Inseverable: A Carolina Beach Novel (27 page)

“Hmm. looks good.” She smiles playfully over her shoulder. “See, not so bad is it?”

Considering everything down south is harder than a steel rod, it’s not so bad at all.

“What are you doing?” I say, because I know she’s dying for me to ask.

She shrugs innocently and wanders over with enough skip in her step to flick her ponytail and bounce her breasts. “I didn’t want to get paint all over my clothes.” She offers me a brief kiss, her fingers trailing down my shirt. “You don’t mind me naked, do you?” Her hands go further down, outlining my now painful erection. “No,” she purrs. “You don’t mind at all.”

She falls to her knees, pulling the waistband of my old board shorts with her, and me right into her mouth. I drop my brush with a grunt while my other hand slaps the wall I just painted. Like so many times before, my hips begin to pump as she lures me further in. I watch her take me, swearing when I sense the back of her throat.

My hand curls around her head. I don’t think about everything still left to do before I call it a day, or how my clothes are coated with paint. I only think about how good she’s working me and how she digs her short nails into my hips to keep me going.

My vision fogs as I’m overcome with lust, my groin clenching and those familiar spasms overtaking me.

“I’m going to come,” I warn between hard draws of air. I curse again when she increases her speed and goes deeper. “
Baby
. . .”

It’s all I manage cause in truth I don’t want her to stop, I want her to finish me this way.

And she does.

My legs shake and my body coils forward. I release her, splaying my fingers against the wall to keep me steady. Sweat trickles down my back. I groan loud enough for anyone passing to hear. But I don’t care, and neither does she.

She doesn’t stop, taking everything and keeping her pace long after I’m done. “Trin,” I gasp. “
Fuck
, baby.”

She moans around me, appearing to smile as she continues. In looking at her, she appears satisfied, but I know she’s not. At least not yet.

I’m already hard again, and this time, it’s my turn to please her.

I pop out of her mouth and wrench her upward, spinning her so she’s facing the wall. My teeth trail along the soft curve of her neck. “Open your legs for me,” I whisper against her ear.

With a small sigh and a shudder she complies, knowing what’s coming. I reach around her belly and slide the fingers of my clean hand down. Her breath hitches when I find that spot. She’s already slick, but that’s not good enough. I want her begging me for it. So I begin my massage, slowly at first, increasing my flicks and passes until she’s shaking with need and rubbing against me.

I tug on her ear with my teeth and pass my other hand along her breasts, pinching and pulling her nipples, making her whimper with need. “I’m going to make you feel good,” I promise, slipping two fingers inside.

Her head flies back and strikes against my shoulder. “
Callahan
,” she says, smacking her hands against the walls.

My fingers quicken their pace, working to incite her. She clenches her knees together, spasming hard. One orgasm down, then another, until she’s grinding against me, pleading with me to push inside her.

I ease my way in, trying to be gentle. But once I’m in all the way, I can’t hold back. I clasp her hips, pumping hard, my swears and grunts drowning out hers.

It feels like heaven when I’m inside her, gripped by her possessive hold, surrounded by her heat and want. It’s only because it’s our second time that I last as long as I do. I slow my thrusts, my chest trickling with sweat when I finish once more.

Trin’s body trembles as I press a kiss on her shoulder, and another one behind her ear, wishing I never had to let her go.

“I’m going to pull out? All right?” I ask as her quivers subside and her body begins to cool.

She nods, her head dipped low as if too heavy. My arms wrap around her waist, catching her when we separate. I’m worried I hurt her until she laughs.

“Hmm,” she says. “Maybe I should walk in naked all the time.”

“Maybe you should,” I say. “You won’t hear me complain.”

I don’t release her until I’m sure she won’t fall. As I step back to look at this beautiful thing I call mine, my heart aches a little. As easily as she draws my grin, my laugh, my passion, sometimes it hurts so damn bad to look at her. But I don’t tell her. She won’t understand that this is the best kind of pain I’ve ever felt.

She turns around, smiling as she extends her arms. Splotches of light blue cover her breasts, stomach, and left hip. “See?” she says. “If I hadn’t gotten naked, all this paint would be splattered on my cute clothes.

She struts to me, smiling as I gather her in my arms. She tilts her head when she realizes I’m not smiling back.

“Why?” I ask her.

She knows I’m no longer talking about the paint or anything we did.

“Why what, hon?”

I take in her face and how easily our bodies conform against each other. “Why did I have to wait so long for God to bring you into my life?”

Her brown eyes brim with tears. I cup her cheek, stroking the first tear that trickles down her face. “I love you, Trinity,” I tell her, because it’s true, and I’ve already waited long enough.

She covers her mouth, trying to stifle a cry before throwing her arms around me.

These are good tears I tell myself as I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek. She’s the one who’s been missing, the perfect person to come in my life and save me.

So I let her cry, and I hold her close, keeping her warm as the air conditioning unit blasts cold air and the sunlight crawls along the room. 

Chapter Twenty-seven

Callahan

Labor Day comes too soon for Trin and her friends, and maybe too soon for me, too. Tonight we’re all gathered outside my house around the fire pit I put together from the flat stones Trin and I gathered around the island. I’m holding her as she and I lay across the lounge chair. This time when Sean picks up my guitar, there’s no laughter, no jokes, only quiet, a rare occurrence around this tight crew.

Mason’s leaving in the morning for D.C.. Unlike the others who are headed straight into the work force, he’s starting law school at Georgetown. There’s no doubt in my mind, he’ll do well in life. Trin’s friends, or should I say, “our” friends will all do well. They work hard, and ball-busting aside, they have good hearts.

Sean’s leaving later this month for a pharmaceutical job he has lined up in Philly. Hale’s supposed to drop him off on the way to New York where he’s secured a job in as a financial advisor on Wall Street.

Trin hasn’t interviewed for any teaching jobs, despite that school’s already started. I don’t ask, and I definitely won’t push, knowing once she starts, I won’t see her as frequently. Besides, she’ll have no problem finding work once she decides it’s time.

I have the feeling she’s waiting for Becca to leave and start that public relations job in Charlotte. Becca will be the last to pack up and go. I thought her leaving would be the hardest on Trin. But seeing how quiet she is, saying goodbye to Mason won’t be that much easier.

Sean lowers his head, his long arms swung over the guitar, but not really holding it like someone who enjoys playing as much as he does. With a sigh, he lifts his head and forces a smile. “Last song. What’ll it be?”

Mason chuckles when we all turn his way. He doesn’t look up, but does stop running his hand down his date’s back. He’s already feeling their goodbye, despite that smile he’s doing his best to hang on to.

“You pick,” he says.

“I’ll sing if y’all sing with me,” Sean responds. “But I’m not picking the damn song.”

At first, no one says anything. We all know once the song finishes, it’ll be time to say goodbye. Hale and Becca are sitting together, close enough that their legs are touching, but not close enough to make me think he’s acted on his feelings for her.

She tugs down the sleeves of her jacket when the breeze picks up and smiles. “How about some Springsteen?” Her eyes scan the area, stopping on each of her friends, including me. “Maybe
No Retreat, No Surrender
?”

I couldn’t have picked a better song for this bunch, even though I know it’ll be hard for them to get through. Sean starts playing. Everyone joins in, even me.

“Well, we busted out of class, had to get away from those fools. We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school . . .”

At first, the five friends all smile through their sadness. But the moment they hit the chorus, Trin and Becca start crying. Tears stream down their faces as they try and push on. Becca clutches Hale’s shirt when he tucks her against him, giving up halfway through the song to cry softly against his chest. 

I gather Trin close when she covers her face and can’t continue. By the time the song ends, Sean’s the only one singing. He finishes, all the way until the last string is plucked. He then places my guitar on the empty chair beside him and wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

“Y’all suck,” he says, glancing away.

Everyone laughs except for Trin. Although she’s stopped crying, she looks sick with grief.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, because I know something is, and that it has more to do than with Mason’s departure.

She shakes her head, her face pale.

“Trin, what is it?” I press, keeping my voice low.

“I need to talk to you later,” she says. “It’s important.”

Something in her solemn tone worries me. I’ve never heard her sound so . . .
hopeless
. Whatever she has to tell me isn’t good news.

My eyes widen briefly. Shit, is she pregnant? I’m trying to remember the last time she had her cycle, but at that moment panic fills me and I can’t. She’s on the pill, but . . .

She wipes her eyes and stands when Mason begins his goodbyes. He and Sean are first, speaking quietly, and talking about meeting up in D.C. with Hale as soon as they can work out a weekend. They hug like brothers with Mason thanking him for always having his back.

Sean releases him and slaps his arm. “Fire needs more wood,” he says, abruptly taking off and down the path.

Hale and I exchange glances and watch him disappear. It bothers me that Sean’s taking it so hard. But what’s worrying me more is Trin. If she’s pregnant . . .

Mason steps in front of me and offers me his hand. “Callahan, it’s been a pleasure.”

I clasp his hand and shake it strong. “You’re a good man, Mason. And you’ll make a damn fine lawyer.”

“Thank you,” he says, knowing I mean it. He turns to Trin and Becca when they walk toward him, lifting them both in his strong arms. “My girls,” he tells them quietly.

Hale glances down the path, but there’s no sign of Sean. I’m scared shitless right now. I know I’m not ready to be a daddy. But I also know I love Trin, and that I’ll do right by her . . . and anyone else who comes along. Except I can’t talk to her about it until everyone leaves. So I step back and allow her a moment to say goodbye to her friend.

“I’ll go look for Sean,” I tell Hale.

“Thanks,” he says.

I take off in a steady jog, but as I reach the end of my property, there’s Sean, rummaging for pieces of wood.

He glances up. “Hey,” he says.

“Hey,” I say back.

I’m not a girl, and neither is Sean. I’m not asking him to pour his heart out or “share”. I’m going to gather some wood with him because that’s what men do. We wait in silence until someone speaks. Or we don’t speak at all.

I’ve already gathered an armful of twigs before he says his first word. “Mason was the first friend I ever made. Trin might have been my second if you don’t count Eddie Gufferson who spent recess picking his nose. I think he’s running for office in the fall, hopefully he’s a lot smarter now than he was then.”

“Hmm,” I say.

“Did you know me and Mason were roommates in college?”

“Yeah, Trin told me.”

“Everyone warned us it would be the end of our friendship. Too much of a good thing, they said.” He adds another stick to his pile. “But they were wrong. We were buddies through school. But in college, shit, we became family.”

“You’ll see him again, Sean. When people are that tight, they find a way to stay close.”

He sighs. “I don’t know. Mason’s going places. He won’t just have a job; he’ll have a career―maybe even change the world for the better while I spend my life saving men like Old Man Perrington from erectile dysfunction.”

“Someone has to, Sean,” I say, meeting him with a grin.

But he doesn’t smile back. If anything, he seems worse. “How are you doing it?” he asks. “I mean,
damn
, I can barely accept my best friend being a state away, but how are
you
doing it?”

I straighten, unsure what he’s talking about. “Doing what?”

He shakes his head. “I know you and Trin haven’t been together long, but I can see what she means to you. How the hell are you going to let her go? Especially to some shithole country the Peace Corps will stick her in―”

“
What
?”

He freezes. “What?” he repeats.

Steps close in behind me. I glance to my left to see Hale, but he doesn’t keep my attention.

I toss my stack of wood aside and march toward Sean. “Tell me what you said.” He shakes his head, like he’s ready to bolt, but doesn’t answer. “
Sean
,” I say again. “What did you say about Trin?”

“Shit, I . . .” He looks to Hale for help. Hale’s eyes are wide, but not because he’s shocked by what Sean said. He’s shocked by what he
did
. He told me something I wasn’t supposed to know―something apparently everyone else knew but me.

“Trin’s going into the
Peace Corps
?”

Hale shoves his hands in his pockets and moves to stand by Sean. “Callahan,” he says. “You really need to talk to her about this.”

Yeah. I do. I storm down the path. Mason and his date are gone. Trin and Becca are sitting by the fire speaking quietly. They stop talking when they see me.