I stare at the curve of her neck and the delicate fullness of her lips, almost forgetting that she asked me a question.
“So… do you miss him?” she repeats softly, staring up at the stars.
“Who, Luca?” I finally answer, the words almost torn from my throat. My brother’s name tastes bitter when I say it.
Cara nods without looking at me.
I grunt. “Of course. He’s been gone three years. I wish none of this had happened. I wish he hadn’t jumped off that cliff. I wish you hadn’t been there to see it. I wish everything was back the way it used to be.”
Is that true, though? Do I want things back the way they were before? When I’m lying here alone with Cara, I wonder if maybe I don’t want things to go back at all.
Silence hangs heavy between us. “How about you? Do you miss him?” I finally ask.
Cara inhales and turns her head to look at me. A soft, warm breeze flows over us, carrying the scent of salty air and seaweed. Her almond-shaped eyes drill into mine as she tucks an arm under her head.
“I missed him desperately for a long time,” Cara finally answers. “If he had told me that he wanted to break up with me, I think it would have been easier. But he just pushed me away and forced me to just…give up.” She winces, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t say that. He broke his back and it was incredibly difficult for him. I wanted to be there for him.”
“But he wouldn’t let you.”
Her eyes meet mine, and the depth of her sadness almost knocks me back. When my brother had his accident, my whole family was in shock. Hell, the whole Kingdom was in shock. Luca was airlifted to the hospital in Argyle, and then transferred to Singapore for a series of risky operations to try to stitch his spine back together again.
We tried flying to be with him. We tried calling. We tried talking to him.
He retreated from all of us. He was medicated, in pain, and facing a lifetime without the use of his legs. I tried to understand his reaction, but it was tough to be shut out.
Being here, on the boat with Cara, I realize that she probably suffered more than all of us. They were a couple. She was supposed to marry Luca, and then all of a sudden, she was alone.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” I blurt out.
Cara’s eyes widen, as if she’s surprised that someone would even think about her feelings. She shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not yours to worry about.”
Isn’t she, though? It feels like she should be mine to worry about. I stretch my arm out toward her. “Come here.”
She hesitates for a moment, and finally shimmies closer to me. When Cara’s head rests on my shoulder, a wave of calm washes over me. The weight of her head on my chest, and the warmth of her body next to mine feels…right.
It feels like she’s supposed to be there. She fits against me in a way that I didn’t even know was possible, like our bodies were made for each other. Two puzzle pieces carved from the same block. An extension of each other.
My body starts to heat up. Warmth starts in the pit of my stomach and slowly snakes its way through my veins. It’s an unfamiliar sensation, full of lust and desire. It spreads like a slow burn through my abdomen, making my cock harden and my fingers twitch to explore Cara’s body.
But I resist.
It’s wrong.
I can’t.
We’ve been friends for years. Since we were kids! She dated my brother from the time she was fifteen until only a couple of years ago. She was going to be my sister-in-law.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to ignore the thumping of my heart. Cara’s head rests on my shoulder, and she drapes her arm across my chest. Her skin is warm against mine, and all I want to do is trail my hand along her arm, feeling her velvet skin beneath my fingertips.
As she settles into me, the soft noise that slips through her mouth makes my body burn hotter.
Stop it, I tell myself.
I inhale slowly through my nose, trying to ignore the creeping heat spreading through my body. Can she hear my heart racing?
“Come on,” I say, shimmying away from her. “Let’s play cards.”
Mostly, I just need to get Cara away from me. I shouldn’t be feeling