by Jaci Burton
She thought about it for a minute and put her left foot forward.
“Okay, so you’ll want to use your right foot to steer, so when you pop up on the board, slide your left foot forward and your right foot back.”
He worked with her on the sand, making sure she had an understanding about how to pop up—first crouching, then standing—once she caught a wave.
Once she had enough confidence, she was ready for the water.
“Remember to use your back foot to steer,” he said.
“Got it. Let’s do this. I’m hot.”
“Yeah, you are.”
She shook her head, but smiled at him. Ben took the lead and she paddled out behind him. He was the expert and she intended to let him show her the right waves.
They finally got to where Ben wanted them, water-wise, and she turned her board around and sat up next to Ben, the waves undulating underneath them.
He passed up a few, explained that some were too rough, some too high, some too puny.
“Good wave coming up,” he said, pouncing onto his feet in a crouched position. “Get ready.”
She did the same, and when the wave hit, she tried to balance herself and ride it.
This was not like riding a bicycle. She had forgotten how to surf, so while Ben rode the wave easily, she only made it a few feet before she tumbled off the board and had to pull herself up and try again.
And again.
And again.
It was exhausting, but Ben came back out each time and rode with her, giving her encouraging words and telling her she could definitely get up.
When she fell again, she was pissed.
“You can do this,” Ben said. “Balance is the hardest thing. Try just going up on one knee first. Once you grab your balance that way, you’ll be able to stand.”
“I’ll try.”
She was determined to succeed, so next time she did the one knee thing, and got up that way. She didn’t make it all the way into the wave, falling off halfway, but it was something.
Ben caught up to her and smiled. “See? Progress. You’ll get there.”
“Yes, I will.”
She was nothing if not determined. She’d stand on this damn board. Sometime today. Maybe.
After several more attempts, she finally stood, on a very small wave that she rode all the way onto shore. It was the most exhilarating ride she’d ever taken.
She raised her arms in triumph. Ben was there to swoop her off the board and plant a hot kiss on her lips.
“I did it.”
He grinned. “Yeah, you did. I told you that you could.”
She swept her hair off her face, staring out at the water. “It was work.” She blew out a breath.
“It always is.”
She patted his chest. “You looked magnificent out there.”
“Thanks. I’m hardly competitive, but I can still surf.”
“You sure as hell can. And I really had forgotten how damn hard surfing is. I have a new appreciation for the sport.”
Now that she’d managed to master a wave, she wanted to do it again. They surfed awhile longer, then called it a day. Ben packed the boards up on the SUV and they drove back to the hotel.
“I need a shower and a change of clothes before tonight. And quite possibly a nap.”
He laughed. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
She kissed him good-bye, then went up to her room and stripped out of her sundress and swimsuit.
She thought about taking a shower, then yawned.
Surfing was exhausting. She should consider doing it more often. Holy crap, what a workout.
She yawned again and stared longingly at her bed.
Okay, nap first. Shower later.
She shut the drapes, climbed into bed, and closed her eyes.
ELEVEN
It had been a damn good day. Alex rode the elevator up to the hotel suite with a grin on his face.
He’d scored high today. He was primed and ready for tomorrow’s competition.
Tonight, though, he was ready to kick back and relax.
He slid his key in the door, breathing in a sigh of relief at the cold air-conditioning. Leave it to Ben to know he’d be hot and tired after a long day and he’d need the A/C cranked to arctic.
Now all he needed was a cold beer and a hot shower. He stripped out of his board shorts and headed straight for the shower, letting the hot water rain down on him for a few seconds before grabbing the soap and scrubbing the salt water from his body. After his shower, he put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and grabbed a beer from the wet bar.
The door opened and Ben walked in, giving him a smile.
“You did great today.”
“Thanks. The waves were killer. Not too hard to command, but high enough to give me a challenging ride, which gave me a scoring advantage.”
Ben went to the wet bar and pulled out a beer, then sat across from him on one of the leather sofas.
“I didn’t see much of you today after the competition,” Alex said. “Did you hang out with Tori?”
“I took her down to one of the other beaches where the waves were smaller so she could surf.”
Alex nodded. “What a good idea. I’m sure she wanted to get in the water and try out her skills. How’d she do?”
“She did well. Fell the first several times, but she didn’t give up.”
Alex grinned. “That’s our girl. I knew she wasn’t a quitter.”
“She’s going to meet up with us tonight at the bonfire and dinner. I know she’s anxious to see you.”
“Good. I want to see her, too.”
“Then finish your beer and let’s go get her.”
Alex downed the contents of his beer then tossed it in the trash. He and Ben headed over to Tori’s suite and knocked on her door.
She answered, wearing a red sundress that outlined her killer curves. And her smile always kicked him in the gut.
“Hi, guys.”
“Hey, yourself,” Alex said. “You look beautiful.”
“Love that red on you,” Ben said.
“Not even in the door yet and you both have me blushing,” Tori said. “Come on in.”
He and Ben stepped inside. Alex pulled her into his arms and kissed her. A nice, deep, long kiss that told her how much he’d hated being apart from her today. When he stepped back, Ben did the same.
“Whew,” she said, fanning her face with her hands. “Any more of that and we won’t make it out of the suite tonight.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Alex asked.
She laughed. “Normally I’d say no, but I’m hungry and I know you have to put in an appearance at tonight’s event, right?”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Maybe yes?” she asked.
“Okay, fine. I do. But I’m not letting you out of my sight tonight.”
“Deal.”
Ben laughed. “Come on. Let’s go. I’m hungry, too.”
They headed downstairs and outside. Tables were set up with plenty of food and Alex was hungry, so he guided Tori to the plates so they could get started. He loaded his with chicken and fish and plenty of vegetables, then grabbed a bottle of water and they found seats at one of the nearby tables.
Whitney and one of the other surfers, Cade, sat at their table, along with some of his surfer friends, Matt, Silas, and Zane.
“This your girl?” Zane asked him.
“Yeah.”
Victoria shook his hand. “I’m Victoria Baldwin.”
Alex introduced Tori to all the guys at the table. “She’s a sports agent.”
“Is that right?” Matt asked. “Who do you rep?”
She told them about some of her clients.
“No kidding,” Silas said. “Garr
ett Scott is one great pitcher. I’m from Saint Louis originally. Well, I was born there anyway. So the Rivers are my home team.”
Alex listened while Silas and Tori talked baseball. He was fascinated by her knowledge of the sport. And when she got into a football discussion with Matt, she knew more players than Matt did. She knew more football plays than Matt did. And Matt knew a lot about football.
His woman was impressive.
His woman. Huh. He’d never once thought of a woman as his. But he couldn’t deny Tori had gotten into his blood. He thought about her all the time. Other than when he was competing, when his focus was entirely on the waves, on his board and the skill it took to do his maneuvers, his thoughts had been on Tori.
Just a holiday fling, right? Nothing more than that. It was just hot sex. Amazing hot sex.
But as he watched her laughing and talking with his friends, their gazes met.
Heat and sexual chemistry, definitely. But something else, for sure.
He had to admit right from the start there had been something special about Tori, an instantaneous connection he’d never had with any other woman.
His gaze drifted to Ben. Ben watched her the same way, took every opportunity he could to run his hand up and down her back. Ben liked touching her, liked being with her. Ben was more animated with Tori than any other woman he’d been with before. He’d never known Ben to take such an active interest in a woman.
Interesting.
Alex’s entire career had been spent analyzing everything. The height and velocity of the waves, the water temperature, the wind, the way his body moved on the board. His success or failure depended on his ability to step back from emotion and let his analytical ability come into play.
But with Tori, he felt a fierce rush of emotion whenever he was with her, and that was something new. The thought of walking away from her when this was all over seemed . . . unsettling. And that had never happened before. He’d enjoyed women his entire life. He’d treated them right, had always been up-front and honest with them, and had never led them on. But when it was over, he walked away without a backward glance.
He’d also shared women with Ben before, and that had never been an issue.
As he watched Ben slide his fingers into Tori’s hair, he waited for any jealousy to creep in.
No. Not there. He liked Ben. Though there was the age difference, they were and had been best friends for years. Ben touching Tori made him feel closer to both of them, so that wasn’t an issue.
The only issue right now was with how he felt about Tori. That was something he might have to analyze further. Only this time, he’d leave the emotion in the mix and see what came of it.
* * *
It had been a fun night. The food had been amazing, the company even more so. Victoria liked all these people. Some were a lot younger than her, but they were smart and savvy and their entire lives weren’t focused only on surfing.
She and Whitney had sat next to each other and caught up. Whitney was having a hot fling with Cade, but Whitney was also smart. She knew it wasn’t going anywhere beyond the time Cade was going to spend on the island.
“I know not to get emotionally invested in him,” Whitney said as the guys had temporarily left to help build the bonfire. “I’m smarter than that. He’s leaving, and I’m staying put. We have no future together. But right now? We sure are having fun.”
Victoria laughed. “You’re young. Plenty of time to find your forever love. This is the time in your life to explore and have new adventures.”
Whitney’s gaze tracked over to the bonfire, where Cade stood next to Alex. “He certainly is sexually adventurous.”
“As long as you want the same things he wants, then it’s all good.”
Whitney pulled her gaze away from Cade and smiled at her. “I’m very open to what he wants. And the best part is he’s definitely open to what I want. The sex is fantastic.”
Victoria laughed. “Then it’s definitely all good.”
“How about you? Where do you see yourself with Alex and Ben?”
She looked over at the two men standing side by side, both so utterly different. “I . . . don’t know. I imagine it’ll run its course and then I’ll head back East.”
“You don’t sound so certain about that.”
Was she? When on vacation, she was always firmly planted in the right now, enjoying every second. And when it was over, it was over. She flew back home with great memories and not a second thought.
But as she looked over at Ben laughing with Alex, her heart clenched.
What was that all about?
She did not get emotionally attached to men. She never had.
Before now. And now? She had . . . feelings. Not just sexual feelings, but emotional ones.
What the hell was she going to do about these feelings?
Nothing. She was going to do nothing about them, that’s what she was going to do. Because they were ridiculous and she had a life and a perfect career in New York, and Ben and Alex traveled all over the world for surf competitions. Their lives would never mesh.
She chewed her bottom lip and stared at them some more.
Yes. Ridiculous.
And yet when they turned and they both smiled at her at once, her heart clenched again.
Goddammit.
“Hey, they’re waving us over. Let’s join the guys,” Whitney said.
What she really wanted to do was run like hell. Away from these strange emotions that stirred in her heart.
Instead, she gave Whitney a smile. “Sure. Let’s do that.”
Whitney moved over to Cade and gave her a wave.
When Victoria stepped in between Alex and Ben, Ben put his arm around her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Of course I am. Why would you ask that?”
“You looked . . . uncomfortable when you were sitting over there with Whitney.”
He’d read her mood, her confusion. It was as if he knew her already, even after such a short time. She laid her palm on his chest. “I’m fine. But thank you for asking.”
Alex leaned in. “If you want to cut this short tonight, we can leave. You’re way more important than a party.”
If either of them got any more solicitous of her feelings, she might just cry.
“And miss all this fun? Not a chance. What I would like, though, is a Bloody Mary.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Ben said. “Be right back.”
He wandered off. So had Whitney and Cade, leaving her alone with Alex, who took her hand.
“Seriously, babe. We’d be happy to take you back to the suite if you’re tired or just not up for a party.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “And I’m seriously fine. So stop asking.”
He gave her a grin. “In that case, let’s dance. This song is slow and sexy.”
He pulled her into the middle of the dancers, planted his hands on her hips, and the two of them swayed together to one seriously hot song. Alex drew her in and wrapped his arms around her, then buried his face in her neck.
“You smell good, Tori.”
It felt so perfect when he held her like this, his body aligned with hers. He was tall and lean and his muscles—all hard, pressed to her. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent—something crisp and clean. She wound her hand around the nape of his neck and lost herself in him.
And when the dance ended and they walked back to the sidelines, there was Ben, holding her Bloody Mary for her, smiling at her as if she hadn’t just had her hands all over another man.
“Thanks,” she said, and rose up to press a kiss to Ben’s lips.
“You’re welcome. You looked hot as hell dancing out there with Alex.”
Ben put his arm around her, his fingertip
s resting against her hip.
How was it that these two men weren’t jealous? Were Ben and Alex unique, or were there relationships like this and she’d spent her entire life living in a bubble?
When Alex came up to her other side and they led her away from the crowd, walking her down toward the beach, she decided to ask.
“Is this familiar to the two of you?”
“Is what familiar?” Alex asked.
“Sharing a woman. Without jealousy.”
“We’ve shared women before,” Ben said. “But if you’re asking if we’ve had the kind of relationships with women like the one we’re currently having with you, then the answer is no.”
“You both seem to handle it so well. When I’m off alone with one of you, neither of you seems to be jealous or asks me probing questions about what we did when the other was away.”
Alex took her hand, squeezed it. “Probably because it’s you, Tori. I don’t know, it seems to be a pretty unique situation for all of us.”
“Alex is right. We both want you to be happy. I’m not jealous of Alex giving you pleasure. I doubt he’s upset when I’m with you.”
Alex shrugged. “Why would I be? Ben’s making you happy.”
Her heart filled with so many emotions she didn’t know what to think. “You both make me happy. I’m having such a wonderful time with you—with both of you.”
They’d reached a cove where the waves crashed against the shore. It was private—no other people around.
Ben led them toward a hill of tall rocks, their view obscured, so they climbed, Alex leading the way and Ben next to her, holding her hand.
“Check this out,” Alex said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
High along the shore was a couple. She didn’t recognize them, but it must have been one of the surfers and a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length brown hair. She was on her knees and he was naked, his cock thick and hard, and the woman was sucking him.
Her pussy quivered as they watched.
She tugged Alex’s hand. “We should go.”
Alex laughed. “Why?”
“So they can have privacy.”
Alex looked down at her. “Babe. I know Rob and Belinda. Trust me, if they wanted privacy they’d be doing this in the hotel.”