The Perfect Indulgence

by Isabel Sharpe

ZAC DROVE TOWARD his house, faster than he needed to be going. It had been so great to see Eva. So great to meet Ames.

  But had they had to show up just then? His guy parts were still furious. Hey! What happened? We were almost there! You can’t do this to us!

  He’d finally been able to put Bodie and Gus safely away, and this woman who had haunted him for the better part of the past five months would finally belong to him...in a truly tentative and messed-up way.

  Yeah, okay, that last part sucked. But he couldn’t tell Chris the extent of his feelings. She could barely handle the lying version. It was all part of his master plan: if the relationship felt disposable, Chris wouldn’t feel so anxious. Then, under the astounding spell of his irresistible charm, she’d be free to discover or develop feelings for him.

  Of course, the plan could backfire. He could fall even deeper and she could bolt from fear, or never feel anything for him. But crossing the country hadn’t been enough to get her out of his head. Trying to ignore her here hadn’t worked, either. He had to try something else, and, to his great surprise, Luke had been his inspiration, encouraging him never to give up. Yay, team.

  Except now, with Eva and Ames back at Eva’s place and Luke camped out at his place, there was nowhere private in Carmia short of a motel room in which he and Chris could explore the benefits part of their friendship. If Ames got a job offer in the next few days, he and Eva would be making plans to move back ASAP. Just as he and Chris were finally making progress, they’d end up on opposite sides of the country once again.

  He was as pissed off as his parts.

  He wondered if Luke had kept his part of the bargain and gone over to apologize to Summer. Maybe he’d be hanging out with her tonight until nice and late? If the house was empty he could text Chris and invite her over. Or if Luke was asleep, they could creep into Zac’s bedroom and...

  Nah. He needed a plan B. Maybe they could pitch a tent somewhere? That was scraping the bottom of the idea barrel, but it was a possibility. First, though, he’d cross his fingers that Luke was at Summer’s house. With all his clothes on.

  Ten minutes later that hope died a quick merciless death. Luke was sprawled on the couch in front of the TV, which was making relentless exploding sounds.

  So it was either sneak Chris in or sneak a tent out. He wasn’t sure how she’d feel about either, but the way she’d responded to him, and the way her face froze when she saw her sister, he had a feeling she’d wanted this as much as he did, and might settle for less than ideal conditions to make it happen.

  “How’s it going?” Zac was determined to come across as normal and calm, though he felt as if he was shooting electricity from every nerve. “You apologize to Summer yet?”

  “Nah.”

  “Why not?”

  Luke shrugged, not looking away from the TV. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “Dude, you chickened out.”

  “No, honest. I thought it over and decided I’d give her more time to cool down, bring her breakfast tomorrow morning or something. She was seriously pissed. Why, did you apologize to Chris?”

  “Yeah.” He tried not to look smug, but he was probably not very successful. Luckily Luke’s eyeballs were frozen to the set. “It went well.”

  Understatement of the year. Though if Eva hadn’t shown up, it would have gone even better.

  “Good. I’ll try it tomorrow. Maybe she won’t kill me.”

  “That’s all we can ask.” He gave a fake yawn. “So, um, I might be going back out in a while.”

  “Yeah?” Luke smirked, still not turning away from the set. “Oh, wait, you can’t.”

  Ha! Try and stop me. “Why not?”

  “That chick came by. Jackie. She’s asleep in my room. Said you should wake her when you got in. And by the way, you were totally right.” He nodded solemnly, eyes wide. “In-cen-diary.”

  No way. No freaking way. Tonight? “She said she was coming Saturday. That’s tomorrow.”

  “She came a day early. Said if it was a problem she could crash at a hotel. I said it was cool.” He finally managed to tear his eyes from the TV to peer curiously at his brother. “Why, are you going back out with Chris?”

  “Who’s Chris?” Jackie emerged from the guest bedroom, dark hair rumpled, big eyes sleepy, her clingy T-shirt ending midthigh, nipples poking out from the thin pink fabric.

  Luke’s eyes popped out of their sockets. Zac didn’t blame his brother. Jackie was unfairly hot. She was also incredibly smart and dedicated and sweet—unless you got on her bad side. Then watch out.

  “Hey, Jackie.” He strode over and gave her a hug, gathering her tight, smelling her familiar smell, incredibly glad to see her and also wishing she was anywhere else. “It’s great to see you.”

  “You, too, Zac. Who’s Chris?” She gave him a look he knew well: dark eyes narrowed, one eyebrow up. The look of a police interrogator.

  “A woman. A friend.”

  “He’s totally hot for her.” Luke’s tongue was still hanging out—figuratively, thank goodness. He’d better not get any ideas. Jackie would eat him for lunch.

  “Hmm.” Jackie’s hands went to her hips. “And you’re supposed to meet her tonight?”

  “Well, I thought maybe. You know, just to hang out. Talk. For a while. On the beach.”

  “Just talk?” Again the interrogator look.

  “Yeah, talk.” He had a feeling he wasn’t convincing her. “We’re friends.”

  “Well, then, why not invite her here?” Her voice was uncharacteristically high and musical. “I’d love to meet her.”

  “Oh.” He tried to fake enthusiasm, he really did. “Well, yeah, I could do that.”

  Jackie smacked him on the shoulder and burst out laughing. “I was kidding. I showed up a day early. You shouldn’t have to cancel any plans because of me.”

  “Okay.”

  Oops. He probably should have waited at least a couple of seconds before jumping on her offer. Though at this point, he and Chris would be reduced to the tent idea. It was a really nice tent, but...

  “So tell me about her.” Jackie shook her long hair to one side and tipped her head to look up at him. “How long have you been dating?”

  “I know exactly how long.”

  “Aw, how sweet.” She looked vaguely ill.

  Zac pretended to count. “No months, no days and no hours.”

  “Oh, so this is totally new?” Jackie put her hands on her hips, stern again. “Does she know how you feel about her?”

  “Of course not,” Luke chimed in. “If I hadn’t yelled at him, he’d still be sitting there sucking his thumb, waiting for her to show up with a box of condoms.”

  Jackie burst into her great deep belly laugh. “I can totally picture that.”

  Zac knew looks couldn’t kill, but he gave it a good try, anyway. They both deserved the effort. The short version was that Jackie had practically had to drag his emotions out of him when they’d started dating.

  “Go.” Jackie made shooing motions. “Go have fun with your ‘friend.’ I’ll watch TV and get to know your gorgeous brother.”

  “Cool.” Luke moved to make room for her on the couch, looking half thrilled, half terrified. As he should.

  “We’ll wait up for you!” Jackie chirped.

  “Oh, no.” Zac tried not to sound desperate. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  Jackie settled in beside Luke, whose eyes resumed their popping. “Planning to stay out late, are you?”

  “Actually, yes. I won’t be back until late.”

  Jackie shrugged, looking way too innocent. “I don’t mind staying up late. You, Luke?”

  “Not at all.”

  Zac glared at them both. “Really late.”

  “Like I said, not a problem. Luke?” She nudged him with her elbow. “You mind staying up really late?”

  “Not a bit.” Luke smiled sweetly at his brother. “We’ll be here waiting for you to see how all that ‘talking’ went with Chris.”

&n
bsp; Zac clenched his teeth. “I mean like late morning.”

  “Well, Zachary.” Jackie folded her arms over her chest, face in a familiar deadpan. “I myself am shocked. Luke? How about you?”

  Luke gave him a thumbs-up. “I’m definitely apologizing to Summer first thing in the morning.”

  “Luke, this isn’t about—”

  “I know, I was kidding.” He looked to Jackie for approval—or at least to her breasts for approval.

  “Does she have a place in Carmia?” Jackie calmly turned Luke’s face back toward the TV.

  “She’s staying at her sister’s.” He thrust his hand through his hair. “Unfortunately, as of tonight, so is her sister.”

  “Aw, man, that sucks.” Luke kept his eyes fixed on the TV, his face bright red from Jackie’s intervention.

  “No problem. Remember the friend’s cabin I told you about? Where I’m going next to do my hermit thing? It’s empty. You want to use that?”

  Zac stared at her. Come on. No sneaking in and out of his bedroom? No tent? Perfect solutions didn’t just drop into people’s laps like that. “Are you serious? You don’t think she’d mind?”

  “Of course not, or I wouldn’t offer. She told me I could bring friends if I wanted.” She jumped off the couch and headed for the guest room. “Hang on, I’ll get the directions and keys, and you can be on your merry way.”

  Zac turned from staring after Jackie to staring at Luke, still trying to figure out how something had finally gone really right today.

  If Chris agreed to go with him...very soon they’d be friends getting all the benefits they could handle.

  * * *

  “SO? TELL, TELL! What was Zac doing here?”

  Chris snorted, half tempted to tell her sister exactly what they’d been doing. Maybe she and Ames would be horrified at having intruded and would check themselves in to the Carmia Court Motel for at least one night. Her female bits were aching and wistful, having come so close to satiation—no amount of meditation was going to help relieve this stress.

  But she wasn’t quite ready to share yet.

  “Zac?” She blinked innocently, knowing she probably didn’t fool her sister for a second. “He was checking on me after my date with Bodie. Making sure I was okay.”

  “Oh, right, uh-huh. Making sure you were okay.” Eva snorted. “Why, did he have some reason to think you wouldn’t be?”

  “Well, yes. He thinks Bodie’s convinced he has sexual rights to all his dates.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me. I mean he must score all the time. He is so hot, that—” She jumped with a squeak and glared accusingly at Ames. “I was getting to the bad parts.”

  “As long as you remember he has many.” Ames kissed her on the cheek. “Thousands, in fact.”

  “I know. Such a shame.” Eva sighed forlornly. “But back to Zac. It’s significant that he came to check on you, Chris. That kind of protectiveness means something. Not to mention the chemistry between you guys is hot enough to melt lead. Did you see how he was looking at her, Ames? Aren’t they perfect for each other?”

  “The only thing I think is that I’d better bring our stuff in from the car.” Ames winked at Chris, who grinned back. She liked this new version of Ames. She could even forgive him and Eva for barging in on her and Zac just as things were getting really good between them. Why had she waited so long and wasted so much time on Bodie and Gus? Maybe she’d just needed to get to this new place of self-confidence or whatever it was before, she could—

  “—or not?”

  Oops.

  Eva had just asked her something. “Sorry, what?”

  “Ha!” Eva looked triumphant. “You had a totally goopy, dumb look on your face. I knew you weren’t listening. It’s Zac. It’s got to be Zac. Something happened tonight.”

  “Okay, okay, it’s Zac.” She flung up her hands and let them drop.

  “I knew it!” Eva pumped her fist, sending bracelets jangling down her arm. “This is fantastic. It would be so great if things worked out between you. Or hell, if you got married. Maybe after you move back to New York, you can—”

  “Whoa, Nelly.”

  Eva cracked up at Chris’s dead-on imitation of their father’s dead-on imitation of a character from the old Roy Rogers show. “Sorry, sorry. I just got so excited.”

  “Nothing is going to ‘work out.’ We’re just hanging out for a while. It’s totally low-key. When I go back to New York, he’s going to graduate school and that’s that. No big romance, no big deal.”

  Her text signal went off. She dragged her phone out of her pocket.

  I’ll pick you up in half an hour. Pack a change of clothes, a toothbrush and a flashlight.

  Chris gasped. She felt her cheeks turn red. Zac wanted to finish what they started tonight, even though Eva had just arrived. The thought made her feel a little giddy and a lot crazy. For once, she didn’t mind.

  He didn’t want to wait.

  And in a big, meaningful rush she realized her own truth: neither did she.

  “Chris! What is it?”

  Chris stared at her sister, mind whirling. Zac couldn’t be inviting her to his house. Luke would be there, which would be awkward, to say the least. They couldn’t stay here, either, so where...

  Wait, a flashlight?

  Camping? Ew.

  “Um. It’s nothing. Really.”

  “Uh-huh.” Eva folded her arms across her chest and peered at Chris over the rim of her red glasses. “From Zac?”

  “Mmm-hmm. From him. Yes.”

  “Ah. So this is ‘no big deal’ and ‘totally low-key,’ which is why your eyes are the size of quarters, fireworks are shooting out the top of your head and you can’t come up with more than two-word phrases.”

  “My eyes are fine.” She squinted comically. “And it is no big deal. Zac just wants to hang out tonight, probably on the beach or something, just to talk.”

  “Goody.” Eva grinned angelically. “Then Ames and I will come with you.”

  “Oh...” She would not let her face fall. She could not. It must not.

  It did.

  “Ha!” Eva pointed triumphantly. “You’re busted. I was right. If this isn’t a romance, it’s sure as hell about to be. From there it’s only a matter of time till you fall completely and madly in love with him.”

  8

  AS NERVOUS AS she was, it was a relief when Zac’s car pulled up in front of the house and Chris could step through the front door, away from Eva’s knowing smiles, winks and questions. Sweet of her to want so badly for her sister and her best friend to fall for each other, but this relationship was definitely not going to be about love. As usual, Eva preferred her version of the world to what was right in front of her face, so no amount of explaining and/or protesting from Chris would faze her. It wasn’t even worth trying.

  Now, with Zac waiting for her, the nerves were taking over, broadcasting excitement, not alarm, so she knew she was doing the right thing. Just as she knew she was doing the right thing by letting her hair fall naturally, displaying only one pair of earrings and wearing leggings and a loose shirt that were, ahem, easy to get out of.

  “Hi.” She climbed into the passenger side of his Prius, thinking how much she preferred it to Bodie’s turbo testosterone.

  “Hi.” He was smiling that great Zac smile that made her insides turn over. “You look fantastic.”

  “So do you.” He’d changed into a white shirt and jeans, one of her favorite looks on a guy. Very sexy. But Zac could be wearing plaid overalls and she’d still want him.

  He put the car in gear and moved forward. “I feel like a teenager sneaking out of the house to make it with a hot girl in the middle of the night.”

  “You’re not far from it. Where are we going?” Chris tucked her tiny overnight bag at her feet and buckled her seat belt, hoping his answer didn’t contain the word campground.

  “A friend has a friend who has a cabin about half an hour up the coast.”

  �
�Sounds great.” Ah! Thank God, no camping. Though who knew what kind of place this cabin might be if she needed a flashlight. As long as it had a roof. And a bed. And running water. And flush toilets. And no bugs.

  “How are you feeling about this?” Zac turned north onto La Playa. It was strange being in the car with him, chatting casually, driving toward a place in which they’d get naked and sweaty together for the first time.

  “Nervous.” She gestured between them. “This is nothing I would have done even a couple of months ago.”

  “No kidding. The drive to Connecticut would have been ridiculous.”

  She broke into giggles. “I mean with any guy.”

  “You’d do this with anyone?”

  “Well, sure, of course. You just asked me first. Well, second. But Bodie was never seriously in the running.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He put his hand above her knee and squeezed. She wanted to open her thighs wide and let him explore. Feel his fingers slip under her panties and get to know her intimately.

  Mmm. She squeezed her legs tightly together, released them, squeezed again. Somewhere she’d read that women could make themselves come that way.

  Lucky.

  Parting her thighs a couple of inches, she leaned back, wondering if Zac would get the hint, not sure enough of herself to make it an obvious invitation. She’d never had sex with a guy she knew less about. And never imagined she could do something like this and not be freaking out.

  Zac took his hand away. Apparently he didn’t get the hint. Maybe it was just as well. She probably would have caused an accident.

  “So you’ve never had a casual relationship like this before?”

  “Nope.” Chris surreptitiously pulled herself back up in the seat. “I’ve always been a boyfriend-and-girlfriend dater. What about you?”

  “I’ve been in relationships I knew wouldn’t last forever, but not like this.”

  Chris frowned. For some reason she’d assumed he did this all the time. “Why did you suggest it with me?”

  “It seemed to fit us.”

  “Because you’ll be going to graduate school and I’m moving back to New York soon?”

  “More or less.”