Claire must have picked up on my shock.

  She started to laugh. “It’s okay, Tinsley. Sometimes it can be a lot to understand.”

  “I’m just not used to it,” I said. “Any of this actually. I still wake up in bed and look around thinking it has to be a mistake.”

  “Enjoy it,” Claire said. “I still stand by what I told you the first day you were here.”

  “And I still thank you for having me here,” I said.

  “No need for that.”

  Claire left the kitchen.

  I went upstairs to get changed.

  And I paced my room.

  My eyes looking to my phone.

  A sense of logic told me to text Kip and tell him I wasn’t going anywhere. It was easy to lie. Especially through texts.

  I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though.

  And then my screen lit up with a text from Kip.

  Outside girl

  I swallowed hard.

  Too late to back out now.

  He was dreamy.

  And that was a problem.

  He sat in the driver’s seat of some vehicle that had no doors on it. It wasn’t some fancy six figure car like Barr had picked me up in. This was like an off road kind of vehicle. It was black and teal but looked roughed up.

  With the engine running, Kip jumped out of the driver’s seat and ran to me.

  He grabbed my hand and hugged me.

  “This is my beach ride, girl,” he said. “Only way to get where we’re going.”

  I saw a surfboard strapped to the top.

  Kip was taking me to the ocean.

  Of course he was.

  But at least I’d get to see him surf.

  As Kip walked me around the front of the ride, he slapped the hood.

  “Don’t mind the way she looks,” he said. “She’s a beast. I’ve got her customized to outrun anything new off a lot.”

  I smiled and nodded.

  Kip held my hand as I stepped up into the passenger seat.

  The seats were a comfy cloth.

  Everything inside the ride was stripped down and basic.

  It was definitely something you’d see near a beach or even on a beach.

  Kip ran to get into his seat and without hesitation, he backed up and around, and then took off.

  I grabbed from the metal frame of the ride and held tight.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t flip her,” Kip called out and laughed.

  Great. Thanks for that thought now too.

  Kip drove fast but as the wind ripped across my face and through my hair, I started to relax. I fought with my hair and Kip laughed at me. Something about his laugh was amazing. It was soothing and made me forget way too much.

  I wrestled even harder with a hair tie to pull my hair back.

  That helped, but not much.

  Kip took the turns too fast and yelled when he did so.

  He pissed me off yet made me smile at the same time.

  And there wasn’t more than three seconds that went by without him turning his head to check on me.

  We ended up on some road where the ocean was on my right.

  I put my left hand to the dashboard and turned to stare.

  Watching the white caps of the waves speed by in the blink of an eye, moving more and more away from BFH and all the stuff that waited there.

  The drive only lasted a few minutes after that and Kip turned off the paved road to a rockier path.

  His ride jumped as he drove.

  My heart raced but at least we were going really slow.

  That path turned into sand and he just kept going.

  “Kip?” I asked.

  “No worries, girl,” he said. “We… are… here.”

  At the word here, Kip put the ride into park and shut the engine off.

  I jumped forward and put my hands out so I didn’t smack my face off the dashboard.

  Kip stood on his own seat and was already unstrapping the surfboard.

  Damn, he moved fast.

  It was like he had a plan and that was that.

  Kip jumped down to the sand and had a surfboard with him.

  “Ready, girl?” he asked.

  “Always ready,” I said.

  He was ready to surf and I was in shorts and a hoodie.

  There was no way in hell I was going into the ocean.

  So I was here to watch Kip surf.

  I caught myself ready to compare what Kip was doing to what Barr had done.

  Kip took off down to the ocean and I slowly followed.

  I took off my flip flops and enjoyed the feel of the sand on my feet.

  Kip paused for a second to take off his shirt.

  Well, hello…

  He used one hand to take off his shirt.

  He stepped out of his shoes.

  He wasn’t wearing any socks.

  The sight of his back was just…

  By the time I got down to the wet part of the sand, Kip was already in the water.

  Belly down on the surfboard, he kicked and paddled his way out over the waves to get deep into the ocean.

  I stood next to his stuff and picked up his shirt so it wouldn’t get soaked.

  The typical sleeveless shirt.

  And it smelled like him.

  I held it tight in my left hand and watched him get ready to ride a wave.

  Now, watching someone surf was actually really cool.

  I couldn’t imagine how much work it took to be able to jump up and balance on a surfboard only to then have to stay on the board as a wave tried to knock you down.

  Off of that… cool.

  But my eyes were glued to his body.

  His tall, tone frame.

  Long arms, bent legs, feet planted flat to the board. His stomach crunched a little but still showing off a set of abs that were drool worthy. His body worked hard to keep its balance and my eyes worked harder to study every inch of him and lock it away in my memory. Probably for forever.

  Kip rode the wave to shore and swiped his surfboard up in style as he looked at me.

  I nodded.

  “That’s it?” he called out.

  I threw his shirt over my shoulder and gently clapped my hands together.

  “Better?” I called back.

  “A little,” he said.

  He smiled. He winked.

  His blue eyes made more of those promises that could never be kept.

  Kip turned and ran back into the water.

  I simply just tried to catch my breath.

  thirteen

  I sat on the beach and watched Kip surf.

  I figured at some point I would get bored but I didn’t. Each time he surfed it was different. A different wave. A different set of risks, if that made any sense at all. My heart never truly calmed down either. There were a few times when the wave got the best of him, throwing him hard into the water. And I simply just held my breath, waiting to see if he would pop up and be okay.

  Each time, he did so.

  Kip rode another wave and looked at me, smiling. He then opened his arms and fell back on purpose. He smacked the water and somehow was able to plant his feet and stand right up, the ocean forming around him as though he controlled the water.

  Grabbing his surfboard, he walked out of the water.

  To say the words wet and dream together felt too cliché. Yet way too accurate too.

  The water dripped from his messy blonde hair. His blue eyes had a way of shining brighter with the reflection of the water.

  And he was walking toward me.

  I wasn’t just some girl gawking at him.

  He was there for me. Or I was there for him. Or we were there…

  Kip offered his hand.

  I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

  “Ready?” he whispered.

  “For what?”

  Kip let his surfboard hit the sand.

  He grabbed the bottom of my hoodie with both hands and lifted.

  My heart raced and butterflies flew everywhere inside of me.

  There was no way my mind was going to stop this either.

  I was too far gone now.

  I shut my eyes and sucked in a deep breath as Kip took the hoodie up over my head. I tilted my head back as the top pulled against my chin.

  My body shivered even though it wasn’t cold at all.

  Kip tossed my hoodie to the sand.

  I stood in a tank top.

  His fingertips touched my shoulders.

  That created a whole new set of shivers. Like each part of my body had its own reaction to his touch. Or their touch.

  I looked up into his blue eyes and he smirked.

  “Are you ready, girl?”

  “For what?” I asked again.

  “To surf,” he said.

  “What?” I asked.

  Kip stepped back and moved his hands down my arms to my hands.

  He laughed, sensing my disappointment.

  Just another little offering of proof that the games they were playing were hard to handle at times.

  “I don’t know how to surf,” I said.

  “I can teach you.”

  “I’m not in the learning mood.”

  Kip pulled me against him.

  I let out a scream at the feel of his wet body against mine. I was instantly wet. Wet. Dammit.

  Kip slapped his hands to my ass and picked me up.

  I screamed again, laughing, knowing I was slipping into the moment too deep.

  He turned and started to run for the water.

  “Kip. Shit. No.”

  “Here we go, girl,” he said.

  I shut my eyes and felt the water splashing all around us.

  My feet and legs were wet, the water creeping up to the bottom of my shorts.

  That was solved when a wave crashed, making it impossible to avoid getting even wetter.

  Kip held me at eye level with him.

  “How much do you hate me right now?” he asked.

  “More than anything in the world,” I whispered.

  “I can make you hate me more.”

  “Try me.”

  He put the tip of his nose to mine. “I didn’t bring you here to watch me surf.”

  “No?”

  “No. But when we got here, I saw a few waves… the ocean is really moving today. Had to grab a few.”

  “So what are we doing here, Kip?”

  “I told you I wanted to show you something,” he said.

  “Yeah, Barr used that same line on me,” I said. “Do you all recycle lines like that?”

  “Only if it’s a good one.”

  I laughed. “Smooth, Kip.”

  He started to walk out of the water. “I have towels, girl. You can get dried off. Unless you like being wet and with me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not laughing at that.”

  “Nobody said you had to,” Kip said.

  He put me back to my feet and grabbed his surfboard and walked it back to his ride.

  I stood there, wet from the waist down (yeah, I know how that sounds) and watched him some more. I felt like that’s all I could do with Kip. Just watch and marvel. Because the side he showed me was not the side he showed the world. The guy holding me in the water, staring at me like he loved me was not the same guy who punched Cade. Or fought at the ditch.

  It made him almost mysterious.

  And super fucking sexy.

  Kip returned with two blue towels that were bigger than me.

  They were like soft blankets and smelled like they had just come out of the dryer.

  I let out a stupid sounding sigh and hugged the towel without realizing I was doing it until Kip pointed it out.

  “Don’t fall asleep on me, girl,” Kip said. “At least not yet.”

  “Are we going to sit on the beach together and talk about our lives?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Kip said. “Just follow me.”

  Kip had his towel over his right shoulder. He didn’t need it to cover his body. Not like me. I wasn’t going to give up the warm and blanket like feel of the towel.

  We walked the beach toward a set of large rocks. I thought we were going to climb the rocks and take in another beautiful view of the ocean.

  Instead of climbing the rocks, Kip walked to the front of them. Near the water.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “Secret spot,” he said.

  As we came around to the front, I realized it was some kind of cove or something.

  There was an opening big enough to crouch to get under.

  Well, Kip had to crouch.

  I didn’t.

  “This is my place,” he said. “Where I come to hide when need be.”

  The sand was sort of dry and extra crumbly. It was rock and sand mixed together. It smelled wet and salty but was completely cozy. The ocean waves crashed in front of us but never got too close.

  Kip put his towel down and sat down first.

  I sat next to him, still wrapped in my towel.

  “This is really nice,” I said.

  “Of course it is.”

  “So what’s your deal? The cool guy surfer is also the guy who throws punches and acts like a douchebag?”

  “Depends on your definition of douchebag, girl,” Kip said so coolly. “You know damn well why I hit Cade. And the same for the others.”

  “Like Denny?”

  “That was something building up,” Kip said. “And if you put your hands anywhere near something that’s mine, I’m going to defend what’s rightfully mine.”

  “So you three just decided I was yours?” I asked.

  Kip grinned. “Why does that surprise you?”

  I shook my head. “What about your parents?”

  “What about?”

  “What do they do? What kind of massive fortune have they left their son?”

  “They do what they do,” Kip said.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” he said. “What’s up with your life? How’d you fall so far to the side?”

  I laughed. Not a happy laugh. “So let me get this straight. You were born with everything you could ever ask for waiting. Right? I was born with nothing. And you’re asking me how I fell? Imagine you and I are swimming to shore, okay? You are only five feet out in the water. With a surfboard. And a rope. At the end of the rope is a truck, pulling you forward. That’s your life, Kip. Me? I’m a mile out in the water. With nothing. Better yet, there are giant rocks tied to my feet, pulling me down. That’s us.”

  “As long as I have my surfboard, I’m cool,” Kip said.

  “Fucking asshole,” I growled.

  I kicked my feet to stand up.

  Kip made a move and pulled me down so I landed on top of him.

  I pushed back, realizing I was then straddling him. Positioned right over him, my hands flat, spread wide over his chest.

  He causally put his hands behind his head.

  “Hey, girl,” he said. “I can deal with this.”

  “I can’t,” I said.

  I moved an inch and Kip said, “My father’s a lawyer.”

  I stopped moving. “Go on.”

  “Big time corporate lawyer. Hate watching what he does. Nothing he says is the truth. His entire existence is based on a collection of lies. Yeah, he makes a fucking fortune but he’s not even a real person.”

  “And your mother?”

  “She works in fashion. Makes way more than my old man. And he fucking hates that.”

  Kip grinned.

  “What’s so funny about that?” I asked.

  “There’s just something cool about a chick who takes charge and doesn’t give a shit.”

  “That’s why you look at me the way you do?” I asked.

  “Not sure,” Kip said. “Something about you, girl… something just sticks…”

  “You know everything you say is all bullshit, right?”

  “Pick and choose what you like to hear,” Kip said.

  I shook my head. “Why do you act like this?”

  “I’m myself, girl. You’re the one who’s judging.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Kip propped himself up on his elbows.

  I was still on top of him.

  What the hell are you doing, Tinsley Ditkiss? Get off him. Unless you’re going to get off on him…

  “You look at me and judge me, girl,” Kip said. “You see my hair, my eyes, the way I dress… and it’s instant opinion. You look at Barr and he looks like a miserable prick. And he is. You look at Pres and he looks cold and calculated. And he is. But me? You see me as… what? A hippie surfer guy? You think I’m going to share a joint with you? Talk about the universe and fucking energies and shit?”

  “I didn’t say that,” I said.

  “You think it. You imply it. So maybe that’s why I am the way I am. In fact, get the fuck off me.”

  Kip sat up some more.

  I had my out.

  My chance to actually get away.

  Except I did the opposite.

  I put my hands to his shoulders and pushed at him to keep him in place.

  “My mother is in rehab for drugs,” I said in a low voice.

  “I know that, girl,” Kip said.

  “So that’s my life.”

  “Your entire life?”

  “Mostly,” I said. “She has moments when she’s good. Then when she’s bad. And then in between.”

  “What about this time?”

  “Claire showed up.”

  “She showed up?”

  “Yeah. She showed up. That’s it. I was at the hospital and Claire showed up.”

  “And you knew her, right?”

  “Yeah. She helped us as much as she could. Then I guess my mother stole some stuff from her and that was the line. I can’t blame Claire for that.”

  “So you’re a mile out in the ocean, huh?”

  “Exactly, Kip.”

  Kip quickly sat up.

  Inches from me. “Now look how close we are.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” I said.

  “No more mile out there, girl,” he whispered.

  We stared at each other for a few seconds before Kip moved back down.

  Me on top of him felt good. It was comfortable. Like the towel. Like the ocean. Like the way BFH had started to feel.

  Digging its damn way into my heart.

  Like Kip’s eyes.

  “Do you hope your mother gets better?” Kip asked.

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “A real one.”

  “Of course I do.”

 

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