Page 31 of Knockin' Boats
Cash took the seat in front of the steering wheel while I sprawled on the bench toward the stern.
“You know,” Cash said casually, “I think you protest too much.”
“Huh?”
“I think Ash kissing you freaked you out.” He shot me a glance over his shoulder. “You’ve carried a major grudge against him for a long-ass time. You ever asked yourselfwhyyou couldn’t let it go?”
“Uh, because he stole my girlfriend, betrayed me, ruined our friendship, and?—”
“Broke your heart?”
“I…” My tongue was thick and slow in my mouth. I fumbled for the words. “No. Not like… I mean I never… It wasn’t like that.Ever.”
“Maybe not, but you were very close friends.” Cash started the engine and eased out of the dock. “Just food for thought.”
Ugh. I’d had enough thought for one day. I closed my eyes and willed my brain to empty.
Ash’s mouth pressed against mine. His hot breath mingled with mine.
My eyes shot open. Fucking hell. If that happened every time I closed my eyes, it was going to be a long fucking night.
After we docked near the RV park, Cash took off in the direction of the B&B. I’d totally called it.
I walked up the dirt trail that wound through the LandShark Retreat, passing luxury RVs, pop-up campers, and old trailers that had been here so long they were never going to move again. The place three doors down from mine had a firepit going, laughter trickling toward me on the wind. Lights glowed from a few others.
My tiny teardrop camper should have been dark too. But my awning sported blue fairy lights, which had been turned on. The culprit? My fourteen-year-old neighbor, Shua.
They sat in one of my lawn chairs under the rolled-out awning. With dark bangs against pale skin and big blue eyes, they had an anime-style waif look going on.
“Hey, why are you so late?” they asked, hopping up from the chair. “I thought you were going to teach me to play Texas Hold ’Em.”
I carried on straight to my front door. “That sounds like a bad idea. Don’t wanna turn you into a gambler.”
“As if I have anything to gamble with,” Shua said, following me.
I paused in the doorway, the words on the tip of my tongue to send them home. But then I saw the look on their face, a sort of guarded hope. As if they expected me to disappoint them.
And I couldn’t do it.
“All right,” I said. “But just one round. I’m beat.”
“Yes!” Shua skipped up the steps behind me. “You got anything to eat?”
I waved a hand toward the fridge, and Shua had been here enough times by now to help themselves. Mom had sent some brisket home a couple of days ago with a warning to stay out of the kitchen while she got ready for their opening this weekend.
I’d happily accepted. The less time I spent at the resort, the less time I’d be around Ash.
Who’d fuckingkissedme.
I still didn’t get his game. But my friends had to be wrong. There was no way Ash had ever been interested in me that way. He could have anyone he wanted—even fucking Mel—so why would he want the guy he’d spent years antagonizing?
No way. It didn’t make sense.
There was a much easier explanation. Ash was an asshole, pure and simple.
CHAPTER 8
Ash
