Ainsley takes her own sip. “It’s really good, right?”
I chuckle. “Well, yes, but I was referring to the beach. It’s been a while since I’ve been to one.”
“Hasn’t it only been a few weeks?”
“Exactly.” I power chug the rest of my delightfully fruity cocktail, tossing the red cup in the nearby bin.
“Right. My bad.” Ainsley follows suit and squeals when some of her drink dribbles down her chest.
Even though it’s dark outside, I love being out here. Seeing the moon reflecting off the ocean, hearing the waves crashing against the shore, smelling the briny air as soft sand squishes between my toes. I take a deep breath and let it go, then I do it a few more times. It’s chilly out here, but thankfully, alcohol is a warm friend.
The ocean has always been my happy place. No matter how shitty things can get sometimes, it’s vastness and vitality reminds me there’s a whole big world out there and many people who are stuck in worse situa
tions. That regardless of how badly I’m hurting, I’m alive; therefore, there's an opportunity for a better tomorrow. It's never been more critical for me to remember that than now.
“I’ve stayed away long enough.” Kingston sneaks up on me from behind and pulls me into him.
I moan as he licks the sensitive spot right below my ear. “It’s been five minutes.”
“Exactly. Five minutes too long.”
A flame flickers in the darkness as Bentley lights a J and takes a long drag. "You guys good? I think I'm going to skip the fifth wheel thing tonight and go mingle. And by mingle, I mean, find a hot chick to suck me off."
I can’t help it; my eyes automatically fall to his crotch. Just because I don’t want to be up close and personal with it again, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good peen. And Bentley has a nice peen.
I roll my eyes to cover my obvious ogling. “Have fun with that.”
Bent smiles, no doubt because he caught me looking. “Oh, don’t you worry, princess. I will.”
“Have I told you how unbelievably fuckable you look tonight?” Kingston growls in my ear, making me shiver.
I turn around and loop my arms behind his neck. “You have not, but thank you.”
Kingston grabs two handfuls of my ass. “No, thank you for being such great eye candy.”
My lips turn up in the corners. “You’re an idiot.”
“Maybe.”
I lift up on my toes to kiss the underside of his jaw. "It's hard to believe only a few months ago, we were at a party just like this, and you were rapid-firing insults at me."
Kingston searches my eyes. “You know I never meant any of that, right?”
“I know.” My fingers play with the hairs on his neck as I hear the beginning notes to Meghan Trainor’s “Woman Up”. Well, there’s a perfect segue if I’ve ever seen one. “You know what else I know?”
“What?”
I pull away from Kingston and grab Ainsley’s hand to yank her away from Reed. “That Ainsley and I are going to get our dance on. You boys are welcome to watch, but don’t even think about getting in the middle of our groove.”
Ainsley giggles when she sees both guys dropping their jaws. “Sorry, not sorry, boys.”
Ainsley and I run up the deck stairs and step inside the warm house. I know Kingston and Reed are right behind us, but I never look back as Ainsley and I make our way to the crowd of people dancing. We squeeze our way to the middle and began shaking our asses, arms high in the air, not giving a shit about being barefoot. One song turns into many until Ainsley and I are sticky with sweat and out of breath.
When I catch sight of Reed looking at Ainsley like he wants to eat her alive, I lean into her ear. “You’re so getting his P in your V tonight. And maybe your A, too.”
She laughs and shoves me playfully. “Shut up! You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"
“Probably not,” I answer honestly. “But you love me anyway.”