Twisted (16 page)

"I love you Abigail," he whispered in my ear.

"Mmm," I mumbled, shimmying to remove the only
pocket of air between our bodies.  We fit together perfectly.

"You good?"

"Yeah, but I’m afraid to close my eyes.  I don’t want to
wake up and find that this was all just a dream," I said softly.

Edwin’s chuckle rumbled against my back.  He combed my hair
back with his fingers and tucked it behind my ear.  My eyes fell closed.  I
felt so calm and secure in his arms.

"I'm gonna rest my eyes for a few seconds," I
whispered, though we were the only two people for miles.

"Be my guest babe.  I'm not going anywhere," he
said, then nuzzled his nose in my hair.

As we lay together on the warm bed of sand, my lack of sleep,
recent hysteria and alcoholism hit me with a daze of emotions. 
So much for
that discussion.
  And Edwin wasn't even trying to seduce me.  It wasn't
like him to put off sex.  Not for a whole night.

I forced my eyes open, eager for answers, but they fluttered
involuntarily, compelling me to close them again.  Regardless of how badly I
wanted to talk to Edwin, my mouth refused to speak and my mind shut down. 
Darkness encircled me and I lost the battle.

WHEN I
REOPENED MY eyes, the sun was starting to rise in the sky.  Rays of sunshine
peeked out over the trees.  I lifted my head and was dazzled by the blur of
golden colours glimmering on the soft wavy water.  I laid there very still,
unable to take my eyes from the natural beauty.  I thought Edwin was still
asleep, until I felt him twitch behind me.  He rubbed my arm gently and enfolded
me in an affectionate squeeze.  I fumbled to a sitting position.  My back
ached, but other than that, I was pretty darn good all things considered.

"Morning," I said, my voice rough and raspy.

Edwin stretched out his thick muscles, having been clamped
around me all night.  "Good morning," he growled, then drew me back
into his arms, wrapping me in his manly armour.

Neither of us spoke as we watched the soothing waves roll off
the rocks, my head against his warm chest.  Edwin smoothed his hand over my
hair, warm and tender, then tilted my chin and sealed my lips with a soft good
morning kiss.  In an instant, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.  I
knew, at this very moment, everything was just perfect.  Everything else could
wait.

IT WAS 7:55
A.M. when we finally reached the ATV.  In the morning light, the path was an
easy find.  To our surprise, not far from where we had scaled the rocks last
night, a sandy trail continued on to a manmade rocky stairway.  At the top of
the climb, we glanced around for the large boulders we had travelled over only
hours earlier.  The bright yellow ATV was an easy 20 feet away from us, still
parked with its tires firmly against the rock wall that it had refused to
climb.

Where there are man-made stairs, there is man.  After
starting the machine, Edwin pointed off in the distance.  He caught the sun reflecting
off of a car passing on a nearby roadway.  I guess the beach wasn't as secluded
as we thought.

The return trip seemed so much less demonic in the light of
day.  The lush plant growth dripped with dew and the warm sunshine beat away
any eerie thoughts of what had transpired last night.  Edwin ignored the path
less travelled and crawled through the brush, heading straight for the gravel
road.  It was now deserted, barely wide enough to accommodate one car, and so
he pulled onto it and gunned it without looking back.

Edwin sped back to the Southwind at record speed, turning
back into the forest onto a trail that let us right into the resort.  Edwin
pulled up behind his neighbour’s cabin and cut the engine.

"Our place is over there.  What are you doing?" I
asked.

"We should probably be getting this beast back to its
owner.  He was so nice to loan it to me last night, in exchange for a small fee
of course.  I promised I would get it back to him by 9:00."

“Are you kidding me?”  He knew we were going to spend the
night in the wild?

Edwin ignored my scowl and glanced at his wrist.  "Damn
I'm good."  He showed me his wrist watch.  8:58 am.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him aside, having blown off the
dreamy stupor on the trip back.  Feeling back to normal, though hung over, I plucked
the helmet off my head and dropped it onto the empty seat.  “I’m gonna head
in,” I said, then walked off.

As I reached the flagstone path, I was surprised to find
Maddie sitting on the patio furniture playing on her phone.  I was even more
surprised, when Edwin jogged up behind me.

“Hold up,” he hollered.

I spun around and he collected me into his arms for a kiss.

"Mmm.  Love you," he growled.

I raised an eyebrow and hinted that we had a visitor. 
"You sure about that?" I whispered.

His lips brushed mine again, ignoring my terrible morning
breath and Maddie's squeal when she finally figured it out.

"Love you too Eddie," I said softly, struggling to
break free from his amorous grip.  I flattened my hands on his shirt and
smoothed them over his chest.  "You realize I'm all sweaty and hung over,
not to mention my bedhead.  Real attractive."  I pushed him off of me,
trying to get some distance.

"You look fine to me," he said, smiling.

"You need your eyes checked!"  He was obviously
looking through some rose coloured glasses this morning.

The need to discuss our relationship was more urgent than
ever.  It’d have to happen sooner rather than later.  Sooner, but not this
soon.  I couldn't bear to get into it now, since my aching head was reminding
me that drinking is bad.

Maddie took two steps up the path, unable to wait another
second for us to reach her.  "Where have you two been?" she prodded.

"Uhh…" I said.

"We were just out for a little cruise.  Then we stopped
to check something out.  Hmm, we must have fallen asleep," Edwin suggested,
as it were all just a faint memory.

"Do you realize what time it is?" Maddie asked.

"Yes mother.  It won't happen again," Edwin mocked.

While they bickered, I scooted past Maddie.  "I'm gonna
take a shower.  I don't want to be caught in public looking like this," I
said.

Luckily, short of Maddie, none of our friends had risen from
the dead yet.

"Can I at least get one last kiss goodbye?" Edwin asked,
stalking up behind me.

"Awww," Maddie said, but it was like she wasn't
even there.

"No... but you can have a good morning one."  I
wrapped my arms around his neck and he swung me around in a circle.  A smile
lit up my face and our eyes met, as he slowly lowered my body, brushing it sensitively
against his, until my toes touched the ground.

Edwin leaned down slowly and when our lips touched, glorious
flutters filled my stomach.  When his soft lips caressed mine, I felt like I
was the only woman in his world.  "Mmm... good morning," he said.

I pecked his smiling lips.  “Don’t be a stranger.”  I spun
away and pranced inside the cabin, feeling exceptionally giddy.  I couldn't
fight the urge to peek out the window at him.  He hadn't moved a muscle, and it
sent another round of flutters in my chest when I saw him still gazing at the
door I had just entered.  I sighed, expressing my contentment, before I
realized I had company.

"Oh girl, you got it bad!  Where the hell have you
been?"  Aliah was resting on the couch, with a blanket covering her, and
she had been watching me the entire time.

"I promise to tell you all about it…later."

"But…"

"…but I desperately need a hot shower right now."

"Make it a quick one.  I've got to hear this."

I turned for the bathroom in time to see Hunter materialize
from my bedroom, wearing nothing but some fitted boxers that left nothing to
the imagination.  He tiredly stretched for the ceiling.  Every bulging muscle
flexed.

"Oh no you don't!" I hollered.  My head start was
just enough.  Before Hunter even knew what was happening, I disappeared into
the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me, being sure to click the
lock.  "Morning Hunter!" I announced cheerily through the door.  It’s
bad enough he’s sleeping in my bed, he can go piss on his own toilet seat.

He mumbled, confused, on the other side of the door, but I
ignored him, leaving it up to Aliah to explain.  He had his own place.  He
could use his own damn bathroom.

After using up all of the hot water, I tip-toed out the
bathroom door and peeked in my bedroom.  It was clear, so I closed the door
behind me and quickly dressed, feeling as fresh as a morning glory.  When there
was a knock at my bedroom door, I skipped over to see who it was and smiled at
Aliah as I pulled the door wide open for her.

"What's with you this morning?” she asked, disturbed and
jealous.  “Oh yes.  You're in love."

"Enough about love.  I'm starving!  Let's go get
something to eat," I said.

"Sorry.  I already ate.  You took too long!  You do
realize you've been in there for like an hour."

I joined Maddie in the living area.  "Maddie?”

"No thanks.  You can have my banana, if you want,"
she offered.

“No, that’s alright.  I'll go check it out myself."

"You’re sure?" Aliah asked, but not seeming too
interested to join me.

"Yeah.  I could use the time to think.  Were the guys
there when you went?  Eddie?" I asked.

"TJ left with me and Hunter," Aliah said.  “I
didn’t see Edwin."

"Okay.  I'll be back soon," I muttered, then
scurried off.

The heat of the day was progressively getting warmer and I
was glad that I had opted for my short white flowing halter dress this
morning.  I walked down the dusty road in my heeled sandals, remembering how sore
my feet were from the night before, but ignoring it entirely.  I refused to let
some sore feet stop me from looking totally hot today.  My dress fluttered in
the warm breeze as I walked up the wooden stairs, onto the raised deck, that
overlooked gentle, still water.

I slipped through the sliding glass doors and, after a quick
glance around the large room, headed toward the small breakfast bar lining the side
wall.  A few small round tables were set up nearby and they were mostly
vacant.  The few lingering late risers were no one I knew.  I approached the food
to eye up what they had to offer.  I picked up a cup of fruit and spoon and
placed them at a free table, then went back to the small fridge for a vanilla
yogurt and bottle of orange juice.

The breakfast attendant caught my attention as I took my seat. 
She smiled, as though she recognized me, and then approached me watchfully.  "A
young man was looking for you earlier.  I think he's just around the corner. 
Oh, and he's cute," she added, her cheeks flushing.  She flashed me a wink
and walked away in that direction.

I sat staring blankly at the wall for a minute then decided I
would check it out.  I bundled my breakfast in my arms and slowly walked around
the corner to find my mystery man.  I watched the lady as she tapped the
handsome man on the shoulder, to point out that I had arrived.  He was sitting
alone and when the lady left, I suddenly felt the temperature in the room spike
a few degrees.  I looked behind me, to check on the other guests, but they had
already slipped away.  When I turned back to the attendant, she was gone too
and the handsome man was staring at me with dark blue eyes.  He pushed out his
seat and walked toward me.

"May I?" he asked, reaching for the chair across
from him.

After pulling it out, he took the bottle of juice from my
arm.

"Of course," I said, as I took a seat and placed
the rest of my breakfast on the table in front of me.  I brushed my skirt under
my legs, as he took his seat across from me.

He leaned back in his chair, looking deviously handsome, his
arms folded across his massive chest, his eyes dark and intriguing.  "I
started to think you weren't coming," he said.

"I didn't recognize you.  When did you do that to your
hair?" I asked.  Edwin was donning fresh blonde highlights in his soft
brown hair and it totally turned him into a tanned, beach babe. 
Oh. My. God!
 
He looks so damn hot!

"TJ had some die left over and I knew you'd be a while,
so we just did it.  You like it?"  He scrunched his forehead, looking
adorably self-conscious for a change.

"You look so different," I said smiling.

"Good different, or bad different?"

"Definitely good."  I couldn’t even remove the smile
from my face as I filled my mouth with fruit, and it was difficult to pry my
hungry eyes from his buff bod straining against his shirt.

“What took you so long?" Edwin asked.

"Do you think I just wake up looking this good?"

He chuckled at me and lowered his voice.  "Actually I
know exactly what you look like when you wake up."  He raised his dark eyebrows
in seduction.