She reached for him, her hand shaking, and lightly touched his chest. She let it rest there a few moments. He bent and kissed her softly. She enjoyed his mouth on hers. He tasted as sweet as she remembered. She dropped her hand down to his perfectly carved behind. She had to let out a chuckle. “Your ass is hard as a rock. Really Argan, where did you come from?”

  “Kythira,” he said, kissing her neck. With one quick move and without breaking their kiss, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. As soon as he set her down, he dropped his head to her feet, unzipping each of her boots and pulling them off, revealing her ill-gotten tattoo. When he held her feet in his hands, Skylar immediately tensed up. He held on longer than she liked and then started to massage them.

  “Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked curiously.

  “A bit,” she said, the amorous feeling draining from her body at lightning speed. “I appreciate the gesture, really, but I hate having my feet touched.” Her face started to redden.

  “Yet you let someone give you this tattoo?” he asked, circling it lightly with his finger.

  “Yeah, a sweaty fat guy with a bull ring through his nostrils,” she said.

  “Would it help if I looked like that guy?”

  She couldn’t answer because she was holding her breath.

  “Take a deep breath for me, Skylar.”

  She obliged. And held it in.

  “Exhale,” he said. The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile. He was enjoying this.

  She blew the air out of her mouth as if she were blowing up a balloon.

  “Again, please,” he said. She repeated the process and felt mildly better.

  “There. Now lie back and close your eyes,” he commanded.

  She lay back, still uncomfortable but willing to do what he asked. She would rather be completely naked right now—would rather be doing anything else but this. Having Argan hold her feet in his hands was making her sweat. And he knew it.

  “Skylar?” He whispered her name like a purr.

  “Mmmhmm?” She didn’t open her mouth.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. She thought she heard him chuckle.

  “Barely,” she said. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

  “You know I would never hurt you,” he said.

  “I know,” she said.

  “And you know I am kneeling at your feet in only a towel,” he said.

  “I know,” she said.

  “So what’s the problem here?” he asked.

  “I just don’t like having my feet touched.”

  “That is curious,” he said. “I am giving you pleasure, and you won’t accept it.”

  He stopped talking and continued to rub the sole of her foot. A moment later, Skylar felt his hot breath on her toes. He gently pressed his lips to the arch of her foot. Her reflexes responded in a flash. She shot out her foot so hard it knocked him to the floor.

  Skylar sat up, horrified. She had repaid Argan’s attention with a swift kick, square in the nose. He sat on the braided rug, slightly dazed. His towel had come undone but he was too busy to notice. He was using one hand to prop himself up, and the other to survey the damage to his nose. He wiggled it slightly. A small trickle of blood began to drip out.

  “Oh my God, Argan!” Skylar ran into the bathroom and came back with a washcloth she had rinsed with cold water— only to find that while she was in the bathroom, he had secured his towel and found a tissue for his bleeding nose.

  “I am so sorry, Argan. I am so sorry.” She handed him the compress. She felt like a fool for behaving so badly.

  “I guess I should have believed you when you said you didn’t like it,” he said. He gave her half a smile.

  “You have every right to be mad at me,” she said.

  “No, I don’t. You warned me and I didn’t listen,” he said. “It was my fault. I’m sorry.”

  Skylar knelt beside him to help any way she could. His nose had swelled slightly, but the blood had already slowed. Fortunately, the blow hadn’t done too much damage. Skylar carefully brushed his hair off of his forehead with her fingertips. Their faces were inches apart. Skylar could smell the familiar honey on his breath. She leaned into him to breathe in his heady scent. She lowered her eyes and rested her forehead on his bare shoulder.

  “I am so sorry,” she said, now chuckling with embarrassment. “Is our night ruined, or can I try to redeem myself? Dinner’s on me.”

  “How about we stay in tonight,” he said, wiggling the bridge of his nose.

  “Sure, of course,” she said apologetically.

  “I’ll put on some clothes though, if you don’t mind.” He grabbed shorts and a T-shirt and did a quick change in the bathroom.

  Skylar rummaged through the fridge to find something to cook. “How about I make us some eggs?”

  “Perfect,” Argan said. “I’ll make toast.”

  They busied themselves with the various tasks of making a meal. As they cooked, Skylar kept sneaking looks at Argan out of the corner of her eye. Despite her newfound attraction to him, his presence was comfortable and soothing. Being near him gave her peace.

  They sat down to eat at Argan’s bistro table, tucked into the corner of the studio.

  “Why a snake?” he asked after his first bite of eggs.

  “I’m sorry?” she asked.

  “Your tattoo,” he said.

  “Oh,” she said. “It’s an ouroboros. I got it when my mom was sick. It was my way of going through physical pain too, I guess. She had a ring just like it with a giant yellow topaz in its mouth.”

  “Very profound of her to chose a symbol of eternal wisdom,” he said.

  “You thought it was a snake,” she said, elbowing him.

  “I wasn’t looking closely enough,” he said. “Where’s your mom’s ring now?”

  Skylar sighed. “I don’t know. I never found it among her things. She wasn’t allowed any jewelry in hospice, and I couldn’t find it in the house where she told me it would be. I didn’t want to upset her by saying I couldn’t find it, so I never told her.” She pushed the eggs around her plate but didn’t eat.

  “That’s too bad,” he said. “It sounds like it would have been the one thing you’d want to keep.” He looked at her plate of food. “You should eat.”

  “I can miss a meal,” she said, pushing her plate toward him. “You eat.”

  He dug into the eggs without hesitation. Skylar studied him intently. The swelling in his nose had gone down substantially. It was almost back to normal.

  “Argan?”

  “Hmmm?” he said, his mouth full of eggs.

  “Thank you for a great night,” she said.

  “I didn’t think it was over yet,” he said. “I’ll clear. Want to put on some music?”

  “Yes.” She went over to the retro st
ereo in the corner near the sofa. It took her a minute to find the power button. “What year are you living in with this thing?” She laughed.

  “Hey, it still works great,” he said. “I never understood replacing perfectly good things just for a newer model.”

  She came up behind him as he piled dishes into the sink. “How is your nose feeling?”

  “Healed already.” He gave her a smile over his shoulder.

  “That can’t be. I clocked you so hard I thought I broke it.”

  “I’m a fast healer,” he said with a wink.

  “Apparently.” She cocked one eyebrow.

  He dried his hands with the dishtowel and slung it over his shoulder. “If I promise not to touch your feet, may I resume my activities from earlier?”

  “I thought you would never ask.” She reached her arms around him and kissed him softly on the lips.

  The sun was setting on the beautiful, rolling hills behind the pasture. The leaves were vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges despite the unseasonably high autumn temperatures. It was dusk, and Kyle had Cheveyo out for a ride. He pulled off the look of a cowboy quite well with his hat, denim everything, and boots. The horse’s dark coat shone in the remaining light of the day.

  Skylar walked up behind Suki, who was standing in the barn aisle. She followed Suki’s gaze with her own until it landed on Kyle. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked her in a singsong voice.

  Suki jumped in surprise. “Kyle really knows how to handle a horse, huh?” she said wistfully.

  “Makes you wonder what else he can handle,” Skylar said with a wink. Suki shook off the comment and moved on.

  The two girls finished rounds and were left staring at two empty stalls. Argan had left that afternoon, this time transporting Benny and Bella all the way to Butler University in Indiana. He would be gone for five days.

  Skylar and Suki made plans to go to Art Bar that evening, hoping a little dancing would take their mind off of their horse friends’ departure.

  “Besides,” Suki said, “as long as I’m not getting any sleep, I might as well have some fun to show for it.”

  By the time they arrived, the bar was standing room only.

  “It’s not that late, why is it so packed?” Suki asked as they made their way through the crowd to their usual spot on the lime-green sofa. The sofa was piled high with purses.

  They pushed their way to the bar and ordered drinks. Just as the bartender served them, everyone started to clap. With nowhere to sit, they squeezed their way to the front. Suki nudged Skylar and pointed to the stage. “Did your book tell you this was going to happen?”

  Skylar looked up to see Construction Guy grab a guitar. Her mouth fell open.

  “This makes sense,” Suki said, hardly fazed. “He’s a musician. That’s why he was directing traffic. That’s his day job.”

  Skylar’s head started spinning, and she grabbed Suki’s arm for support.

  A woman walked up to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, back for an encore, Joshua Rider.”

  Everyone started screaming.

  “He must be good,” Skylar said, startled by the reaction of the audience.

  “It doesn’t matter when you look like that,” Suki said.

  Skylar looked around at the entirely female crowd. There were faces she recognized from campus but quite a few older women too.

  Joshua walked to the microphone with an acoustic guitar. Skylar was still in awe over her dream come to life. This version of Construction Guy was still blindingly perfect, albeit less massive than he’d been in her dream. He retained his avenging angel appearance, but it no longer looked as if his skin would burst apart, unable to hold back his bulging muscles. He was, however, incredibly rugged, with two-day-old stubble on his face. Skylar guessed he was in his late twenties. Even in the dim bar, she could see his piercing blue eyes.

  In his standard-issue blue jeans and black T-shirt, he certainly had the bad-boy image working for him. He already fit the part of rock star in this little college bar. Skylar forced her eyes shut to stop staring at him as he began to play. She expected to hear a killer tune, but he surprised her with something of a lullaby. Soft and soulful, words about love and longing spilled from his lips, giving Skylar chills. The vibration of his voice burned through her body. It started in the deepest core of her belly and radiated out. It was overwhelmingly powerful and completely paralyzing. She could feel it swirl through her blood, numbing and electrifying at the same time. She opened her eyes, hoping to stop the dazed feeling—and immediately his eyes locked on hers.

  Skylar gasped a breath in as if she had been punched in the gut. This made no sense. She didn’t even know him. But this wasn’t just any guy, and she felt an unexplainable connection to him.

  His eyes remained on hers. Skylar couldn’t look away. With all her strength, she tried—and failed. And then she was floating, her head spinning. She thought she might crash to the ground. She was drawn to him, just as she was in her dream. His eyes held a secret she was supposed to remember. But he wasn’t safe—not like Argan. Argan was comfort. Home. This man was dangerous.

  “His voice is like sex,” a petite, frizzy-haired woman yelled over the music. Her words jolted Skylar out of her paralyzing haze. She looked at the woman who had broken the spell. She looked like she was in her mid-forties, as many of the women in the bar were that evening. She was a bit overweight, dressed all in black, wearing leggings and a form-fitting T-shirt that told the world she’d stopped doing crunches long ago.

  “Mmm.” Skylar nodded her head at the curious woman. It was all she could manage, trying to recover from Joshua’s stare. She glanced back to the stage. The singer’s fixation had moved on.

  The frizzy-haired woman was right; he had a carnal effect on her body she had never experienced before. Not even with Argan. She ran her hands through her hair and over her face to compose herself. She had to pull it together.

  The song ended, and Skylar felt her breath slowly return to normal. The crowd of women roared with approval. Skylar purposely avoided looking at the stage. She couldn’t take another assault on her system. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joshua take a bow, grab his guitar, and hop off the stage. The crowd rushed up to get a piece of this destined star. Skylar remained frozen where she stood.

  “This is only his second time here,” Frizzy said with a knowing smile. “I think they’re going to make him a regular. He does draw the crowd. I’m sure it won’t be long before he makes it big.” She walked off toward the stage.

  Skylar was drained and wanted to go home. She ran to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. Her rosy complexion gave her away. If I could bottle this glow, I’d be a rich woman.

  She left the bathroom and looked around for Suki, but even in the thinning crowd, she didn’t see her. She made her way back to the lime sofa, took a seat, and pulled out her phone to text Suki.

  “Did you enjoy the show?” a seductive voice asked from above.

  Skylar watched her phone slip out of her hand and crash to the floor. It was him. She didn’t have to look up to know. She was unsure she could speak. “I, ah, actually only caught your last song.” She was proud of herself for speaking a coherent sentence.

  “Yeah, I noticed you in the crowd during the second act. I’m Josh.” He extended his hand to shake hers, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t touch him. If his gaze affected her so badly, his touch would cause instant combustion for sure. So she just stood there awkwardly.

  Too much time had passed; he lowered his hand. But still, he didn’t seem fazed. In fact, to her horror, he leaned toward her and put his hand on her shoulder, just as he had in her dream.

  Skylar tried to gasp for air but nothing happened. She couldn’t breathe. Joshua took her hand in his and kissed the back of it softly, then looked up, locking on her eyes as he had on stage. A quake of energy rocked her body. The room started spinning, and she was sure the floor was going to come up to meet her face any moment now
.

  The sound of Suki’s voice pulled her out of the vortex. “Skylar, are you going to introduce me?”

  “We are just getting acquainted ourselves,” Joshua said, his eyes still fixed on Skylar. She stared back at him with wide eyes. He was clearly amused. Skylar wondered if she had ever seen such a gorgeous man in person. Argan was physically perfect in every way; he had a quiet confidence that made women notice and men flock to be his friend. But Joshua had a different appeal. He was devastatingly handsome and incredibly intimidating. Skylar felt the darkness behind his eyes. Still, she didn’t say a word.

  Suki moved closer to her. “I’m Suki,” she said. “And this is Skylar. She has a boyfriend.”

  Joshua chuckled. “Lucky guy. You must go to Rosen?” His speaking voice was as equally sexy as his singing voice.

  “We work there, actually,” Suki said. “You’re pretty good; when are you playing again?”

  “I just signed on for every other Friday,” he said, leaning in to Skylar. “Maybe you’ll come early next time. I also play at Garage.”

  “We’ll see,” Suki said, gathering their bags.

  “I do hope to see you again,” he said. He took Skylar’s hand and bowed to kiss it once more.

  Skylar watched him walk away, then slumped down into the sofa. “That was a disaster.”

  “You didn’t say one word!” Suki said. “But that’s for the best. You need to stay clear of him. That guy wants to drink your blood.”

  Skylar looked at her, horrified. “What?”

  “That was dramatic, sorry,” Suki said. “I just meant he looks like he has more on his mind than sex.”

  Skylar rested her forehead on the table.

  “He sure has the smolder down, huh?” Suki continued. “They must teach that in How to Be a Rocker 101. Very predictable, but effective nonetheless.”

  Skylar picked up her head. “I’m heading home.” She stood up.

  “What?” Suki whined. “We’ve barely been here an hour.”

  “I can’t stay after all that,” Skylar said, already moving toward the door.

  Before she could make it there, Kyle walked in.