Page 50 of Meet You in the Waves
“Well, we thought Kira deserved a chance to have herself heard,” Dane cut in and my eyes slid his way, wondering at what point he had decided to hang our friendship out to dry.
“Ajay, help me with my suitcase upstairs,” Kira said with that sweet smile, the one I knew she spent hours perfecting in the mirror. I glanced across the room to see the oversized suitcase waiting at the foot of the stairs before glancing back at Dane.
“Why? Where are you staying?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“With you, silly,” she laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Um, no,” I returned, eyes bouncing between the three co-conspirators. “We’re not staying together, Kira.”
“Course we are,” she laughed. “Where else would I stay? There are no other rooms.”
“No. That is not how break ups work,” I returned, sending a pleading eye to Dane.
“Seriously, Ajay,” he sighed. “It’s not a big deal. Just take the suitcase upstairs.”
I looked between the three of them as they watched me closely, all of them in on this little act and me all alone and clearly outnumbered.
“Am I being gaslit right now?” I asked. “You all seriously think this is okay?”
“Ajay,” Dane sighed again, disappointment in his eyes like I was being a misbehaving child.
I exhaled a breath, now at a total loss. “Fine,” I said. “Kira can have my room. But I’m staying on the sofa downstairs. And you can take your suitcase up yourself.”
I didn’t wait to hear their reactions, didn’t really want to wait for the pile-on from the people I thought were meant to be my friends. I turned and made my way outside, closing the door firmly and stepping down to the lawn where I took a moment to compose myself.
Nick was lying back on his bench press when I stepped inside the boat shed, closing the door behind me and flicking the lock. My eyes were instantly captive, watching how his biceps bulged under the strain of the weights, making my mouth dry out. Nick took one look at my face before he returned the weights to the bar and sat up, eyes on me.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No.”
“Come ‘ere,” Nick offered, patting the bench seat in front of him. I hesitated all of two seconds before crossing the floor and straddling the bench. Nick inched closer until our knees were touching and then pulled me into a hug, his strong arms a warm comfort I wasn’t expecting. I leaned my head on his shoulder, not quite realising how much I needed this until now.
“It’s like I’m speaking a foreign language when I talk to those three,” I murmured, words muffled by his chest. “They won’t listen to a single word I say. I tell Kira we’re over and she just tells me we’re not. And Dane expects me to just share my room with her like nothing’s happened. Am I going insane, Nick?”
“What? You’re not sharing your room with her,” Nick returned, his arms tightening around me. I liked the possessive tilt I heard in his voice. Really liked it in fact.
“Those three think I’m being completely unreasonable.”
“You’re not bloody sleeping in the same bed with her,” Nick grumbled and I smiled into his chest.
“I told them I’d sleep on the couch.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Nick stated. “She’s the one who just lobbed up on our doorstep. Uninvited.”
I just sighed again, glad that I at least had Nick on my side. He ran a soothing hand down my back and I trembled at his touch. He held me a moment longer until the hand soothing my back started to perk me up, reminding me of what we had been doing before we were interrupted not long ago.
I lifted my head, pleased to find the answering heat in Nick’s eyes as he looked back at me with those sparkling blues.
“Your brother ever come in here?” I asked, head cocked to the side.
“Literally never,” Nick replied, a little hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Good.” I wanted to lick that smile right off his face. I wanted to show him how happy and relieved I was that he had my back, just like he’d promised he would all along. I don’t know why I trusted Nick so deeply, so quickly. But I did. I trusted him with everything which was why I had no hesitation in leaning forward and swallowing that smile right off his face.
His hands gripped me tighter as Nick kissed me back, that little hint of possessiveness he had shown earlier back in full force as his tongue swept into my mouth. One hand moved into my hair, his fingers gripping my curls tight, while the other moved to my hips, shifting me forward until our bodies were pressed up to each other.
I couldn’t get enough of him. Could not have anywhere near enough of this man who had called out to me when I didn’t know I even wanted what he was offering. But I’d answered and he’d unlocked some hidden beast inside of me and now, well, now I wanted it all.
