Page 83 of Tiny Fractures

Cat gives me a quizzical look. “What are you doing?”

I only pat the middle seat. She smiles, then slides over willingly. She buckles herself in, but all I notice is her leg pressed against mine, and I move my right hand to her bare knee, resting it there, stroking my thumb back and forth an inch, cautious not to push any of her boundaries. She turns to face me and kisses me, softly at first, but she deepens the kiss as her hand finds my left arm. My breath catches when she hitches her left leg over my right.

Feeling encouraged, I move my hand further up her leg and toward her inner thigh, softly grazing her warm skin and causing goose bumps to erupt all over her leg. Her breathing is rapid while we make out in the backseat of Shane’s car, and I slide my hand even farther up her leg until I reach the hem of her shorts. It’s driving me insane, knowing how short her cutoffs are, especially in the position she’s in. It’s arousing as hell, my body stirring in ways that are impossible for me to control with the blood pulsing hotly through my veins. I badly want to explore further, want to caress her silky skin, taste her, make her mine in the most absolute way. And I want to protect her, give her the damn world. A small moan escapes Cat’s lips when I stroke the sensitive part of her inner thigh. My tongue tastes her while she grips my arm.

“You guys should try to cool it until we get to the beach and you have more privacy,” Shane says, grinning at us through his rearview mirror.

Tori promptly turns around whooping.

To my dismay, Cat withdraws her leg from mine and blushes so violently that I give in to the urge to place my hand on her cheek and turn her head to look at me. I gently press my lips to hers before I drape my arm over her shoulder. She rests against me, her head on my chest.

Cat dozes off eventually, cuddled up against me, and I relish the peace and calm that envelops me for the first time this week. It’s a feeling I know only when I’m with Cat. My anxious mind finally shuts off and I lean my head back, listening to the soft music playing and Shane flirting with Tori.

***

The ride to our spot on the beach only takes a couple of hours. After rousing Cat, who has an adorable look in her eyes as she blinks away the sleep, we unload and I join Steve, Zack, and Shane in setting up the tents. Drew and Cheyenne set up a fire pit while Cat, Summer, Vada, and Tori move around some logs, set up the camping chairs, and strategically set out some beach towels.

Once everything is set up, the girls disappear into their respective tents, and I watch as Cat crawls into hers behind Vada. When she finally emerges, she’s wearing nothing but a light-blue, stringy two-piece. Holy. Fucking. Shit. I’ve never seen her in this state of undress, and seeing her skin, soft and smooth, covered only in the most important places, I have the urge to grab her, pull her into my tent, and do things to her I would never say out loud. I can’t even begin to explain how badly I want to kiss every single centimeter of her body. Fuck.

Honestly, Cat has no idea what an impact she has on guys—hell, even girls. My eyes follow her every move as she walks toward the beach with Tori, Vada, Summer, and Cheyenne, all dressed in their bikinis. As attractive as all the girls are, none of them come even close to Cat’s raw beauty and sex appeal. I imagine her endless legs wrapped around my waist while I feel her soft curves under my hands, her breasts pressed against me, her heat seeping into my skin. Shit. That was a dumb idea. I have a hard-on and need to get it under control immediately.

I close my eyes and breathe deeply, redirecting my thoughts and letting things… calm down. Once my body no longer gives me away—probably the hardest part of being a guy—I walk back to the Jeep and take the cooler out of the trunk. I bring it to the fire pit, setting it next to a big log that’s angled toward the pit where, later this evening, a fire will be lit.

“Hand me a water, Ran?” Shane says, watching Tori intently, who’s splashing in the water along with Cat. I grab two bottles of water from the cooler, the cold condensation feeling nice against my heated skin. “Damn, I never get over how fucking amazing my girl looks,” Shane says, twisting the cap off his water and taking a long sip.

I smile to myself, because I have a feeling I’ll never get over how amazing my girl looks.

“I know what you mean,” I say, taking a swig myself. My eyes never leave Cat, whose wet skin shimmers like a thousand diamonds when the sunlight hits it.

“You’ll need to watch out, man,” Shane says, his eyebrows knit. “I spot vultures.” His gaze moves, and he nods his head in Drew’s direction.

Drew is sitting in the sand a few yards closer to the shoreline, and it’s obvious he’s checking out Cat.

“Fucking ass,” I mutter. Drew has been vying for Cat’s attention from the beginning, and it pisses me off to no end that he doesn’t even pretend to back off knowing she’s with me. I’m usually not the possessive type, but I can feel Drew moving closer and closer to an invisible boundary line, and if he crosses it, I will fucking flip.

“Try to ignore him,” Shane says, and I frown. “Here, help me move this log closer to the pit.”

Shane and I heave the log into place, and Steve and Zack join us. Together, we start pulling all the coolers closer and throwing the firewood into the pit.

Once we’re done, I sit in the sand and lean against one of the logs. I suck in a sharp breath through my teeth when the bruises on my side make contact with the wood, reminding me of the ever-present undercurrent of pain and darkness in my life.

Shane throws me a knowing look, his eyebrows raised. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lie, knowing it’s completely useless.

Cat and Tori wade out of the water and toward us. Cat’s arms are crossed over her chest, her shoulders are raised, and I can tell she’s cold. So I get up, grab a towel from behind me, then wrap it around her. I pull her against me, silently cursing the fact that this extra piece of fabric is keeping me from feeling more of her. I want to touch her so badly, want to make her feel things she’s never felt before. But I just stand there, rubbing my hands up and down her back over the towel, warming her with the heat of my body and the friction of my hands.

She leans gratefully into me, sighing contently, and I smile.

Cat

I let Ronan hold me for about five minutes, taking in his body heat, his scent, his touch. His hand rubs circles on my back in an attempt to create heat. It’s working, but not so much because of the rubbing—more because he’s holding me like that. I can’t help but wonder what his hands would feel like on my naked skin.

I’m so glad to be home, to be in Ronan’s arms, and I can almost make myself believe that what happened in Buffalo, when Adam blackmailed me and I sent him a topless photo of me, didn’t actually happen. I want to forget it so badly, but the memory keeps forcing itself back to the front of my brain, and the guilt I feel over my betrayal nauseates me.

There was a moment when I almost told Ronan, when I wanted to open up to him. He deserves to know the truth about everything. He’s so good to me, was so obviously happy to see me, and god, he’s so soft with me, so gentle, so caring. It’s not something I ever knew with Adam. I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose Ronan, and I know that if he knew what I did—not only two days ago, but during my relationship with Adam—there’s not a chance Ronan would be able to see past that and choose to stay with me. God, I hope he never finds out.

After I change out of my wet swimsuit and into a fresh shirt and jean shorts, I join Ronan and the rest of the group. I situate myself between his legs and lean back against his chest while his arms encircle me. Shane animatedly discusses hockey strategy with Ronan, Steve, and Drew while I chat with Tori and Vada about our last softball game and the upcoming season. Every few minutes I get distracted when Ronan randomly kisses my neck or earlobe; he sends shivers down my spine each time before his attention turns back to the guys.

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