“You think she’s a musician?”
“I dunno. I haven’t given it much thought. Simone and Karen seemed to have formed an attachment to her, though. They’re always leaving stuff out in the alley behind the shop for her.”
“She saved Karen’s life. I’d like to find her. Thank her. Do something to help her if I can. Would you call me if you see her?”
“Sure.” We relaxed into the companionable silence that fifteen years of being together nearly 24-7 as a band had given us. My gaze drifted to the television in the corner. The ticker was running the 800 number for the two daughters of a successful Hollywood producer that had gone missing. Something about the older one seemed vaguely familiar.
“I heard you’ve been taking Karen to work.” Ash was staring at me when I turned my head. Apparently, he hadn’t been watching the news as closely as I had been. “I’m guessing you just dropped her off before you came here.”
“Dude. Are you really fishing for gossip about my love life like some old lady?”
“What’s this?” His eyes lit up, and he lifted a brow. I felt like I had been set up. “Karen, huh?”
I nodded.
“About fucking time.”
That was not the response I was expecting.
He tipped his beer back then set it down on the coaster. “Tell me.”
“Nothing to tell, really. She just doesn’t see me in the same way. Too much past between us.”
“Too many women, you mean.”
I shrugged. No need to correct him. No one but Simone and I knew Karen blamed me for Dominic’s death.
“She saw an eyeful, heard an earful, I’m sure.”
What could I say?
“Definite problem. You might try hard liquor. Karen’s not a one night stand. She’s a have and to hold kinda girl, like Simone.”
I lifted a finger to get the bartender’s attention.
“Not for you.” Ash brought my finger down. “I meant for her.”
He didn’t know about her struggles with alcohol obviously.
“I’m not getting her drunk to get her in bed with me.”
“She’s seen your Romeo routine.” He twisted his lips and looked me over as if deciding how that angle would play. “She’s not gonna fall for the Latino smolder. Any other ideas?”
“Time and proximity. Wear her down, I guess.”
“Ah fuck, if that’s the best you’ve got no wonder you’re drinking first thing in the morning.”
* * *
“How’d work go today?” I asked Karen later, drumming my hands on the steering wheel while pretending not to stare at her legs. They looked fucking phenomenal in her cutoff shorts. The peek a boo show with her perfect tits and the mesh teeny tiny tank she was wearing over them was driving me just as insane. I could see her bra through it. It had me imagining a hundred different scenarios, most of them starting with me pulling us over into the closest parking lot. I could get her clothing off in about two minutes, one if that was a front clasp bra. My cock got hard thinking about it, and I slammed on the brakes a little too abruptly at the red light on Bacon.
“It was alright.” I was so distracted by my daydream that it took me a moment to remember what I’d asked. She turned her head to stare out the side window. Gnawing on her bottom lip, she seemed almost as distracted as I was.
I wondered if her thoughts mirrored my own. Maybe I could ease inside that pretty head of hers.
“Anything interesting happen today?”
“Not really.” She turned back toward me. “I reorganized the rash guards. Ate a bunch of chocolate for lunch that I’m regretting in a major way since I can’t surf to work off the extra calories.”
I could think of other ways to work them off.
“Oh, and Vassel stopped by, if you call that interesting. He bought some surf wax, and asked if I wanted to go with him to the engagement party for Linc and Simone.”
Fucking weasel. My grip tightened, ground the steering wheel, and I nearly t-boned the car that turned across traffic in front of me.
“I told him I couldn’t go, but now I’m wondering if I should’ve said yes. Simone’s going to be disappointed if I don’t go. And if you remember what you said about making new memories…”
“You’re going with me,” I cut her off. I didn’t want Vassel anywhere near her. I knew what he wanted. I knew his type because I’d been just like him. I couldn’t believe he thought he could slink in and get the jump on her. I’d pulled him aside after Karen had left that night at the Deck Bar. Apparently I hadn’t made it clear enough that she was off limits.
I parked the Explorer at the curb in front of her house. She gave me a wide-eyed look. I could tell she was uncertain about my proposal. Ash’s disbelief about the chances of my slow burn working on her echoing in my ears, I decided not to leave her any wiggle room.
“I’ll pick you up at six.” I informed her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Karen
“Ramonmartinezjustbroughtmehomefromwork,andItoldhimaboutVasselandhelookedreallypissed,andhetoldmeIshouldgowithhim,andhellpickmeupatsix.Isthatadateorafriendthing?”
“Holy shit,” Simone said when I paused to take a breath. “That mouthful sounded pretty serious. But honey, you’re gonna have to tell me again at a normal speed with actual breaks between words and sentences.”
I slowed it down enough to convey what had happened on the drive home minus my fixation with the way Ramon’s ass had looked in his board shorts.
“I’ll be right over,” she said when I was finished. “Give me five minutes.”
She made it in four and a half, though she didn’t park Linc’s jeep straight. Unfortunately, she took long enough that my self-doubt had crept in. “I think I’m reading too much into it. He knows that the pier is a hard place for me. He’s just being a good friend.”
“I’d agree with you except for the part about Vassel.” Her brows drew together. “And because of the way he watches you when you walk into the building.”
“Like how?” I rolled me eyes. “Like I can’t believe I got stuck being your escort?”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “Like this.” She leaned against my wall, the one with the overhead bookshelves that were now completely bare. I had tucked the crowns, pictures and mementos away in the closet. She lifted one leg, pressed her sandal flat to the wall and then crossed her arms and lowered her lids to run her gaze leisurely over me.
“The I’m-imagining-you-naked-and-want-to-take-you-to-bed look?” My tone reflected my incredulousness. “No way. You’re crazy.”
“I don’t think so, but tell me, how was that dance with him at the Deck Bar? Friendly distance or grinding close?
I blushed.
“Alrighty then.” Her gaze brightened. She stalked to my closet. “It’s a definite date-date. Let’s see what you’ve got to wear.” She ran a hand through the things hanging in my closet. “Ok, never mind, we’re going shopping at lunch tomorrow.” She turned back to me. I was still rooted to the rug, stomach churning. “We’ll do pedicures. Waxing. The works. Just in case. Best to be prepared.”
I gulped. I wanted to believe this was a good thing. It was what I wanted. So why was I terrified?
“I know what you’re thinking. This is good.” Simone threw her arms around me and kissed the top off my head. “It’s Ramon. You’ve been friends forever. Do not stress. I know you’ve been out of circulation for a while. So had I before Linc came back. If you want anything to happen, then let it happen. If you don’t, then don’t. It’s as simple as that.”
I blinked at her in disbelief. Ramon and I were anything but simple. But I nodded. I could put one foot in front of another. I’d done that for years. And if I got scared, I could run. I’d done that before, too. I was more afraid that I would come on too strong, and he’d have to shut me down. That had happened before, too. Both times ended in years of separation between us. That I couldn’t bear.
And that was the thing I perseverated
on. Long after Simone left. Long after midnight rolled around. And when morning broke and Ramon came to pick me up, he was unusually reserved. He didn’t mention the upcoming date slash non-date, and neither did I because I still didn’t know what to do about it.
* * *
Ramon
Too soon. I shouldn’t have pushed her so soon. She hadn’t said more than a murmured hello and a thank you by the time I’d dropped her off at work, and she’d called me later to tell me not to worry about taking her home because she and Simone we’re going to hang out and do girl stuff.
She hadn’t mentioned the party once.
I had no idea what was going through her head, but my jaw was set as I pulled into a parking spot next to the nondescript multistoried building nestled into the hill beside the pier. The bottom floor was the newly remodeled office and recording space for Outside, Linc and Ash’s new recording venture. The top two floors contained rental units, and I was on my way to one of those.
It took several knocks before anyone answered. Undeniably cute, her purple and blonde streaked hair sticking up all over the place like a punk rocker, Tasha blinked at me, her expression registering her surprise.
“What…”
“Where’s Vassel?” I cut to the chase.
“He’s asleep.”
“Wake him, or I will.”
“Alright.” She scrunched her face in displeasure before shuffling off in a pair of men’s slippers that were as big as the ‘Saltwater soul’ tee shirt that nearly swallowed her.
I glanced around the apartment. No furniture. Eighties era brassy fixtures. Popcorn ceiling. Earth toned shag carpet. Vertical blinds. Efficiency style kitchen and living room combo. Cardboard boxes flattened and spread out beneath all the band’s equipment. They were apparently using the main living space as a studio.
“What the hell?” Vassel emerged from the bedroom. Four people in one bedroom. One of them a girl. I wondered briefly at the bizarre living arrangement but set speculation aside to get right to the point.
“Stay away from Karen.”
His lazy lidded eyes widened. He scratched the center of his bare chest. One of his nipples was pierced. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other studying me intently for a long moment. My arms were stiff. My jaw was locked tight. I was spoiling for a fight.
“And what if I don’t?” he decided unwisely. “Who are you to her anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am to her. It’s what I’m going to do to you if you don’t stay away from her that you need to worry about.” I took a purposeful step toward him. I might have made a threatening sound low in my throat. “I thought I made this clear to you already.”
“I guess I’m a slow learner.” He lifted his chin. I wanted to plow my fist through the defiant look on his face. “Duly noted.” I realized before he said anything else that he and I were headed toward a confrontation that I was going to be forced to finish definitively sooner rather than later.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Karen
Stop fidgeting, I told myself. Pressing my sweaty palms tightly together, I managed not to tug on the short hem of the strapless sundress that barely covered my ass. Simone had talked me into wearing it, telling me that she had noticed Ramon had a thing for my legs. I didn’t have the same impression. He had never given me the idea that he had a fondness for any particular part of me. And he was late. I had been pacing between the living room where my parents were parked in front of the television, and the kitchen where I was downing my third glass of water. Sweaty palms, dry mouth, I had it all. I was a regular wreck.
Because of Ramon.
I paced the length of the house again, frowning at my strappy but flat sandals. The white complimented my tanned skin but maybe heels would’ve been sexier. Stomach sloshing with trepidation and twenty-four ounces of liquid, I detoured to the downstairs half-bath, used the facilities, washed my hands and was drying them on the towel when I heard the doorbell ring. My heart started knocking faster against my ribs. I felt a little lightheaded as I emerged from the bathroom. My dad beat me to the front door. I was regretting not eating anything all day until I got my first glimpse of Ramon.
I froze.
Swayed.
My heart stopped.
Then restarted.
Beating insanely fast.
The crisp white t-shirt he wore clung to the contours of his chest. Black Volcom emblazed board shorts revealed his toned legs and if he turned around I knew they would accentuate his fine ass. He hadn’t dressed up, not that he needed to. He was gorgeous whatever he wore. But that he hadn’t done anything different than usual gave me pause because I had gone all out. I had waxed. My skin gleamed with gallons of coconut scented lotion. The dress and sandals were brand new. My hair loose and curled. Hopefully if he noticed the care I had taken with my appearance he would presume I had done so because of the party.
The way he stood in the front doorway, filling the narrow frame with his broad shoulders and larger than life presence, exchanging pleasantries with my dad, he made every part of me tingle with anticipation. That head-to-toe tingling intensified a thousand-fold when my dad stepped aside and Ramon focused his attention solely on me.
“Hey, surfer girl.” He held out his hand, sweeping his dark, enticing gaze over me. “You ready?”
I bobbed my head, not trusting that I could speak over the tight feeling in my chest but ridiculously proud that I was able to cross the distance between us without tripping on my own legs.
I slid my hand into his much larger one. It engulfed my own, warm, steady and sure. I floated alongside him, the light breeze making the full skirt of my dress flutter around my upper thighs the way my heart was doing inside my chest.
He opened my door, his fingers brushing over the bare skin of my shoulder as I folded my body inside. Had that been a purposeful touch? A warm shiver rolled through me as I looked into his glistening eyes that seemed to say it was. “Your seat belt,” he prompted, and I managed to tear my gaze from his to find the mechanism and fasten it. I tried to pull myself together in the too few moments it took him to round the hood and take his seat behind the wheel. But I knew it was a pointless endeavor. My hastily reassembled pieces fell apart as soon as his sandalwood and oak moss scent washed over me.
He said something to me as he started up the engine.
“Huh,” I replied inanely, tracing the line of his freshly shaven jaw with my eyes.
“I asked if you were cold.” He gave me a sidelong look that lingered in certain areas, one that seemed to be half approval half amusement.
“No.” I was the opposite of chilly actually. “Why?”
At the stop sign, he reached over and stroked the back of his knuckles down the length of my arm. “You look phenomenal in that dress. But you’re covered in goosebumps.”
“Oh.” Another inane reply. My mind tripped on the compliment. Before I could manage a more lengthy response, he stretched his arm across the back of my seat rest.
“Too late to go back for a sweater. We’ll miss Linc’s proposal if I can’t get us there in the next ten minutes.” His brow lifted. “Guess it will be up to me to keep you warm.”
* * *
Ramon
I had been worried she would back out. But she hadn’t backed out. She had gone all out. She looked incredibly sexy in a dress that hugged her curves and showcased her tan. Every inch of her skin shone and her hair framed her breathtakingly beautiful face. But the biggest enticement wasn’t her outfit. It was the way she responded to me. The hope that shimmered in her eyes. The way the pulse point in her neck speeded up when I leaned in. The way she shivered when I touched her.
This was real.
This was happening.
Our first date if I didn’t count the dinner and dancing at the Deck Bar.
Fucking finally.
“Hey, surfer girl. We’re here.” I cut the engine and she stopped gnawing her plump bottom lip turning her head to focus on me. T
he ends of her hair kissed her shoulders the way I hoped to do with my lips later, if I got lucky.
“Sorry I got tangled up in my thoughts. I’m a little nervous. I don’t mean to be bad company.” She gave me a soft smile. “You look nice. I should have said so earlier.”
“Thanks,” I replied, appreciating the compliment and hoping her nerves had more to do with me and less to do with the reasons she no longer visited the pier. “But not nearly as great as you do. I’m gonna have to keep my arm around you to keep the other guys from getting any ideas.” I gestured at the beach down from the spot where we had parked. “It’s packed tonight. I think the word’s gotten out. Apparently there are a lot of romantics who want to see this proposal.”
“Or eat the free food.”
“Yeah there’s that.” I grinned at her quip, popped open my door and came around to let her out. I took her hand, my gaze dipping to her legs as she stepped out onto the pavement. I was imagining running my hands along the silken length of her thighs. When I closed her door and clicked the locks, I caught her smile.
“Why the secretive grin?
“Nothing. I was just thinking about something Simone said about you.”
“What’s that?” I pressed.
Her cheeks blushed. She shook her head.
“Tell me,” I demanded playfully, walking her backward and caging her against the vehicle with my arms. “Not letting you go till you do.” She put her hands on my forearms. I peered into her eyes waiting for an answer. I was in no hurry. This was good. I loved having her touching me.
She tried to wiggle away, but I just pressed closer. Her hands went to my chest, palms flattening. This kept getting better and better. I could feel the heat of her skin through my shirt. My cock came to attention as I imagined her hands drifting lower. Her eyes darkening, she licked her lips. I was through imagining things. No time like the present to make new memories. I was going to kiss her.
Riptide (Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Book 2) Page 19