We’re sitting in a circle with the underwater jets churning up a froth that covers the surface of the water. For a while we all talk; we end up spending a fair amount of time making fun of Steph for the role she played in yesterday’s misadventures, until she starts getting defensive and somebody decides we’d better change the subject. At some point not long after that, Leila turns to Les and Steph turns to Rochelle – leaving Macary and me to our own devices in the middle.
I’m gazing at a spot a few feet in front of me, mesmerized by the bubbles, when I notice a toe emerge from the water; its toenail is painted bright red. I stare at the toe as it bobs further above the surface, then turn to look down at Macary. She’s smiling to herself as she watches the foot, which evidently is hers. When she lifts her face to return my gaze, there’s something liquid and burning in her eyes. With the alcohol pumping through my veins, carnal instinct takes over, and I lean closer, breathing heavily in my effort to outrun all errant thoughts.
My eyes roam farther south, taking in her cleavage, which is on prominent display. Normally I’d have the good sense to conceal the fact I’m checking her out, but for now I’m past caring, and Macary doesn’t seem to mind; if anything, she seems to round her shoulders back, thrusting her chest out further to give me a better view. I lick my lips as my eyes dart back to her face, and half a second later my mouth closes around hers.
Beneath the water I feel Macary’s hand closing around my thigh as she opens her mouth to deepen our kiss. I follow along willingly, sliding my tongue against hers while groaning softly. Somewhere in the back of my mind I’m aware we’re probably attracting attention. I’m not typically one to care if I have an audience, however, and tonight I care even less.
It isn’t until Macary glides her hand farther up my thigh and begins to slip her fingers beneath the hem of my swim trunks that I start to reel myself in from the dark hole I’ve fallen into. I break our kiss and pull back just enough to make out her face; judging from her expression she’s frustrated at my sudden withdrawal.
I make a noise in the back of my throat and lift my hand from the water to nervously rub my chin, noticing my fingers are puckered from their prolonged submersion. I can feel Macary’s eyes on me still, but my attention is averted when Les loudly clears his throat and says, “All right, folks, we’re outta here. Sleep tight.” He looks at me meaningfully – I’m pretty sure he’d give me a high five if he wasn’t concerned it’d look too obvious. I leer back at him, shaking my head minutely; I don’t think he picks up on it, though.
“I think we’ll head in, too,” says Steph from Macary’s other side. “You coming, M?”
I can’t help it – I glance back at Macary, who’s watching me with a weak smile on her face. “Yeah, sure,” she says, almost in a whisper.
We all climb out of the hot tub and reach for our towels. Steph, Rochelle, Les and Leila continue to awkwardly chitchat while pretending Macary and I weren’t just making out right in front of them. If I had any intact rational thought, I’d probably have the decency to at least act embarrassed. As it is, all I want is my big, comfy bed.
When we get upstairs, everyone says goodnight and goes to their separate rooms. I strip out of my trunks and put on a clean pair of boxers; I’m standing at the bathroom sink brushing my teeth when a soft knock sounds at the door. I spit into the sink basin and splash some water in my mouth, then cautiously pull back the door just enough to see who’s standing in the hall.
Macary stands there in shorts and a tank top with her hair smoothed back into a ponytail. “Can I come in?” she asks tentatively as I regard her from behind the door.
“Uh…yeah, hold on one sec.” I let the door thud softly shut as I turn to grab a pair of gym shorts from my suitcase and quickly snap them on over my underwear. When I go back to let Macary in, she strolls past me, checking me out like she did this morning, the last time I answered the door shirtless.
“Can I ask you to do me a favor?” she asks. “Will you let me sleep here?”
All I can do is look at her – I have no clue what to say.
She sighs. “Remember how I said Rochelle snores? I barely slept last night.”
She’s slurring her words slightly, which is how I know she’s still drunk, and I can tell by the tingling in my head I’m not much better off than she is. What are the chances, if I say yes, that this will end up being a monumental mistake?
“Sure, I guess.” I look back over my shoulder at the single king size bed in the room and wonder what the hell I’m going to do. What I would’ve done a few months ago and what I feel like doing now are worlds apart, that’s for damn sure.
Macary seems relieved. She walks past me into the room and stands next to the bed as I begin to pull out the sofa to make up my own spot to sleep. “You can have the bed,” I say over my shoulder. “I’ll take the couch.”
She walks over and takes hold of my arm. “No Kyle, don’t – I’ll feel bad. I don’t wanna kick you out of your bed.”
I shrug as I toss a couple of the pillows off the bed onto the decidedly less comfy-looking pullout. “Doesn’t bother me, I could sleep anywhere.”
I lie down on the thin mattress as Macary goes reluctantly to the bed. “Seriously, Kyle, this is dumb,” she says. “This bed is so huge – there’s plenty of room for both of us. I swear I won’t kick or anything.”
I shut my eyes as I turn my face into the pillow. Am I being a jerk? I just kissed the girl – doesn’t mean we have to sleep in the same bed. The truth is, I don’t trust myself enough to make it through the night without doing something I’ll surely end up regretting.
“Goodnight, Macary,” I tell her.
Tawny – Wednesday, 12:45 AM
Vivian rode back to the hotel with me earlier after catching a glimpse of what was going on with Aiden and me and that other girl. She shook her head in disbelief the entire cab ride back while ranting about what an idiot Aiden is.
I silenced my phone after the sixth time he called within the first ten minutes after I left Squid Roe. Once we got back to the room I changed into my PJs, scrubbed off my makeup and climbed into bed. Vivian kept quiet, apparently able to sense I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.
Sometime after crawling between the sheets, I hear a knock on the door and listen as Vivian gets up the see who it is – I’ll bet I have a pretty good guess. Sure enough, Aiden’s hushed voice fills the room the second Viv opens the door for him; by the sounds of it, though, she’s not letting him in out of the hallway. I’m lying on my side, turned away from the door as I pretend to be asleep. Really, I’m listening to every word of their conversation.
“Please, Viv, just let me in so I can talk to her.”
“No way, asshole. You’ve done enough for one night.”
“Is she mad at me?” Aiden sounds positively tormented – a part of me feels a little sorry for him.
“What do you think?” asks Vivian. “You were practically having sex with another girl right in front of her!”
“God, I know I fucked up, okay?” he whimpers. I can picture him hanging his head in his hands as he says it. “I’m drunk, Viv. I wasn’t thinking. I thought she was having fun.”
Vivian lets out a humorless chuckle. “Right, Aiden. I’m sure Tawny loves watching her boyfriend fondle other women. I’m sure she was having a great time.”
Aiden heaves a weary sigh. “Just…tell her I’m sorry, okay? Tell her I love her.” I cringe at his casual use of those words – they seem almost dirty in this particular context.
“Yeah yeah, I’ll let her know,” says Viv. Obviously she isn’t buying what he’s selling, but at least it shuts him up.
I hear her close the door, but I still don’t turn around. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel. I wouldn’t say I’m angry exactly – it’s more that I’m just confused, utterly mystified by what happened. I know there are girls out there who would’ve been okay with it, but the whole situation was just so far outside my comfort zone I’m still ree
ling from the shock of it.
Chapter 29 – The Sighting
Wednesday, March 22
Kyle – 9:15 AM
I woke up before Macary this morning and got in the shower. By the time I got out she’d moved her suitcase into my room and was sitting out on the terrace with her feet propped up, reading a book.
“So does this mean we’re officially roommates now?” I ask her as I walk outside; she jumps a little at the sound of my voice. I stand off to the side with my hands shoved in my pockets, squinting out at the ocean while she bookmarks her page and turns to face me.
“Is that okay?” she asks. As if I have a choice in the matter. “I slept so much better last night.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t bother me. You might have to take a turn on the sofa, though. My neck was killing me this morning.” Really it wasn’t that bad – I was being honest when I told her I could sleep anywhere – but part of me wants to make her work for it.
“Of course,” she says. “Or, you know, that bed is gigantic. You’d probably never even know we were sharing…”
I look at her, and I can tell she feels awkward for suggesting we share a bed again. Suddenly I feel sort of bad for her, so I try to laugh it off and make it into a joke. “I might not know you’re there, but you’d definitely know I am. Give me a little bit of space, and I like to roll around in it.”
She giggles and begins to say something else, but my phone starts ringing inside. I grab it just before the call goes to voicemail; it’s Les letting me know he booked our entire group on a horseback tour at 12:30. After hanging up I head back out to the terrace to let Macary know what the plan is. “Since we’ve got some time to kill I think I’ll go for a walk,” I say, sort of halfway to myself as I gaze back out at the crashing waves. “Maybe take my camera with me.”
“Want company?” Macary asks. I look at her, masking my expression so my internal debate won’t be quite so obvious. It’d be rude to say no, but going out on a photo excursion with a girl reminds me of things I don’t want to think about right now – it’s bad enough I’ve been searching the face of every single female I come across, hoping to bump into a certain someone.
I hesitate too long – Macary clears her throat and begins to stand from the chaise she’s been sprawled on. “Or I don’t have to,” she adds. Now it’s her turn to stare out at the ocean while I study her face.
To hell with it – however fucked up my emotions may be at the moment, I still care about Macary, and I hate acting like a bastard around her all the time. “Yeah sure,” I tell her. “Come with me.”
Tawny – 9:45 AM
Today we’re going jet skiing – another first for me. Vivian and I are back in our room after eating breakfast, changing into our swimsuits. I throw on a strapless silver one piece, then yank on a pair of shorts over it. Finally I sit down on the edge of the mattress to fasten my sandals.
“Hey,” says Vivian as she sits down on the bed across from me. “You doin’ okay?”
I let out a short sigh and offer her what I hope is a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Viv skeptically raises an eyebrow. “Really – I’m okay. I just wanna enjoy what’s left of our week and forget last night even happened.”
She nods, seeming to understand. “At least he seems sorry, you know?”
I chuckle as I stand up from the bed. “Yes, I’d say he’s sorry.” Aiden’s been groveling all morning, apologizing profusely for his behavior last night. He said he wants to do something special with me tonight to make up for it – just the two of us.
We take a shuttle from the resort to a marina about a mile down the beach; in the distance I can make out “Land’s End,” the rocky arches pictured on all the brochures. As we strap on life jackets and listen to instructions from our guide, I can’t help becoming distracted by the beauty of our surroundings. The weather is perfect – warm but not hot, with a spotless blue sky and a white sun that glitters over the turquoise water.
We go out on the jet skis in pairs – Logan and Christie, Aiden and me, and despite Vivian’s adamant protestations, she and Brady ride together. We spend the next two hours exploring the bay and the pools of crystal clear water in the Sea of Cortez. First I let Aiden drive, but after a while I pinch him in the side and insist I’d like a turn at steering. It isn’t as easy as it looks, but after a few minutes I begin to get the hang of it. I like to go fast – chopping and slicing over the surface of the ocean, imagining how far we could get before running out of gas. We circle around the rock formations and even spot a couple of dolphins swimming together not far from shore.
With fifteen minutes remaining in our allotted time, I hit a rough patch of surf and lose control of the Jet Ski, sending both of us flying backward into the water. We sputter and kick, fighting to catch our breaths while the machine bobs on its side some ways off. At first we gape at one another in shock, but then we both begin laughing. Aiden seems giddy with excitement at the fact I’ve forgiven him enough to have a good laugh. The way he’s held me tighter than strictly necessary on the back of the Jet Ski makes it obvious he’s been worried.
I let him drive back. We beat the other couples by a few minutes, so Aiden tells me he’s going to use the restroom. Meanwhile, I unbuckle my sodden life jacket and hang it on the designated line. I’m still too wet to put my shorts back on, so I just sit down next to the water and stretch my legs out in front of me, letting the white sand stick to them.
A minute passes. As I wait I look down the beach a ways and see a Mexican man in a straw hat leading a beautiful saddled quarter horse into a makeshift corral. Slowly I rise to my feet and start walking, ever the sucker for a pretty horse.
When I reach the corral I’m greeted by a sign that reads “Horseback Tours” and five more horses in addition to the one I saw moments before. I look over at the man with the straw hat and nod toward the blue roan he’d been leading, raising my eyebrows in question. He nods once, granting me permission to touch her. I make my way over to her, smiling to myself and missing Queenie back at home. I pat her silky snout, then run a hand along her smooth, shiny neck. Back home she’d be a show-worthy horse; here she’s just a beast of burden, a means of milking money out of the tourists. Seems like a waste for such a beautiful horse, but I can’t fault the owner for capitalizing on her other strengths.
I hear voices coming near, and a moment later a group of people close to my own age round the corner into the horses’ enclosure – they must be the ones going on the tour. I glance back down at my new friend, whose eyes are closed as she nuzzles into the palm of my hand. “Bye, baby,” I whisper, giving the horse one last pat on the cheek. “Don’t let them ride you too hard.”
I pull myself away, seeing my friends have re-convened on the beach and are probably looking for me anyway. As I turn, I see a pair of familiar, light chocolate eyes, their corners crinkled in a smile that’s directed at the man with the straw hat. My breath gets caught in my throat, then escapes in a strangled gasp; suddenly I feel like I’m in an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” Is that Kyle? What could he be doing here?
Before I can question my sanity any further, my eyes land on another familiar face. It’s the girl from the diner. I’d know those features anywhere, because unfortunately they’ve taken up permanent residence in my brain – same green eyes, same silky brown hair. I inhale sharply; all I can do is stare like an idiot and wait to be noticed by one or both of them as nausea builds in the pit of my stomach.
“Tawny!” The sound of my name rouses me from my stupor. I swallow, suddenly feeling parched, then tear my eyes away from Kyle to find Aiden coming toward me. Without looking back I break into a run, loping toward Aiden as fast as my long legs can carry me.
“You scared the shit outta me,” says Aiden, an edge of concern creeping into his voice. “I about had a panic attack – I thought you’d been kidnapped or something.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, willing myself not to turn back around, even though I want to so badly it�
�s almost painful. “I was looking at the horses.”
Aiden hugs me to his side; I trip along beside him as he steers us back toward the marina. “Take somebody with you next time, okay?”
“Uh huh.”
When we reach the rest of the group Aiden starts talking to Brady while I stand still, mustering the courage to turn back around. When I finally look back over my shoulder, I see Kyle standing at the entrance to the corral, staring out across the sand at me like he’s trying to figure out whether he recognizes me. My heart thuds faster – Lord, he’d looked like a freaking sun god with his deep tan and bulging arm muscles showcased by his sleeveless shirt – Is it just my imagination, or have those gotten bigger?
I lick my lips as I continue to stare, but again I’m startled by the sound of my name. “You ready?” asks Aiden, slinging his arm around my shoulder.
“Ready,” I agree, trying but failing to sound perky and normal.
As we head back up the beach toward the shuttle, he shakes his head and chuckles. “God, I had no idea how much of a horse fanatic you are.”
Kyle – 12:45 PM
I hadn’t been sure until I saw Tawny that she still had feelings for me. In fact, as I’ve replayed in my mind the way things just sort of ended between us last fall, I’ve often wondered whether she ever had real feelings for me in the first place. I mean, clearly she’s out of my league – her sudden cold shoulder had made sense in a way.
Seeing the effect our mere proximity had on her just now, though, makes me question all of that. She’d seemed so physically shaken – that’s not the way you react to bumping into someone who’s just an old friend, right? Of course, then she’d noticed Macary, and it was evident from the pain that registered on her face she remembered exactly who Macary is… Fuck. I’d hoped that if and when we came across each other, we’d both be alone – but of course chances of that were always going to be slim.
Forever With You (Silver State Series) Page 24