Summer of Sloane (16 page)

Pulling into a clearing, Finn cuts the engine. He looks at me, then my door, with that raised eyebrow of his.

“
Please
, I’ve got this.” I slide out from the seat and drop to the ground.

I grab my backpack and Finn grabs his—along with the cooler from the back—then he picks up my hand. I love how he does this so easily now. Almost like it’s a given.

“So where are we headed anyway?”

“You’ll see. It’s not far, just a little up ahead.”

We hike over hard, uneven ruts in the dried-up mud and through tangles of palm fronds that Finn holds out of my way. But then everything opens up, and the sun is shining down. And it’s beautiful.

The forest is this lush green quilt I want to curl around my shoulders, and the rays of sunlight slice through the branches, casting everything in a golden haze. A million birds I can’t see twitter in stereo all around us, and there are tropical flowers growing everywhere I look—the same kind people pay loads of money to buy, only to be unappreciated in a vase sitting on some dusty shelf in their homes. Here they look wild, free. The way they’re supposed to be.

Pulling a blanket from his bag, Finn spreads it over the ground. Stepping on each heel, he slides out from his shoes, then strips off his shirt in one easy motion. His hard, muscled chest is like a magnet for my eyes, not to mention his abs, and down farther, where his hip bones dip in and disappear beneath his shorts. And of course, there’s that damn tattoo.

“You let me know when you’re done. No, no, take your time, I insist.” He smirks at me with his hands on his hips.

I feel the immediate rush of heat to my face as I bite my lip, then look away. “Does it mean anything? Your tattoo?”

“No, but I designed it myself and thought it looked cool. Ever think of getting one?”

“Not until I saw yours. Now it’s definitely something I’m thinking about, just not sure what I’d get.” Stepping out from my shoes, my shirt goes next, and my shorts follow. “Although I’m not exactly a huge fan of needles, so there’s that. Probably a good chance I’d have to be drugged or dead to actually go through with it.”

Laughing, he takes my hand in his. “It’s not really
that
bad, I promise. If you decide it’s something you want, let me know.” He points out a dirt path that snakes away from where we’re standing. “Do you trust me?” I stare at him sideways, unsure of why he’s asking. But for some reason I feel okay saying yes. “Then close your eyes.”

I hesitate, but only for a second, then do as he asks. He leads me forward and I stumble once, but he steadies me.

And then I hear it. The unmistakable sound of loud rushing water.

“Open your eyes.”

I slowly open them. We’re standing at the top of a cliff, where the water falls, plummeting over the edge some sixty feet below to a pool that’s deep blue in color. My breath catches in my throat as I take it all in, from the roar of the water, to the rainbow that floats along the mist where the falls crash below. In all the years I’ve been coming to Hawaii, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.

“How did you find this place? It’s…it’s gorgeous.”

“I found it while hiking a few months ago. Sometimes I like to get lost, see what I stumble across…and, well, I found this.”

I stare out at the water as it cascades over the lip and falls down to the lake below. And then I realize why he asked if I trusted him. It wasn’t because he wanted me to close my eyes; it’s because of what’s in front of us. Or better yet, what’s
not
in front of us.

“Oh, hell no. That’s way too far!” I’m shaking my head and backing away from the edge, but he grabs my hand again and leans in close.

“Come on, Sloane—live a little
,
” he breathes into my ear.

I don’t know how he knows that’s the right thing to say, but everything that’s happened over the past month hits me hard. He’s right. I so need to live a little.

I can tell the exact moment he understands I’ve changed my mind, because the biggest grin takes over his face. We step up to the edge.

“On three. Ready?”

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath as he squeezes my hand in time to his counting. I open my eyes on the third and final squeeze.

And then we jump.

I scream the entire way down, but he never lets go of my hand. I cross my feet at the ankles just before we hit the water, and we’re plunged deep, deep, deep into darkness. Bubbles and swirling water surround me, but the force of hitting the water has knocked our hands apart and Finn isn’t there. I kick, following the bubbles to the surface. A second later, Finn rises up next to me, still smiling.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe we jumped!” I’ve never done anything so crazy in my entire life.

My adrenaline is pumping something fierce, my heartbeat so frantic to keep up it stutters against the inside of my chest. And then Finn does something equally crazy. He leans in and kisses me as the spray from the falls kicks up around us. He pulls me close, and this kiss is nothing like the sloppy attempt last night. The moment is so big, from the waterfall to the jumping to my crazy heart that’s beating a mile a minute.

He trails soft kisses along the edge of my mouth, then makes his way along my chin, and finds his way to just below my ear. A wicked shiver courses down my spine as he pulls me in closer.

“Let’s do it again,” he whispers, and I nod like an idiot.

We jump a couple more times, and I never stop screaming all the way down. I’m exhausted by the time we hike up the path after the third time and tumble toward the blanket in a heap. Finn collapses next to me, and we both start to laugh.

He makes me feel free. He makes me feel alive in a way I’ve never felt before.

The cooler contains a lunch of fresh fruit and cheeses and different types of salamis. I’m sure the kitchen at the hotel packed it for him, but still. I’m starving, and everything looks so good. When we’re finished, we lie back and stare up at the sky, his arm behind my head.

“Seriously, one of the best days ever,” I say, closing my eyes.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

I wake up to my cell phone singing out Penn’s jingle. The sun has dramatically shifted in the sky, and my skin is a much darker color than it was that morning.

“What?” I snap.

Our connection is spotty, and he’s hard to hear. Not like it matters, because I’m still pissed at him.

“Slo, I can barely hear you, where are you? I’ve been calling for the last hour.” There’s a tinge of concern in his voice.

“What’s the big deal? We fell asleep. What do you want?” I know I’m being short, but I don’t really care. Static crackles loudly in the background. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

“I think you need to come home,” he says.

I cut him off to ask what it is, but he reassures me that everything’s fine…I just need to come home.

“Sis, listen…” but I don’t hear anything more, because the call disconnects.

“Penn? Are you there?” All I get in return is dead air and zero bars of service. I glare at my phone like it can somehow finish Penn’s conversation for him and notice there’s a missed text from Mick. Sticking to my earlier promise, I toss my phone in my bag without reading it.

“Everything okay?” Finn asks. I explain the cryptic conversation with my brother. “Hey, no worries. If we have to go, then we have to go.”

We pack up the Jeep and head out. I’m trying not to let the tone of Penn’s voice put a damper on how fantastic this day turned out with Finn. So we crank up the music and sing along when we know the words. When a song comes on that I don’t know, I show Finn the old trick of mouthing the word “watermelon,” which just makes it
look
like I know all the words. I even throw in some rad dance moves, swaying my head and shoulders and snapping my fingers in tune to a song I’ve never even heard.

He laughs so hard he goes into silent laugh mode as he clutches his side. Tears of laughter streak down his cheeks, and he actually has to pull over to the side of the road, we’re both laughing so hard. It doesn’t stop even after we finally turn into my driveway, nor when I jump down from the Jeep, or as we make our way up the path to the front door.

But that’s when I stop laughing.

Because Tyler is sitting on the front step.

I instantly go rigid as Finn squeezes my hand, but I’m grateful he doesn’t let go. Tyler is sitting there in shorts and flip-flops, like he owns the place. Like nothing’s happened between the two of us. Like he didn’t cut out my heart with the dull end of a spoon and grind it into itsy, tiny, un-heart-shaped pieces.

When his eyes connect with mine, the bouquet of flowers he’s holding sadly droops from one hand. But he still has the audacity to look at Finn like
he’s
the one that shouldn’t be here.

“
No
. You don’t get to do that.” It falls out of my mouth before I even realize I’ve opened it to say something. I almost don’t recognize my own voice. And I can’t believe what just the sight of him has done to me. “I have absolutely
nothing
to say to you. In fact, I’d like you to leave.” I march past Tyler into the house, glaring at my brother. I can’t believe him. I can’t believe he didn’t warn me. “What the hell, Penn?”

I don’t wait for him to answer. I don’t give him the chance. Finn follows me into my bedroom and shuts the door behind us. I lean against the edge of my bed, my face in my hands.

I am not going to cry. That asshole doesn’t deserve another damn tear to be dropped in his honor. And I realize what I really want to do is scream. Or hit something really hard. But I already know what good that did me the last time.

God, I thought I was doing so well. I thought I was in control—ignoring him and all his texts and e-mails and phone calls. But one look at him sitting there on the front step with those stupid flowers, and everything from three weeks ago comes rushing back. Like it never actually left.

I sag down the side of the bed and slump to the floor. Pulling my knees to my chest, I hug them close. And I do exactly what I didn’t want to do, especially in front of Finn.

He’s at my side in seconds, sitting next to me on the floor. He doesn’t lie and tell me everything’s going to be okay. He doesn’t fill the space with useless words, words that I don’t want to hear right now anyway. But what I love the most is that he doesn’t ask if that’s “the guy,” because I’m pretty sure how I’ve reacted has made it clear who it is.

“Tell me what I can do. You want me to kick him out? Done. Want me to kick his ass?
Gladly
. Whatever you need, Sloane—just tell me.”

A half laugh, half sob escapes from my lips. “I’m s-sorry,” I stutter, trying to get my breathing under control. Oh God, please don’t let me have one of my panic attacks right now.
Please
. “I think I just need a minute.”

“Whatever you need, it’s okay.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder as I take in one, two, three more deep breaths.

We sit like that for a moment longer before I really feel like I have things under control.

“I’m pretty sure he’s not leaving…at least not anytime soon.” I rub my forehead, pressing my fingertips against my eyelids. “Dammit. If I’d only responded to
one
of his stupid texts, he wouldn’t be here.”

“You couldn’t have possibly known he’d come all the way down here. I mean, who does that?” The muscles in Finn’s jaw flex, a telltale sign he’s not happy about any of this. But he’s handling it better than I would’ve had the situation been reversed.

“Evidently he does.” I wipe at my eyes with the neck of my T-shirt. “But the sooner I get this over with, the better for everyone.”

Finn turns to look at me and nods, then stands and holds a hand out to help me up. “I know you gotta do what you gotta do. And the offer still stands to kick his ass—just say the word.” He hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. “But please call me later…let me know you’re okay, okay?”

“I will.” I hug him back before letting go. “Thanks for everything, really.”

I walk out with Finn and see Tyler and my brother standing in the living room. Finn doesn’t even look at Tyler as we head to the front door.

“That’s right, douche bag, leave. You don’t even belong here,” Tyler mutters.

Finn stops, his hands flexing into fists at his side as he freezes in place. He slowly turns, and both Tyler and Penn unconsciously take a step back.

“Jesus, you’re even stupider than you look.” He clenches his fists again, and I’m surprised when Tyler actually takes another step back. “But I swear to God, if you do anything…and I mean
anything
to hurt her again, I promise you your nose won’t be the only thing needing surgery.”

And with that, he’s gone.

I take one look at Tyler and point to the pool. “Outside. Now. Before I change my mind.” I leave him standing there.

He follows me out to the lanai, but stands a few feet away with his hands up, like he’s trying to coax a cornered animal.

“Slo, please, I know you’re mad. But I had to see you.”

An almost manic laugh escapes my lips. “Mad? You think
this
is mad? You don’t even know the half of it!” I cross my arms over my chest and turn away from him. “What the hell are you even doing here? You had no right to come down.”