describe what you see in fine, fine detail.”
“I’m not about to check him out and report back to you, you perve. The only reason I even agreed to let him stay is because without him, we’d both have been without a room for the night. Possibly even the week.”
“You say potato. I say potahto.” There was a definite shrug present in her voice. “I know you’re not planning on having hot rebound sex with him, but would it hurt to get to know the guy and spend some time with him this week? You’re fake married to him, remember?”
“Don’t remind me. I’m already regretting playing along with his charade.” I wasn’t really, though. The sound of the waves against the sand and the magnificent view of the ocean from my bedroom window were enough to convince me that he’d done us both a favor. “I know I have to try and make the best of this whole situation. I just don’t know how.”
Guys like Will were the only ones I’d ever been friends with. They played video games for fun, argued about philosophy over Pinot Noir on nights out, and still thought of the gym as the place where the jocks who beat them up at school hung out.
They were my kind of people. Hence why I was only friends with people like them.
Ember was an exception. She was the epitome of the bad-ass girl with all her tattoos and piercings, devil-may-care attitude, and lack of faith in humanity. The gym was her hunting ground and the men who thought they were the predators, her prey.
We hit it off because we were opposites. She was the yin to my yang, and it worked that way. I didn’t need another yang. No one needed two yangs to their yin.
She exhaled into the receiver. “You don’t need to know how, my dearest friend. He invited you to the beach, so you go. Didn’t you say he completely took charge in the lobby?”
“I did say that.” Much to my chagrin right then.
“Then let him take charge,” she said like it was obvious. “If you end up having cocktails on the beach with him instead of alone, who cares? You sure as hell shouldn’t.”
“I’m not exactly the kind of girl who lets a guy take charge.” I very much preferred to be in control of my own life. “Who even does that anymore? You know women are allowed to vote now, right?”
She made a gagging noise. “Spare me the feminist speech. There’s a big difference between letting him befriend you and show you a good time, and him dominating every aspect of your life while expecting you to have dinner cooked and on the table at seven.”
“Point taken.” I scrunched up my nose as I walked to the window. “That wasn’t really what I meant anyway. I just… I feel so lost.”
“I get that, babe.” Her voice turned gentle. “It’s completely understandable. Your world turned upside down a few days ago. Will tossed your precious planner out the window and now it’s time to make new plans. All I’m suggesting is rolling with what fate has pushed into your path.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” I pushed my face almost all the way up to the glass, craning my neck to be able to see the beach in front of our bungalow.
Jaxon was standing up to his knees in the water, his wide back muscular and all inked up. I was too far away to make out any details of the artwork covering his skin, but it was etched from hip to hip, extending all the way up to and across his shoulder blades.
There were splotches of ink on his upper arms too, which I’d missed before when I’d barely caught a glimpse of his bare skin before retreating into my room. He did a half turn when a wave rolled at him, displaying more color on his chest as well.
None of it would show when he was wearing clothes, but it’d obviously been well positioned. Almost every inch of skin that would be hidden beneath a shirt was tattooed.
Although the lines beside his eyes and on his forehead made him appear older than I was, it was obvious he kept his body in great shape. Distance again hampered the details, but the V between his hips and the definition of his shoulders, arms, and torso would’ve been visible from outer space.
A wave smacked into his back, and he turned a second later