AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Shh. It’s me,” Reynolds whispered.
She nearly sank against him in relief as she turned her head to meet his gaze. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth, but his grip on her arm remained.
“I seem to remember a conversation a few minutes ago where you promised you wouldn’t do the exact thing you’re doing.”
“You didn’t say not to follow you.”
“Did I have to?”
A sound from ahead drew their attention to the dock, where they could see the silhouette of a guy who looked a lot like Ronnie come into view. He went to the power box and ran his hand along the bottom of it.
So focused on seeing what he was up to, Waverley stepped forward, landing on a branch that snapped thunderously loud in the silence around them.
Ronnie whipped his head in their direction. “Is someone there?”
She held her breath as he searched the trees and shrubbery.
A boat engine revved up somewhere in the distance. But it was too far away and growing more and more distant for them to have a chance of catching up to it.
Reynolds tugged at her arm and moved them a few steps back, pausing to hear if Ronnie was following.
The sound of footsteps coming in their direction was unmistakable.
He backed up again and kept her close to his side as they walked quickly, hoping to get some distance between them and the footsteps, but they only seemed to be coming closer.
Reynolds looked around, and before she knew what he was going to do, he had her pressed up against a palm tree, his body crushed against hers, his mouth inches away.
“Play along,” he said. Then his mouth was back on hers, his body shielding her.
The adrenaline from nearly being caught combined with the heady sensation of Reynolds’s body pressed against her, his mouth hot on hers, had her heart beating so hard and fast she thought it might explode in her chest.
And that was before Reynolds slid his mouth down her jaw to nuzzle the side of her neck.
Ronnie burst through the bushes, and stopped short.
“Sorry,” Ronnie said, wiping his mouth as they both turned to stare at him. “You didn’t happen to see…” He trailed off. “Never mind. Carry on.”
He was smirking now as he headed back in the direction of the beach and the revelry.
They looked at each other, and she was suddenly struck with the possibility of something she hadn’t quite believed would be true.
That Spencer really was here. Like close by. Close enough that he could very well have been watching her at any time. Who else would Ronnie have slipped away to meet?
It was a chilling thought and she shivered.
“We should head back. You’ll be warmer by the fire,” Reynolds said, mistaking her shivering for cold.
As they walked down to the beach, she turned to stare into the darkness.
Looking for a face she wasn’t sure she wanted to see again.
* * *
“Reynolds. You awake?” Waverley asked not so quietly.
It was after midnight, and after an hour of tossing and turning, going over the scenarios of what might have happened had Ronnie caught them spying on him, she needed a distraction. Something to keep her from acknowledging the real possibility that Ronnie might have done them some harm had he caught them.
Ronnie. A guy she’d known since he was drinking from beer bongs and organizing wet bikini contests in their days at college.
