She opens her mouth, then closes it. “Fine. I may have accidentally kissed him.”
“What?” both Marlin and I bark in unison.
“When he bumped into me, my lips smacked into his neck.” She bites down on her lip as she looks from me to Marlin. “Okay, fine.” She pulls out her phone and shows her brother a picture of the infamous numbers scrawled on that tiny piece of paper. “I thought he dropped a receipt or something. I tried to give it to him, but he took off, and I had tables to wait.”
Marlin takes her phone, and by the looks of it, he’s texting himself the picture. “Did you tell the officer who interviewed you that night about this?”
“I didn’t think it was important. I mean, I didn’t even remember it until later. Anyway, Shep thinks it might be a combination to a safe or something. You think whoever killed him was after this?”
“Shep thinks?” That dark caterpillar he calls an eyebrow rises in amusement. “Have you and Shep been discussing the case?” Marlin doesn’t take his suspicious eyes off of me.
“We should tell him, Serena.” The truth is, the homicide detectives probably know more than we do—or at least I hope they do, but in the event anything we gleaned is important, it should be noted by the authorities. Somebody died. The killer is still out there.
“About last night?” She grips her throat and shakes her head as if I threatened to have it removed.
Crap.
Marlin’s eyes flash with fury. I can practically see him mentally grabbing for his gun.
“About what we know. Get him up to speed.” Now it’s me tapping her foot. I lean in and try my best to look her brother in the eye—not an easy feat, especially knowing what I was about to do last night. “I know you’re not working on the case officially, but we’ve learned a few things, and I think we need to get it all out on the table.”
Marlin growls as his phone starts to buzz under his hand. “Boy, I think you’d better get all the details about last night on the table, too, if you know what’s good for you.”
This is the part where I would laugh, protest the insinuation, assure him his worries are for naught, and yet that tie I used as a soft restraint begs to differ.
He glances at his phone and frowns. “Sorry, guys. It looks like I’m needed elsewhere.” He rises and plants his hat down over his head. “We’ll get together again soon. And thanks for letting me know about that paper. I’ll run it by the homicide detective and see if he thinks it’s anything. I’d hate to see this case grow any colder.”
“No strong leads yet, huh?” I ask, giving my glass a shake as the lemons swirl for attention.
“Just you two. Watch yourselves, would you?” He looks to Serena. “Maybe don’t talk to anyone without an attorney present. Preferably that one since he knows all the details.” He shoots me with his fingers. “This is pro bono for you, bud. She’s practically your sister. Remember that.”
He takes off, and I exhale for the first time in an hour. “He didn’t kill me so the day’s off to a great start already.”
Serena gives my arm a hard tug. “He’s not going to kill you. I made Lex swear on our dead father’s grave that she won’t tell him.” Her plump lips pull down at the corners as if she might cry. “Are you really sorry about last night?”
“Yes,” I don’t hesitate with the answer. “I mean no. I’m not sorry.” Our eyes lock a moment, and a fire ignites deep in my stomach. Serena is so beautiful it’s intimidating to witness at close proximity. But she doesn’t intimidate me. No, not in the least. I’m up for the challenge she evokes each time she’s around. Some girls give everything away, but Serena makes you work for every little thing. Even a smile is hard-won. And I like that. I have always appreciated a challenge, and that’s exactly what Serena Maxfield is proving to be. I reach over and take up her hand. “I’m not sorry about you and me. I am for damn sure not sorry that we were up for having some fun.”
I swallow hard just taking in her delicate features, that hair that has a life of its own. Serena has always had a natural beauty about her, but time has sharpened those stunning features, knife sharp and dangerous. Dangerous because I risk getting my man parts plucked off by any member of her over-reactive family.
Teagan comes to mind. What in the hell would I do if I found her chained up in some dude’s bedroom, naked, mask on her face, legs practically pinned to her ears?
A righteous anger enlivens in me, and suddenly I want to punch the lights out of every person in here who has a pendulum swinging between their legs.
“You’re sorry we got caught.” She lets out an enormous breath, and I can’t help but note she looks relieved.
A part of me feels terrible. I’ve opened one serious can of worms. Did I think I was simply going to jump into bed with Serena and everything would be fine? No. I wasn’t thinking. And now here we are.
“You didn’t tell me you’re a virgin.”
Her eyes flash with fire. “You never asked.”
My mouth opens, and yet for the life of me I can’t find the words.
“I should have asked,” I whisper, my voice strained as if the words never wanted to come out in the first place. “Serena, you are one of my oldest friends.” My body heats as if I just spewed a lie. A part of me wants something other than friendship with her. She looks at me from under those long lashes, her lips quivering as if she were anticipating what comes next. “What are you doing with me? You should find some nice kid your own age. Someone you move very, very slowly with. You should fall in love—deeply, deeply in love.”
Her left cheek flickers. Her eyes dance over mine. “We’re not friends, Shep. I’m not sure we ever were. And if you’re honest, I think you’ll agree with me. But I have great news. I am deeply, deeply in lust with you. I think that we’re off to a fantastic start. I don’t care what my sister, my brother, your brother, the school, or the chief homicide detective has to say about what I can and can’t do with you. I know those kisses weren’t some banal routine you happened to pull out of a hat. Those were dangerous kisses—dangerous because you were all in and so was I.” Those evergreen eyes steady over mine, hard as flint. “Now, are you going to wiggle your way out of what we got like some pussy, or are you going to say to hell with it and do whatever you want with whomever you want—namely me.”
I take her in like this, brave and beautiful, sharp and demanding. More than just her beauty, I appreciate the hell out of her pushback.
“To hell with it.” I toast her lemonade with mine. “Who are you going to the beach with?”
She bites down over her smile, pearl white teeth over a plump ruby lip. “No one in particular. I was going to run down and put my toes in the sand just to say I did it. If I blink one more time, summer will be over.”
“Good. Because you’re coming with me.”
Serena and I share a pizza before she follows me over to my place. I do a quick change and drive us down to Sugar Dunes. It’s off the beaten path, far from the crowded North Carolina shorelines. I park high up on the ridge and hold Serena’s hand as we walk the narrow, dusty trail to the bottom. The air is thick with summer heat and humidity. The sky hangs heavy and blue. The scent of rosemary lights up our senses as we hit the beach, and Serena lets out a hearty groan at the sight. Sugar Dunes Beach is comprised solely of white powdered sand set on an intimate bay. The sandbar off in the distance traps a warm pool of aqua water, a sharp contrast to the deep navy beyond its borders. And lucky for us, there’s not another soul who’s made his way here this afternoon. At least not yet.
“Did we slip through some magical portal, and this is the beach version of Wonderland?” she marvels as she takes it all in. “I’ve accused you of being a know-it-all so many times, it turns out I was right. This place is amazing. I guess you really do know it all.” She gives a cheeky wink before whipping off her T-shirt. That hot pink bathing suit top she’s wearing claws for my attention, but I don’t dare linger. I came this close to tasting those sweet treats for myself, a
nd right about now, I feel like an ass for even putting in the effort. She shimmies out of her microscopic shorts, only to reveal a barely-there G-string.
“Holy crap,” I mumble to myself, but judging by that prideful grin on her face, she heard it clear as day.
“Your turn.” She ticks her head toward my shirt as the breeze blows her hair back by a mile. Serena’s red locks glow against the cerulean blue sea, and she reminds me every bit of a mermaid—a naughty mermaid. A delicious looking mermaid I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of.
I peel my shirt off nice and slow, letting her take in the show as she howls out the catcalls.
Serena runs a finger over my chest in the shape of an S. “If I lick your abs, do I get extra credit? Or do I have to bend over while you have your way with me to score that A?”
I wince at the scholastic dig. “No, but I’m pretty sure you’ll own me if you lick me. I read the handbook on immaturity, and it was right there, page one.”
She belts out a laugh. “I bet you own a copy.”
“Only because you left it at my house. Last one in the water gets punished.” I take off like a bullet.
“Punished how?” she screams while laughing.
“You’ll see!” I run into the water and dive under an incoming wave. The ocean is warm as a bath, and I swim out a few yards and take in the sensation as the water carbonates over my skin.
I pop up to find Serena already beside me.
“You’re a cheat!” She hops onto my shoulders in a meager attempt to drown me, and my skin drinks down the feel of her satin soft flesh over mine. “You need to do a countdown or say go before you do something like that. Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything?”
Her legs find their way around me, and I pull her in until we’re face to face. Her hair is swept cleanly off her face, and her skin glistens as the ocean glosses her every inch. Serena is a queen, and she doesn’t even know it.
My heart breaks at the thought of her wanting to give away a very special part of her to just anyone, just me. Another part of me, a far greedier, stronger part, is fully willing to accept it. I’m safe. She can trust me. I want her to. The irony being, I’m not sure she should. I don’t trust myself with her. Serena is the first girl who has made me quake in my proverbial boots, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
“Fair warning”—I take in the feel of her warm, soft flesh adhering to mine—“I’m going to kiss you,” I say it like a fact. Her lips part in anticipation, and her eyes widen just a notch. As feisty as Serena can be, she sure as hell has the innocent act nailed down—and as fate would have it, it’s not an act. “Three, two”—I move in a notch, and a giggle bounces from her—“one.” And just like that, my mouth is on hers. Serena. Soft. Sweet. Delicious. I’m in her, moving slowly in that hot, beautiful place I’d love to linger all day. There is something inherently sweet about this kiss, darkly delicious. For a fearful moment last night, I was afraid I would never again get to do just this. It terrified me. My entire body grieved the thought. But her sister, my brother, they were impotent in turning her against me.
Serena latches onto me with a fierce determination. Her fingers press hard into my back. Her kisses take on a feral appeal, hungry, deeper, stronger than any we’ve shared. We’re speaking to one another through our actions, the driving lust between us ready to detonate. Serena wants me—I can feel it. She’s making this undeniable in every single way. The good guy in me says cut her loose. Do the both of you the favor. And yet the asshole in me says this girl is mine. This summer doesn’t end until I swallow down every last sugary inch of her. Serena and I kiss for what feels like hours, for what feels like days, and it’s the best damn time I’ve ever had at the beach—anywhere for that matter.
Someone from the shoreline shouts, “Get a room,” and we part ways in haste like a couple of teenagers.
I glance back to the beach and spot an entire herd of families ready to enjoy a wholesome afternoon by the sea.
“Come on.” I tick my head toward the sandbar as I set her free in the water. “I’ll race you just the way we used to way back when. But I’m not letting you win this time. No mercy. Prison rules.”
“Ha!” She bobs up next to me, missing my face by an inch. “You don’t need to let me win this time, Collins. But your ego will wish I wasn’t cruel enough to beat you so bad.” She dives under and swims out with the speed and determination of a shark.
My ego’s not the only thing begging for mercy. I swim out after her, and Serena wins by a mile. She called it. My ego is bruised as predicted. But those gentle kisses she doles out once I arrive make it all better.
Serena and I spend the rest of the day catching some rays and catching up on each other. We watch the sun go down as the sky turns into a pink and orange marble, until we’re alone again on the white powdered sand with me holding her in my arms as if I were allowed to do this out in the free world.
“Hey”—she runs her fingers through my hair, those long, thick lashes moving up and down as she takes me in—“you said last one into the water gets punished. I was last, Professor Collins. I do believe you owe me a punishment.”
“You’re quite astute.” I tick my head back and consider the possibilities. “All right, you have two choices. A: I leave you here and let you walk home.”
She swats me on the arm with a mean look in her eyes. “Hollow Brook is an hour from here at an elevation of about a million miles. I’d never be able to walk up that mountain. I’ll probably get picked up by some randy trucker, and seeing that I’m in a like-minded state, I might just go with A”—her tongue does a quick revolution around her lips—“that is, of course, unless option B shows a heck of a lot more sexual promise.”
“Duly noted.” I moan at the thought of making her mine. Every last cell in my body screams do it now. “Option B: Wait another week and I’ll surprise you with your punishment.” The smile drips from my face as the moment grows serious.
Her mouth rounds out. Serena never takes those bright eyes off mine. “Why do we have to wait a week?”
“Because that gives me time to talk myself out of what I’m about to do to you.”
A low growl comes from her as it morphs into a dark laugh. “Oh, honey, the things you’re going to do to me will pale in comparison to the things I’m going to do to you.” Her cheeks burn bright as flames, but Serena’s gaze never backs down from mine. “It sounds as if I’d better clear my calendar next weekend. I work on Friday, but I’ll be off at six. Get ready for a three-day spectacular. If I were you, I’d spend the next five days doing nothing but cardio. Trust me, your heart will thank you for preparing it for what comes next.” Her eyes spring wide. “I might be a virgin, Shep. But I promise, I will pistol-whip you with my body. And I definitely promise you a weekend you will never forget.”
A crooked grin rides high on my cheek. “I’m already looking forward to it.”
Serena and I share another kiss, and I can taste her confidence, her cocksure determination to make those words she just spewed a reality. I’ve known Serena long enough to realize that once she puts her mind to something, it might as well be a reality at that point in time. Never has a person held more determination, never has a person held so much of me and, dare I say, my heart. Yes, Serena and I are about to set Hollow Brook on fire—all of North Carolina will feel the burn from the fire building inside us. The best part is that she’s not some random girl I picked up at a bar. Serena isn’t some nameless, faceless, one-night stand hanging around just long enough to scratch an itch. Serena is special. The best part of all is that I care about her. I deeply, deeply do.
I have one week to back out and spare us any more pain that might come out of this. One week to talk myself out of it.
Worst-case scenario, I do just that.
Best-case scenario, I punish the hell out of her while she pistol-whips me with that glorious body.
Friday can’t get here soon enough.
Drop-Dead Delicious
Serena
Days drag on like a body through a marsh. It’s never been more excruciating trying to make it to the weekend. I went to class on Monday and sat mesmerized by Shep’s every move, hung onto his every word. It’s a wonder I’ve spent so much of my time pretending to dismiss everything he has to say. If anything, that was a telltale sign of my budding insanity for him. After he ditched my fourteen-year-old self and shredded my ego, I vowed that Shepherd Collins would never get the best of me again. Boy, am I ever sorry I went there. First of all, I abhor breaking promises to myself. Secondly, I should have heeded Emilia’s second kernel of advice all those years ago. Sure, she told me to all but brush it off—but, after that, she suggested that Shep probably didn’t want to kiss me because I was far too beautiful and he might accidentally fall in love. She went as far as suggesting I forgive him and play nice, that he’d come around eventually. And was she ever right—about the coming around part—not quite the part about falling in love. But I didn’t exactly heed the rest of her advice and forgive him. I’ve always been a zero to hero kind of a girl. Get me mad and I’m furious in less than a second flat. Show me a puppy and I’m cooing away in tears before I can take my next breath. I blame my fiery Irish genes for my hasty hormonal tendencies.
I step into Hallowed Grounds and take in the thick scent of fresh roasted beans. The aroma of coffee is so lush and rich I want to dive into one of those overgrown silos behind the counter and immerse myself in their mocha java goodness. Lex texted this morning and asked me to meet her here this afternoon. It’s merely Wednesday—Wednesday. A slow drip of a day itself. It’s dizzying to understand that I once thought time was set on fast-forward. Not anymore. If it gets any slower, we will literally be going back in time. It’s incomprehensible to understand that the more I will time to move along, the slower it slogs on just to spite me. Further proof the universe is out to get me.
Summer Breeze Kisses Page 73