Deep Blue (6 page)

Gen digs her warped spoon into my carton, and I do too. Sugar-shock therapy after the evening we’ve both had is in full effect.

“The good thing is, you never have to see this guy again.”

She glances at me guiltily.

“
What?
You didn’t make plans with him …”

“No! But, I sort of made plans to meet Nessa tomorrow. They’re friends. He may be there.”

“So, don’t go.”

“Awesome.” She glares. “I’ll just become a hermit. You’re the one who pushed me to get out.”

Dammit, she’s totally right. Foiled by my own advice.

“Look, come with me,” she says. “They’re going to that place you talked about, Zephyr Cove. It’ll be fun and you’ll be there to intervene if I need it, which I won’t. The guy … he doesn’t seem the aggressive type. This is probably all one-sided anyway. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Eleven in the morning is pretty early given our swing shifts. Even on our days off, we stay up late and sleep in late. But some of Lake Tahoe’s best experiences occur in the a.m., which is why I’m on the sand at eleven in the friggin’ morning, waiting for Gen’s friends to arrive.

I’m face down on my towel and Gen’s sitting next to me, fidgeting with her purse and her trashy book, and anything else her hands graze. I so have a bad feeling about this outing. It’s her life, but it’s hard to watch someone you care for make the same mistake twice.

Nothing actually happened between her and the guy she met last night, so I say nothing and attempt to simmer down. Matter of fact, I’ll take a catnap while we wait.

I’m just getting into pre-sleep body twitch mode when a shower of sand splashes the side of my face, shattering the beginnings of a dream involving me buck naked, sitting on the rock in the center of Eagle Lake, completely alone. I’m not disappointed that one ended. It was one of those anxiety dreams, but still. What the hell?

I sit up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my face, along with a bucket of sand granules. Long, muscular golden legs with a dusting of blond hair obstruct my vision. I gaze up, shading the sun with my hand.

Mason. Thank God. This is who I need to get Gen’s mind off bad influences.

“Cali! Sorry about that. You okay?” He squats in front of me, absently grabs the football wedged in my armpit, and smiles at Gen.

Gen’s leaning on her arms, grinning back. She looks comfortable and relaxed. Which I can only assume means the fidgets earlier were because of the other guy, not Mason. It’s not like she knew Mason would be here today anyway.

“I’m okay,” I say, a sinking feeling settling in my belly. “No harm done.” I try to look around Mason, but his snowboarding behemoth shoulders block my view. “Who are you with?”

“Jaeger.” Mason plants the football in the sand beside him and drops to a seated position.
Guess he’s staying a while.
“Too beautiful to go to the gym this morning. We came here instead.”

I lean all the way to the side and that’s when I see Jaeger—talking to a petite brunette. She’s wearing a tiny red bikini and smiling at him. The dread from a moment ago vanishes, and my stomach tightens, chest burning. Who’s that?

Jaeger looks over and our eyes meet. My breath catches and suddenly my heart’s humming like he wasn’t just talking to another girl, igniting jealousy.

He says something to the brunette and walks toward us, his long stride eating up the sand. The girl stares after him, her face a bit forlorn, and then I don’t know what she’s doing, because my mind goes blank.

Jaeger is shirtless, his broad, muscled chest and shoulders lightly tanned, narrowing to an eight-pack above low-slung swim trunks. His legs aren’t skinny like most tall guys, they’re proportional and well-muscled, just like the rest of him. Even the vertical scar down the middle of his knee appeals in a rugged way.

My heart hammers. Suddenly, it’s hot as hell out here, though my hands are ice cold. I smooth out my towel and dust off the sand the football splattered on me.

Jaeger walks up and sits in front of me, one arm on his knee. “Hey.”

I smile. It’s all I can manage. He smells like sunscreen and something so yummy … I’m trying not to let it show, but I’m literally sniffing out his scent. I have issues.

He grins playfully. “Been fishing lately?”

There are several ways to interpret that comment. Immediately, my dirty mind goes to innuendo. “No, you?”

He shakes his head and grabs the football Mason has propped between his hand and the sand. Mason doesn’t seem to mind. Gen’s telling him about the friends we’re meeting.

Jaeger looks over my shoulder to the barbecue section and I do too. It’s still early and no one’s there yet. “Come on.” He stands with the football under his arm, hand outstretched.

I reach for it and he pulls me up. “Where are we going?”

“To toss the football around.”

Oh shit.
Shit, shit
. “Uhh, probably not the best idea. I’m not good at catch.” Or sports, but no need to give him the dirty details.

He glances over his shoulder, increasing the distance between us along an empty patch of beach. “I’ll be gentle.”

Why do I translate everything out of his mouth into something sexual? I need to stay away from him. He’s messing with my head.

Jaeger throws the ball. I lunge for it and miss. I pick it up, dust it off, and throw it back—the way I always throw balls—like I’m launching a grenade. I can’t help it. Gen has tried to show me how it’s done, but I can’t seem to get the hang of throwing.

My toss lands a dozen feet from Jaeger even though he ran for it. He picks it up and stares at it, then turns and walks toward Gen and Mason.

“Where are you going?” I call.

He doesn’t answer. He keeps walking until he reaches Mason and firmly sets the ball beside him. Mason absently puts a hand on the football while he continues chatting with Gen.

Jaeger turns and stalks toward me.

Oh shit. “What?”

He nears me like a lion preparing to pounce. “You’re not allowed to play catch.
Ever
.”

My heart thrums in my ears. “I just need a little practice,” I say shakily, a combination of excitement and uncertainty bubbling inside.

He shakes his head. He’s only a few feet from me now. “You need to be punished for that toss. It was pitiful.”

My jaw drops, but instead of fearing the overgrown male stalking me, I’m turned on, and too curious to see what’s he’s going to do to care that it might not be right. I shutter my expression. “You are mean, you know that?
Umff
—”

Jaeger has picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder.

“
Hey!
What are you doing?” I quickly adjust my blue bikini top to keep my boobs contained.

“Dunking you. That’s your punishment.”

I scream like a little girl. “Stop! The lake’s freaking cold! Please don’t.” But I’m giggling, and he’s hot beneath my bare belly, and his arm is wrapped around the back of my thighs, making my skin tingle. My ass is bent in an unflattering position over his shoulder, flat and wide, and I don’t even care because I’m laughing so hard. “Jaeger, I’m serious. I hate the cold.”

“You grew up here—you can’t hate the cold.” The sand disappears below us, replaced by clear blue water.

Shit, he’s deep enough now that my toes graze the freezing surface. “I do—I do—please stop,” I say, but I’m smiling and I can hear it in my voice, so he must too.

He glides me down the front of his chest, my breasts pushing up between us. We’re eye level, my legs submerged in ice-cold water to my knees, but I’m hot as hell. He’s warm, and we’re warm, and my breath hitches.

The corners of his mouth turn up. “What will you do to get out of your punishment?”

My gaze flickers from his forest-green eyes, downturned slightly at the edges, to his full lips. I want to kiss him. If I were single, I’d lean in and gently kiss the corner of his mouth, teasingly.

I glance back to his sensual eyes. They’re darker and his smile has slipped, his chest rising and falling quicker.

I swallow.
Shit.
I have to stop this. “Please don’t put me in the water.”

He must read something on my face, because his brows pull together. He stares for a long moment, then bends over. For a split second, I think he’s going to dunk me, but instead, he curls his arm beneath my knees and cradles me to his chest.

His mouth curves and he leans down and dips my feet in the water. I gasp, but he doesn’t drop me, he carries me to shore.

Jaeger sets me on the sand. “You’re safe. For now.”

I don’t know what just happened, but I think he sensed my hesitation and backed off. I’m glad of that, but at the same time, I’m not. I should tell him I have a boyfriend, but he hasn’t asked, or made an overt pass that would force the conversation. To say something now would be presumptuous.

We walk silently to our friends. Gen’s folding her towel. I look past her and find the barbecue pits occupied.

Jaeger’s quiet. He’s got to know I’m attracted to him, but I can’t tell if his flirting is merely a wingman maneuver to keep me occupied while Mason talks to Gen, or if he’s seriously interested.

Mason looks over. “Cali, I was just telling Gen about the party we’re having next weekend. You guys should come.”

Gen glances up while putting away her things and smiles. It’s not a tight smile, flagging me to come up with some excuse. It’s friendly and warm. Happy.

This could be a good opportunity for her and Mason to get to know each other. “Sure. I’d love to go,” I say.

Gen grabs her beach bag and swings it over her shoulder. We say good-bye to the guys and make our way to the barbecue pits.

Halfway there, I glance back. Jaeger and Mason are jogging down the beach, passing the pretty brunette Jaeger was flirting with earlier. She’s off to the side, smiling his way.

I don’t know why I care. It’s like some sick torture I’m putting myself through. I shouldn’t be attracted to him, but I am—and I can’t help feeling jealous over another girl who’s able to flirt freely with him.

A handful of Nessa’s friends at the barbecue are from the local Washoe tribe. Nessa introduces us and I realize one of the guys is Zach, a dark-skinned dealer from Blue whom I took for Mexican when I met him at work. We chat for a half hour about which pit bosses are lax, while I keep an eye on Gen.

Why?

Because that guy—Lewis, the one she had the spark with—is freaking hot as hell. And his girlfriend, Mira, is here with him. She’s a bombshell with shiny, long black hair, and she’s been sending eyeball darts Gen’s way for the past hour.

No joke, there could be a catfight. Gen’s at the barbecue talking to my dealer buddy, and Lewis, who’s six and a half feet of deliciousness—he might actually tower over Jaeger—walks up.

This is so much worse than Gen indicated. Lewis wants her and she has no idea. Lewis has been playing it cool for the past hour, but he watches Gen when she’s not looking. Whenever he has an opportunity to break free, he hovers around her.

So not good!

I glance at Lewis’s girlfriend. Oh yeah, Mira has her eye on them. Nothing gets by that chick. She’s sipping her beer and standing very still, glancing at Lewis in between fake smiles with Nessa, who’s chattering on about who knows what.

Haphazardly tossing more chips on my plate at the picnic table, I prepare to intervene if necessary. Lewis hands Gen a hot dog from the meat he pulled off the barbecue after Zach stepped away from his ’cueing duties. Lewis leans down and says something into Gen’s ear, touching her shoulder. Gen’s chest rises, her body leaning toward him. I’m convinced I can see actual sparks.

Casino Real World has infiltrated the beach.

I glance at Mira. She’s not even pretending to listen to Nessa anymore. Nessa’s brows pull together and she follows Mira’s glare. Shit is about to go down.

Gen’s frozen in place, her chest rising and falling too quickly. She glances up, her expression serious as she meets Lewis’s eyes. They stand like that for a few seconds. Mira looks ready to wrestle Gen to the ground and I’m a breath away from breaking up the eyeball sex Gen and Lewis are having, when Lewis’s mouth kicks up at the side and he walks away.

Damn, and I thought
my
situation sucked.

Eyes wide and unblinking, Gen scans the area and sees me. She says something to Zach, who reappeared moments ago, and hightails it to my side.

“I have to leave.
Now.”

“On it,” I tell her.

We thank Nessa while Lewis sips his beer from the side, subtly watching Gen.

Oh, yeah. Gen definitely needs to stay away from this guy. She’s no match for him. With high cheekbones, a straight nose, masculine full lips, and a smooth tan complexion, he’s tall, dark and delicious, and he wants her. No woman could fight that kind of attention.

Gen squeezes my hand and I glance over. Lewis has her in a staredown. Damn, I wouldn’t be able to look away either.

I grab her hand and haul her toward the car. When we’re far enough away, I ask, “You okay?”

She nods, but she’s staring straight ahead and not speaking.

“Gen, what the hell was that?”

“Something that has to stop.” She takes a deep breath. “I won’t make plans with Nessa next time unless I know he’s not coming.”

Gen and I lie low the next week. I run into Jaeger once at the casino, and he reminds me about the party that weekend. I confirm we’ll be there, but my first priority is to talk to Eric. I can’t stand not knowing what’s going on. Eric has avoided me for a month and I’ve had enough. I’m driving to my old college, where he’s living.

It’s Friday and I manage to get off early. Gen is letting me borrow her car overnight and I’m crashing at my friend Reese’s place near Dawson University.

The drive down goes faster than I expected. That’s what happens when you spend the entire time trying to figure out how to ask your boyfriend why he’s avoiding you without sounding completely pathetic. I’ve decided it’s impossible.

It’s dark out, but all the lights are on at Reese’s when I pull up.

Reese has a serious boyfriend, so I don’t see her as often as I used to when we were freshmen, but we’ve remained close. Conveniently, she found a job on campus after graduation and still lives in town, while most of my friends have moved on to greener pastures.