Just for the Summer (Chasing Carolina #0.5) (14 page)

It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come from the first day we met, when they just stood on their deck staring down at us, practically drooling over my boys and me, unable to form a single word, to now purposely driving us up a wall on a daily basis, and being so comfortable they gladly burp the fucking alphabet as they guzzle Coca-Cola while chilling on our deck bar-b-quing.

“We’re going out to eat. Just wanted to stop by and tell y’all to have fun and don’t lose too much money,” Becca says, sashaying into the kitchen and straight up to Parker.

I don’t know what’s going on between them, but they’re together just as much as Ashlynn and me, and I never see him flirting with any chicks when we’re out alone. Who would’ve thought we’d see the day when two of Charlotte’s biggest players spent almost an entire month with just one girl each?

“Well, I for one am glad y’all stopped by. We saw ya earlier tanning on the beach, but we had way too much shit to get done, so we couldn’t join in on the beach bum day.” I grab Ashlynn’s hand and pull her to me. “You want me to come over tonight after the game?” I ask quietly in her ear as I press a kiss to her neck, her ticklish spot, causing a giggle to escape her.

“Of course. I love falling asleep with you next to me, and especially love waking up to The Beast raring and ready to go.” She blushes as she whispers up at me so only I can hear. A devilish grin creeps across my lips as the thought of morning sex comes to mind. I’ve never been happier to wake up in the morning than when I do beside her.

I’m so screwed. This girl has me wrapped around her finger, and every day is one more day closer to saying goodbye. We’re down to ten days left, and every day that passes, I find myself struggling with the idea of letting her go.

Not long after the girls leave, our friends show up at the door. We’ve know them for a few years. We met at various parties here in Myrtle Beach. I’ve been vacationing here since I was a kid, and made some great friends over the years.

Linc’s here; even though he’s an asshole, I still invited him. He’s one of those guys better to have as a friend than as an enemy. My other two friends, Keith and Ethan, are awesome guys who I can count on whenever I need them. We’ve gone out fishing a few times this summer, but since meeting Ashlynn, I’ve kind of been MIA lately. So I think a poker night is exactly what we need.

“Grab some grub and a beer, and get ready to fill my pockets boys!” I shout and clap them all on their backs as they walk into the kitchen.

Everyone fills their plates and heads into the dining room, which has now been converted into a poker room. We spend the next two hours bullshitting, drinking, and stuffing our faces.

We only made it an hour before they all started ragging on me about Ashlynn. They all find it way too entertaining that I’ve somehow turned into a one-woman man over the last few weeks. I made sure to toss Parker under the bus too, letting them know he’s only been dipping his dick into Becca. There’s just something about those Georgia girls. They’ve got us by the damn balls.

I have a stack of chips, a big pot in the center of the table, and a full house in my hand when my phone vibrates. The guys have a no phone rule, but I can’t stop myself from digging it out of my pocket and smiling when I see it’s Ashlynn texting me.

“Seriously, bro?” Keith complains, tossing a chip at my head. I look up at him and toss the chip back at his face.

“What?!” I ask, acting as if I have no clue what he’s pissed about.

“You’re smiling like a damn fool over there staring at your fuckin’ phone, is what. Dude, you know no phones on poker night,” Keith huffs out.

I just roll my eyes and take a pull from my beer. “She’s only here ten more days, asshole. I’ll see your ugly mug until Labor Day.” Opening the text, I slap my cards down.

It’s a picture of Ashlynn in nothing but my favorite Victoria’s Secret set, holding her book next to her head. She looks smokin’ hot in her pink lace bra and matching G-string. She sent that, along with a text that says:

I’m just lying here reading some steamy smut until you get here.

Well, fuck me and call me whipped. “Sorry, boys, but I’m foldin’. Split my chips, because I’m outta here.”

“Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?” Linc asks, but all the while, he’s grabbing my chips and splitting them up.

“Yup, I guess I have, but while y’all are sitting here scratching your balls and stuffing your faces, I’ll be next door getting my dick sucked and fucked. Catch ya on the flip side, assholes.”

Grabbing my keys off the hook by the door, I sprint out the door, run across the beach, and up the stairs to Ashlynn’s door. When I burst in, Tamara, Becca, and Nikki are sitting on the sectional, watching
The Last House on the Left
and eating popcorn.

“What the heck are you doing here already? I thought y’all were playing poker?” Tamara asks as she gives me a confused look.

“I was, but was losing, so decided to fold while I was ahead,” I lie. Sure, I’m a pussy-whipped motherfucker, but I ain’t lettin’ them know it.

“Ashlynn’s in her room,” Nikki says, motioning her thumb towards the stairs leading up to her room.

“Thanks. Enjoy your scary movie, ladies. If y’all wanna hear a guy scream like a fuckin’ girl, shoot Parker a text. He’s a pussy when it comes to horror movies.”

I laugh as I hear them all talking about doing a horror movie marathon and tying Parker to the recliner.

Running up the stairs, I swing Ashlynn’s bedroom door open and slam it shut before stalking towards her bed. She glances up at me over her book, and my feet glue to the floor.

Fuck, she looks downright irresistible right now. She looks adorable with her nerd glasses on, reading her book. Normally, she wears contacts, so I’ve only seen her in glasses once or twice. I swear my dick has never been as hard as it is right fucking now as I take her in, lying on her bed before me in that smoking hot bra and pantie set, wearing her cute little black-framed glasses, and peeking at me over her dirty book.

When she reads those books, she practically rapes me afterwards, so as soon as I read the text saying she was reading, I got my ass over here as fast as my two legs could carry me.

“That was fast.” She laughs, setting her book on the nightstand.

She goes to take her glasses off, but I tell her, “No, baby, keep ‘em on. I wanna watch you suck my dick while you wear those glasses.”

“You’re so funny. Get over here and snuggle with me for a minute. I’ve missed you.”

My heart slams against my chest, and then does a triple somersault as her words hit my ears. I hate I can never just enjoy being with her without thinking about the fact I only have ten more nights of this. Of her. Then we’re done.

I strip into my briefs, push my negative thoughts to the back of my head, and climb into bed with her. For right now, we can continue to live in our imaginary bubble, where life is perfect and the end of everything wonderful in our lives right now isn’t just around the corner.

I’VE WISHED EVERY DAY
that time would slow down for even just a little bit, but sadly, these last ten days have flown by. Today’s my last day in Myrtle Beach. It’s bittersweet, because I’m excited to go back to Athens and see my family, and get ready to go back to school, but at the same time, I hate the idea of saying goodbye to Chase.

This summer has been the best time of my life, and the idea of possibly never seeing him again kills me. We have each other’s cellphone numbers and are now friends on Facebook, but I think seeing him on a screen or talking on the phone is going to make me miss him more. He’s promised to visit me when he’s down south for races. I admit I get butterflies just thinking about seeing him again, but on the other hand, I’m terrified once we part ways that spark between us will fizzle and burn out. Maybe the intense pull between us is just because we’re away from our everyday lives.

I have this tiny voice in the back of my mind telling me once he returns to Charlotte, he’ll forget all about me and the weeks we’ve spent together. For right now though, I’m pushing all my thoughts to the back of my mind and trying to enjoy the last day we have here.

Tonight, we’re going to the Ke$ha concert. We bought tickets months ago when they first went on sale, and lucked out getting front row seats. Chase offered to pull some strings and get us backstage to meet her, so he’ll be joining us tonight, along with Parker.

Until then, we’re spending the day on the beach soaking up the rays and enjoying the peacefulness before we head home and dive back into the craziness that is our lives. I’ll be so busy with school, cheer, my sorority, and all the volunteering we do, so I’m jamming in as much rest and relaxation as possible.

I’m lying on a towel, reading while the guys surf and Tamara, Nikki, and Becca work on their tans and talk about the concert tonight, when I feel ice cold water dripping on my back. Setting my book down, I roll onto my side and look up to find Chase holding his surfboard and leaning over me with a Cheshire grin.

He wouldn’t!

“No, no, no!” I screech out as he tosses his surfboard onto the sand and grabs me, pulling me up from my towel. His hands are freezing against my hot skin and cause me to scream louder. Within seconds, I’m being tossed over his shoulder and he’s sprinting down to the water.

“You look too hot, baby. I gotta cool you off.” He chuckles as he slaps my ass.

“Put me down!” I’m wasting my breath, because he isn’t slowing down. I look back up towards where I was just laying down reading and see Parker tossing Becca over his shoulder, and Tamara and Nikki are just sitting on their towels laughing their asses off at us.

“You better hold your breath!” is all Chase says before I’m flying through the air and falling into the Atlantic. The water is like a shock to my body after sitting in the beating sun for over an hour. Using my arms and legs, I swim back to the surface and stand to find Chase treading a foot away laughing before diving under the water and swimming towards me.

I feel his hands around my ankles, and then they’re at my waist before his head pops up out of the water with a big mega-watt smile sparkling in the sun.

“You’re such an ass!” I tell him as I cup my hand over the top of the water, splashing him in the face.

“Hey!” he shouts and he moves his hands to my butt and pulls me against his chest as he stands up, towering over me. Breaking free from his embrace, I jump backwards in the water a few steps and go to splash him again, but stop.

I forget all about the cold water and getting revenge as I take in the site of his hair that’s grown a little longer over the last month, and his blue eyes that are practically glowing as the sun shines above us. His muscular body is massive and makes me appear tiny beside him. The water droplets cascading down his body look like they’re racing to see who’ll reach that delicious V first.

Chase lets out a husky laugh as he walks through the water, not fazed by waves crashing against his thighs, and stops in front of me. Reaching out, he hooks his arms around my waist pulling, me flush against his body. I run my hands over his taut torso, burning every ridge and plain of his chest and abs into my brain.

I bite back a smile as I lift my head up, meeting his eyes that are roaming over my face and body, causing me to blush. His hands drop back to my butt, and giving it a squeeze, he asks, “You like the view, baby?”

“Always,” I tell him as I lift my hands up and slide them through his wet hair, fisting it as I pull his head down towards me and lean up on my tiptoes to meet him halfway.

Our kiss tastes of Chase and salt water, and for the first time ever, I don’t hate the taste of the ocean. Actually, I think I love the taste of it, and I may be falling in the love with the guy whose lips taste of the salty Atlantic water. Tears well up in my eyes as I think about how bad our timing is and how foolish my heart is for falling in love with a man I know I don’t have a future with.

Squeezing my eyes more tightly shut, I push the tears away, and break away from Chase’s kiss just in time to see Parker coming towards us with Becca riding on his shoulders, holding a big beach ball.

Perfect timing
.

“Hey, y’all wanna smack the ball around?” Becca asks, tossing the ball in the air and serving it to Chase.

“Sure!” I run my hand across Chase’s stomach to his back as I circle around him. “Squat down so I can get on your shoulders,” I tell him as I grab his shoulders and pull him down.