Caught Inside

by Kristie Leigh

  Eight

  I’m Not That Bad

  Tanner

  I wasn’t about to tell her, but I was going to be dying tomorrow. I’d been thrown around in the waves, and I had also used muscles I didn’t think I’d ever used before. But as far as I was concerned, it would be worth the pain tomorrow to see her in her element. Watching Easton on the waves was magical; the way she moved was like nothing I’d ever witnessed. I’d heard the term “being one with the elements,” but I’d never been privy to seeing it first-hand. She was stunning no matter what, but this was a whole other side of her.

  The lesson hadn’t lasted long, but I encouraged her to surf for a while. I didn’t mind watching her at all. At first, it was just to have an excuse to ogle Easton practically naked, but once I saw her up on her board, I was mesmerized. I’d gotten so lost in watching her body move over the waves that I hadn’t realized how late it was until my stomach started to growl. I looked at my phone to check the time and realized it was already two o’clock.

  I watched her as she walked out of the water toward me like she was on Baywatch. The body, the hair whip, the whole scene had my dick twitching.

  “I think you’re the one drooling this time, Tanner.”

  I wiped at my mouth; I was sure she was right. She was hot as fuck. “I’m not ashamed. You looked amazing out there.”

  She didn’t even flinch at the compliment. She just smiled and thanked me, knowing she was really good. Just another reason I really liked her; she was different than any other girl.

  “You hungry? I’m starving.” She flipped her head down and twisted her hair into a bun.

  “Famished. Watching you really caused me to work up quite the appetite.”

  The corner of her mouth ticked up in a hint of a grin, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. “You must be exhausted.”

  “I’m a little tired, but lunch should perk me up.” I stood and arched my back to crack it from sitting in the same position too long.

  Easton lightly smacked my shoulder. “You got a little sun.”

  “What the fuck?” I pulled away. “That hurt.”

  “Okay, not a little sun; you’re as red as a lobster.”

  Oh shit, I’d completely forgot sunscreen. “Dammit.”

  “I’ve got some aloe back at the house.” She grabbed her stuff and pointed across the beach. “There’s a hot dog vendor over there. Let’s grab one, and we can head back to my place and get some aloe on you.”

  “Thanks, that’s a good idea. All of a sudden, my entire body feels like it’s on fire.”

  She chuckled and took my hand, pulling me along behind her.

  After grabbing the hot dogs and pop, we walked back to her house with boards in tow. I followed her inside. The house was quiet and decorated in mostly whites and blues, a calm beachy feel.

  “Grab a seat, and I’ll get the aloe.”

  I sat on the couch, looking around. There were photos of the three of them as well as two guys. I picked up a frame on the coffee table. The picture was of the same two guys, Easton, and Rhian, holding Sadie who was lying across their arms. Surrounded by a huge crowd, the group looked over-the-moon happy.

  “That was when Sadie won the Vans US Open a couple of years ago.” She smiled. “She wiped the floor with Jane, this bitch we went to school with. She was always shit-talking Sadie, but we knew she was better—that day, Sadie proved it officially. It was great, although you can probably tell that by our expression.”

  “Awesome. Do you compete?”

  She sat down beside me and started to rub in the aloe. I sucked in a breath at the pain; fuck that hurt.

  “Nah, it’s not really my scene. I love it, and I’ve qualified before, so I know I could. I just don’t need the recognition. I prefer to have fun on my own terms. I don’t need a trophy to tell me I’m good enough, you know?”

  “I’m no expert but definitely think you’re good enough. You make it look effortless.”

  “Thanks. I’ve been surfing since I was a kid, and it’s always come naturally. It’s like my board’s an extension of me when I’m out there.”

  “You got that right; this bitch would whoop my ass at any competition,” Sadie said as she walked into the room with Rhian in tow.

  Easton didn’t even look up from taking care of my sunburn. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “It’s true; no offense, Sadie,” Rhian said as she dodged a smack. “They’re both sick, but Easton has a natural talent, like she doesn’t have to work for it. Sadie kicks ass but has worked her ass off to get to where she is.”

  “Fair enough.” Sadie shrugged. “So how was your lesson, Tanner? I see you got some sun.” She laughed.

  “Umm…I won’t be entering any competitions or going back out there any time soon.” I chuckled. “I thought I was in shape, but that shit was hard. Muscles I didn’t know existed are going to be sore tomorrow. But I had fun, Easton’s a pretty good coach and really patient considering I just fell the entire time.”

  “You weren’t that bad,” Easton said as she pushed off my shoulder to get up from the couch.

  I sucked in a breath again, trying not to give away the pain that caused, but she noticed anyway.

  “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She leaned over and looked like she was going to kiss me but decided against it.

  When she went to pull away, I grabbed her and pulled her back toward me and sealed my lips to hers, albeit briefly. “You’re forgiven.”

  When she walked away, I noticed that both Sadie and Rhian were staring at me.

  I darted my eyes between both girls and rubbed my finger in my mouth. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

  They both shook their heads, but their eyes stayed wide.

  “Okay…” I didn’t have a clue what was going on and needed a distraction. Unfortunately, there wasn’t so much as a loose string on my shorts to fiddle with.

  “Where are your Canadian buddies?” Sadie asked as she sat in the chair opposite me.

  A change of subject worked just as well as a distraction. “Most likely drinking by the hotel bar.”

  Rhian plopped down next to me on the sofa. “You guys should come by Barangas on Wednesday night. Easton’s working the dinner shift, but we are going to drink after that.”

  I looked up to see Easton’s reaction, but she just shrugged. “If Easton’s okay with it, I’ll let them know. I’m sure they don’t have anything going on.”

  “Awesome, well, Sadie and I were just headed out, so you two love birds don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Rhian waved as she started to walk backward.

  Sadie looked confused as her friend grabbed her hand and pulled her out the back door.

  “That was weird.”

  Easton flung herself down beside me, shaking her head. “Yeah, they’re both oddballs.”

  “Are you all right with them inviting us to hang out?” I didn’t want Easton to be uncomfortable.

  “Of course, I don’t mind. You should come in for dinner. I get off around seven, then we can have drinks and hang out.”

  “Cool.” I took the last sip of my soda. “I should probably get going soon. The guys have been bugging the shit out of me. I’d rather spend time with you, though.”

  She smiled. “I’m ready for a nap anyways. I bet you’re tired, too.”

  I nodded. “Definitely, and I should probably bathe in ice after that workout today.” I pulled her into my lap when she rolled her eyes. “I had a great time. Thanks for being so patient with me.”

  “Any time. Believe it or not, I’ve had worse clients. It takes practice—it looks a lot easier than it is.”

  “Well, having you for a teacher was distracting, so I’m blaming you for how bad I was.” I took her face into my hands before kissing her breathless, and she melted into me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers. “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” I kissed her again softly. “I should get going.”


  I didn’t want to say anything else to spook her, and I really did need to get back. I could feel my muscles already starting to seize, and if I didn’t make it back to the hotel soon, I might not get there at all. As it was, I would end up in bed and not moving for days. I guessed I’d be adding some cardio to my daily workout routine when I got back home.

  “Do you have to?” she whined.

  I couldn’t help being amused. She wasn’t interested in anything but sex the first night we had met, and that seemed to be shifting at this point.

  “We could nap together.” I threw it out there, expecting her to push me out the door.

  “That sounds like heaven. I usually watch a movie to fall asleep. Is that okay with you?”

  I blinked a few times, wondering if I’d heard her right.

  “You all right, Tanner? You don’t have to stay.” She started to get off my lap; clearly, she’d misunderstood my silence. I gripped her hips. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  She looked down at me with confusion.

  “I don’t want to go; I was just surprised you wanted me to stay.”

  Her brow creased even more. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  I smoothed the line on her forehead. “You’re pretty cute, you know?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I took your advice, and I’m just having fun and letting shit be. I’m enjoying spending time with you. If you lived here, I’d be scared shitless of that feeling. But you don’t, so I’m just going with the flow.”

  “Works for me. So where are we taking this nap because I’m beat.”

  “Right here works for me.” She climbed off my lap to draw the curtains and then grabbed the remote and a blanket before lying down on the couch beside me.

  I wrapped my arms around her and got comfortable. She put on a documentary about whales and snuggled up to my side. I sighed, completely content.

  I woke to the feeling of Easton’s soft breaths whispering across my face. She was still sound asleep. I saw movement and looked up to see Sadie and Rhian staring at me with a dreamy look in their eyes.

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Nothing. Sorry,” Sadie said as they both left the room.

  They had seemed really cool the first night I’d met them, but they’d been really weird today. Maybe they were high. I shifted slightly to grab my phone from my pocket to check the time. Shit, it was five and the guys had been blowing up my phone. I really should get back to the hotel. I debated on waking Easton but decided to let her sleep. I climbed over the back of the couch before picking up my garbage from lunch to throw it out in the kitchen.

  Sadie and Rhian were sitting at the island. “I didn’t want to wake her. Would you mind telling her I went back to the hotel? My friends seem a little pissed I’ve bailed on them the last couple of days.”

  Sadie sighed. “You’ve been spending a lot of time together, huh?”

  “I guess…” I wasn’t sure what she meant by that.

  Rhian looked around me toward where Easton slept. “She doesn’t usually spend time with guys; well, at least not ones she’s into.”

  I checked to make sure she was still sleeping. “If I lived here, I’d probably never let her go. I can’t describe the connection I feel. I haven’t said much because she starts to freak out if I do. I think she’s just having fun because she has the safety net of an expiration date.”

  “If you tell her I told you this, I’ll kill you.”

  Rhian smacked Sadie. “Shut your mouth.”

  Sadie looked back at Rhian and smirked. “He’s leaving, so whatever.” She turned back to me. “You aren’t the first guy to fall for Easton while on vacation, but I’ll tell you this, you’re the first one that she’s brought back here or spent any time with outside of their hotel room. So, she may be having fun and sure she knows you’re leaving, but that doesn’t make her open up.”

  “Fuck it.” Rhian chimed in. “I watched you guys today, and there’s definitely more to it. Damn, Tanner, she fell asleep in your arms.”

  I shook my head. “You two are nuts.”

  Sadie placed her hands on my shoulders. “We’ve known her forever, trust us. Why do you think we’ve been creeping on you two? It’s like an anomaly seeing Easton hang out and truly be herself with a guy. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s just too bad you can’t stick around.” A sad smile graced her lips.

  “I wish I wasn’t leaving, trust me. But that’s just not in the cards, so I’ll be sure to spend as much time with Easton as I can until I go. I don’t want to waste the time I have.”

  I walked over and kissed Easton on the forehead, and I heard her friends sigh from behind me. Weirdos. I waved goodbye as I walked out the front door.

  I spent the journey to the hotel thinking about what they’d said and questioning every conversation we’d had since we met. I knew Easton wasn’t the relationship type, and that she wasn’t into spending time with guys, but it looked like I’d won the war without even having to fight. I couldn’t help but think that we had a special connection. I’d never felt anything like it.

  I shook off the thought, knowing there really wasn’t any point in reading too much into it. We didn’t have much time together. It wasn’t like I could bring her home with me.

  Walking into the lobby, I was determined to go straight to my room and take a cold shower. I didn’t want to spend the rest of the week complaining of sore muscles.

  As I stepped up to the elevator, I heard Sean shout, “There’s the fuckwad.”

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. He may be one of my best friends, but for a rich kid, he had zero class. Who shouted that across the lobby of an upscale hotel? Sean, that was who. I didn’t want to turn around, but we’d come here together and I hadn’t spent much time with them. So, I sucked it up and whirled around with a big fake smile on my face.

  I waited until I was close enough before speaking. “What’s up, dick face?”

  “Where the fuck have you been?” Sean asked with a smirk. “Have you been too balls deep in pussy to come up for air?”

  Dustin smacked him on the back of the head. “Could you keep your voice down? Jesus, have some respect for the people around you.” He turned to me. “But seriously, what have you been up to? I can’t believe you’ve left me with this dick.” He thumbed toward Sean. “Do you know what that’s like? He’s done nothing but grumble about not getting a piece while you’re out getting all you want.”

  I laughed. “I told you Easton was taking me surfing today.”

  “You’ve been gone all day. You’re telling me you’ve been surfing all day?” Sean seemed a little more irritated than I expected.

  “First of all, I thought we’d made a pact that if any of us found a chick that we’d be good to do whatever?” We were guys; of course, we’d had that conversation before we came.

  “In all fairness, I thought that it would be me.” Sean threw up his hands in frustration.

  “I did, too. I didn’t think it would be you getting laid, nor did I expect that I’d be stuck with him. I never would’ve agreed to it if that were the case.” Dustin chuckled, but there was some truth in what he said.

  “Fuck you both. I can get pussy just as easily as you guys.” I glared at them. “Do you see my skin? I’m burnt to a crisp, and my muscles feel like they’re going to explode. That shit was way harder than I thought. We took a nap because we were tired, and I came back right after. Easton was still sleeping when I left her.”

  “You do look like a lobster; I guess you weren’t thinking about sunscreen. Did you have fun?” Dustin wasn’t upset with me.

  I’m sure he wasn’t happy about spending this much alone time with Sean, but we were all best friends. Sean was just cranky because he hadn’t been the one to find a chick that wanted to hang out with him.

  “Yeah, but dude, I suck at surfing. However, Easton is amazing. Watching that girl on the waves was like nothing I’d ever seen. She’s a natural for sure.”

  Dustin pushed my sho
ulder. “You like her.”

  I looked over at Sean, who wasn’t even paying attention; he was scrolling through his phone. “Yeah, I do.”

  “I know you, Tanner; don’t get attached, man—it can’t end well.” The sad smile he tossed my way ate at my chest because I knew just how right he was.

  “I know, I know. I keep reminding myself that it can’t be more. Although I know it’ll be hard when I have to leave, I can’t step back. I’ve never had this type of connection.” I scrubbed my hands down my face and sighed. “I’m fucked.”

  “Yeah, you are, but as long as you know it’s worth it, then it is what it is. You’ve always thought with your head and not your dick, unlike our other friend here.” Dustin looked over at Sean, who wasn’t paying us any attention. “Enough talk about chicks; you up for a swim at the pool?”

  “That’s probably not a good idea for my skin. How about a drink at the bar?”

  “Drinks work for me.” He elbowed Sean. “Hey, dick, you want to have some drinks?”

  “Whatever.” He didn’t even look up from his phone. “On second thought,” he lifted his phone to show us a pic of a girl in lingerie, “It’s my turn to get some pussy. Later, assholes.”

  And that was that. He took off without a second glance. “Fucking Sean. Well, I guess it’s just the two of us. I need to go get showered and put on some more aloe. My skin is on fire—I hope the gift shop has some.”

  “All right, meet back down here in an hour?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Nine

  What A View

  Easton

  “What’s up your ass?” Joe must have noticed my foul mood; I’d tried to hide it but clearly not well enough.

  I sighed and jumped up onto the counter. “I’m not sure. I’m just cranky. Maybe it’s because I’m working both jobs today.” I shrugged.

  “Mmmhmm. Boy trouble?” He was kidding—he knew I didn’t have boy trouble.

  “Yeah, right, you know me, always with the drama surrounding the guys in my life.” I was full of shit.