making wet slapping noises.
‘Ava, wait!’ Kelley sobered, reading the intent in her eyes. He held up his hands, but it lost the desired effect as he was still holding two melting ice cream cones.
Ava’s eyes flashed as she lifted her hand from Bailey’s collar and released her.
‘Sic him girl,’ she whispered, and Bailey leapt forward.
Kelley took an involuntary step back as she pounced and tackled him to the ground, rolling over and over him, rubbing her face against his, licking him ecstatically. He gagged at the stench of her rotten fishy breath.
‘Bailey stop!’ he tried to breathe through his mouth as she began to lick the ice creams he was miraculously still clutching, although he’d now crushed the cones in his fists as he fought off the giant playful, rancid smelling dog.
Ava climbed to her feet marching over to Kelley as he lay on the floor. She leaned over him, saluted him with her middle finger, before turning and stalking away, whistling for her dog, who once again in a mad scramble after her mistress managed to crush his balls, leaving him groaning on the ground amongst the fish guts.
It had taken him more than a few minutes to catch his breath and several more for the ache in his groin to ease, after which he’d tenderly hauled himself to his feet and gone after Ava. He hadn’t found her anywhere. He’d stalked back to the school to retrieve his own car and driven straight up to the house on the cliff with the windows cranked down and his head hanging out to try and avoid the smell which was emanating from every inch of him.
He should have driven home, showered for an hour straight after burning his clothes, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t even given it a second thought; he was climbing out of his car in front of her parked truck before he could even question his motives.
He was pissed off, really pissed off. Okay maybe he shouldn’t have laughed but dammit, did she really have to set her tame bear on him? He doubted he’d ever be able to get the stench off him and the nasty oily goo was now beginning to dry on his exposed skin, making it feel stiff and itchy.
He climbed out of his car, not even bothering to slam the door. After all it would need a good airing, for probably the next thousand years or so.
He marched over and pounded on the door of her RV but got no response. Glancing around, he couldn’t see her or her damn dog anywhere. His gaze tracked over to the dark boarded up house looming over him and he involuntarily shuddered. If the house had eyes, he’d have sworn it was watching him.
Deliberately turning his back on it, he reached for the door handle on the RV. He froze at the distant sound of barking and once again glanced around. He couldn’t see them, so he followed the sound of Bailey’s playful barks.
It led him to the edge of the cliff and upon closer inspection he realized there were stone steps carved into the cliff face leading down. Curious, he followed them, winding slowly down until he found himself stepping out onto a small hidden beach.
It was a tiny little paradise, flanked on either side by the curve of the cliffs. Huge boulders and craggy rocks piled up on one side of the small cove where the cliff at some point had crumbled and crashed into the beach below. Kelley had no idea this place even existed. Then again, he’d never been brave enough to explore anywhere near the infamous Lynch House.
His anger had simmered down to irritation on the long climb down from the top and even now the irritation was giving way to a peaceful sense of wonder. It was like being inside a painting; the sky was streaking with deep stains of pink and purple as the sun began its descent and the dying light caught on the rippling waves making them sparkle. He moved further out from the base of the steps onto the beach, his ruined sneakers sinking into the sand as he once again followed the sound of barking. He rounded a huge rock and stopped dead.
Every thought drained from his head, and his jaw went slack.
Ava rose out of the water like a mythical Siren, her back to him and the beads of sea water glistening off her golden skin in the dying light. Her hair spilled