Lying in the Sand (8 page)

“I like fruit,” Thatcher said.

“And the dreamy artist,” Derek said.

“Me too,” Paola said.

Everyone looked at Derek, wondering what he would say.

“Nevermind,” he quickly said.

Cheyenne grabbed a soda then sat in the chair. She noticed that Bryce wasn’t there. He was still beyond the trees. She wondered why.

Henry seemed to notice the same thing. He got up and disappeared through the trees.

“How are you, Cheyenne?” Thatcher asked.

“Good,” she said. “I’ve just been busy with work.”

“How are you liking it?” he asked.

She didn’t know him very well but she liked him immensely. He was easy to talk to. “It’s not the most amazing job in the world, but it’s a job.” She shrugged.

“That’s a good attitude.”

Coen put the burgers on the plate. “Lunch is served.”

“Did you make a veggie patty for me?” Sydney asked.

“I’m married to you. You really think I forgot you’re a vegetarian?” Coen snapped.

“I’m just asking,” she hissed.

Nancy smirked. “I’m so glad Thatcher and I don’t argue like you guys.”

“But we have better sex,” Coen said.

“That’s debatable…” Nancy said.

“How about we not talk about anyone having sex?” Ren asked. “That sounds safe.”

“Or we could talk about Derek and Thatcher having sex.” Andre wiggled his eyebrows.

Derek cringed. “I’ll stick to girls.”

“And I’ll stick to Nancy,” Thatcher said.

Cheyenne laughed then drank out of her soda.

Henry came out with Bryce, not speaking. Bryce sat down in the seat next to Cheyenne but didn’t say anything. He looked at the ocean, his eyes distant.

“Are you still seeing that guy?” Derek asked.

Did he really want to have this conversation in front of everyone?

“What guy?” Nancy blurted.

“Yeah,” Sydney said. “Who?”

Cheyenne didn’t realize so many people cared. “He’s some guy I met at the hotel. He asked me to dinner and we had a good time.” She shrugged. “That’s about it.”

“Are you still seeing him?” Derek asked.

“We went out last night.”

“I told you I wanted to meet him if you wanted to keep dating him.” He got aggressive instantly.

“No,” she snapped. “This isn’t the 1800’s.”

“I have to make sure he isn’t a dick,” Derek snapped. “Is this relationship serious?” h

She wasn’t sure where the relationship would go if it were. He lived in California and she lived here. If his entire family lived there, it wouldn’t make sense for him to move to Hawaii. But she couldn’t move to the mainland and leave her brother. So there really was no hope for them. It was something she hadn’t really thought about. He asked her out and she just said yes. “No. I don’t think it will ever be.”

Henry relaxed visibly.

“Then why the hell are you dating him?” Derek snapped.

“I don’t know,” I argued. “I like him. We have fun together.”

“What do you mean by
fun
?” Derek’s eyes were bigger than his head.

“Going to dinner, walking on the beach, going for a drive—that kind of fun,” she explained. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Why can’t you be serious?” Derek asked. “Is he not the type of guy who commits? An asshole?”

“You’re one to talk,” Cheyenne snapped.

He glared at her. “And I know how much it hurts girls. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“He’s only here a few days a week for business. His family is in California. So no, it would never work.” Saying it out loud made her sad. “It has nothing to do with that.”

Henry relaxed again. “So it’s just a dead end.”

Cheyenne shrugged. “I guess.”

“And you aren’t exclusive?” Henry asked.

“We’ve never talked about it…” This was starting to feel like an interrogation.

“Leave her alone, guys,” Sydney said. “It’s okay to pick one of us apart but she’s new to our group. Back off.”

“She’s not immune,” Derek said. “As long as this isn’t serious then I guess I’ll let it go. But if he does become serious, I’ll wait in that lobby until I see him. And then I’ll have a little talk with him.” He rubbed his knuckles.

“He’d kick your ass,” Cheyenne blurted. “He’s strong.”

“We’ll see…” Derek’s eyes darkened.

“Okay…these burgers are getting cold,” Coen said.

Everyone approached the picnic table and made their food. Cheyenne stayed behind because she wasn’t that hungry anyway. Bryce didn’t move from his seat either.

Cheyenne looked at the incoming waves and tried to forget about Gray. His memory was incredibly distracting. She liked him a lot but maybe this path wasn’t the best one to take. If she fell for him, it would end badly. But she was tired of being with men who didn’t treat her right. Gray had it right from the beginning. Even if it never went anywhere, it was still fun to live in the moment.

Everyone sat down with their food then Coen came to Bryce. “Beer, man?” He held out a Corona.

Bryce eyed it but didn’t say anything.

Henry snatched it. “It’s mine now. He can get his own.”

Coen shrugged then sat beside Sydney.

Bryce turned to Cheyenne. “Can I get you something while I’m up?”

“I can get it myself.” She left her chair then made her plate. Bryce stood beside her and shoveled the food onto his plate. Then they sat down and ate it, listening to the conversation.

Cheyenne was quiet, not having much to say. She wished her brother would mind his own business and not mention her personal life to all his friends. At least the girls seemed to understand. They were used to Derek and his ways.

“Want to play the new shooting game I got?” Coen asked Derek.

“Duh.” Derek jumped up and tossed his plate aside.

“I’ve never played a video game before,” Thatcher said.

“Marry me right now,” Nancy blurted.

Thatcher laughed. “Maybe not now, but definitely later.” He stood up then went with the guys.

“I don’t want to be left out.” Henry left.

The girls talked quietly on their side of the circle.

Cheyenne considered leaving. She was tired from work all day and she felt out of place. She felt her soda in her hand, which was starting to get warm.

Bryce leaned toward her. “You want to get a milkshake or something?”

Did she hear him right? “Right now?”

“Yeah. I’m bored and so are you.”

“But that’s rude.”

“The guys took off to play a video game. If that’s not rude I don’t know what is.”

She smirked. “I guess that’s true.”

He took her soda away. “Come on. I’ll drive.”

“Okay.”

They left the yard then got into his truck. “How about a shake from the burger place?”

“That sounds good.”

“Off we go.”

Bryce parked the truck in the parking lot then walked inside. He held the door open for Cheyenne then walked with her to a booth. When he sat across from her he studied her face before he looked down at the menu.

“Dang, they have a lot of different flavors,” she said.

“I’m getting strawberry and peanut butter.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “What? That’s disgusting.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Well, no. But I don’t need to eat dog poop to know it doesn’t taste good.”

He laughed. “I’ll let you try it. Believe me, it doesn’t taste like dog poop.”

“Whatever you say…”

“What are you going to get?”

“Chocolate.”

He rolled his eyes. “Talk about the most cliché thing in the world.”

“What? I like chocolate.”

“You and everyone else. At least mix it up with another flavor.” He looked at the menu. “Banana would be good.”

She cringed. “I hate banana.”

“What?” He snapped. “How can you hate banana? It’s fruit.”

“I don’t like the texture.”

“Well, the texture won’t be the same in the shake.” He smirked at her.

She shook her head.

“Cherry?”

“Nope.”

He looked through the list. “Cotton candy?”

“No.”

“Peanut butter?”

She glared at him. “Can I just get what I want?”

He put the menus on the side of the table. “Fine. But I promise you’re going to regret it.”

“I highly doubt that.”

The waitress came over and took their order. When she left, Bryce relaxed against the booth then looked at her. “So…”

“So…” She wasn’t sure what to say.

He drummed his fingers on the table. “I’m having movie night at my place tomorrow night. Want to come?”

“I’m having dinner with Gray.” She got chills thinking about him.

“That’s his name? The guy you’re seeing?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes darkened slightly. After a moment he spoke again. “How about the following night?”

“But I thought it was tomorrow?”

“Plans can change,” he said simply. “So, you want to come?”

“Um, sure.” Was this a date? Or were other people going to be there? Now she was thoroughly confused.

The waitress returned with the shakes. “Here you go.”

Bryce drank his. “Oh yeah. That’s it right there.”

She rolled her eyes and tried hers. “Mine is pretty damn good. Your disgusting mixture can’t beat that.”

He swapped their shakes. “Let’s trade.”

She grabbed their straws and switched them.

“It’s probably the same amount of germs either way.”

She put her lips to the straw and took a sip, expecting a disgusting taste. To her surprise, it was actually pretty good.

Bryce pushed his away. “Plain, like I thought.” He watched her face. “What do you think?”

“It’s actually not bad.”

He smirked. “Told you.” He reached for his but she kept it out of his reach.

“I haven’t totally made up my mind about it yet…”

He laughed then drank the chocolate shake. “I told you so.”

She drank half of it then rested her forehead on her hand. “Oh no. Brain freeze.”

“Those are the worst.” He finished the milkshake then gripped his own head. “Now I have one too.”

She pushed through it then forgot about it. “It was so worth it.”

“Always is.”

The waiter put the tab on the table and Bryce threw the cash inside.

“Let me get this one since you paid for the battery.”

“No.” Bryce handed the tab to the waitress. “I don’t need change.”

“Thank you, sir.” He walked away.

“Why don’t you let me pay for anything?” she asked.

“Because.” That was all he said.

“That didn’t explain anything…”

“You’re a lady. And I’ll always treat you like one.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “You never pay for the other girls’ things.”

“Because they have boyfriends. And you’re the only girl I treat this way.”

What? Cheyenne was even more confused than she’d ever been in her life. What the hell was going on? What did that mean?

Bryce stared at her from across the table. His eyes were guarded but intense at the same time. He looked like he might say something but he didn’t. He kept staring.

Cheyenne didn’t know what to do, so she stared back. She watched the brightness of his eyes and the tightness of his jaw.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Sure.”

They left the diner then got into his truck. The drive was spent in silence. When they pulled up to the shack no one was outside. Everyone was inside the house.

“Are you going back in there?” he asked.

“No, I think I’m going to head home.”

“Me too.”

She sat still for a moment before she looked at him. “Thanks for the milkshake.”

“Anytime.”

She opened the door.

“You’ll come over on Friday?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Come hungry.”

She assumed he was ordering pizza. “Okay.”

“Good night, Cheyenne.”

“Good night.” She got out and shut the door. When she was back in her car, she couldn’t process what happened. Bryce seemed indifferent before but now he was trying to spend time with her. She didn’t have a clue what was going on and she decided not to think about it. It would just make her head explode.

Chapter Seven

“Who the hell is he?” Derek asked when they got back to the apartment.

“Who?” Paola tossed her purse on the counter.

“This guy she’s dating. He sounds like a billionaire.”

“What does it matter? She said it’s not serious and she seems okay with it.” She came behind him and rubbed his shoulders and back, trying to relax him. Then she moved in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her body close to his, her breasts against his chest. When she seduced Derek like this it always worked.

“But she shouldn’t be okay with something that isn’t serious.” He walked away from her, not taking the bait. “Cheyenne is an idiot and only goes for guys that are fucking assholes. I’m not going to stand by and watch it happen again.”

Paola tried to be patient with him. “I’m sure your sister has learned from her mistakes. And the fact she doesn’t take this new relationship seriously proves that she’s matured. She understands reality and doesn’t have unrealistic expectations.”

“I still don’t want to deal with it. They still have arranged marriages, right? Couldn’t I just set her up with one of those?”

Paola rolled her eyes. Then she pulled her dress over her head, standing in a purple thong and nothing else. She put her hands on her hips and stared him down, daring him to mention his sister again.

It was like Derek was blind. “Or why can’t she be a nun? God, I never want to have girls.”

“We won’t have kids at all this rate,” she said with a sigh.

“I need to know if this guy is a dick. I have to.”

Paola glared at him. “I’m trying to have sex with you and all you can think about is your sister!”

“Well, I’m worried.”

“There’s no reason to be worried. She’s a big girl. Let her find her own way. You can’t protect her from everything.”

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Fine. If you don’t want a piece of this, I’m washing off my make up and putting on my sweatpants.”

Derek sighed then came to her. “I’m sorry. My head is elsewhere right now.”

She rubbed his arms. “After what Cheyenne went through with Ryder, she isn’t looking for anything serious. So let her have fun. Let her date some rich guy even if it goes nowhere. Let her figure out what she wants.”

“You make it sound so easy. “He stared at her, not really seeing her. “Why can’t she be with Bryce? Or why did Bryce have to turn her down? That guy ruined everything.”

“Just stay out of it,” she said firmly. “You don’t want to overwhelm her to the point where she doesn’t come to you for anything.”

“You’re right…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She rubbed his chest. “Now let’s get in bed. I’ll get your mind off of it.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

She led him into the bedroom then pulled his clothes off. Then she pushed him on the bed. “I want to be on top tonight.”

He gripped her thighs. “I like it when you’re on top. You have a great rack.”

She slipped him inside of her, making him moan. And he completely forgot about Cheyenne and her love life.

Derek and Paola went to the beach the next morning with their surfboards. Derek was tired since he didn’t sleep much the night before. Paola was fine. She could function on no sleep and be perfectly normal.

When they arrived, they grabbed their boards and headed to the sand. Other surfers were there, paddling in the water and riding the waves. Paola took off her shorts and t-shirt, standing in a pink bikini. Her large breasts and toned ass stood out. An anklet made of yarn was around her ankle, and a gold necklace hung around her throat.

Derek eyed her while he took off his shirt, feeling his cock harden. Sometimes surfing with her was distracting. He wished she wore board shorts and a t-shirt but he wasn’t stupid enough to tell her what to wear. She picked up her board and headed to the water.

Derek removed his shorts and dropped his keys on the ground.

“Hey.” Thatcher came to him, his hair wet.

“The waves are good?”

“They’re perfect right now.”  He shoved his board into the sand, standing it upright. “But then again, they always seem to be just about right.”

“How’s it going with Nancy?”

“Good.” His tone was slightly off.

Derek cocked an eyebrow. “Is their trouble in paradise?”

He didn’t react physically. His face was guarded and his shoulders conveyed nothing. “I hired a young female assistant and Nancy was threatened by her.”

“Nancy?” Derek asked incredulously. “She’s not really the jealous type.”

Thatcher rested one hand on his board. “Ever since Grace came to me, she’s been a little…off.”

“Oh.” Now Derek understood. “I guess I can get that.”

“I wished she trusted me though.”

“She does, man. Don’t worry about that. After everything I did to her, can you really blame her?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “Because I’m not you.”

He didn’t take the insult seriously. “I know Paola trusts me but she wouldn’t want me hanging out with a hot girl all the time. I think anyone would feel that way. If Sydney were doing research with a single guy, Coen wouldn’t let that fly. It’s nothing personal.”

“I suppose.” He still seemed down about it. “She said I can keep the assistant but it just shocks me how insecure she is. She’s afraid someone will take me away from her.”

“Again…you can blame me. Nancy wasn’t like that before I came along. Sorry about that…”

“It’s okay. But she and I are different. We’re soul mates. By definition, there is no one else.”

“You really believe that?” Derek asked incredulously.

“You don’t?” Thatcher questioned. “Isn’t Paola yours?”

“I love her to death but…I don’t necessarily think a divine being made her to share my life with. I’d give my life for her and I don’t want anyone else but…destiny? No. Sorry, I don’t believe that.”

“It’s okay,” Thatcher said. “But that doesn’t change what I believe. I know Nancy is mine.”

“But how? Have you said this about every girl you’ve been with?”

“No.” He said it without any emotion. “I just know. It can’t be explained. There’s a connection between us I never felt with anyone else. Maybe you haven’t found your soul mate yet and maybe you never will. But you have free will. If you prefer Paola, then that would make your love for her stronger.”

Since Derek didn’t believe in soul mates, he never expected to find anyone better than Paola. She was exactly what he wanted in a partner and a wife. “Nothing can change the way I feel about her. I don’t even check out other girls anymore. It’s like I’m immune.”

Thatcher smirked. “Me too. Well, I’ll see you later.” He looked over his shoulder and stared at Paola. “It looks like the other guys admire your lady too.” He nodded then walked back to his truck.

Derek sighed when he saw two guys talking to Paola, holding their boards. They were smiling at her, glancing at her body. Having a smokin’ hot girlfriend was great, but it was annoying when everyone else thought the same thing.

Derek grabbed his board and came to her. He immediately kissed her in front of the two guys, making it clear she was his. Then he pulled away and put his arm around her waist.

The guys sighed then walked off, realizing she was taken.

“Do you have to do that every time?” she asked.

“What?”

“Act like a caveman. I can handle myself.”

“It looked like they were having a great time gawking at you.”

“Who cares?”

His eyes widened. “I do. You’re mine. I don’t want some perverts looking at you.”

“You were a pervert that used to look at me all the time. How are you any different?” she challenged.

“Because I love you. And I take care of you. They just want to fuck you.”

“And you didn’t?” she snapped. “Don’t act like you weren’t just like them at one point.”

“I was,” he said darkly. “I’m not saying I wasn’t. But now I’m in love with you and I want you to myself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“How would you feel if I did that when girls were hitting on you?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You think I care? Baby, throw yourself at me. Claim me. I would love that.”

She rolled her eyes then grabbed her board. “I’m hitting the surf.”

He growled while he watched her go. Instead of dwelling on their fight, he got into the water then hit his first wave. He stood up then sliced through the water, feeling connected to the wave in a way only a surfer would understand. When he fell, he swam to the surface and saw Paola moving through the waves with grace. She didn’t fall nearly as often as he did, and he had to admit she was the better surfer.

They spent the next hour hitting the waves and improving their form and stance. When the sun rose higher in the sky, they knew their session was over. Derek came out of the water with his board tucked underneath him. Paola joined him a second later, her hair clinging to her neck.

“The water was nice,” she said.

“Yeah, it was.” He grabbed her board and carried it for her.

They changed back into their clothes then headed for the truck. They didn’t bring up their earlier argument and drove back to their apartment in silence. She played with the radio then looked out the window.

“Why does it bother you so much?” he blurted.

She glanced at him. “It’s like you don’t trust me.”

“Trust has nothing to do with it. I just don’t like guys getting hard-ons because of you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Be mature, Derek.”

“What? They do.”

“And there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“You could not wear a skimpy bikini to the beach.”

She glared at him. “Are you telling me what to wear?”

“No,” he blurted. “But I’m just saying…I don’t flaunt my body in front of girls.”

“You surf without a shirt on.”

“Not the same thing.”

As soon as they parked the truck, she jumped out then headed inside, grabbing her stuff for school. Derek sighed then went after her.

“Are you seriously mad about this?” he asked.

“Yes. You’re being a sexist pig.”

“I am not! Is it wrong to not want other men to stare at my girl? The woman I love and respect?”

“No, it’s not. But it’s a different matter to throw a fit about it.” She grabbed her bag then stormed out.

Derek sighed and let her go. Then he grabbed his stuff and headed for school, knowing Paola needed time to cool off.

When lunchtime came around, Derek sat in his usual seat and waited for Paola to join them before he got lunch. He always bought her food and took it to her. Everyone was there, eating and talking.

“Why the long face?” Coen asked.

“Paola and I…were fighting,” Derek answered.

“About what?” Henry asked.

“How small your dick is?” Coen teased.

“No.” Coen wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “She always dresses like a
Sports Illustrated
model when we go surfing and guys always hit on her. Naturally, I swooped in and claimed her. She said it means I don’t trust her.”

“Why?” Coen asked. “I’d do the same thing to Sydney. But she doesn’t dress like that unless I’m there.”

“Which I wish Paola would for me,” he said with a sigh.

“I don’t do it because you told me to,” Sydney said. “I just do it because I want to. There’s a difference.”

“And I don’t train female clients and I always have a shirt on because I want to,” Coen said.

Henry shrugged. “I don’t do anything stupid because I don’t want to piss off Ren.”

Ren laughed. “Smart man.”

“I’m surprised you don’t trust her,” Henry said. “Because you’re the one who treated Nancy like shit then cheated on her. I’d be more afraid of that.”

Derek was never going to live that down.

“What?” Paola appeared behind Derek.

Derek turned, not noticing her. “Hey, baby.”

She stared him down. “You told me you treated Nancy like shit, but you never told me you cheated on her.”

Derek knew this was bad. The fire in his eyes told him she wouldn’t forgive him after a kiss or a hug. “It wasn’t like that. It—”

“Fuck you, Derek. You have the nerve to not trust me when I should be the one not to trust you.” She stormed off, moving through the doors.

Derek glared at Henry. “Thanks, man.”

Henry looked guilty. “I’m sorry, man. I thought she knew.”

Derek sighed. “You think I’d be stupid enough to tell her that?” He got up and chased after her. But when he got outside, she was gone. He had no idea where she went and he didn’t bother calling her. He knew her phone would be off—there was no doubt.