a day of surfing and a picnic in the sun. “Anything else we’ll need?”
“No, that’ll probably do it,” I said. “But hurry. Meet Cork and me at the Scout. You’re cutting into our surf time.”
She took off like a shot and met us in the parking lot moments later, interrupting our discussion about the new scoring criteria the World Surf League was considering employing in the preliminary heats.
“Gives the advantage to the big guys,” I said.
“Yeah.” As Cork leaned against the tailgate, a shadow crossed his features. “Eliminates the chance of someone, an unknown like I once was, coming in and stealing first place out from under the established competitors’ noses.”
Lotus shook her head, making an alarmed face and trying to get my attention. She didn’t want me talking about competitive surfing. But avoiding the topic wouldn’t make Cork’s longing to compete go away.
Just as certainly as avoiding her wouldn’t take away my desire to have her. I wanted her as soon as I set my eyes on her. I wanted her right now after already having her.
I took her board from her and stored it in the back, watching as she and her brother climbed in at the front. Moving to the driver’s side and seeing her sitting in my vehicle sent a surge of satisfaction through me. My lips curved as I climbed into my seat. My hand brushed her hip as I buckled my seat belt, and when she blushed prettily, my cock went hard.
“Did you hear back from Saber?” I asked, affecting a casualness to my question as I cranked the key to start the engine.
“No.” She shrugged. “But it’s not a big deal. He told me last night that he was going into the studio with Ash today. He’s often unreachable when he’s working.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact but her shrug was her tell, something she did back when we were kids that meant her words weren’t entirely truthful. It was admirable that she defended Saber. But they’d had that break for a reason, and it was uncool of him not to be accessible to her when she had so much responsibility and so little backup.
Well, she had little backup before. From now on, she had me.
I reached in my pocket and handed her my cell. “Here. Plug in your cell number and Cork’s, and put my number in your contacts too.”
“Why?” she asked, looking confused
“The knocking system is fine in theory when we’re in our apartments, though technically when you’re in yours, you’ll have to stomp. But that system isn’t reliable enough. If you get into trouble, I want you to be able to send out an SOS to the world.” I waggled my brows, getting in an old song reference too. “You or Cork, anytime you need me, just call my cell. I’ll be mad if I find out you were in trouble and didn’t call. And you know my being mad is something to avoid. Yeah?” I raised my brows at her.
It was decided in my mind. I probably was acting like an authoritative ass. But for some reason, she plugged in their numbers as told, and she did it smiling. Cork too.
Lotus
“HEY, YOU’RE DIFFICULT to reach these days,” I said, ducking outside Journey’s old apartment when I saw Sophia’s number pop up on my cell.
Journey and Cork remained inside. They’d talked the whole drive to LA, getting along like they’d been friends their whole lives. They liked a lot of the same bands, including ones I liked too. Cork had been questioning Journey nonstop about his studio work.
“So are you,” Sophia said, sounding frustrated.
I was a little frustrated too since we’d been playing phone tag the past twenty-four hours. Our schedules didn’t coincide the way they once had, not since she’d gotten her dream job working full-time at the local jewelry shop Sea N Things. She loved working there and hoped to have a shop of her own like it one day.
“I returned all your messages.”
“I know you did. I returned all yours too.” I sighed. “Just so you know all the basics, Journey’s here. He just signed on to be the new guitarist in OB Hardy, and he leased the apartment beneath mine. What am I going to do about it?”
“You left out that you slept with him. That it was amazing.” Her tone was wry. “And that you’re back with your ex, but you still have a major case of the hots for Journey that he, in your opinion, no