Page 53 of A Divided Heart

“Yeah, that’s cool. I don’t have my board, but I know the guys there.”

I tried to process the image of Lee surfing and maybe it’s because he’s currently shirtless in pants, or maybe it’s because I’m used to Brant, who hates the beach… but my mind is having a mental stutter at the thought. “You can surf?”

He snorted. “Of course I can surf. You know any proper Cali boy that can’t?”

Yeah, Brant. I put on my turn signal. “I can’t surf.”

“You can’t surf yet,” he amended. “But I’ll teach you.”

There wasn’t a chance in hell of that, but I still smiled at the idea and headed to my house so we could change.

* * *

I laid back on a striped red and white towel and watched as Lee tilted back a beer, his abs popping. He stood in a group of four guys, already somehow friends, and I watched as one of them laughed and shoved at Lee’s arm.

“Hey.” A blonde with long wavy hair dropped onto her knees in the sand beside me and smiled. “You like Karin Slaughter?” She nodded to the hardcover on the towel beside me.

I propped myself up on my elbows. “I just grabbed it from one of the shops. Too early to tell.”

“I’m in the book biz,” she laughed. “I mean, kind of. I work at a bookstore, on Venice Beach, in case you’re ever in Los Angeles. And that one is…” she kissed her fingertips, “perfecto. You’ll love it, if you can get past the gory parts.”

“Oh, good to know.” I followed her gaze to the group of guys that Lee was with. “You know them?”

“Oh yeah. We’re all in town for the tournament this weekend.”

At my blank look, she elaborate. “It’s a surf tournament. My boyfriend is Paul Linx.” She grinned when I didn’t recognize the name. “He’s a pro surfer. Really good. But uh, your boyfriend said you don’t surf?”

“No.” I winced. “Barely swim. And he’s um… not really my boyfriend. Not yet.”

She rolled onto her butt, and she was staggeringly pretty, wearing a turquoise blue bikini that showed off her toned body and golden tan. “Ha. Well. Paul is my second boyfriend, so if you ever need one to borrow, I’ve got two.”

“Your second boyfriend?” I sat up all the way, curious. “What does that mean?”

“It means half the time I’m at the beach with Paul and the rest of the time I’m with my other half.” She twisted a lock of hair around her finger as she watched Lee set down his beer and jog back a few steps, leaping into the air to catch something that one of the men threw his way. “Paul is the one in the yellow shorts.”

I could have guessed that. Paul was gorgeous and so was she. One day, they’d make beautiful babies, assuming her second… boyfriend… didn’t have an issue with that. “So, uh—do you worry about getting caught?”

She turned to look at me. “Oh, no. They know about each other. They’re good with that.”

“Oh, really.” My skepticism must have shown in my voice because her grin widened.

“No, they are,” she insisted. “What, you don’t think Lee would be cool with you dating someone else?”

I knew the answer to that. I had a bruise on my hip from him fucking me against my dining room table, his voice raspy with jealousy and anger as he claimed me as his. “No,” I said slowly. “I don’t think he would be.”

“Well, you might be surprised.” She stood and stretched. “We’re going down to the boardwalk to get some food. You guys want to come?”

“It’s up to him.” I nodded to Lee, who had never shied away from a meal. “I’m sure he’d be interested.” I extended my hand to her. “I’m Layana.”

“Madison.” She shook it, then helped to pull me to my feet. “You guys should come to the tournament this weekend.”

The chance of Lee staying for the weekend was slim, but her smile and friendliness were infectious. “Yeah. Maybe we’ll do that.”

We didn’t. We spent four hours with them, drinking and talking and shooting darts in a dive bar on the boardwalk. Then Lee got too drunk and I drove him home and he kissed me in the darkness of my bedroom and held me like he loved me.

And then, in the morning, he was gone. Four days later, I stood in line at a coffee shop and watched a local television broadcast, showing Paul standing on the beach, a big trophy in his hand, and I thought about what she said.

Maybe some men were okay with sharing a woman but Brant would not be. And Lee was not.

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