AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Islide the glass door to the balcony open and stick my head out. “Where’dShaego?”
Beaulooks up at me, the mirrored lenses of his aviators preventing me from seeing his eyes. “Shewent to the pool.Saidshe needed time on her own.”Hefrowns. “Ithink last night shook her up more thanIrealized.She’sbeen really quiet this morning.Didshe say anything to you when you brought her home?”
I’mnot exactly the blushing type, but the tips of my ears heat. “Nothingabout that.Sheseemed all right once we got here.”
Henods and looks out at the view, his fingers plucking the heavy strings of his bass, the deep notes rolling out through the morning air. “Whatdid you talk about, then?”
Iclench my jaw, ready to lie.Whichis shitty becauseIknow how muchBeauhates being lied to.Aside-effect of what happened when his mom and dad’s marriage fell apart. “Justgeneral stuff.Life, you know, the shit you talk about when you’ve been drinking.”
“Hmm,” he says, andI’mgrateful he’s still looking away from me. “Maybeshe’s just hungover then.”
Iclear my throat. “Maybe.Anyway, she’s had some time to herself.Imight go out and check on her.”
“Goodidea,”Beausays.
Islide the door shut, leaving him out there, and hurry to get changed into my swim trunks.
WhenIget up to the pool,Shae’sswimming laps.She’swearing the same swimsuit as the day she arrived.Ared string bikini that shows off all her sleek curves.Theone that made it difficult for me to focus on anything else but her.EvenwithIsabelleparading around.
Luckily, there’s no one else out here this early.Idon’t know how long that will last, soIdrop my towel on one of the loungers and slide into the water.
Shaehasn’t noticed me yet, still powering up and down the pool as if she’s got a ton of nervous energy to expend.Orshe’s trying to clear her mind.Maybeboth.
Iwade toward her, waiting for her to get close enough to notice me.Whenshe finally does, she stops, pushing her hair back from her face as she treads water.
“Devon?”
“Weshould talk.”
Shelets out a breath, nods, and breast strokes past me until she reaches the side of the pool.Sherests her arms on the edge and looks over her shoulder at me, the sunlight illuminating her eyes, making them glow almost gold.
Fuck.
She’sso gorgeous, somethingI’vespent the last nine years trying not to notice.Iclose my eyes for a beat and drop my head.Ican almost taste her on my tongue again, hear her gasps and moans, feel the silk of her skin against my fingertips.
Ishake my head to clear it.Thiscan’t happen.Shaeis my friend, my best friend, and we need to get back to that.Whichmeans forcing myself to stop seeing her as a womanIwant to possess in every possible way.Andthe only way to do that is by moving past what happened last night.
Exhalingheavily,Imove forward and take up position next to her, against the wall, looking out at the strip of blue on the horizon.
BeforeIcan put into words whatIwant to say, she speaks, her focus still fixed straight ahead.
“Iknow what you’re going to say, and it’s okay.Iget it.”
“Whatdo you thinkI’mgoing to say?”I’mcurious as to what’s going through her mind.
Stillnot looking at me, she says, “Lastnight was…”Shelets out a breath. “Unexpected.Beaucoming in when he did was probably the best thing that could have happened.Ifwe’d done anything more, it would be difficult to move past.ButIthink if we just chalk last night up to a drunken mistake, we can put it behind us and pretend it didn’t happen.”
Myfingers clench.She’ssaying exactly whatIwas going to say.Sowhy doIhave the urge to tell her there’s no wayIcan pretend last night didn’t happen?ThatIwasn’t anywhere near drunk enough to forget the way she tasted.Thateven thoughIknow she’s right aboutBeaucoming home, a part of me is cursing him for his timing.
ButallIdo is nod.Outof the corner of my eye,Isee her turn toward me.Idon’t meet her gaze, unsure if she’ll be able to read the conflict on my face.
“You’reright.Thatwas whatIwas going to say.Icare about you too much as a friend to want to screw that up with sex.I’msorryIpushed you—”
“Hey.”Sheturns to me fully and puts her hand on my bicep. “Youdidn’t push me,Devon.Weboth had too much to drink, and things went too far.IknowI’mnot—”Shepresses her full lips together. “Youdidn’t make me do anythingIdidn’t want to do, okay?”
We’reboth facing each other now, andIcan’t help myself—Iwatch a bead of water trickle from her wet hair down over the swell of her breast.Hernipples are hard, pressing against her bikini top.Inmy mind,Ifollow the path that bead of water is taking with my tongue, hooking my fingers in the wet material covering her and peeling it away soIcan take that tight peak in my mouth and suck.Iwant to hear her gasp again, the way she did last night.Iwant—
Fuck.Irip my gaze away.Ican’t let myself look at her that way.Ineed to erase what happened from my mind and move on.
