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hank you for calling DS Mechanical. Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturdays….” Cole walked away from him, and Bryce tuned out the rest of the message.
He turned his face to the rolling ocean and breathed in the clean air. The warm, salty breeze whispered of home to him. He was getting closer, and with every kilometre they travelled, he smiled harder.
He loved Sydney, but there was nothing like the Gold Coast. Glitz and glamour, nightclubs and tanned bodies with skimpy bikinis and muscles pouring out of tight-fitting board shorts, it was a study in contrasts. The city lay nestled between the perfect beaches along the Pacific Ocean to the east and a forest-covered hinterland to the west. The place called to him, begging him to come home. The Goldie was laid back and bustling, a unique mix of city and decidedly suburban, all neatly packaged within an hour’s drive of the tropical paradise.
When he turned back to Cole and Ava, his companions were sitting on the tailgate, talking and showing each other their phone screens. Ava nodded as Bryce joined them asking, “How did you go getting a tow?”
“No one’s open till Monday morning,” Cole replied, his voice gruff. Bryce’s gut sank and he struggled to find the silver lining in the cloud that settled over him.
“But it’s okay,” Ava added. “We can still have lunch and go for a swim at the beach and then dinner too. We get to have a little extra time here; I love it already.”
“It is nice here,” Cole mumbled, looking like it pained him to say the words.
“I found a room at the pub where we can stay for the night too,” Ava stated brightly, nudging Cole with her elbow. He plastered on a wide smile that looked every bit the grimace.
Bryce snorted out a laugh. “You look thrilled, Cole.”
“I just…” He groaned and scrubbed his hand over his face. He looked weary. “Urgh, peopling isn’t my strength.”
“You’re doing okay.” Ava shot him a smile and Cole’s shoulders dropped, the frown that creased his forehead smoothing out. He looked away, but Bryce caught the way his lips tilted up in a reluctant smile, alighting those tingly flutters under his skin once more. He liked the grump.
*****
The village was surreal. Surfing and fishing were a way of life around the town, but it was as if Santa had opened his sack and sprinkled Christmas dust everywhere too. In among the surfboards leaning against walls and bait and tackle signs, every window along the main street was decorated. Flags hung from the light poles, and carols played over speaker systems from the stores. Many of the houses they’d passed had lights strung on their roofs and inflatable reindeers, sleighs, and even a Santa on a surfboard in their yards. A towering pine, decorated with thick tinsel and baubles the size of basketballs, topped with a star at least a metre high, stood proudly at the beach-end of the main street.
It was hot, the humidity finally starting to kick in in earnest, but this little village was decked out in all its Northern Hemisphere Christmas-themed glory. And it wasn’t even tongue in cheek. With Bryce and Cole flanking Ava, the three of them walked down the wide paths, making their way to the waterfront pub.
It was further than he realized, but it was worth the walk when they rounded the corner and saw the building. A modern double-storey structure sprawled before them, complete with a large, open eating area at ground level. A Sunday session was in full swing, a band playing somewhere in the back, while waitstaff dressed in jean shorts, white tees, and Santa hats welcomed patrons and served drinks.
Ava collected the room key from the lockbox and led the way up the outdoor stairs sheltered by palms reaching up to roof height. Their room was at the end of the building and Bryce could already see both the beach and the park adjacent to the mouth of the river. He was impressed; it was pretty damn good for a last-minute booking.
She turned the key and Bryce reached over her, pushing the door open. It was stuffy, the room hot after being locked up during the heat of the day, but it was fancy too. The polished timber floors gleamed, and a blue rug, the colour of the summer sky, covered the centre of the room. He hated the feel of carpet. Its fibres made him squirm and not in the good way. But Ava had already kicked off her sandals and was wiggling her toes in the thick rug. White furniture contrasted with a pale blue cover on the king-sized bed, and windows lined two of the walls, covered by white gauzy curtains. There was a small table, just big enough for two to eat at in the corner, and a spare chair sat against the wall.
Bryce looked around, counting the places to sleep. He guessed that the owners hadn’t intended for three adults to sleep in the king, despite it being a decent size. The tiny sofa facing the water instead of the television hanging inconspicuously on the wall had to be for the third person.
He leaned back and watched, waiting for the others to clue on. Cole opened his mouth, the frown on his face deepening as he must have reached the same conclusion. When Bryce pressed his index finger to his lips in a “be quiet” motion, Cole snapped his mouth shut and propped his hip against the couch. Ava was busy opening the sliding windows, breathing out a sigh as the ocean breeze gusted in.
The door slammed, enclosing them in the cosy space.
She froze before turning slowly, the excited grin sliding off her face. Bryce tracked his gaze down her delectable body before he could stop himself and her reaction was palpable. She squeezed her legs together, fisting the hem of her shirt as her vision bounced between them. Bryce couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up within him. She hadn’t yet clued on. Or maybe she had and was braver than he’d thought.
He watched as Cole pinned her with his gaze and stalked closer, each step eating up the distance between them until they were chest to chest, only a whisper of space between them. Ava sucked in a breath and held it, her ribs expanding until her breasts brushed against Cole’s chest.
“There’s only one bed,” he growled, the timbre of his voice a low rasp that shot straight to Bryce’s balls.
She paled and snapped her mouth closed, her gaze darting to the bed. “Oh shit,” she breathed. Bryce saw the moment her thoughts crashed into her, reminding her that she was about to spend the night with two relative strangers.
And there was only one bed.
She flushed, looking at the closed door. Bryce held out his hand, encouraging her to sit. Cole had an intensity about him, intimidating in its force, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be scared of them. Even if Cole’s motives ended up being untoward, there was no way Bryce would let anything happen to her.
Ava’s pupils dilated and a soft shudder passed through her as he took her hand. Her palms were clammy, and she was breathing fast, her chest rising and falling with each rapid inhale and exhale. She held on tight as he led her to the bed, patting it so she could sit.
Cole cleared his throat, the spell between them seemingly broken. “I’ll, ah, take the couch,” he murmured as Bryce explained, “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor. You can have the bed. Solo.”
Ava shook her head, fire in her eyes as she bit her lip. “Let’s sort sleeping arrangements out later. I could eat a horse.” She jumped up and raced over to the suitcase he’d wheeled in for her and placed in the corner, fished inside for a change of clothes, and plucked out something white with tiny patterns on it.
Before he could say another thing, the bathroom door slammed, and the lock engaged. Barely a moment later, the shower turned on.
