“Sophie and I are going to get some champagne!” She pulled me off with her like we were in middle school and needed to share some gossip. “Let me introduce you to some of the real players here. Not that stick in the mud, Theo.” Jealousy could be so naked sometimes.
I met fancy people, all decked out, sparkling with jewels and wit. The women were all thin and fashionable. The men, too. At last I found a moment to wander off by myself, standing and looking out over the water. The night had been clear when we’d arrived, but it had taken a sudden turn. A fierce, chilly wind had started chopping up the waves, not enough to rock Theo’s behemoth but enough to toss smaller crafts like toys in a tub. I noticed some staff from the yacht club walking along the pier. It looked as if they were helping guests step off other boats, heading off the water and into the building.
“There you are.” Theo came and stood next to me, wrapping a hand around my waist.
“Hey, do you see what’s going on down there?” I pointed to the pier. “Are they asking people to head inside?”
“Oh, that’s their job to over-react. We’re absolutely safe out here. Don’t you worry about a thing.” He caressed my side. “Can I get you something? You don’t have a drink! Let me pour you some wine I’ve been saving for a special occasion.”
“Theo, are you sure?” I looked down nervously at the pier. It really was starting to look like an evacuation to me. And at that, a cold, wet drop of water hit me on the cheek announcing the start of a storm.
“Damn it.” Theo whisked me away from the edge of the boat and down off the deck. “The forecast was clear for tonight.”
“You never know when something might start up out of nowhere.” My brother had learned that lesson the hard way. Downstairs, yacht club staff and what looked like security were starting to escort people off the yacht.
“Everything’s fine here,” Theo asserted loudly. The head of the security detail pulled him aside and had a stern talk. Theo relented, but didn’t look happy about it. He clearly was a man used to getting his way.
“Why don’t you stay?” he asked me as I passed by him with Whitney. “We can get a drink in the club.”
“Great idea!” Whitney answered exactly as I said, “I think I’m going to head home.” Looking at Whitney, I added, “I’ll call a car. You can stay here.”
“You sure?” she asked, not waiting for my answer before assuring Theo, “I’ll be waiting for you in the club!”
“I’ll call you,” Theo called after me.
Security walked us down the pier and, I had to admit, I was glad for the escort. The wind whipped angrily around us and a few unsecured items on boats flapped and snapped in the gale. I’ve always loved the look of the ocean in all of its states, but storms frightened me. They reminded me of Ian. And of Liam.
It was Liam I thought of as I went home alone. Liam’s voice I heard as I washed my face and changed into a T-shirt and boxer shorts. His blue eyes I pictured as I rested my head on my pillow.
What had he done that night? Was he working? Rescuing people in this suddenly stormy weather?
I felt so crazy around him, so hyper aware of his nearness, his every gesture and movement. He seemed so much larger than I remembered. He probably was larger; he’d only been 20 when we’d last known each other. Just a kid, really. Now he was undeniably a man.
There in the dark, I had the urge to slip my fingers down and indulge. I knew I was wet, now that I’d been thinking about Liam. Frustrated as I was that he still had that effect on me, I couldn’t change it. Even though he clearly didn’t think much of me anymore. I was an annoyance, some rich lady with no sense in her head.
He probably wasn’t single, anyway. I hadn’t noticed a wedding ring on him, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. A lot of guys didn’t wear their ring. Or he could be serious with someone and just not married yet.
Why did the thought twist up my gut and make me wince? I groaned into my pillow, shifting position. I should have stayed out, distracting myself. Now it was just me with my restless fingers and throbbing clit in the darkness.
But I wouldn’t let myself. I wouldn’t give in, even alone when no one else could find out. I’d know, and I refused to admit that Liam still got to me. Because that might mean I still had feelings for him, possibly that I’d never gotten over him. And if seven long years didn’t make a difference, what if no time would ever be enough to forget him?
6
Liam
We had a messy time of it last night with the sudden storm. The power went out on a couple of grids. Several cars skidded and crashed. It was not a night to be out and about. The problem was, people didn’t take safety seriously. They felt invincible.
I’d felt that at one time, too. Then I’d learned that nature was much more powerful than man. There was nothing any one of us could do against her wrath once it was unleashed. All we could do was take precautions to try to avoid disaster before it happened.
I finished my shift at 8 a.m. and decided to grab a coffee before I headed home. I knew it didn’t make any sense. When I got home I’d want to try to sleep. But I wanted coffee. That’s how that thought process went.
My favorite coffee shop was Cuppa Joe, the local independent downtown. And, yes, it did happen to be a mere stone’s throw away from a certain annoyingly stubborn woman’s money pit. I shook my head just thinking about it. Sophie would be better off trying to bang her head against a brick wall rather than trying to renovate and open a business in that space. Of course, if she tried banging her head on that building of hers it would probably all come tumbling down in a pile of bricks and mortar.
I pulled my truck into a parking spot only locals knew about a block from the coffee shop. They were hidden all over the island, like Easter eggs in a video game that only insiders knew about. The second anyone reported on one of the parking spots online, the spot got changed up. It was one of the few rebellious things us locals could do to try to mitigate the infestation of tourists.
Of course we all relied on tourists to make a living. And our version of tourists were so dripping with money it was obscene. Half of them were billionaires, the other half just shy at like 900K. Most of the time our social scenes didn’t mix, with a few exceptions. Every year I threw a Fourth of July bash that had become legendary for random and occasionally star-studded cameos. Last year not one but two Grammy-winning recording artists plus an Oscar nominee had stopped by. I never kiss and tell, but I will say Taylor Swift is just as pretty in person as she looks in pictures.
It was just two weeks away and everyone assumed I’d be throwing the party again this year. I never did much for it, just stocked up with as much liquor as I possibly could plus warned my mom that cars would be parked all over the property. She knew I was a good boy and this just happened to be the one, raging bash I threw every year.
But this year? I wasn’t feeling it. Maybe when it got closer to the fourth I’d start feeling the excitement, slip easily into my role as master entertainer. Just now, though, I wasn’t feeling myself. Upset and agitated, I had so much energy no run could burn it off. I felt restless and disengaged no matter who I was around, my closest buddies or a hot, ready and willing girl.
If I did a little self-analysis, I could probably come up with the reason why. I knew who was on my mind. But what good would it do to acknowledge it? I couldn’t really do anything about Sophie being back on the island. All I could do was try to distract myself and stay away from her as much as possible.
Inside Cuppa Joe, music blended with conversation and a few familiar faces waved hello. I liked the feeling of being a local in a small town. Most of the time. The last week, though, I’d felt all too aware of being on the lookout for one particular face. My old friend Jax had
an invitation extended to me at all times to go visit him in California. He’d been one of the ones out on that boat with me back when we were 14. That made him a blood brother. I knew I wouldn’t even have to call in advance, I could just show up on his doorstep with a duffel bag and stay as long as I liked, no questions asked. I’d do the same for him. Maybe that was what I needed, a weekend away. Far away.
“Morning, Liam.” Regina gave me a big smile and even the quiet girl working with her gave me a nod. Ladies liked me.
“And how are you this fine morning?” I returned the favor, beaming at her. Regina and I went way back. She’d been a few years ahead of me, but on an island this small everyone who’d grown up there knew a hell of a lot about each other. We’d never dated, not even hooked up which was saying something, but that made it easier to be friends with her now, didn’t it?
“All you’re missing is an Irish brogue, Liam Connolly.” She shook her head, already pouring me my medium regular coffee with room for milk.
“I can work on one if you’d like, Regina.” I gave her a wink. “I could start saying Top ’o the mornin’ to ya.”
She burst out laughing and gave me a dismissive wave like I was too much. But she liked it, I could tell.
“Busy night last night?” she asked, handing me my coffee. She knew what was what. Last I heard she was dating an electrician, who I bet had his hands full with the storm.
“Up all night,” I confirmed, handing her a couple of dollars. “Nothing serious, though.”
“Your girl got caught in it out on a boat last night.”
“What?” My blood froze in my veins. She couldn’t mean Sophie. Sophie hadn’t been my girl for seven years. Regina must mean someone else. But who the hell did she mean had gotten caught out on a boat in that sudden storm last night? I hadn’t heard about any serious accidents, but a storm like that could kill.
“Sophie,” Regina confirmed, making change from her old-fashioned register.