It’s hot as hell and she’s late. I pull my shirt up over my head and make for the water. A quick dip will cool me off. If she doesn’t come soon, I’m eating sandwiches I swiped from Joel’s fridge and I’m never telling anyone I fucking packed lunch for a girl.

  Who would believe me anyway?

  I dive into the next wave and glide up through the curl. It’s been too long since I took the time to just enjoy the water. It’s been a while since I just enjoyed anything. I’ve been too focused on making money. On getting out of Marshville.

  Stepping out of the breakers, I shake the water from my hair and glance up to the parking lot. Ash’s car wasn’t there a second ago but it is now, and she’s leaning on it. Watching me. I see her tongue glide along her lower lip and I swear to God it’s like she slid it across my cock.

  I am rock hard.

  I’ve never been this easy. This unable to control my body. But around Ash, it’s like my dick has its own mind and its own agenda and I’m not part of the planning process for either.

  I pick up my towel and rub it over my chest and hair. Ash pushes off her car and makes her way down the beach. She’s wearing shorts and a tank top. I’ve never seen her flash so much skin...until last night. Damn that dress. If she looked like an angel at her graduation party, she was the female version of the devil last night in all the right ways.

  “Baby Girl,” I say when she joins me. I want her to reach out to me. I want to feel her hand on my chest. Her gaze locked on mine. Damn, I want her so fucking bad the only thing holding me back from grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close is knowing I’d scare her if I did.

  She’s delicate and I can’t be me around her. Not the uncontrollable me anyway.

  “Hey,” she says and her face drops. “Sorry, I’m late.”

  “That’s okay.” My voice doesn’t betray my earlier frustration. “I was late myself. Thought I might have missed you.”

  She smiles and it’s that smile that shows off the sadness in her eyes.

  Baby Girl, what you got to be sad about?

  “I can grab my board if you want a lesson, or we could eat?”

  Ash sits on the blanket and curls her legs to her side. “I’m not very hungry.” Sheepishly she looks up at me. “And I don’t really like the water.”

  Well, fuck me. I just screwed the pooch big time with this date then. Date. The word sticks in my brain. Is that what this is?

  “I’m only here for a few minutes. Then I have to get back home?”

  I feel my face scrunch into a scowl before I can stop it. “You’ve got better plans?”

  “I wish.” She almost laughs, but then the sadness is back in her eyes and my chest grows so tight I can’t breathe.

  “We don’t have to be on the beach. I just thought you came here so often this was your thing.”

  “It is,” she looks at me and smiles and I melt. Goddammit, I am lost in her. There is no hope of survival. “But…” She bites her lower lip and my shorts become so tight I have to spread my legs to compensate.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  Her eyes dart up to mine, her cheeks a pale pink. “That has nothing to do with why you can’t stay, but I thought you needed to know.”

  The next seconds tick down like a slow-motion movie reel. She’s smiling at me, her cheeks all rosy and her body soft. Then her eyes water and her face stiffens and before I know it her head drops and a rumble of laughter breaks over her. I’m not sure if she’s laughing because I called her beautiful or to keep from crying.

  “It’s my dad,” she starts and laughs again. The sound is dry. “He hasn’t noticed me in months. He couldn’t tell you one thing I’ve done this summer. But, he saw us come out of the bathroom together at his partner’s birthday party and now I’m grounded.”

  “Grounded.” Now I’m the one rolling with laughter.

  “He claimed if anyone had seen me step out of the bathroom after a boy, his reputation with the firm would be ruined.”

  “You sure you’re not leaving out the part when you stepped out of the bathroom behind the hired bartender that Daddy Dearest didn’t find fitting for his daughter?”

  She drops her head forward and I have my answer. Nothing ever changes on South Beach.

  “It’s not the first time a girl’s been grounded for spending time with me.” At this point, it would be easy to break this thing off. I could go back to not dreaming about her creamy white skin and the contrast it makes wrapped around my tanned body every night. “Baby Girl, you’re off to college in weeks and daddy isn’t going to be able to ground you then. You’ve got to start making decisions for yourself. Starting with this one. Do you think it’s a good idea to join a guy like me for a picnic on the beach?”

  Her baby blues flash to me. “I don’t even know you, Cole.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  She takes a second to think about my question then stares out over the water. “Because I’m tired of being me. Ashley is the reliable one. The A student who sacrificed having a life for good grades. I want an adventure.”

  “So I’m your adventure? Your walk on the wild side? I’m what’s going to get Daddy to notice you?”

  I’m not sure how to read the look that crosses her face but I think I’ve surprised her. “I am not using you to get my father’s attention.”

  “Really,” I tilt my head “Because if you are, it’s a great plan. Hang out with the tattooed bartender from the wrong side of town and all of a sudden you’re the center of Daddy’s world again. And you’re not the first to come up with it. I’ve been used before. I can tell you from experience, the plan works.”

  Ash pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them. It’s a protective stance and I know I should back off. She’s not the one I’m mad at. But she’s sitting here, in front of me looking tempting and sweet and I’m thrown back into memories of the last girl from South Beach who took an interest.

  “I’m not here to use you,” she says. “I came so you wouldn’t be left sitting out here waiting for me. I thought I was being kind.”

  “Kind,” I grin. It’s a devil grin and the pain on her face shows me I’ve hit the mark I was looking for. “Tell me why you think taking risks is going to repair your relationship with daddy?”

  “I never asked you to fix anything for me.”

  “I didn’t say you did.” She’s getting hot, I see it in the pink on her cheeks, so I back off a bit. “Let’s back up. Start over. Hi,” I extend my hand. “I’m Cole. And you are?”

  “Orange Juice girl,” she answers before shaking my hand.

  “That’s an interesting name, Orange Juice Girl. How’d you come by it?”

  “A guy I know. He thought it was funny to tease me for being plain but when I said I wanted to be different, he laughed at me then too. There was no pleasing him.”

  Ouch. She hits me right in the feels. I’m being a jerk. “Maybe this guy has a good reason for his actions?”

  “Really? What good reason is there for making fun of people?”

  I rub my chin. “Maybe he’s trying to protect you.”

  “From what?”

  She’s leaning into me now, her face so close I could reach out and pull her to my lips. “From him.”

  Her eyes grow wide and she studies me. “I don’t need to be protected from you. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried. I’m only here for the adventure, remember.”

  “Oh, I remember, Baby Girl.”

  Her eyes narrow and her head tilts to the side. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

  “Why? You don’t like it?”

  “It’s a step up from Orange Juice Girl, but why Baby Girl?”

  I half-grin at her. “I’m not sure you want to know the answer to that question.”

  “Spill it,” she demands. Ash has some grit to her when she’s ticked. I like that side of her. It’s new and exciting.

  “I’ll tell you one day, but for now, are we going to eat or chat? I’m starving and my lunch break is over in twenty minutes. Working men have to eat fast.”

  “Is food the best distraction you can manage?”

  “I can think of better ones, but I’m enjoying your company and don’t want to run you off.”

  Her cheeks turn from dewy pink to burnt red and I grin knowing I’m the reason for the deepening color.

  You’re going to be the ruin of me, Baby Girl. I sink my teeth into a sandwich and watch her do the same, thinking of all the places I’d love to feel those pearly whites touch my skin.

  I’ll make sure your Daddy notices you.

  Ash

  July 4th is a big deal in Marshville. Huge. Saying it’s the most celebrated holiday in town is an understatement.

  Along our coastline sits one of the forts used during the revolutionary war and though nothing remains of the structure it is marked by a plaque and is a tourist destination. Every year the town throws a huge barbecue and fireworks show and we watch from the roof of our house or on one of Dad’s friend's boats.

  This year I’m grounded, so the roof and a plate of food brought over from the barbecue are about as festive as it’s going to get for me.

  At least it’s Camron who brings the food and tells my father she will take personal responsibility for making sure I stay home.

  He only agrees because she’s the senior partner’s daughter and other than making my life difficult work is his only priority.

  “He was tending the bar,” Cameron says as soon as my father closes the back door from the kitchen to the garage. “I bet that’s why you Dad is being so harsh.”

  I bite into the hamburger she brought and smile. “Who?” I ask around my bite like I can’t guess she means Cole.

  “His cousin's bar services caters all the local events. If your dad plans to keep you away from Cole, you’re going to miss out on every summer tradition in South Beach.”

  “I’m not feeling very traditional these days,” I say when she gives me that concerned, crinkle eye. I’ve done the South beach Marshville social scene since I was five and in pigtails on my Dad’s shoulders. Same people. Same parties. I want something different.

  Carmon takes the stool next to me at the kitchen counter and picks up one of the fries on my plate. “God, I’ve missed this. They don’t have fries like this in Europe. So, what’s the deal with you two anyway.”

  “Nothing,” I answer quickly. “Why does knowing someone have to come with a label attached. We met at my graduation party and have run into each other a few times since.”

  Carmon nearly chokes on her fry. “What I saw the other night at my Dad’s house wasn’t a casual run-in. That boy had eyes for you and only you. You should have seen his face when your father hauled you out of there. Lost puppies couldn’t touch his sad big eyes.”

  “He didn’t even know I was gone.”

  “Trust me,” she picks up another fry and bites off the tip. “That boy knew the second you left the house.”

  “We’re just friends,” I say, though I feel the heat on my cheeks and I know she sees it too. “Fine,” I drop my burger to the plate and push it away. My stomach is too unstable to eat now. “If we’re going to talk about Cole Blake all night I might as well head upstairs and bury my head under a pillow. It’d be about the same amount of fun.”

  “Good. I’m glad you feel that way. It’ll make this easier to hear.”

  “This what?” Now she has my full attention. While we were in school Camron was always the first to hear everything. The root the grapevine grew from. She is always known for her bluntness and I’m not sure I want her to be blunt about anything pertaining to Cole.

  “My father’s not used to having a kid in the house again. He’s grown out of the habit of locking up his office when he’s not home. Anyway, your Dad came over the other morning and got into a screaming match with mine. When the left I snuck in to see what he was so angry about.”

  She stops and I almost fall off my stool reaching for her shoulder. “And,” I breathe. My dad doesn’t scream. Stern yes. His voice usually drops when he's angry. “Did you hear any of it?”

  “Oh yeah, I did.” She bites another fry and I slide the plate closer to her. She can have them all if she’ll just keep talking.

  “I thought it was about your mother at first the way your dad kept throwing around words like irresponsible and dating but then he mentioned you and a pregnancy and I freaked.”

  I swallow hard. “I’m not pregnant.” I’ve never even done what needs to be done to become pregnant. Even in the olden day standards. “How could he think that?”

  “It gets better. I would have stayed at the door but our housekeeper was hovering so I moved upstairs to the bathroom with the vent over my dad’s office, only by the time I got there the voices had stopped and they both left.

  “But the office door wasn’t locked so when the coast was clear I snuck in. My father had a file on his desk with Cole’s name on it.”

  “Tell me you looked,” My breath is frozen in my throat.

  “I did but only because I knew you’d want to know.” She grabs at my cola and I scoot it closer, urging her to hurry and share her news.

  “A few years ago Cole worked for a family in South Beach, landscaping and doing odd jobs outside the house. The documentation says he worked for the Abernathy's for a year before being fired for harassing their daughter.”

  My stomach cinches around my one bite of burger. “That doesn’t sound like Cole.”

  “It gets better.”

  I don’t like the way Carmon smiles. She’s enjoying this too much.

  “After he was fired and told to stay away from the daughter it came out that she was pregnant with his baby. Of course, he denied the whole thing, but later he came back to the house and stole the father’s BMW. Broke into the house for the keys and all.

  “Ashley, this guy isn’t at all who you think he is. He seduced Rebecca Abernathy and now he’s doing the same to you.”

  I can’t look at Carmon. She’s eating my fries and drinking my drink while my world flips upside down and spins. I feel sick and wrap my arms around my stomach.

  “That’s not Cole. That can’t be.”

  “My father was the Abernathy’s attorney in the case. It's all documented. And it all makes sense. Cole and Kate are the same age and didn’t she hang around with the public school kids from North beach? Why have you never heard of Cole Blake before? Because he wasn’t here. Probably serving time for auto theft.”

  I’m still not believing my ears. Cole isn’t a thief, and even though he’s had the opportunity, and secretly I’ve wished he had, he hasn’t touched me. He’s not the kind of guy who’d get a girl pregnant or steal a car.

  Or is he?

  My brain spins a rotation in my head and I fight the urge to throw up. I don’t really even know him. He could be this guy. This monster Carmon paints with her story. Maybe it’s only because I don’t want to see him that way that I can’t believe her story.

  “The fireworks start in a few. Want to head up to the roof?”

  I look at her, stare really. She’s just rocked my world to the core and she still thinks I want to watch fireworks? My heart thumps in my chest and I close my eyes hard.

  If Kate were still here she’d have understood. She’d have me settled on the couch, my head in her lap while she stroked my hair and told me dirty jokes until I cracked and laughed. She’d help lesson the blow then she’d distract me. She was good at that.

  “Earth to Ash.” Carmon snaps her fingers in my face. “Roof. Fireworks.”

  I nod, too numb to know what else to do. “Sure.” I slide off the stool and lead the way to the stairs. The last thing I want to do if watch the town blow thousands of dollars of twenty minutes of entertainment. I’d rather kick Carmon out, crawl in my bed, and cry the rest of the night away.

  We climb out on the roof and sit in silence until the first burst of fire and light covers the cloudless sky. Carmon makes ahh noises with each new blast and points, but all I see are sparks in the sky. All I feel is numb. The thought of being Cole’s next loops in my head until no matter how many times I tell myself it can’t be true the thoughts takes over and my vision blurs.

  As the last burst of color fills the sky I’m cried out and take a heavy sigh. I wanted the bad boy experience and I got it, so why am I crying? If he’s using me to get to something, maybe I’m getting what I deserve.

  Either way, I have my father’s full attention now. I should be happy.

  Chapter 5

  Ash

  July fourth is a big deal in Marshville. Huge. Saying it’s the most celebrated holiday in town is an understatement.

  Along our coastline sits one of the forts used during the revolutionary war. Though nothing remains of the original structure, it is marked by a plaque and is a tourist destination. Every year, the town throws a colossal barbecue and fireworks show, and we watch from the roof of our house or on one of Dad’s friend’s boats.

  This year I’m grounded, so the roof and a plate of food brought over from the barbecue are about as festive as it gets.

  At least it’s Camron who brings the food and tells my father she will take personal responsibility for making sure I stay home.

  He only agrees because she’s the senior partner’s daughter and, other than making my life difficult, work is his only priority.

  “He was tending the bar,” Cameron says as soon as we are alone. “I bet that’s why your dad is being so harsh.”

  I bite into the hamburger she brought and smile. “Who?” I ask around my bite like I can’t guess she means Cole.

  “His cousin’s bar services all the local events. If your dad plans to keep you away from Cole, you’re going to miss out on every summer tradition in South Beach.”

  “I’m not feeling very traditional these days,” I say when she gives me that concerned, crinkle eye. I’ve done the South Beach Marshville social scene since I was five and in pigtails on my dad’s shoulders. Same people. Same parties. I want something different.

 

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