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“What were you expecting?” he asked.
“I don’t know…maybe riding a motorcycle or bungee jumping or…I don’t know, but I didn’t expect to find someone like you. This is beyond wild.”
He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. She wanted so badly for him to kiss her, but that was silly. They’d only know each other for thirty minutes maybe, not even that long. Yet, she craved him in so many more ways than one. With his forehead against hers, she felt herself throb down below. She hadn’t wanted a man the way she wanted this one in so long.
“Kalina,” Thane said. “You coming with us?”
“No,” she replied.
Silence. She didn’t want to leave.
I can’t go. What if I never see this boy again? Or what if I leave and he has some drinks and some other girl at the party steals him away?
Her fears were irrational, but they were real. She didn’t want to let him go. Then Faith was at her side, convincing her they should leave.
“I’m sorry, baby girl,” Faith said, “but you really should come with us. Those guys were bad news. You wouldn’t be able to take them on your own if they decide to show up and start shit again. And Rafe? That’s your name, right?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“You should get out of here too,” Faith said. “I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but you were right, there were too many of them. It would be a lot safer if we get out of here and you do the same. You two kids can catch up tomorrow or some other time.”
“As much as I hate to admit it,” Rafe said. “She’s right. But how will I find you again?”
“Kane knows where to find me,” Kalina said, suddenly remembering the man she despised knew her address. “Shamrock Island in case he decides to be his usual asshole self, but he knows where it is.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead and then she reluctantly followed her friends toward the beach.
Chapter 7 - Sylvia
She couldn’t anymore. She simply couldn’t. It wasn’t her scene. The bonfire at the center of the party and the dancing youth cheering and spilling their drinks all over the beach reminded her too much of the barge. It was the exact same situation, only this time it was on dry land. She’d tried to hang in there. She’d done her best to unwind, to be normal like all the others, but then the one guy she’d only somewhat had her sights set on had walked away to go chat with some bleached blonde Barbie and she was reminded that things were different.
It wasn’t jealousy, of that she was sure. Well, she was pretty sure. At first, she did feel a twinge of frustration when it seemed the guy was into someone else. He’d been ridiculously obvious in his constant staring at the woman. Sylvia could have probably thrown herself into the fire and wouldn’t have gotten a reaction from him once the other woman had strolled into the party.
That was her life…now. Back in the day, and back in the day meant not all that long ago, she’d been one of the most desired women at any party. She wasn’t conceited. It was true. Everywhere she went, some guy would approach her. Getting laid had been easy. Men had been like toys, playthings she could discard whenever she grew bored of them. She hadn’t been mean or nasty, but she hadn’t been willing to open up and truly fall in love. She’d relished in the knowledge that men wanted her, and women wanted to be her.
I was fucking conceited, wasn’t I?
Not anymore. Sylvia’s mindset had changed so much. Sometimes she missed her old confidence, and sometimes she hated it. She’d missed out on so much by staying out until dawn and sleeping until early evening. She now saw how fragile life was and how innocent and naïve people could be. She’d always thought life was some big damn party where she could hoot and holler her way through all the tough times. So often she’d told Penny to get over it. Now, she needed to get over it. She needed to practice what she’d preached for so many years. If this was the new Sylvia, she needed to give this new her a chance. The first step was leaving this fucking party.
She’d been on her way back to the hotel when she saw the gang of tattooed biker guys heading toward the bonfire. They’d walked down the beach together, side by side, looking so cool. A couple of them were quite attractive and Sylvia wondered what it would be like to date a tough guy like one of those. She’d dated a basketball player, fellow DJs, lawyers, doctors, bodyguards, and had even accidentally dated a drug dealer once, but she’d never been with an honest to goodness bad boy. Watching these guys drift coolly toward the party made her think of Kiefer Sutherland and his gang of vampires in the movie The Lost Boys. She’d had a crush on the dark-haired vampire, whatever his name was, and one of the guys walking down the beach slightly resembled him.
Over breakfast the next morning at the hotel, she overheard people talking about the bonfire party the night before and how this gang of hoodlums had shown up and started roughing everyone up. They talked about the shouting and the cursing and the fighting. It sounded pretty bad, and Sylvia was glad she’d left early. She couldn’t handle any violence or bloodshed right now. She wondered how Queensland had turned into a mecca of mayhem.
“Think they’ll know I’m not a guest here if I sashay up to the buffet and fix myself a plate?” Penny asked as she leaned over the table and kissed Sylvia on the forehead.
Glowing. That was the best word to describe her friend. Her baby bump was big, precious, and she looked fantastically happy. She was so different from the friend she’d brought with her to Australia on their original trip out here. The dark rings around her eyes had disappeared and she stood strong, back straight, poised in her movements where before she had always seemed to be slightly slumped over. Not like a hunchback or anything, but it was obvious she was lacking self-confidence. This new Penny was ready to take on the day. She stood next to Sylvia with her hands on her hips.
“Well? You gonna get up and give me a hug, or what?” she asked.
Sylvia dropped her fork and stood to embrace her best friend. Her arms radiated love and warmth, and Sylvia could have stayed there forever if it wouldn’t have been awkward with so many other hotel guests around. Finally, she let go and then quickly hugged her friend once more.
“God, I’ve missed you,” Sylvia said. “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you when you came home. I was in a bad place…still am…but it was different then. I wasn’t right in the head.”
“No apology needed,” Penny said. “And seriously, do you think they’ll notice if I get some food? I’m hungry, man.”
“Haven’t eaten enough seabass or whatever the hell you sharks eat under water?” Sylvia whispered.
“I wish I could swim,” Penny replied. “I’m pregnant. We can’t, you know, change when we’re pregnant. It would kill the baby.”
