we were up for having some fun.”
I swallow hard just taking in her delicate features, that hair that has a life of its own. Serena has always had a natural beauty about her, but time has sharpened those stunning features, knife sharp and dangerous. Dangerous because I risk getting my man parts plucked off by any member of her over-reactive family.
Teagan comes to mind. What in the hell would I do if I found her chained up in some dude’s bedroom, naked, mask on her face, legs practically pinned to her ears?
A righteous anger enlivens in me, and suddenly I want to punch the lights out of every person in here who has a pendulum swinging between their legs.
“You’re sorry we got caught.” She lets out an enormous breath, and I can’t help but note she looks relieved.
A part of me feels terrible. I’ve opened one serious can of worms. Did I think I was simply going to jump into bed with Serena and everything would be fine? No. I wasn’t thinking. And now here we are.
“You didn’t tell me you’re a virgin.”
Her eyes flash with fire. “You never asked.”
My mouth opens, and yet for the life of me I can’t find the words.
“I should have asked,” I whisper, my voice strained as if the words never wanted to come out in the first place. “Serena, you are one of my oldest friends.” My body heats as if I just spewed a lie. A part of me wants something other than friendship with her. She looks at me from under those long lashes, her lips quivering as if she were anticipating what comes next. “What are you doing with me? You should find some nice kid your own age. Someone you move very, very slowly with. You should fall in love—deeply, deeply in love.”
Her left cheek flickers. Her eyes dance over mine. “We’re not friends, Shep. I’m not sure we ever were. And if you’re honest, I think you’ll agree with me. But I have great news. I am deeply, deeply in lust with you. I think that we’re off to a fantastic start. I don’t care what my sister, my brother, your brother, the school, or the chief homicide detective has to say about what I can and can’t do with you. I know those kisses weren’t some banal routine you happened to pull out of a hat. Those were dangerous kisses—dangerous because you were all in and so was I.” Those evergreen eyes steady over mine, hard as flint. “Now, are you going to wiggle your way out of what we got like some pussy, or are you going to say to hell with it and do whatever you want with whomever you want—namely me.”
I take her in like this, brave and beautiful, sharp and demanding. More than just her beauty, I appreciate the hell out of her pushback.
“To hell with it.” I toast her lemonade with mine. “Who are you going to the beach with?”
She bites down over her smile, pearl white teeth over a plump ruby lip. “No one in particular. I was going to run down and put my toes in the sand just to say I did it. If I blink one more time, summer will be over.”
“Good. Because you’re coming with me.”
Serena and I share a pizza before she follows me over to my place. I do a quick change and drive us down to Sugar Dunes. It’s off the beaten path, far from the crowded North Carolina shorelines. I park high up on the ridge and hold Serena’s hand as we walk the narrow, dusty trail to the bottom. The air is thick with summer heat and humidity. The sky hangs heavy and blue. The scent of rosemary lights up our senses as we hit the beach, and Serena lets out a hearty groan at the sight. Sugar Dunes Beach is comprised solely of white powdered sand set on an intimate bay. The sandbar off in the distance traps a warm pool of aqua water, a sharp contrast to the deep navy beyond its borders. And lucky for us, there’s not another soul who’s made his way here this afternoon. At least not yet.
“Did we slip through some magical portal, and this is the beach version of Wonderland?” she marvels as she takes it all in. “I’ve accused you of being a know-it-all so many times, it turns out I was right. This place is amazing. I guess you really do know