Making Waves: A Perfect Kisses Novella (6 page)

She closed her photo index. “For what?”

He ran a hand over her laptop on the table. “There’s been a lot of unauthorized bullshit written about me over the years. I hate to admit it, but I’m actually looking forward to reading your interview when it comes out.”

“I haven’t sent it yet.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I like to let a story sit for a while if I can. Make sure I come at it from the best angle. I ended up writing two versions of this one.”

“Am I that complicated?”

“I wanted to make sure I got it right. Also, I know how nervous you are.” She paused and sucked in her lips, then slowly slid the computer in front of him. “Do you want to read it?”

Will looked at her for a moment, then his eyes moved to the screen, but flickered away. “No. I trust you. I
need
to trust you.” He leaned toward her, resting his arms beside hers on the table. “And you need to trust me.”

So touched by his words, Justine’s throat went dry and a verbal reply seemed impossible. She wanted to trust him, too. She wanted to discover that their last night together wasn’t just a hook-up for him…that he really was the caring and sweet guy who’d opened up to her, trusted her with his most private information.

Yes, they needed to trust each other.

He reached out and slid a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The touch made her shiver, made her want to move close and tuck herself inside his arms.

“Juss,” he said in a low voice. “I want to…” He swallowed and glanced away, his long lashes shading those beautiful eyes.

You want to what?
she inwardly screamed while her heart pounded, still feeling where his hand had brushed against her cheek.
Whatever you want, do it.

He pressed a hand over hers, the touch reminding her of their kiss…how it had gone from gentle to steamy in two seconds flat. He lifted her hand and pulled it toward him. She watched in anticipation, wondering what he would do next.

“I think you should send this.”

Her vision was blurry when she focused on where he was looking. At her computer screen.

“It’s time.” He let go of her hand but then moved his to the side of her neck. She was sure he could feel her jumping pulse.

“Yeah,” she said. Her index finger shook as she slid it across the touch pad, chose the attachment, then hit send. “Done.”

When she looked at Will, his deep brown eyes seemed more intense than ever, and she wondered if their second Hawaiian kiss was about to be as mind-blowing as their first.

“Now you can ask me about that night,” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “When Anna died.”

There was a sudden buzzing inside her ears. For a second, she felt the irrational urge to run away, until Will’s hand curled around hers.

“I told you about that?”

He nodded. “Some of it.”

For the past year, she’d gone back and forth between trying desperately to recall that night, to trying to block the whole thing out. She couldn’t remember telling him about Anna, though obviously she had.

What she did remember—all too clearly—was receiving a phone call from Anna’s mother about what had happened to her best friend while at the lake. Justine had been in a panic, trying to get to Franklin where their families were. She’d needed to be with them so they could grieve together and support each other. But thanks to a line of storms hovering over Indianapolis, all flights had been delayed for the next twenty-four hours.

When Will had surprised her by dropping in at her apartment, she was already three sheets to the wind. The rest of the night was fuzzy at best.

Justine stood and walked to the railing. “She was boating with friends at the lake,” she said, feeling the need to say it aloud. “They were racing another boat to meet at a cove when they hit choppy water; they think it was a wake from another boat. The jolt tossed Anna around like a rag doll. She hit her head.” A weight pressed down on Justine’s lungs. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been there when it happened—she could picture the scene clearly. “She got thrown overboard but she was still conscious and trying to swim—she’s an
excellent
swimmer, but there’s a dam on one side of the lake and it has strong currents, stronger than Anna. They said her lungs were filled with so much water not even CPR…” She trailed off, trying desperately to not imagine her best friend’s face, blue and lifeless.

“It was an accident—I know that, intellectually, but that doesn’t lessen how afraid I am of the water…which isn’t even logical. I mean, I should be more afraid of
other people
drowning, not me. Right? Who said any of this is logical. Most fears are irrational anyway, and—”

“Justine,” Will said, coming to stand beside her. “I’m so sorry.” He placed a hand over hers that had been clasped around the wooden railing like a vice grip. His touch was comforting, but it immediately brought another memory to her mind. Or rather, the
lack
of a memory: Waking up in Will’s bed alone, with no idea how she’d gotten there.

“My best friend had just died,” she said, needing to speak before the lump in her throat got any lumpier. From out of nowhere, tears sprang to her eyes, so she covered her face with her hands, ashamed and hurt from the unhealed, Will-sized wound in her heart. “I was upset, you
knew
I was.”

“Yes.”

“And still you…you did that.” She felt his hand on her arm but she pushed it off.

“Justine. It hurt you, I know. But I would do the exact same thing again.”

Chapter Six

Will hoped what he was about to tell her would clear the air and give them a chance to start over.

Or maybe, after she heard what had happened, it would just be over.

Justine had gone very still. “I don’t remember everything that happened that night.” She took another step away from him. He didn’t follow. “I do remember crying. A lot.”

“Yes, you cried a lot.”

“You showed up at my apartment. Why?”

He felt his brows knit together. “We had a date.”

“We did?” She blinked slowly, looking baffled. “I don’t remember that.”

“We had dinner plans. I was there to pick you up but you were…” He paused and ran a hand over his face, not enjoying recalling the memory. “You were hysterical, not making sense. You didn’t want me to stay but I wasn’t about to leave.”

“I…don’t remember that part, either.”

“Okay.” He turned to face her, leaning a hip against the railing. “I’m going to fill in some holes now,” he said, then waited for her to nod. “When I showed up at your apartment that night, you were pretty out of it.”

“Meaning?”

“You’d been drinking.”

“Right?”

“A lot, Justine.”

“After Anna’s mom called, I raided my liquor stash.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “But after that…”

“It took a while for me to get the story straight, but I finally pieced together that she’d drowned.” He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked okay so far. “You were sad…inconsolable, and you were out of alcohol. You wanted to go to a bar, so you took off out the front door before I could stop you. It was pouring rain and you were halfway down the block when I caught up.”

Justine touched her forehead. “Rain?”

“You fought me at first. The only way I could get you into my car was to promise we’d stop at a liquor store.”

Her eyes were wide. “Did we?”

“No. I took you to my place where you’d be safe and I could watch you.”

“Oh.” She dropped her hand. “Then what?”

He couldn’t go on right away, but looked out toward the sky to watch a pair of birds, stalling. “Earlier that night,” he finally continued, “when we were still at your apartment, you told me something. You said you would never step foot in water again. You swore you wouldn’t go near it, that it was evil, your enemy. I understand that—it took away your best friend. You were sad and angry, and you were afraid.” He exhaled a long breath, remembering how her words had affected him and his decisions that followed.

“After that, I couldn’t tell you about being Chase, Juss. I didn’t know how to say that I spent half my life as a surfer, in the
ocean
. You were hurting so much. So I didn’t say anything about it, I just took you to my bedroom. After a while, you passed out.” He lowered his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe it was the wrong thing to do. I thought leaving a note was for the best.”

“You thought sleeping with me and then leaving a note was best?”

He jerked his chin up, staring at her.
What?

Suddenly, he understood the distrust he’d seen in her eyes all day, the hostility in her voice when she’d first seen him at the beach. Yes, the not knowing had been haunting her way more than the truth ever could.

“We didn’t sleep together, Justine.”

She blinked, confusion crinkling her brow. “When I woke up in your bed, I was naked.”

“Well, yeah.” Will exhaled and pressed his lips together. “You were rain soaked by the time I got you inside. I was afraid you’d get sick, so…”

“So, you undressed me?”

He couldn’t answer for a moment, trying to fight a very inappropriate smile. “Actually, you didn’t need any help with that.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I tried to help you off with your shirt, you started stripping on your own…and singing Madonna.”

Justine dropped her chin and groaned. Will couldn’t help chuckling under his breath.

“When you finished with all your clothes, you started on mine.”

“Oh no.” She threw her hands over her face and groaned louder.

“For being tanked, you were surprisingly determined. And strong.”

She dropped her hands and stared up at the sky. “Okay, I am officially dying of humiliation.”

“Don’t.” Will chuckled and touched her arm, knowing she was feeling unnecessary embarrassment. After all, he could have stopped her sooner than he had that night. So the fault was partially his. His memory was crystal clear about how Justine had looked right then. Despite her pitiful state, he’d been as captivated as ever.

“I only let you get my shirt off before I came to my senses.”

“Well, thanks for that,” she said with a laugh and wiped the corner of her eye. “So nothing…happened?”

He took a step toward her, making sure she looked him in the eyes. “Nothing,” he said. “But that’s not all.”

Chapter Seven

Justine was wringing her hands behind her back. Seriously, she didn’t think she could take anything else embarrassing. If Will’s account for that night got any worse, she could never show her face again.

“You were about to pass out,” he continued. “So I picked you up and laid you on my bed.”

She waited for the punch line, but it didn’t come. “And then what? You said there was more.”

“Did I mention how determined you were?” He pulled at the neck hole of his T-shirt. This might’ve been the only time since she’d first seen him on the beach that he looked uncomfortable. “Of course,” he continued, “I didn’t
have
to. I could have pinned your hands behind your back, but it seemed easier just to do what you asked.”

She felt another rush of oncoming humiliation. “What did I ask?”

“If I would lie beside you.”

“In
your
bed?”

He nodded and slid his hands in his back pockets. “You scooted over and made room. You were very hospitable.”

“I’m a polite drunk.”

“I didn’t touch you, Justine. Once you were asleep, I moved to a chair, but I never left. I would have dressed you in my pajamas but”—he paused to shrug—“I don’t have any.”

She couldn’t help laughing. “Nice detail.”

And one that might haunt me for the rest of my life.

“So, that’s why you didn’t tell me about being Chase Ryder?” she asked, filling the final holes in her memory, thanks to Will. “Because of Anna and what I said about hating the water? Was that why you disappeared?”

He nodded. “I was leaving for Australia in two weeks—the start of the winter surfing season. That’s the reason I was going to tell you that night. But then…I didn’t want my life to be a constant reminder of your loss.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the railing. “I was also afraid you wouldn’t trust me after you found out I’d practically kidnapped you and kept you stashed away in my bed.”

His words made her flush again. “To keep me from running through the streets naked in the rain.”

He grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “And thank you for
that
visual.” As he lifted his eyes, they pointed toward the ocean. There was that expression again—the longing. She felt a similar pull when she turned her own gaze to the water.

When she was a little girl, her mother used to call her the little mermaid because of how often she requested to go to the community pool. She’d always been something of a tadpole and had never grown out of it. Anytime a friend invited her to the lake or a pool, Justine was the first off the diving board.

She leaned forward against the railing so she could get a better view of the beautiful wide, blue expanse.

“What?” Will asked.

She hadn’t realized she’d sighed aloud.

“Is there something else wrong?”

Something else? Where should I begin?
she felt like replying, torn between a lifetime of joy and the year-old phobia.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Very,” Will agreed, resting a hand on the railing beside hers, their pinkies touching. “Do you want to take a walk to the water?”

She felt a natural jolt of excitement, but on its heels…

It was stupid, but she couldn’t help picturing the waves back at North Shore, how huge they were—huge enough to pull them both under.

“No,” she replied.

“The swells you saw up north are nothing like the ones down here,” Will said, as if he’d read her mind, or maybe he was reading the alarm on her face. “Ecosystems change around the shorelines of the whole island. The waves are highest at the top—which is why the surfing competitions are up there. The farther south you go, the smaller the waves. There are spots on Waikiki with no waves at all, almost like a lake.”

“Really?” The new set of flutters in her stomach momentarily overshadowed the negative. Maybe it was time to face her fear. She didn’t like the idea of anything scary controlling her life. She was way too independent for that.

“Do you think you’ll ever want to swim again?”

She was about to blurt out a kneejerk answer of no, but didn’t this time. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. Because she really didn’t. She used to play in the water until she was pruny. It had been a huge part of her life. The shock and raw grief over losing Anna so tragically had passed, but that didn’t automatically make her brave.

“I don’t know,” she repeated.

When Will sighed, she glanced at him. “There’s a spot I know,” he said. “One of those places I was telling you about.”

“Little waves?”

He nodded and ran his pinky over hers.

Justine’s heart started to pound from the combination of his simple touch and the thought of actually getting in the water. She honed in on the horizon, the farthest sliver of ocean, letting her mind wander. It wandered too far—jumping to worst-case scenario, like always—and she jerked her hand away.

“You don’t have to decide now,” Will said, obviously sensing the return of her anxiety. “But
I’d
love to go for a swim, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Of course I won’t keep
you
from swimming. I just don’t know if
I
can.”

His kind brown eyes studied her for a moment. “Did you bring a bathing suit with you today?”

She shook her head. She hadn’t even brought one to Hawaii.

“Okay, let’s go then,” he said, and pushed back from the railing, heading toward the stairs.

“Where?” she asked, grabbing her laptop and following him toward the car.

“There’s a store down the road.”

The second he opened the passenger door for her, Justine’s hands and feet felt icy and heavy. All of her was suddenly cold. Scared. “No, wait—”

“It’s okay. We’ll baby-step this thing. It’s up to you.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “We won’t say you’re going to swim, but you will need a suit if we’re going to the beach. That’s logical, not scary.”

“Right.” She nodded twice. “Not scary.”

Will helped her into the car, then climbed in and started the engine. “And I do remember how much you enjoy shopping,” he said, sliding on his sunglasses.

She laughed and felt the tension in her shoulders loosen…just a bit. “This is true.”