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“She was showing me a live feed of what was going on down here.” He snaps his gaze to Brad. “We just talked about this. We can’t give her ammunition. It’s one thing if she puts us in a spot we can’t get into, it’s another if we feed it to her. Come on guys… this is basic shit. Besides, who treats a woman like that?” He looks down at the sand and watches a wave roll in and wet his toes, then glances back at me. “You deserve better.”
My stomach clenches and my throat tightens as a tingling sensation ensues near my thighs. “How so?” I ask, playing dumb. I don’t want to admit to the actual sex we just had in a tide pool with cameras pointing every which way. It’s funny the things hormones will make you do.
“It wasn’t like that,” Colin shouts from the side of the pool. He’s swam closer, but he’s still dipped in beneath the water. “It was a… I know this is hard for you, Zane. We’re all ma—”
“This isn’t about Mari,” he growls. “This is about having some common fucking courtesy for the woman you’re touching.”
“And what does that mean?” Brad’s jaw is tight, and his arms are crossed over his chest as though he’s protective over the moment we just shared.
“I wanted it, Zane. I wanted to be touched.”
“After everything that just went down with Jane you thought it was a good idea to come out here and—”
“Zane,” Brad says, reaching his arm out toward him.
Zane flinches away.
“It wasn’t planned. Sara was telling me some pretty heavy stuff and it just sort of happened.”
Zane glances toward me. “Is this about Kemp? You know I’ll kill that asshole for you. What did he do?”
My throat clenches tight and a burst of concern flurries into my stomach. For a few minutes I’d forgotten about Kemp. I’d forgotten about the big secret I’ve been hiding, and I forgot that I’m not at all worthy of any of these men—let alone all three of them. I can’t hide this anymore.
Chapter Thirteen
Sara
The guys have been off talking for the better part of the last hour. They didn’t ask me to leave camp, but I couldn’t stay there anymore. I need to gather my thoughts and figure out how I’m going to tell them something that’ll inevitably change their opinion of me. I let out a heavy sigh and scoop into the sand with a heavy scalloped shell I found on the walk over here. This is the most peaceful spot on the island. It’s a little cove near the shore with a few palm trees for shade. I’m close enough to the water here that it’s warm embrace can touch the soles of my feet, while the rest of me stays warm in the sand. If it weren’t for this terribly tight chest and nausea, I may enjoy the relaxation more. My mind reels back to just an hour ago when I was sandwiched between Brad and Colin—every problem I had lost to the sea. I suppose it’s unrealistic that every moment be that peaceful, but it would be nice.
“You okay, Sara?” Dean sets the large camera he usually carries on his shoulder down into the sand and sits next to me. “I hate being nosy, but I overhear a lot of this stuff going on and it’s… concerning me.” Dean’s voice is soft and caring like a television dad that’s about to give the column advice to his teenage daughter. You know, the moral of the story for the family sitcom.
“I’m just worried,” I say, scraping the scallop into the sand again. “I can’t believe Kemp is here. And I… I don’t know what I’m doing with all these guys. It’s overwhelming.”
Dean looks out at the ocean. The waves are high today, higher than they have been since we got here. I’m not a mariner, but if I had to guess, I’d say a storm was coming. “Look,” he says, “I’m just going to be blunt with you. If you were my daughter, I’d want you home on the phone with the police. It doesn’t matter why this guy came out here, he shouldn’t have followed you. Can you call your parents, tell them what’s going on? I don’t mind sitting with you and—”
“I don’t think that’s an option,” I say, not wanting to burst his bubble. He’s so wholesome it didn’t even dawn on him that I may not have parents that give a shit.
“What is an option then? I could take you to the police myse—”
“I’ll be okay,” I say, leaning forward to see Colin walking down the beach. His broad shoulders are hard to miss.
Dean stands from his spot and lifts his camera into his arms. “You know I have to film this, right? You’re out of the boundary for the tree cams.”
I nod and look down at the sand again as Colin approaches.
“I’ll give you guys a few minutes. Think about what I said.” Dean carries his camera down the beach away from Colin and I, giving us the few minutes he promised, though I know the mics are still picking up everything we say.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Colin takes Dean’s spot in the sand next to me. His smile is soft and sweet and immediately comforting.
“I think I may have played out my welcome here,” I say, running my hand back through my hair. “It’s been two days and I’ve slept with two of the three men on this island, I’ve managed to somehow drag a crazy ex behind me, and I’ve made a fool of myself for future generations. I’m an overachiever is what it is.”
Colin laughs and wraps his big arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him again. “Brad told Zane and I all that happened between you and Kemp. You can’t blame yourself for—”
“I do though. I should’ve known better. And now… things have happened between us. Things I can’t take back. I don’t think… I don’t think you guys are going to like me much when you hear it. It’s too much.”
He twists toward me until our gaze meets. “I know you’re broken, Sara, but you have to let us put you back together.”
The sentiment is the kindest, sweetest gesture I’ve ever heard. That said, it’s not realistic at all. “You don’t even know what’s wrong with me. You don’t know what I’ve done. Besides that,all of you? That’s not realistic, Colin. People don’t live like that.”
