Quinn clenched his jaw. “Are you kidding me … she said that?”
I wasn’t falling for his play-stupid routine. “She certainly implied it. Then and now.”
Quinn reached out and brushed my arm, placating me as if I were some puppy that had just pissed on his favorite rug. “I promise you, Ashton. I had no idea she was coming over. Cassie lives down the street and she pops in all the time to check on Nanna. We’re friends. That’s all. I would never date someone I worked with, much less the daughter of my boss. Are you serious? That’s career suicide,” he replied.
“Why would she imply that, then?”
“She’s always had a bit of a crush on me,” he said. Too easily. “She’s made overtures and I’ve rejected her. It’s probably stung her pride and she’s lashing out at you because she senses our connection. But I’ve made it very clear to Cassie that we would never be anything more than strictly coworkers.”
“Does Albertson know this very important fact?” I asked. “He seems to be the type of man who spoils his only daughter.”
Quinn laughed. “Yes, as a matter of fact, he does. I’ve told him that I don’t have feelings for her. We are just friends. Besides, he knows now that I like you. A lot. We talked about it yesterday. That’s why he went AWOL for dinner. Albertson thought we needed some alone time.”
Now I felt like a big heel. A big fat, foot complete with corns too swollen to fit into my favorite pair of Jimmy Choo’s.
“How did you get home, anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, I took your bike back,” I explained with a cheeky grin. “But I think a homeless woman stole it. I’ll be happy to replace it.”
Quinn slouched his shoulders and looked down for a moment. Like he wanted to cry.
Shit, he’d really liked that old bike. Pride goeth before the fall.
“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you another,” I offered again.
“It’s okay. No one’s ridden it in long time. It was my Nanna’s bike. She used to ride it around the neighborhood and ring the bell every time she saw someone she knew. Sometimes, when I walk by, I ring it for old-time’s sake.”
“Oh,” I squeaked. Now I really felt like the worst kind of loser. For someone so crisp and quick-witted in the boardroom, it was incredible how much I let the machinations of my own mind get in the way of my personal life.
“Well, now that the deal is done, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?” He almost whispered, voice laced with emotion. Almost.
“I thought I would head back to the hotel and pack,” I said. “I’m going to try and change my flight so I can get out on the red-eye home.”
“You weren’t supposed to leave until Monday,” he commented through pursed lips. “I’d hoped we’d have the whole weekend. I’d love to show you around. Do the touristy thing.”
I stared at him. Searching his face for any hint of insincerity. “I guess I could be persuaded to stay for a bit.”
Quinn’s eyes lit up and he asked cheerfully, “How about we go surfing? Have you ever tried it?”
“Surfing?” It was good to see him return to his normal self, but I wasn’t expecting him to come back with surfing.
“Our waves may not be that big, but they are perfect for beginners,” he said in a rush of childlike joy. “I’ll teach you!”
“I…okay. I’ll have to go back to the hotel and grab my suit,” I relented. “I only brought a bikini because I’d planned on bathing my Casper skin in some rays. Will it be okay or do I need to hit up the hotel gift shop for a one piece?”
“You’ll be fine,” he assured. “We won’t do anything too strenuous right out of the gate. The worst thing that could happen is your top will fly off and you’ll flash the whole beach. Meet me back at my house in an hour. Remember how to get there?”
I gasped. “Maybe I don’t want to surf.”
He speared me with a heated gaze. “I was just teasing you, Ashton. I’d never let that happen. Unless we were alone.”
Cassie chose that exact moment when the sexual tension was ripe between Quinn and me to flit into the room to hand me a stack of papers. She glanced back and forth between us, expression neutral. “This should be everything Ms. Jansen. Would you like me to change your flight?”
“What?” I asked as I took the papers from her.
“Since clearly we’re done here?” she added with a bit of spice, chomping at the bit to get rid of me. Literally evacuate my person from the entire state of Florida.
“Actually,” I said, giving her the biggest smile I could muster, “I’m going to stay a little while longer. I’ll return as expected.”
Now, I just needed to decide when I should tell Quinn about my new job.
Game on.
Chapter Twelve
Quinn
I brought Ashton to a calm area of the beach that was practically deserted to put her at ease. Even though she’d been athletic back in high school, a flyer on the cheerleading squad, I didn’t know how brave or fit she was today and I didn’t want to push her into something that could cause an injury.
As soon as my feet sank into the soft, sugary-white sand, I smiled. Emerald waters greeted us as we carried our cooler and beach bag down to the water line. The short waves were lazily rolling through in clear, clean lines, which made this a perfect day to teach Ashton to surf.
We were met by Grady, a dread-locked beefcake who was the local surf instructor and also one of my best friends. He was what the local girls called Man Candy behind their perfectly bronzed hands. They’d all twitter on about his tall, muscular build, his long, bleach-blonde hair twisted in dreads, and his bronzed skin kissed by the Florida sun. Then, they’d max out their credit cards buying surf lessons so they could throw themselves at him. Grady had the life.
What really hooked them, though, was his Australian accent. It annoyed the shit out of me, but the girls – local and tourists, alike – absolutely loved it. Yep, my best buddy was from Down Under. It was like he’d fallen straight out of a Hollywood cliché about surfers, right onto the sugary beaches of Florida.
Despite his allure with all things female, the guy was a complete gentleman, and an even better friend. He’d jumped at the chance to drop everything and meet Ashton and me for a couple hours of surfing. Something about my lovesick ramblings about her during a forlorn bender a few years back. I’d spilled my regrets and sorrows over a wealth of Jim Beam. So, Grady was the best person to show her the ropes. Or the waves.
“So I will be working on my tan while you guys catch some waves?” Ashton teased, after shaking hands with Grady. “I can watch. Nothing wrong with standing on the sidelines in silent support, right?”
I glanced at Grady, then at Ashton, laughing. “No, Miss Jansen. As a matter of fact, your ass is getting up on the board today. Grady will be your surf instructor today and he’s the best in town. He owns the Barefoot Surf Shack about a mile or two down the beach.”
“I’ve never met someone I couldn’t teach to surf,” he bragged with the Keith Urban lilt. I could have sworn I saw Ashton’s knees start to quiver as she swooned at his Kangaroo paws. “You are guaranteed to catch a wave today.”
No. Ashton couldn’t be attracted to him. He wasn’t her type. Of course, I was basing my ridiculous assumptions on what she’d been attracted to ten years ago.
Me.
Back off you overinflated sandgroper.
Mine.
I got lost staring at Ashton and drinking in her fragile beauty from every angle. Her curly blond hair shimmered in the warm afternoon air. A glint of sparkle and excitement in her eyes made them look almost emerald. The woman was just as heavenly as the sweet waves hitting the beach today. I was so ecstatic that she’d given me a third chance that I wasn’t going to fuck it up again. I was falling in love with this gorgeous chick. Falling. Maybe I was already there.
“Is that so, Grady?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at the other man. In spite of being my friend, I felt like coldcocking him in the jaw for
even looking at her. Let alone devouring her perfect tits with his hungry eyes as he was currently doing, even through the white of her t-shirt. A pop of hot pink poked through the thin fabric. I didn’t know whether I wanted her to take that thing off or leave it on so she’d stay covered up.
Was she flirting with him? He’d always had a way with the women I’d brought around but now I felt a pit of jealousy open up deep inside. I didn’t want any kind of connection between them. No matter how innocent either’s intentions.
Grady nodded and gestured to me. “When we first met, I had this bloke up and surfing within fifteen minutes of hitting the water. If he can do it with his uncoordinated giraffe legs, you sure can.” He bent over his over duffle bag and pulled out a wetsuit. “The water might be a little chilly today. I brought a few wet suits if you think you’d need one?”
Yes. Please. For the love of God cover up before Grady salivates staring at your rack.
Ashton dipped her toes in the water and winked. “I think it feels just fine.”
He tossed her a bright pink rash guard. “You definitely need to wear this over your top. You’ll thank me later.”
We both watched Ashton pull her white t-shirt over her head. Be still my beating heart. She was wearing a bright pink and white polka dot bikini top with matching bottoms. She was a little bit more pale than most of the girls on the beach, but man did she fill out that suit. I had to shut my own mouth to keep from drooling.
I looked over to see that Grady still stared at her like his eyes were frozen into place at tit level. I poked him in the ribs and whispered, “That is my Ashton and I will beat your ass …”
“Easy mate,” he laughed. “Just admiring the view. Can’t fault a friend for that, eh?”
We both chuckled when Ashton sniffed the rash guard as she pulled it over her head.
“How many girls have worn this before me?” she asked.
“Relax,” Grady answered, still chuckling, “It’s my girlfriend’s and she washed it.”
“You have a girlfriend?” she said as she put it on. That seemed good enough for Ashton, who turned her attention to tightening up the knots of her suit. “Surprising.”
“I can be a one woman man. Just because I like to be social doesn’t mean I don’t love her dearly. Ashton’s fit, mate,” Grady said to me. “Appears she’s taken cheerleading to a whole new level since high school.”
“I’m not sure about her current workout routine,” I answered, putting on my own rash guard. I pulled a tube of sunscreen out of our beach bag and poured a glob into my hands.
“Yeah, Quinn always had the biggest crush on me because of my ability to do the airborne splits,” Ashton interjected, reaching out for some sun lotion. Did she realize what she’d just said?
“Actually, it was the other way around. I was just too stupid to realize what I had.”
“Quinn ran out on me. Crushed my heart before leaving town.” Ashton said playfully, but the words still cut me deeply. It was a reminder of how much I had hurt both of us.
“I’ll be making it up to her for a long time,” I said.
“This is a start,” Ashton said. She lathered the lotion on her face and legs.
I fell back down the rabbit hole staring at her for a few seconds. She was the only girl I’d known that looked gorgeous in neoprene fabric. Her nipples were hard against the top. I wanted nothing more than to unzip that top, rip off her bikini, and take her out into the Gulf for a romantic swim. I could feel myself getting hard and tried to think about something else before I embarrassed myself and Grady never let me hear the end of it.
A beach chubby.
“Everyone ready to go?” Grady asked.
“Yep!” Ashton said as she started to pick up her board.
“Put that back down,” I instructed. “Our first lesson is on the beach.”
“Okaaay,” Ashton answered. “I thought Grady was the teacher today?”
“You’ll learn how to get on the board before we even put it in the water. We’ll perfect your stance and then give it a go in the water,” Grady instructed.
“Mind if I hit a couple waves while you do that?” I asked Ashton. I needed the cold water to hit my overinflated dick.
“Sure, go for it,” she answered.
I left her in Grady’s capable hands and picked up my own board. The water was crystal clear, but pretty chilly. It took a minute to get used to the cool temperature but the water did the work and shrinkage occurred. Tiny white fish darted around my feet as I pushed the board out into deeper water. Once I paddled about seventy yards off shore, I waited for the right wave to come along. I straddled the board and watched Ashton practice with Grady.
Even from far away, she looked like a million bucks. I heard a splash behind me and turned to find a playful pod of dolphin about twenty feet from where I floated. When they curiously approached me, I put my hands in the water. A dolphin swam right up to me and its smooth skin brushed against my hand.
Moments like this made living at the beach all worthwhile: these exciting little encounters against a backdrop of pure bliss and relaxation. I couldn’t even imagine going back to Georgia. I may have childishly run away from my problems when I was younger, but I sure was glad I ended up here.
Finally, a nice wave rolled up behind me and I paddled hard to catch it before it could pass. Once I felt that unique weightless feeling, I shot up to my feet and posed to ride the wave all the way to shore. Surfing was a great release for me. It was hard to explain. I loved the feel of the rushing water below my board, the salt air brushing against my skin and hair, and the sheer exhilaration at being at the mercy of the ocean.
“Looking good,” Ashton yelled as I stepped off my board and back onto the smooth sand.
“Are you ready to try the real thing?” I asked.
“I think so,” Ashton answered.
“She’s a quick learner, that one,” Grady added. “But we’ll see if she has what it takes out in Mother Ocean.”
I reached for her board, but Ashton pushed my hand away.
“I can carry my own board, thank you,” she chided.
“I know there’s a lot of things you can do,” I answered with a smile. I liked providing for her and I wished she’d let me. She could be a corporate bad-ass in the boardroom but I wanted her feminine and soft outside of it. “But there’s nothing wrong with helping my girl.”
“So I’m your girl now, huh?” Ashton asked, with a wicked grin. “I’m not sure I’ve signed on the dotted line yet, Perry Mason.”
I hoisted a board under each arm as we trudged down to the water line. “Yeah, you are. Lawyers aren’t needed to broker this particular deal.”
Grady interrupted our banter, “Okay, we’re going to paddle out a ways and then work on some more technique before I cut you loose on the real waves.”
“Come on, lawyer boy,” Ashton taunted me. “See if you can catch up.”
She sprang on her board and started to paddle behind Grady. Her strong arms were dipping and stroking through the water like a pro. It was then that I remembered that Ashton was a strong swimmer. She’d spent every summer on the swim team at our local pool. If I remembered correctly, she was one of the best swimmers they had, winning medals like a champion.
I jumped on my board and quickly caught up to her. Not without getting a little out of breath, though. “I see that you kept up on the swimming skills,” I shouted to her.
“I’m at the Y every morning. Fifty laps before the sun fully rises.”
That explained the tight body and lungs like iron.
“And I bet you look great doing it,” I said as I smacked her ass and propelled her toward Grady, who was waiting patiently for us.
We spent the next hour working with Ashton on her positioning and balance on the board before she was ready to attempt a real wave. It took her a few times, riding the small waves on her belly before Grady had Ashton up on her knees. Then it wasn’t long before she was up and really surfing u
nder her own power. Grady and I rode right alongside of Ashton, hooting and hollering as we three rode wave after wave to the shoreline. I cheered my girl on all afternoon as she mastered surfing.
“I’m ready to call it a day,” I said, dropping my board on the sand as Ashton came up behind me. “I’m beat.”
“I had so much fun!” Ashton screamed with glee as she ran toward me.
“You’re a natural, sweetheart,” Grady said with a wink and a quick squeeze to her shoulders. I caught that rat bastard taking that opportunity to glance down the front of her bikini. Damn Vegemite eater was lucky I was feeling magnanimous today. Business deal. Check. Stunning girl that I’ve loved since high school. Check.
“I agree,” I said. “You looked great out there. Best surfing virgin I’ve ever seen.”
While Grady loaded up our boards, I wrapped my towel around Ashton and pulled her close to me. I brushed my lips against hers, tasting a combination of salt, and the peppermint from her ChapStick. My hands tangled in her wet hair as we kissed. We continued making out before we were interrupted by a deep cough. I wanted nothing more than to take her back to my house and show her again just how much I cared about her.
Slowly, we pulled apart, seeing the smirking face of Grady as we panted out of breath.
“Thanks, man,” I shook Grady’s hand. “You did a good job with my girl today.”
“She was a great learner,” he teased. “I bet she excels at everything she tries.”
I watched with a hint of jealousy as Grady pecked Ashton on the cheek. “Take care of yourself. I hope to see you next time you’re visiting.”
“Where are we going now?” Ashton asked.
“Back to my place for a quick swim?” I thought about the last time we were at my pool.
So I can devour your body like a lecher until my cock gets so hard I can’t take another second without sinking into your wet pussy.
Tightwad (Caldwell Brothers Book 2) Page 30