Page 26 of Collide

“Like yesterday?” he says, finally bringing up the dreaded subject.

“I think swimming away from a shark might be a little different,” I gently mock.

“And was I different? Or was I just like him?” It takes me a minute to process who he means.

“Gage, I—”

“Just don’t lie to me, Ivy. No matter what is or isn’t between us, never lie. If this is your thing, I get it. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

The accusation offends me, and I slide out from under his arm to put space between us. “First of all, it isn’t a thing for me although it’s none of your business. And yes, you were different from Cash, and that’s why I was looking for you at the club back in June. I wanted to apologize for how I acted when we first met. I already told you I wasn’t in a good head place that day.” I don’t know why I’m defending myself to him. If he wants to judge me, screw him. I’m sure he’s not perfect. He’s probably been with three times the women.

“Hey,” he snaps, returning his arm to my back and tugging me into his side. “I’m not judging. I just don’t want you to lie and make me think I was something to you I wasn’t. And you don’t need to apologize. I told you, no regrets.”

“I don’t really regret it, I just…” How do I explain myself? The guilt I felt for treating him like I did. The hope he didn’t hate me. The fact the incident lingered in my thoughts for months. Sometimes I wondered if it really happened.

“Just tell me I’m the best orgasm you’ve ever had, and I’ll be happy.” He’s teasing me, and I snort.

“You’re the only one I’ve had. Yesterday.”

He chokes, and I turn to slap him on the back.

“What?” He coughs. “Never?”

“Not with a guy. It just never happened like that.” I don’t know why I’m offering him so much information.

“Ivy.” He’s still struggling to speak. “Not even when…?” His eyes drift between us.

“Nope. It was too quick.”

“Damnit,” he hisses. Then his lip crooks. “I’ve got some making up to do.”

My body shivers with the suggestion, and I wonder if straddling his lap in front of the others on the boat would be inappropriate. Probably, I tell myself. My face heats with the thought, and he continues to clear his throat.

“You okay?” I chuckle.

“I’d ask you to give me mouth-to-mouth, but there’s no way I’d stop there,” he warns, and I realize for the first time that Gage and I never kissed before, during, or after what we did yesterday.

12

GAGE

I want to know more about her lack of orgasms, but first, I want to kiss the crap out of her. I’m honored I was her first. In fact, my chest swells with selfish pride, and I want to give her another one right here. I wonder if she’d left me slip my hand under the towel. No one would notice what I do to her. I could get my fingers inside her bikini bottoms. It’d be fast and hard…then I recall what she said.

It was too quick.

It reminds me of what I already thought. Ivy needs someone to take his time with her, and that someone is me.

When we return to the condo, Ivy says she’s going to nap. She’ll see me later, and I already feel giddy. She’s coming out with us tonight. I want to follow her to her room and lie down next to her again, but Tommy awaits us in the living room. Ivy excuses herself, and I sit across from Tommy. Tommy doesn’t look pleased, and something in his expression has Petty following Ivy down the hall as well.

Petty and I already had it out earlier. I apologized for pushing him off the ladder, not intending to cut his leg.

“Yeah, what the fuck was that all about?”

“I wasn’t going to let another bandmate cut me off from her.”

Petty stared at me, not aware of what I meant. I patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

He’d been quiet near me after the conversation, sticking to his new story of a shark bite.