Anything but Minor (12 page)

I walked over to see that the girl I’d admired minutes before was, in fact, Alice. She was standing on her surfboard in the middle of Shem Creek without her paddle and shrieking at the dolphins surrounding her. I made my way over to her as she balanced herself on the board. Hundreds of eyes watched for her next move while suggestions flew through the air.

“You’re going to have to swim, honey.”

“A boat will be by in a few minutes.”

And then mine. “What the hell are you doing, Alice?!”

Skin clean now from her disastrous can tan, a solid brown tint lit her skin and she looked absolutely gorgeous in her pink bikini and terrified out of her mind.

“RAFE!” she cried as the crowd looked at me.

“Just jump in!” I said, waving to her as another dolphin playfully nudged her board. I took the steps down to the dock two at a time and raced toward her.

“OH GOD!” she said as she clenched her thighs together. It took everything I had to keep from laughing. If she peed now, there would be no stopping it.

“They aren’t killer dolphins, sweetheart,” I urged. “Just jump in!”

“I...can’t.” I saw her begin to shake as her lower lip trembled. She was truly terrified and more people were gathering. I set my phone, wallet, and keys down and jumped in then swam her way.

“Rafe!” she said in shock as I approached her. “It looked so easy,” she said with a shaky voice. Stacks of restaurants filled with patrons watched on as she looked down at me.

“What the hell, woman? All you had to do was jump off.”

“Just...I...there are dolphins in here! Earlier, I saw an alligator!”

“Sharks, too, and yet you rented a surfboard and paddled your way through marshland and ocean into the most populated creek in Charleston.”

“Rafe, get out of the water!” she screamed with clear concern for me. If I wasn’t worried about the growing crowd, I would have laughed.

“Sit down on the board, Alice,” I commanded. She moved slowly as her perfect little ass lowered to the board and stayed put while I swam and tugged her in.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“Up a creek without a paddle,” I huffed out before I grinned back at her with a wince. “Too soon?”

She narrowed her eyes at me as onlookers cheered for the big, yet unnecessary rescue. Alice damn near kissed the dock as soon as I pulled her on.

“I’ll never do anything that stupid again,” she assured.

“What made you go and do that alone your first time? You could have drifted out with the tide.” I pulled her board in as I scolded her.

“I just...it looked so fun. And like good exercise,” she huffed. “I can’t move. My arms are so sore. I have no idea where I left my car. I’m so screwed.”

“How long have you been in the water?”

“What time is it?”

I picked up my phone and glanced at it. “Three o’clock.”

“SIX HOURS!”

“Jesus,” I said as I scrubbed my face.

“I’m in so much pain,” she choked out as I pulled her to me. “I can’t move.”

“I’ve got you,” I said as I scooped her up into my arms and the onlookers cheered. “You are something else,” I said as I walked through the small patch of sand between the dock and the restaurant parking lot.

“My board,” she said as she looked after it on the dock.

“I’ll go back for it.” When I set her into the Jeep, I caught her wince. She’d been vigorously rowing for six hours. I would not envy her when morning came.

When I’d secured her board on the top of my Jeep, I climbed in with her.

“I don’t know where I am,” she said as she looked at me, completely lost, her voice hoarse.

“You’re with me, you’re okay,” I said as I squeezed her thigh in reassurance.

“Free” by the Zac Brown Band began to play as I put the car into gear and we took off.

“My car. It was a row of houses with a boat dock at the end. I don’t have my phone. I don’t even remember the name.”

“That’s Lucky’s lot. I’ll call him and tell him we’ll be after it in the morning.”

“Wait...what?”

“You can’t drive if you can’t feel your arms. Where to?”

“Oh...” She rattled off her address and I began to drive.

“Beautiful song,” she noted as she sank further into her seat, pain all over her face.

“Reminded me of you,” I said without thinking.

“Really? A song reminded you of me?”

“Yeah,” I said, closing my eyes briefly at my slip.

“So you’ve been thinking about me?”

JESUS. This woman had no filter, no concern for other’s comfort as she pushed for easy answers to hard questions.

“Yeah, I was. You talked about your mother, and then I heard this.”

“Oh,” she said as she crisscrossed her arms and rubbed her biceps. “That’s nice.”

Minutes of silence followed as she listened to the words. I knew that was what she was doing.

“My hero,” I heard whispered as I looked over at her and caught her smile before her eyes closed. At that moment, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.

I loved her praise, and if that made me a narcissist when it came to her, so fucking be it.

“We’re here,” I heard Rafe whisper as he opened up his driver’s door. I was exhausted out of my mind and felt the chap of my lips. I tried to move but couldn’t. Tears of pain pooled in my eyes.

“Me and this town I love so much are a disaster. I keep getting inspired to do things and end up humiliated. I almost peed in front of a live audience today because a few dolphins wanted to make nice.”

I chuckled as I opened her door and gripped her to me.

“Rafe, I can walk. Just give me like...two days.”

“I’ve got this.”

“Everything hurts,” I said as tears rolled down my face. “I mean, I think I’m dying.”

“Next time you decide to do something
inspiring
, text me first. Which floor?”

“Third,” I said with panic. “Besides, you started it,” I whispered tearfully. “You looked so amazing on your board. I wanted something like that for myself. I wanted to look good doing something athletic.”

“Oh, trust me,” he said as he effortlessly cleared the last floor and eyed my chest below his chin before he gently set me on my feet, “you looked fucking perfect.”

I swallowed hard as his comment hit me in all the right places. I opened my door with Rafe hot on my heels.

“You don’t lock your door?”

“I didn’t today, thank GOD!” I made my way to the bathroom and began sorting through my drawer. Without looking, I took a scoop of lip balm smeared it over my blistered mouth before I limped back into the kitchen to thank Rafe.

“Are you thirsty? What can I get you?”

“I think the question is what can I get you? You look liked you just sucked off an elephant!”

I quickly brought my hands to my lips and realized just how much lip balm I’d smeared on. Nervous laughter took over as I stood there, barely able to keep my legs planted.

Our laughing slowed as I grabbed a paper towel from the counter and began wiping at my lips.

“What happened out there?”

“It was like the dream that you went to school naked, you know? I dropped my paddle, and I was already in survival mode at that point. My brain was fried. I was headed for the dock, and then it just slipped into the water. When I reached for it, I saw the fin. It scared the crap out of me. I mean, I know these things dwell in the water, but I’m the type who is better off not actually
seeing
them. I grew up in Ohio. We don’t have sharks, alligators, and dolphins in Ohio. Anyway, I panicked, and when I looked up and was surrounded by people, I froze.”

“I get it,” he said as he started looking through my cupboards.

“What are you doing?”

“Some serious aftercare,” he said as he grabbed a Ziploc bag and shoved it under the ice dispenser. “Go lie on your bed.”

“Pardon?” I asked, my eyes wide.

“Alice, go lie on your bed.” His tone was commanding, and I found myself quickly doing what he said.

“Got anything with menthol in it? Vicks?”

“I have Icy Hot in my bathroom,” I called out as I lay on my bed, completely unsure of what to do. I thanked the Lord the sunblock I used had worked, and I wasn’t burning on the outside as much as I was on the inside. I’d gotten lost in the water, completely clueless on time. And I’d probably been dragged by the tide for miles through that marshland. It had been wonderful...until it had turned into a nightmare.

“Extra pillows?”

“In the closet,” I said as he walked into my room with several ice packs, Icy Hot, and several dry rags.

“Rafe,” I said, staring up at the ceiling, “thank you. That was humiliating, and it could have been so much worse. Thank God I didn’t pee.”

Rafe positioned several pillows underneath my arms and legs and set the rest of the supplies next to me on the bed. He handed me three Advil, which I swallowed with the cup he’d brought from my bathroom before he pushed me gently back to the bed. Before I could go on in my appreciation, his hands were on me.

I looked into his eyes as he massaged my shoulders first and began working his way down to my bicep. His huge frame towered over me as he sat beside me. He licked his perfect lips as golden colored eyes peered down at me. Every ounce of fight I had withered as he touched me.

“So what were you doing at the creek?” I asked, trying to ignore my hard nipples and the heat building at my center.

“Eating lunch with Andy.”

“Oh? Where was he?”

“He took off. I think he’s pissed at me for some reason and won’t come clean.”

“Well, ask him,” I said as he grinned down at me.

“I did, and he’s not happy about me hanging out with you, either.”

“Why not?” I said as my breath hitched when his hands began to massage my sides, drifting from one side of my stomach to the other.

“Because he thinks you’re too good for me. He thinks I’m shit for women.”

“Oh,” I said as I got lost in his hands. “Well, have faith, Rafe. If a fourteen-inch seahorse can be monogamous, I’m sure there’s hope for you.”

I gasped when his fingertips lingered just above the tip of my bottoms, and his fingers skirted just beneath the hem.

I looked up to see Rafe’s eyes smolder as my lips parted. His hands never stopped, but his brow quirked up slightly in question, and so I began rambling.

“Before it got terrible, I really lo...loved it.”

“Uh huh.”

“I didn’t do enough research, I guess,” I said as he massaged my right thigh with amazing skill and then concentrated on my left.

I kept my eyes fixed on his Adam’s apple as his hands seduced me into a puddle.

My eyes began to droop in both arousal and relaxation.

It was only when Rafe spoke that I opened them again. “I spotted your movie collection. VHS, who has that anymore? And they’re all as old as you are.”

“Movies are everything,” I said as I began to slip away again due to his amazing touch.

“They are, huh?”

“Absolutely. One movie, one song can change
everything
.”

“Really?” he said as he began to work on my calves. My skin felt sticky, and I knew I looked a mess, but my body gave into his touch, and it didn’t matter.

“Haven’t you ever seen Purple Rain?” My voice was a near moan at that point. “His career was in the toilet, and he was on the rocks with Apollonia. He even pimp slapped her through that whole movie. He plays one song and poof, everything is instantly better.”

Rafe chuckled as he began to work his magic on my feet.

“All women deserve one movie moment in their life. I truly believe that,” I murmured.

“Are you willing to be pimp slapped to get yours?” My eyes opened wide. He was so close. Hazel fire stared down at me as I inhaled his features. His hair was a mess, his t-shirt still a bit damp from his jump, and I could see every defined muscle in his chest.

“You should take your clothes off.”

Rafe’s brow lifted again as he gripped the Icy Hot roller and began to circle my arms with it.

“I mean, I have a washer and dryer if you want to toss them in.”

“Relax, Alice,” he whispered as he placed the Ziploc bags directly onto my skin. “Rotate these fifteen minutes on and off. If it gets to be too much, use the rags to buffer the sting.”

I looked out my window to see it was still light outside. “You can stay...with me, you know, if you...want to.”

“I have a game in a few hours.”

“Oh crud, I forgot!” I said as I tried to lift up and he stilled me. “I’ll let Dutch know.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“I’ll call Lucky’s and make sure they don’t tow your car.”

“Thank you, Rafe, really...so much.”

He pulled a blanket over me before he stood. “I’ll be back to check on you.”

I started to drift off as exhaustion took over. “Go get ’em, Bullet.”