Page 28 of No One But Us

“I’d settle for something else,” he says, only half joking. “Come shower withme.”

He bites my earlobe, making me shiver in spite of myself. His mouth moves to my neck, and I find myself relaxing into him, my bones going loose.God, it’s been a long time. Okay, it’s been six weeks, but it feels like a longtime.

“Nope,” I whisper, but it’s a littlebreathy.

“You’ll change your mind after you see me play,” hesays.

He’s right. I already know this. His hands are still on my hips, his mouth on my neck, and I know that seeing him play is all it would take to swayme.

“I’m closing tonight,” I say. “I just foundout.”

A door shuts down the hall, and he releases me. “We’re back in a few weeks. Will you come see us then?” heasks.

“Definitely,” I reply, casting an angry look at James’ room. “Tell me when and I’ll put in for time offtoday.”

* * *

After breakfast, we all head to the beach. To my surprise, James comes with us, looking so good in his swim trunks that for just a moment I stop hating him. Max and Ryan walk ahead, carrying a cooler and laughing as if they’ve been friends since high school. Typical Max, and also typical Ryan. Why are things never awkward for those guys? I’m guessing neither of them has had a moment like I’m having right now, walking beside James with a hundred accusations in my head demanding to beheard.

“I got a mysterious text from Brian this morning,” I tell him. “Informing me that I’mclosing.”

“I’m closing too. I’ll give you aride.”

“It seems to me that’s the least you can do,” I say bitterly, “since you’re the one responsible for the schedule change. You don’t want me to watch Ryanplay.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says. And then he has the nerve tosmile. “Musical appreciation enriches us all. Why would anyone try to stand in yourway?”

“That’s a good question, James. Maybe you should answerit.”

There is no answer, just that same smug look of quiet triumph that begs for a good slapping. Max looks back and forth between us and then stops, pointing at this bush we pass every day, which is covered in purple flowers that weren’t there the weekbefore.

“You see that?” he asks. “That’s the New England aster. It doesn’t normally bloom until September orOctober.”

The depth of Max’s useless knowledge never ceases to amazeme.

“What’s your point, Max?” sighs Ginny. “Because I feel sure there’s a pointhere.”

“My point,” Max continues, “is that things don’t bloom because they’re told it’s the correct time. They bloom because the conditions areright.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” demands Ginny. “Because the rest of us haven’t been smoking pot all morning, so we can’t decipher your cryptic littlecomments.”

“James knows what I mean.” Max grins, walkingahead.

And based on the way James stalks off ahead of us, it appears Max isright.

“What’s his deal?” asks Ginny. “He’s been moody forweeks.”

Max laughs. “I think your brother has some demons toexorcise.”

“What demons?” Ginnydemands.

Max’s glance flickers over to me before he shrugs. “We all have parts of ourselves we strugglewith.”

Ginny snorts. “I don’t see you struggling withmuch.”

“The fact that I’m a less principled man than James,” he says with a sigh, “is hardly amystery.”

Chapter 18

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