Tyed to You

by Jordyn McKenzie

  “Yeah, sure. I’ve called dibs on Mom and Dad’s room up in the loft. I think Ty and his buddies will either crash downstairs or in the studio above the boathouse.”

  “So what time are the hooligans supposed to show up anyway? I thought we were past the babysitting years,” Jasmine quipped as she returned to the kitchen.

  “The hooligans are here, and maybe we’re here to babysit you two. Did you ever think of that?” a deep voice intoned from behind her.

  “Oh God!” Jasmine jumped and whipped around to see Tyson emerging from the basement-level staircase. He’d been attractive and fairly irresistible—much to Jasmine’s chagrin—when he had been on the cusp of seventeen. Now, he was a simply mouth-watering six feet and four inches of lean, muscular deliciousness, and had the most captivating green eyes she’d ever seen on a man. Though his family’s Mediterranean heritage gave both him and his sister a gorgeous olive complexion, it was Laurel who ended up with their father’s brown eyes, and Tyson took after their mother.

  “Aw, I didn’t mean to spook you, Jasmine! Sorry about that.” He chuckled as he crossed the room towards her. Two grinning young men followed behind him.

  “Oh geez. That’s okay. How are you, Ty?” she asked, surprised to find herself wrapped in Ty’s arms in a casual ‘hello’ hug. He smelt amazing.

  “I’m great, ready for a fun weekend on the lake. You look great, by the way.”

  She tried not to blush while Ty held her out at arm’s length, seeming to give her a proper once-over.

  Embarrassed, Jasmine took a step back, then, remembering the skimpy tank top she was wearing, folded her arms across her chest as casually as she could manage. “Thanks,” she said awkwardly. “You look…good, too.” That was an understatement.

  His hair had a natural sun-kissed appearance. Bronze highlights stood out from his dark chestnut locks, and it had grown out a little longer than she’d remembered. Wind-mussed layers fell just past his jaw, which looked as though it hadn’t been acquainted with his razor for a day or two. He was wearing a snug T-shirt that put every muscle in his chest, shoulders and arms on display, and Jasmine briefly wondered if his ‘pack’ was a six or an eight before she felt her face flush. She quickly executed an about-face to the kitchen to retrieve her glass of wine from Laurel. Laurel crooked an eyebrow at her but didn’t comment upon it as she handed her the glass.

  “Thank you,” rasped Jasmine.

  “Hey, sis,” Ty greeted, as he walked to the fridge. “You remember Saul and Freddie?” He tossed beer cans over his shoulder towards his friends without even checking to see if they were ready to catch them.

  “’Sup, Laurel?” One of the young men addressed Laurel with a quick nod of the head. His skin was copper-tone and he had short, shiny black hair and a one-hundred-watt smile.

  “Saul,” Laurel replied sardonically. “He wants me,” she whispered dramatically to Jasmine, who only raised her eyebrows at the turn in conversation. Hell, the turn in the whole situation, she thought, taking a hearty sip of her wine.

  “You’re breaking my heart, Laurel,” Saul complained, exaggeratedly grasping his heart over his chest.

  “Psh, Saul, you don’t have the game to catch a woman like Laurel,” said the other man, who had to be Freddie, elbowing his friend in the side. Freddie’s short red hair and spray of freckles made him look as harmless as they come, though his crystalline blue eyes were very intriguing. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your hot friend?”

  “Oh boy,” Jasmine muttered, bringing her glass back to her lips.

  “This beautiful, apparently thirsty lady is my lifelong lady-friend, Jasmine. Play nice with her, boys, she’s newly single.”

  Jasmine sputtered at Laurel’s blunt revelation. “Laurel!” she barked between coughs. “Seriously?”

  “Excellent.” Saul grinned rakishly as he rubbed his hands together.

  “Cut it out,” Ty said, smacking Saul on the back of the head. “She’s going through a divorce. Some asshole was dumb enough to actually cheat on her, can you believe it?”

  Jasmine’s mouth dropped open, then, quickly recovering, she glared at Laurel. “Jesus, big mouth much?”

  “What?” Laurel shrugged innocently, as though Jasmine’s dirty laundry hadn’t just been spilled all over the kitchen. “Mom and I were talking about it. I can’t help it if Twerp was snoopy and overheard things.”

  “Who are you calling Twerp? I’m easily ten inches taller than you!” Ty objected.

  “Ugh, whatever,” Jasmine muttered, starting to walk back outside to the deck with her glass, before she paused, went back to the kitchen, grabbed the open bottle of white wine with her free hand and carried it out with her.

  “Atta girl,” Laurel commented appreciatively. Jasmine ignored her.

  She only half-listened to the conversation going on in the kitchen as she recovered from her embarrassment, refilling her glass once more. And as the flame in her cheeks cooled, she then wondered why she cared so much. She’d known Ty since he had been a child and his friends were just some silly guys fresh out of college. What did it matter to her what they thought?

  “Feel like going out on the boat?” Ty stepped out onto the deck.

  “Now?”

  “No, next month,” he cracked. “Yes, now. Well, once I get the boat ready to go. It should take about twenty minutes. Do you have a swimsuit? We’ve got skis and an air biscuit for tooling around on the water.”

  “Um…I think after all this wine, it’s probably best I don’t get hauled around the lake by a rope. I’ll come along for the ride, though. Laurel’s going, right?”

  “Oh yeah, totally. I’m gonna go get the boat ready, see you down there.” And with a quick, heart-stopping grin, Ty was gone, bounding down the stairs to the boat house.

  “What did I get myself into?” Jasmine whispered to herself. She then drained her glass, grabbed the nearly-empty wine bottle and went inside to get changed, mentally cursing her choice to bring her skimpy black bikini rather than a more demure one-piece.

  As it turned out, Laurel would not be joining them on the boat. Just as she and Jasmine were changing into their swimsuits, Hank called from Shanghai. “I need to take this, Jasmine. Why don’t you go take a ride with the boys? I’ll start dinner after I get done talking to Hank.”

  Jasmine cringed and hesitated.

  “Oh, just go. It’s only Tyson! He won’t bite…unless you want him to.”

  Jasmine gasped indignantly, words failing her.

  Laurel threw her head back and laughed as she slid the sliding glass door shut in Jasmine’s face, locked it, and waved sweetly as she began talking to her boyfriend on the phone.

  Jasmine was beginning to wonder if Laurel hadn’t had ulterior motives in her invitation for this weekend.

  Chapter Two

  Cursing Laurel under her breath, Jasmine tromped down the exterior staircase to the dock where Tyson and his friends waited for her.

  “Laurel’s not coming. Hank called and she stayed to talk,” Jasmine announced as she approached the boat—Mr Benedetti’s prized twenty-two-foot, 1946 Chris-Craft Sportsman. Her mouth went dry when she saw Ty standing on the rear deck in his low-slung red and black board shorts and no shirt. It was definitely an eight-pack he was working with, and sweet Jesus it was beautiful. The ghost of a smirk on his face as his eyes roved over her scantily-clad curvy figure told Jasmine he appreciated what he was seeing as well.

  He smiled and shrugged. “No worries. We’ll have more fun without her anyway.” Jasmine smiled wanly at Tyson as her new mantra of the day, ‘Laurel’s baby brother, Laurel’s baby brother,’ ran through her mind. She took his outstretched hand to step on board and was surprised by the bombardment of emotions that shot through her at his touch.

  “Watch your step,” he cautioned as she took the long step down into the boat.

  A current from another passing watercraft came through and they were rocked unexpectedly, causing a tipsy Jasmine to stumble. T
y caught her, holding her a moment too long before asking, “You okay?” Jasmine blushed and extricated herself from Ty’s arms. “Um. Yeah. Yes, er, I’m fine. All that wine, you know. My balance is a little off at the moment.”

  She realised that Ty still had a hold of her hand. She began to pull away but he tightened his grip. “Come on. I saved you a seat at the front. These assholes can ride in the back.”

  “God, can we get this show on the road already?” Saul groaned. “I’m ready to shred some water.”

  “All you’re going to be shredding is your face when you face-plant in the water. Like you do every time,” Freddie scoffed, punching Saul in the shoulder with a sharp jab.

  “Knock it off, dick! I’ll throw you in!”

  Jasmine was suddenly grateful to be sitting up front with Tyson. He started the boat and, flashing another smile in her direction, pulled away from the dock. Once they were out of the no-wake zone, he threw open the throttle—the momentum lifting the front of the boat as it gained speed threw Jasmine back into her seat. She laughed at the thrill of it, despite her earlier reservations.

  They reached a relatively uninhabited area of the lake and Ty shut off the motor. The guys set to work rigging up the tow line on the back of the boat and Saul fished out a wakeboard from beneath the donut-shaped inflated raft otherwise known as the ‘air biscuit’.

  “Prepare to be stunned by my awesomeness on the water,” Saul said to Jasmine with a rakish wiggle of his eyebrows before jumping into the water with the wakeboard. She glanced at Ty, who only rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

  Once Saul had got into position, Freddie, serving as spotter, said, “Hit it.” Ty started the motor, throttling up almost immediately. Jasmine turned in her seat to watch Saul cruise back and forth on the wake created by the speed boat. She felt a light tap on her thigh and looked at Ty questioningly.

  “Watch this!” he yelled and veered sharply to the right. Jasmine held on for dear life while she watched Saul go flying in the opposite direction, having lost his grip on the tow line.

  Tyson laughed and turned the boat back around to pick up his fallen friend.

  “Dude, he’s so pissed,” Freddie crowed.

  Seeing the look on Saul’s face as they approached, Jasmine was inclined to agree.

  “What the fuck, man? You did that on purpose!” Saul shouted.

  “Sure did,” was Ty’s cocky response.

  “That’s fucked up,” Saul muttered as he hauled himself onto the boat. Then he leaned over the side, pressed a finger against one nostril and blew hard out the other one to clear his nose.

  “Gross,” Jasmine said, wrinkling her nose. Saul merely winked at her. She didn’t know what his definition of awesomeness was, but it certainly didn’t include ‘farmer-blowing’.

  “All right, it’s my turn,” Freddie said. He took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the cubby at the front of the boat, leaning across Jasmine to do so. “I ain’t losing this pair to the lake, they’re Oakleys.” He paused a moment longer to blatantly ogle the view offered by his close vicinity to Jasmine’s chest, causing her to feel a bit self-conscious. “Not bad,” he murmured.

  “Uh…thanks?” Jasmine didn’t quite know what to say.

  “You gonna get in the lake now, or do I need to toss you in, Freddie?” growled Ty.

  Saul laughed. “Haha, yeah, no macking on Ty’s—”

  “Saul!”

  “What, Ty, I was just gonna say, ‘Ty’s sister’s friend’. Because she’s a guest, and all? Geez, don’t be such a girl.”

  Jasmine took in the expression on Tyson’s face, and if she didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn he was blushing. His ears certainly looked red.

  “Freddie, get in the fucking water. Saul, you’re spotting.”

  “Goddamn, okay…” Freddie grumbled, jumping in the water.

  They were soon off again, cruising around the lake as Freddie skimmed the current behind them. This time, however, Jasmine found herself watching Tyson at the wheel. The muscles in his arms flexed as he steered the boat, the sun gleaming off the sheen of sweat on his skin. His eyes were concealed behind sunglasses that did not detract from his roguish good looks. And as if he could sense her eyes upon him, he glanced over at her, flashing another smile before turning his attention back to the lake.

  God, but he’s heavenly. The thought escaped Jasmine before she could forbid its passage.

  After Freddie let go, deciding his arms needed a rest, Saul took another turn. This time Ty didn’t purposely turn hard to make him crash and Saul managed to stay up much longer on the wakeboard.

  After Saul, Ty decided he wanted a turn on the water. He turned off the motor and turned to Fred. “You’re up at the wheel, my man.” He stood up and waved Saul in. “Hey! My turn!”

  He fastened on a black and grey neoprene life vest and took off his sunglasses, grinning at Jasmine as he placed them in a small storage bin by driver’s seat. “You don’t want to know how many pairs I’ve left at the bottom of this lake before I finally learned it’s best to just leave them here in the boat.”

  “I would imagine so,” Jasmine agreed with a laugh.

  “I’m going in, Fred. Don’t let him throw me around, eh, Jassy?” Ty joked as he headed towards the back of the boat. The craft suddenly shifted as Saul hauled himself up over the back deck of the boat and Tyson dived into the water. While he got situated, switching the wakeboard for the slalom ski, Freddie leaned over to Jasmine. “He’s into you, you know.”

  “He’s what?” Jasmine asked, surprised. “Nah, I think you’re mistaken. We’ve known each other since he was barely out of kindergarten. I’m like a big sister to him.” Except for that time we made out, Jasmine finished in her head. But that was due to alcohol and his teenage hormones. Wasn’t it?

  Freddie laughed. “Ha, no. Trust me, you are the furthest thing from a big sister to him.” At that moment, Ty indicated he was ready to go, with a shrill whistle and a thumbs-up, so Freddie fired up the engine, rendering the private conversation over.

  As Jasmine watched Ty, she mulled over Freddie’s sudden revelation. He had to be wrong. Tyson was a young, gorgeous specimen, newly minted with a college diploma and ready to take on the world. He could have his pick of any girl his age. And she…well, she already had one failed marriage in which she couldn’t manage to hold her husband’s attention. She was about ten pounds heavier than she wanted to be, and in three months she was turning thirty which, to a twenty-two year old, was practically over-the-hill. No, Freddie had to have pegged that one wrong.

  After an impressive display of slalom skiing during his few laps around the lake, Ty let go of the tow line and allowed himself to ease to a stop, falling gracefully into the water. Freddie pulled around to retrieve him and when Ty hoisted himself on to the boat, he asked, “Do you want a turn, Jasmine? You used to wakeboard all the time back when you’d come hang out here with Laurel.”

  Jasmine shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ve sobered up some, but I don’t think I’m up for that.”

  Ty pursed his lips. “What about the biscuit? We can tie it onto the tow line.”

  “Ehh…”

  “Come on, the water feels great. I’ll go with you.”

  The suggestion gave Jasmine pause. “Oh, I don’t know…” she hedged.

  “Come on, take a ride with me. Fred will drive, so there’s no crazy stuff, right, Fred?”

  Winking conspiringly at Jasmine, Freddie nodded. “Absolutely. Just a fun little ride around the lake. You should do it,” he added with a sly smile.

  Annoyed, Jasmine decided then that she would do it, if nothing else but to prove Freddie wrong at his theory. “Okay, fine, I’ll go on the biscuit with you, Ty.”

  “Excellent.” He grinned.

  Jasmine didn’t miss the knowing look that Freddie and Saul exchanged, and it succeeded in worrying her some. She was committed now. Once Ty tossed the tethered inflated raft out to the water, she jumped in, gasping at t
he briskness of the water. The day was uncharacteristically warm, so the water did feel pretty good once she’d adjusted to the temperature.

  Ty dived in and got positioned on the raft, then helped her get situated, showing her which grips were hers to hold for the ride. They were seated snugly side-by-side, with Ty’s arm around her to hang on to the grip behind her. “Ready for this?” he asked, his eyes alight with excitement.

  “As ready as I’m gonna get,” she replied, trying to ignore the butterflies exploding within her stomach at their close proximity.

  Ty raised a hand to give his friends the thumbs-up before putting his hand back down to the grip again. Freddie fired up the boat and they were off. Jasmine held the grips tightly as the biscuit slid over the wake, catching air every now and then which would make the biscuit land with a thud. Somehow, she ended up positioned even tighter into Ty’s side.

  Suddenly, Freddie veered too sharply in one direction, causing them both to topple off the biscuit into the water. Jasmine sputtered and coughed from all the water that went up her nose and in her mouth. She felt strong arms circle her while she tried to clear her passages. She cast a brief glance down her front to make sure her bikini top had held fast.

  “Are you all right?” Ty asked, his voice raspy from his own bout of coughing.

  She looked up at him, surprised by how close his face was to hers. “I…cough…I’m okay. Just a little…cough…water in the wrong tubes.”

  Despite her reassurances, Ty didn’t let her go, instead he pulled her even closer. Ty had hugged her before, but this was…different. Jasmine struggled to not read too much into it, but the way he casually circled his arm around her bare waist took everything she had within her to resist wrapping her legs around his hips. She concentrated on treading water and made a poor attempt to make light of the situation.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that Freddie did that on purpose.”

  He cocked his head, grinning at her. “Oh, really? And what makes you say that?”