Wet (The Water's Edge #1) (9 page)

Grady had a memorial tattoo for his mom. Marissa had a heart on the inside of her wrist because she “just loved love.” Rue caught my eye from across the circle and rolled her eyes at that. Hendrix had a four-leaf clover for luck. Theo didn’t have any tattoos, so he ended up losing his shirt. I showed my paper airplane tattoo and mumbled something about a love for travel — another lie. I didn’t talk about the real meaning behind it, ever. It wasn’t my secret to share.

Rue smirked at me. She turned her back and showed the top of a peacock feather that curved along her back. “It reminds me that beauty is only skin deep, and that, sometimes, the prettiest things aren’t what they seem,” she said, with a bite in her voice.

Grady jerked his head around to her and stared, but she refused to meet his gaze. Instead, she wrapped one of her arms around Hendrix’s bicep and laid her head on his shoulder. The girl with the ponytail was also tattoo-less and had to give up her shirt, much to the enjoyment of the guys.

More questions followed. When did you lose your virginity? Theo refused to answer and dropped a quick peck on my lips. How old was the oldest person you’ve slept with? Grady and West shared a look, and both opted for a shot. Weird. Have you ever really been in love? I wasn’t sure how to classify Asshole anymore, so I took a shot. So did most of the guys, although Grady and West ended up shirtless since they’d taken shots last time. Rue skipped answering too, pounding a shot of Patron and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

When I refused to answer Boone’s question about how many people I’d slept with, I chose to lose a piece of clothing. Boone looked me over slowly. He was already down to his boxers. I assumed I’d lose my shirt first, which didn’t really bother me, but Boone surprised me. “Take off the tank,” he said, leaning close to me. I swallowed and managed to wiggle out of it while keeping on my sheer pink top. My black bra was clearly visible underneath. I’d thought I’d stay covered a little better since I had worn double layers, and I crossed my arms. I couldn’t help but glance at Boone next to me, whose gaze was glued to my chest. Peeking down at myself, I realized my position pushed my girls up more than hid them, so I dropped my arms and hunched my shoulders some. Good Lord. Without waiting for the next round, I downed another shot.

I wasn’t exactly a prude. A bra wasn’t that different from a swimsuit top, and I regularly pranced around in a bikini, albeit a family-friendly one, at work. But this atmosphere felt different. The flickering light. The hormones saturating the salt air. It was intimate somehow. And I’d only ever been intimate with Asshole before. While that night with Jared technically counted, it hadn’t felt intimate. We’d been detached, rushed, and impersonal — like I had hoped. Well, okay, I had hoped for decent sex, but the mood had been what I had been looking for. Not this shadowy sharing of secrets and skin and lips.

Maybe I was just getting drunk. I always overthought things when I was drunk.

I hadn’t even heard the following question, but suddenly Marissa was telling Boone he had to kiss me. Twisting toward me, he wrapped his big hand around the back of my neck and tilted my face up to his. He clearly was going for more than the quick peck I’d shared with Theo. I sucked in a breath. Lowering his head to me, he grazed his lips over mine, which gave me time to learn the shape of his mouth. My hands grabbed his shoulders for support as we leaned into each other. Boone took it as encouragement because he wrapped his other arm around my back and pulled our chests in tight before slipping his tongue in my mouth. He tasted like tequila. Engrossed in the kiss, the damp slide of our lips, and the pressure of his fingers on my skin, I barely heard the catcalls from behind us, and I was slow to pull back. Boone had a shit-eating grin on his face as the other guys whooped at him. I stared at the bottles of booze in the center of the circle in a daze, surprised I had lost myself in the kiss so thoroughly.

How much had I had to drink again?

The weight of a pair of eyes bored into me, and I peered across the circle at West from under my lashes. His jaw was tight, and he was glaring at me. Raising my head, I glared back. What was his problem, anyway? It was just a damn game.

When the girl with the ponytail chose a dare, she leaned over to Trevor, and whispered in his ear. Rolling his eyes, Trevor laughed. “Whatever. You can kiss West.” Hopping up, she skipped over to him in just her underwear and kneeled down. Shooting me one last angry look, West grabbed her in his arms, tipped her back, and shoved his tongue down her throat, kissing her deeply. I watched in stupefaction as her arms clutched at his back and she moaned.

It was just a game. Just a fucking game.

West’s hand stole up from her hip to cover her breast. I felt my stomach churn and forced myself to look away. It’s just the alcohol, I told myself. But even so, I chugged another shot, anything to distract me from the blatant display. Unable to help myself, I stole another glance toward West and found that Ponytail had just plopped herself down in his lap. His hand was covering most of her naked thigh.

My stomach felt queasy. I wasn’t sure if it was from the show West was putting on or an overabundance of alcohol, but either way, I’d had enough. I got to my feet and slipped quietly down the dock, trying to find my way back to solid ground. When I put one hand out to steady myself, I noticed there were rope lights tucked under the dock railings, lighting the way. I focused on staying between the lines and not looking back. Anger rose inside me, hot and painful, and I stumbled on a loose board.

“I’m fine,” I bit out, trying to convince myself. The warm sea air pulled at loose strands of my hair and blew them around my face. I swatted at them and tripped again. God, I was so drunk I couldn’t walk straight and was talking to myself. Fucking classy.

When I finally made it to the end of the dock, I veered right, farther from the house and into the welcoming darkness. I made my way to the seawall and bent over it, emptying my churning stomach into the crashing swells below.

I looked down into the pulsing water, watching the patterns the torch light reflections made. It was almost hypnotic, the way it twisted and rippled over the waves. Mesmerizing. Seductive, even. Begging me to come play. But I knew better. Knew not to accept the invitation and get in over my head, where I couldn’t see the bottom, couldn’t predict what was coming next. That’s when you got hurt. From now on, I was playing it safe.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and tucked chunks of hair behind my ears. My feet felt a little steadier as I retraced my steps. It was time to find Rue and go home.

People were making their way down the dock as I reached it. While this wasn’t the kind of game ended by crowning a winner, I still felt like I had lost – I just wasn’t sure what.

Boone spotted me first and came over. “Hey, I think this is yours,” he said, handing me my tank. I hadn’t even realized I’d forgotten it.

Embarrassed, I nodded my thanks and ducked behind the trunk of a nearby palmetto tree to fix my clothes. As I came back around, West went by with Ponytail clinging to him like a barnacle. His hands were holding her ass, her legs were wrapped around his waist, and it looked like she had watched one too many vampire movies, the way she was attacking his neck. I stood frozen, unable to tear my eyes away.

Boone moved to my side and slipped an arm around my waist. “Want to check out the bonfire?” he whispered, his lips brushing my ear. I looked up at him, with his shaggy hair tangling in the breeze, and his lanky skateboarder’s body. I shivered and let him pull me closer.

“Absolutely.”

Two hours and four rum drinks later, I’d lost Boone. We’d been sharing a blanket and snuggling by the fire, giggling at each other and getting more drunk. He’d gone to get us refills, but then he never came back. I wrapped the blanket around myself and staggered up the steps to the porch. Boone was sprawled out on a chaise.

Annoyed, I walked over to him and nudged him with my knee. He didn’t stir. I furrowed my brow and nudged him again, harder this time. A loud snore rose from him, and he flopped his arm across his face.

Really? Frowning, I put my hands on my hips and looked around. Grady was studying Boone too. “I think he’s out for the count,” he said with an apologetic shrug. I stared at Grady, trying through my alcohol-induced haze to figure out what to do now. I eyed the rum on the counter next to him and moved toward it, but Grady grabbed my wrist with gentle fingers before I could snatch the bottle. “I think you might want to hold off on that.”

I glared at him. He might be right, but who did he think he was? My boss?

My sluggish brain processed the horrific truth of that thought. I was wasted, beyond wasted, in front of my boss. What was wrong with me? I needed to go home. Now.

I peered around the room, squinting into the bright light of the house. “Where’s Theo?”

“Theo?” Grady asked. “He had to leave about an hour ago. Family emergency. Something about his dad.”

Damn. I twisted my face in confusion, trying to think.

“It’s okay,” Grady said, “You can stay here. I have some extra guest rooms.”

“Um…thanks, no, that’s okay. I really just want to go home.” I concentrated on not slurring my words.

Wyatt turned around. I hadn’t even realized he was there. “I can take you home. I’m DD tonight. You ready?”

Wyatt was my new hero.

“Sure, I just gotta grab Rue.” I swiveled my head in both directions but didn’t see her right away.

“Oh shit, I forgot about her. I’ve only got room for one more in my car. Hold on. West!
West
!” Wyatt hollered across the room, and I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. “You got room for Sadie and Rue in your truck? Or just one and I can take the other?”

West walked over to stand next to us. Ponytail was nowhere to be seen. “I can take ’em both. You might have to help me load Rue though.”

My eyes shot to his and tried to focus. “What do you mean help load her?”

West sighed and waved his fingers for me to follow him into the living room. Rue was comatose on the couch, a dribble of drool on her cheek. Grady had followed us too and shook her shoulder gently. She didn’t react. Grady and West looked at each other and had some kind of weird unspoken conversation.

Grady glared at West. “Fine, but you owe me.” Grady turned to me. “Look, Sadie, she’s already passed out here on the couch. I’ll get her a blanket and just let her sleep it off here. I can give her a ride home in the morning.”

I protested, knowing that Rue would be furious if I left her here. I wasn’t sure what was going on with her and Grady, but I didn’t think having her wake up to breakfast with him and Marissa was a good idea. I tried to grab her arms and drag her to a sitting position, but couldn’t manage it on my own. Giving in, I pulled out my phone and sent an apologetic text to Rue, knowing she’d find it in the morning.

When I looked back at West, I realized we’d be alone in his truck. Or maybe not. Maybe Ponytail was going back to his place with him. God, just the thought of riding with them while they molested each other made my stomach turn. “Where’s Wyatt?” I asked him, looking past him to the kitchen where Wyatt had been last. “I can just ride with him then. He said he had room for one.”

West shook his head. “He’s going the other direction first to take Dylan and Trevor home. It makes more sense for me to just drop you off real quick on the way back to my place.”

I stuck my tongue in my cheek and tipped my head to the side, trying to stall. “What about Ponytail? Won’t that cramp your plans?”

“Ponytail?” He looked confused. “Oh, Bethany? Nah, she took off with Alexis a few minutes ago.”

“So it’s just you and me then?”

His eyelids dropped to half-mast, and one side of his mouth curved up. “Just you and me,” he confirmed, drawing out the words. “Guess I’m rescuing you again, after all.”

CHAPTER 6

I
woke up to the sound of panting. Hot, damp air was puffing against my face. When something wet poked my cheek a few seconds later, I jerked away. Confused, I cracked my eyes open, and staring back at me were the saddest, droopiest brown eyes I had ever seen.

What the hell?

I smothered a scream and struggled to sit up in bed. Blinking against the sledgehammer banging in my skull, I fell back to my elbow and realized two things at once. One — I knew those eyes. General Beauregard was looking back at me, opening his mouth in a huge yawn, drool stretching between his jowls. Two — I was most definitely
not
in my own bed.

Looking down to see a tattooed arm draped over my hips, I was slower to realize the most important fact. I wasn’t alone either. The arm moved into a stretch, and the man next to me yawned too.

West
.

My elbow fell out from under me, and I laid on my back staring at the ceiling, trying to force my sluggish brain to work. What the fuck happened when I left Grady’s?

West leaned over me to rub General Beauregard’s ears. “Morning, boy. You ready to go out?” West’s voice was a raspy rumble that resonated through me. His bare chest pressed against my left side, and if I lifted myself up the smallest fraction, I’d be able to lick his shoulder. I closed my eyes against the temptation and took a deep breath. I smelled soap, salt, and citrus. I smelled West. I swallowed back a moan.