Page 62 of Entangled

“Typically, those two are tied at the hip so tight that I have to put my foot down to get some alone time with Zane.” Her lips pull up into a grin and she waves her hand at me as if the answer is obvious.

“But not since I came to town?” I guess.

“Precisely.” She nods. “I should actually be thanking you. It’s been great for my sex life. Except when Zane starts wondering about what’s going on with y’all like a girl afterward.”

A surprised laugh leaves me and I stumble out my words. “Yeah, but surely, I mean, I don’t really see Jace as having a lack of playmates.”

“That’s true,” she agrees, looking out to the man in question before bringing her eyes back to me. “But I’d wager he’s a little more invested than usual.”

I break our gaze and look out to the water, remaining silent. Unsure of how to respond. I’ve never been great at the friends-with-girls thing, to begin with, and what is probably a normal topic for most girls is a bit more of a sensitive one to me. Jace hasn’t noticed I’m here yet and I take advantage of his ignorance, simply enjoying being able to watch him. Totally creeping. I can see the mischievous tilt of his head and when Zane dips a hand down into the water to splash him, I know he’s out there riling him up. Being his usual playful self. I bring my camera up just as Jace throws back his head with a laugh and my lips twitch up at the sight as I snap the picture. I can practically hear the melodic sound of his laughter trickling to me over the waves.

“You look a little bit smitten.”

Andrea’s voice pulls me from my trance and I lower the camera, turning my head to meet her happily knowing eyes.

Shrugging, I dart my eyes back to the water and decide maybe I should try out this female friend thing now that I’m past the battleground of junior high. It would be nice to have a friend who I don’t know, got a period, and it’s not like she doesn’t know my past already.

“Maybe a bit.” I give her.

“Don’t worry.” She bumps my shoulder with hers. “I think the feeling is mutual.”

“Yeah.” I sigh, brows pulling down as I dig my flip-flops into the sand and wiggle my toes.

“So why the long face?”

“It’s…” I turn to meet her questioning eyes and fight the urge to just spill the whole terrible tale right then and there. “Complicated.” I shrug again, keeping my thoughts to myself, knowing it’s best to leave those scars unopened.

The only person who knew the real truth of what happened in Costa Rica, all the sordid details, was Stef. And that was only after he swore on my life to never speak of it to another soul and forced it out of me one night over numerous bottles of wine in France while I bawled my eyes out on the lock bridge. Not even Mac and Kai knew the whole story and Yvie knew nothing at all.

Andrea nods her head in understanding after it becomes clear I’m not going to elaborate. “Then I’ll only say this.” She jerks her head toward where Jace sits in the water. “He’s got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known when it comes to the people he cares about… including Zane, but don’t tell him I said that.” I bring my eyes to hers and she smiles jokingly before continuing. “But he hasn’t let many people into it since his mom, not really, and his sense of self-preservation kind of sucks. So be careful with him, yeah? He’s kind of special to us.”

I give her a meaningful nod before dropping my gaze to my camera, seeing the picture of Jace’s laughing face shining back up at me and it hits me then. Why I’m so reluctant to put a stop to this. He reminded me of all the best parts of myself without the shadows of the past and I was starting to cling to him because of that. To the life he was bringing back to me day by day. It made me incapable of hurting him in the way I had been because I knew that pain. It would be like inflicting it on myself all over again in a weird, twisted kind of way.

Fuck. I should have never dragged him into my mess.

Andrea reaches over and pats my leg consolingly right before I hear Jace’s voice yell over the water.

“Blondie!”

I lift my head, catching sight of the brilliant smile he flashes my way before turning his surfboard and paddling toward me through the water. Leaving Zane to trail behind. Jace makes it up to the beach and carries his surfboard as he walks toward us. His hair is loose, wet and hanging around his face and there’s water dripping down his suntanned skin. The drops slowly wind trails down to that Adonis belt I licked my way clear across last night and I bring my legs up, pressing them together in an attempt to ward off the need shooting straight to my core at the sight of him.

He digs his surfboard into the sand in front of us and flashes those dimples at me. “So the temptation of me alone was enough to get you to come?”

I lift my head haughtily, unable to resist our easy play. “I figured I would grace you with my presence as repayment for the coffee.” I throw him a bratty look. “It was the least I could do.”

Zane comes up and digs his surfboard into the sand, nodding his hello as Jace walks over to me. He drops down into a squat right in front of me, playful delight shining in his gaze as he brings us eye to eye.

“Oh, so this is just about repayment for the coffee?” He drops his eyes quickly to my camera and I clench it in my hands, seeing the wheels turn in his head.

I cock my head at him, keeping my expression flat as I discreetly press the button to black out the screen. “Precisely.”

“Nothing to do with wanting to see me?”

“Nope.”

“Not even shirtless?”

“Definitely not.”

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