A car approached, going too fast. Better not be Luke speeding. The kid had enough bad news on his record.
The vehicle slowed down as it approached him. Great. It was Luke. Zac swung around, putting on a severe frown so Luke would know he was disappointed.
Instead of his bright blue Prius sedan, he encountered a bright red Corvette convertible, top down in spite of the cool weather, and inside, ta-da: Bodie and Chris.
Hadn’t he seen this scene in about a dozen high school movies? Hunky hero and sexiest girl in town pull up in latest-model car next to big loser, who is walking down the dusty street because his irresponsible pain-in-the-ass brother couldn’t get his act together?
* * *
“NEED A RIDE, DUDE?” Bodie called out, one arm draped along the back of Chris’s seat.
Zac sent him a withering look. “Your car only seats two people.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Zac wasn’t going to look at Chris. He didn’t want to see her smug and happy in the cool car with the hot dude.
He looked at her, anyway—she was made of some magnetic material his eyes couldn’t resist.
She wasn’t looking smug. In fact, she appeared to be embarrassed and miserable.
His heart leaped.
Jeez, Zac, calm the hell down. If Chris wanted him, she wouldn’t be in the convertible with Bodie. She’d be with him. Walking. On the road. Because Luke was an irresponsible—
“Sorry about that, dude. Well, see ya later.” Bodie floored the gas and the car shot away, tires squealing.
Zac would really like to think that Bodie acted the way he did and drove that kind of car because his dick was the size of a dehydrated slug.
Another car came up from behind him and this one also slowed. Zac swung around again, his frown even darker. His brother was in serious trouble now.
But, again, it wasn’t Luke. Gus this time.
This day was turning out to be more and more special every second.
“Dude.” Gus pulled up mournfully next to Zac, who acknowledged him with a nod, but kept walking. Gus’s car—an orange Kia with a cracked windshield—nosed closer and crawled alongside him. “Don’t know about you, but after that odious debacle, I could totally use a beer or two, or like three. You up for hitting the A-Frame?”
“I’m heading home, thanks, Gus. Gotta find Luke.”
“Is he driving your car?” Zac nodded and Gus pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “Dude, he’s at Slow Pour. I just passed him.”
Zac stopped walking. Great. Terrific. Fabulous. “Okay. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Gus drove off, turning his head to shout, “Change your mind about the beers, let me know.”
“Sure, Gus.” Zac started back on La Playa. Predictably, a text came through on his phone from Luke.
I’m here, where are you?
Forty-five minutes late. No apology.
He texted back: Walking home.
I’ll pick you up.
A minute later, Luke pulled up beside him. He got into the passenger seat, telling himself not to yell at his brother until he heard his side. But it was tempting, especially because there was a really fine-quality yell building in his chest. But the reasons behind that yell had more to do with his own issues than Luke. Besides which, yelling first and asking questions later was how their dad handled Luke, and clearly that hadn’t done much good.
As soon as Zac’s door closed, Luke accelerated, cutting off a car coming up the street behind him.
Zac nearly bit his tongue in half holding back fury. “So, how come you were late?”
“Don’t start, okay? Just don’t.”
Zac rolled his eyes. “I’m not starting, Luke, I’m just asking.”
Silence.
Too bad there wasn’t an eject button under Luke’s seat, though it would probably be a bad idea to get rid of the driver when the car was going nearly fifty miles an hour.
“Sorry.” Luke blew out a breath. “Summer and I went to San Miguel.”
“Summer?” Zac couldn’t hide his surprise. Summer was about the last person he’d picture his brother with. She was sweet and wholesome and West Coast, while Luke was...none of the above. “Whose idea was that?”
“Hers.”
Another surprise. If Luke messed with her, Zac would—
Okay, wait, one step at a time. “So what happened? You lost track of time?”
“The date ended badly.”
Zac’s stomach sank in dread and he clenched his fists. “How badly?”
“It was like the conversation just took a dive. You know? You start out great, and then suddenly you’re swirling down a toilet and you have no idea how to back up or get out of it.”
Zac snorted, his anger cooling into sympathy at Luke’s bewilderment. Yeah, he knew about that. “You like her?”
Luke shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but his face was slowly turning pink. “She’s okay.”
“She’s great, actually. If you do anything to—”
“I’m not going to do anything to her.”
“Okay.” Zac made himself back off. Another thing their dad did far too often—expect the worst of Luke. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” He slowed the car to a reasonable speed. “What would you do? And don’t say, ‘Nothing.’ That’s your wimp style, not mine.”
The question was so unexpected Zac had to keep himself from asking Luke to repeat it. He’d even overlook the wimp comment. Mr. Know-It-All was asking his too-rigid, too-serious brother for advice? This was a first.
“I’d apologize.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Luke grimaced. “Well, I did lose my temper, but man, she gave it right back to me.”
“Apologize, anyway.”
“For what?”
“For fighting, for accusing, for existing, whatever it takes. You let a misunderstanding stand like that, and it weighs on you. Especially with someone who could be a good friend, like Summer.”
“That is completely messed up. Why should I— Hey, isn’t that Bodie and Chris going into the A-Frame?” Luke pointed, and then glanced at Zac, who felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach all over again. “That sucks, huh?”
“Not a good night for the Arnette brothers.”
“I thought you guys did okay last night.”
“We did.” Zac shook his head with exaggerated weariness. “Women, huh?”
“Women!” Luke smacked the steering wheel, grinning. “But you know what you need to do, right?”
Zac was walking right into a trap. “What?”
“Apologize to her.”
“Why?” The word came out on a chuckle as he did his best impression of his brother in full outrage. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Dude.” Luke started laughing, too, deepening his voice to match Zac’s. “Apologize, anyway. For existing. For not being a massive prick like Bodie! You let that shit stand and it weighs on you, man. Especially with someone you are completely wussy in love with like Chris.”
“Aw.” Zac reached over to tousle his brother’s hair, as he’d done when Luke was much younger. “You are just so adorable.”
“Dude! Do not touch the perfect strands.” Luke was giggling like his old self, free and unself-conscious. “We are discussing serious business here. We must make a pact to apologize to our completely unreasonable women who hold our balls in their hot little hands.”
Zac cracked up. He’d forgotten how funny his brother could be. And in this case, wise. Zac wasn’t going to give up on Chris—of course he wasn’t. She couldn’t possibly enjoy her date with Bodie any more than she had her date with Gus. In fact, odds were she’d enjoy it a lot less. Zac kissing her last night had probably freaked her out and she was having a beer with Bodie in a twisted attempt to protect herself. If Zac stayed patient, his plan could still work. And he might as well practice what he preached and be a better role model for Luke. “Yeah, okay. I’ll apologize if you will.”
“Deal.” Luke picked up speed, then took a right turn toward the Carmia Pier, which was lined with bars, restaurants and surf shops. “But we’re going to a different bar first. I’m gonna need a beer or two for courage.”
* * *
“SO IT WAS cranking out there, really firing. I drop in and I’m charging this wave, totally owning the pocket. I carve my bottom turn totally perfect, I’m totally amped, getting ready to kick out, and some goat boater crosses me and I have to bail before I eat it.” Bodie laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Man, that pissed me off.”
Chris took a gulp of her third margarita, dimly aware that she was drinking too much too fast, but she had to numb the pain somehow. There had to be a finite number of waves in Bodie’s life, and there had to be a limit to the number of details he remembered about each one, right? Please?
“So then, there was this time on Indian Beach when I—”
“Bodie.” The third margarita had given her enough courage to call it a night. “This has been great, but I think I’m ready to go.”
His face brightened. Chris could have kicked herself. Maybe he’d been boring himself, too? She should have suggested they end their date an hour and two margaritas ago. She shouldn’t even have agreed to come—that had been clear about two seconds after she’d said yes. But that morning she’d woken up in a horrendous old-Chris state of anxiety over the kiss with Zac and what it meant and what it didn’t mean, and then he’d walked into Slow Pour and she’d wanted him to stay and she’d wanted him to leave, so by the time Bodie asked her out, she’d just wanted something in life to be simple.
Bodie was nothing if not simple.
“Awesome.” Bodie signaled the waitress. “Where do you want to go? My place?”
Chris blinked. “Uh, I meant I want to go home.”
“Okay, that’s cool, too.” He dug out his wallet. “This is on me, by the way.”
“Thank you.” Generally she’d insist on paying her half, but after what Bodie had put her through, his paying was pure justice.
“No problem.” He shook back his hair, which wasn’t really long enough to shake, plus it had been overbaked by sun and dried crispy by salt, so it barely moved. “Money is not a problem for me.”
“That’s nice.” She smiled politely, glad for him. After all, considering his intelligence and personality were clearly lacking, he might as well be rich.
Thankfully the waitress brought back his receipt quickly and they were out of the restaurant and over to Bodie’s car in a flash. He drove ridiculously fast all the way to her house, obviously as eager as she was to get the evening over with. And to his credit, he was gentlemanly enough to walk her to her front door, where she leaned in for a quick sisterly hug before she—
Urgh. The hug was not quick. She was crushed against him, and then backed up against the door, where he covered her mouth with his. His tongue seemed to be everywhere, exploring her molars with great curiosity.
Ew.
She broke free. “Um, Bodie—”
“I know, babe, I’m feeling it, too.” He leaned in for more, mouth open terrifyingly wide. “Let’s go inside and finish what we started.”
“Bodie!” She was having a hard time not laughing. “That isn’t what... I’m not—”
“Baby. You ’n’ me, we could have something as epic as Lord of the Rings, as wild as wolves in the woods, as kinky as...” He was clearly struggling. “Kinky as...”
“Boots?” she offered helpfully.
“Yeah, okay, if you’re into that, I’m there.” His breath was warm on her face. Unfortunately, he’d had something for dinner with a lot of garlic. “All I know is...with what I feel for you, we could set the very ocean on fire.”
A snort escaped her. Then another one. No, no, no, she couldn’t laugh, she couldn’t— She did.
“Has there been a recent oil spill?” Another gale of laughter, then she saw that Bodie was not amused and reined herself in, though one last snort escaped her. “Sorry.”
“Hey, so I misspoke myself.” He took a step back, looking annoyed. “No need to get all name-calling like that.”
Had she called him any names? “Sorry, Bodie, that was uncalled-for. But I’m not interested in spending the night with you.”
She might as well have slapped him across the face. He was that stunned. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. No, I’m not. I enjoyed...” She searched frantically for a way to tell him the truth. “I enjoyed the dinner and margaritas, but I’m calling it a night.”
“Okay, but we can sleep together another time, right?”
“No.” She laid a hand on his cheek. “You are totally sexy, but you’re not the guy for me.”
“Damn. I thought I was in.” He rubbed his shoulder thoughtfully. “It’s Zac, huh. You like smart guys.”
Her eyes shot wide. “What? No. He’s— No. Zac’s just a friend.”
“Whatever.” He shrugged. “Well, okay, guess I’ll go back to the bar and try again.”
Chris blinked at him. Did he really just say that? “Gosh, Bodie. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.”
“Yeah.” He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up, already backing down her front walk. “That’s what they all tell me. See ya around.”
He swaggered back to his convertible. Chris went into the house, closed the door and stood for a few seconds, trying to comprehend a universe that would produce a specimen like that.
Eva would love this. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her sister.
“Chris, oh, wow.” Eva burst into nervous giggles. “I can’t believe you just called me.”
Chris frowned. “Why?”
“Oh, because—” Ames’s voice rumbled in the background. “Right, okay. I don’t know, Chris. I was just thinking about you!”
Chris was mystified. What was Eva up to? Had she been swimming in the margarita bowl, too? “We’re twins, Eva. This happens all the time.”
“I know, but...” The line became muffled. Eva’s and Ames’s voices mumbled urgently.
“Eva?” Chris wandered into the living room. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Nothing, sorry, I was distracted. So how are all your hot California men doing?”
“Funny you should ask.” Chris told her the Bodie story, sparing nary a detail. By the time she finished, Eva was giggling madly.
“Oh, Bodie. So hot, and also so not. But I’m glad you’re done with him and Gus, because that means Zac is next on the list.”
“Zac’s not even on the list.” She sounded so knee-jerk panicked even to herself, that it was obvious Zac was not only definitely on the list, but sitting right at the top in bold, all caps, underlined twice.
Damn it. She should not have had more than one drink tonight.
“Oh, right, Chris, right. Zac’s not on the list. Yeah, okay, I believe you.”
Chris’s heart started beating wildly. She could not even think about Zac without anxiety clouding her vision. In fact, she was getting all worked up and annoyed right now. “He and I had a late-night talk on the beach yesterday.”
“Ooh, yes?”
“It was okay at first, and then we had a disagreement. I’m telling you, we just don’t get along. So then he walked me home.” She was getting more and more worked up, pacing Eva’s living room. “And then, when I said good night, he kissed me.”
Eva gasped. “Wow! This is—”
“I couldn’t believe it!”
“Oh. You couldn’t?” Eva sounded confused. “Why not?”
“Well, I mean—” Chris gestured to the air, trying to remember why this had seemed like such an outrageous story when she started it. “I mean, we weren’t on a date or anything. It was like...so wrong! And so—”
“Chris?”
Her arm dropped. The classes she’d taken at the Peace, Love and Joy Center had made her question why she flew off the handle like this, but her alcohol-fogged brain was not working well tonight, so...forget
it. “What?”
“Men kiss women they like and are attracted to. This is what happens here on our planet.”
Chris wrinkled her nose. “I know that.”
“So...? Was it a good kiss?”
The best ever. “Yeah, it was okay. But that’s not the—”
“Ha! You are such a bad liar. I don’t even know why you are trying. Especially with me!”
“Right. I know.” She sank into a chair, feeling suddenly hopeless. “It’s stupid.”
“What is? What’s going on? Are you falling for him?”
Chris took in a deep breath, let it out, eyes closed, except the room started swimming and she had to open her eyes to steady it.
“No, of course not.” Her voice cracked. “I just can’t seem to help wanting him like crazy.”
“Aw, Chris. I know it’s scary. When I realized how I felt about Ames, I totally freaked out. Commitmentphobia to the extreme.”
“But I’ve had long-term relationships before. I’ve never felt like this.” She sounded whiny and pathetic.
“Chris.” Eva was breathless with excitement. “Maybe he’s The One.”
“No. No, he is not The One.” She was certain of that. “We totally get on each other’s nerves. He’s maybe The Eight or The Nine.”
“Why don’t you just have a fling with him, then?” Eva’s voice had turned sly. “You said that’s what you wanted to do while you were out here—I mean out there. At least Zac isn’t an idiot like Gus and Bodie.”
Chris blinked. Blinked again. A glow of excitement started in her chest. Her heart slowed and she felt a huge weight lift. That could actually work. As long as she wasn’t falling for him, which, when she was sober, she’d need to figure out for sure. Her inner self was happy with the fling idea. Look how quickly her panic and confusion had dissipated.
However. Chris was not letting her sister know she was even considering the idea. Eva would start planning her and Zac’s wedding before they even got to climax together.
Ooh. Nice thought. The climax, not the wedding.
“Eva, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because...because...” Inspiration hit. “Zac isn’t the fling type.”
The Perfect Indulgence Page 7