Beyond Me (13 page)

I
MADE
my way into the dining room, trying hard to walk normally, even though my muscles ached. Of course, this workout was tons better than any treadmill, and I couldn’t wait to do it again. James had dropped me off at the hotel late last night, and we made plans to sightsee today.

I scanned the crowd for my tribe and spotted them in the back booth. Mac’s sunhat took up half the table with the elaborate brim, so I slid next to Cassie. Hmm, she looked tired, her gray eyes a bit too serious this morning, and not sporting the afterglow of someone who’d had great sex. Mac looked like her usual vivacious self. Maybe she scored with her hottie tattoo guy.

I wondered if my crew would notice I finally had an orgasm. I felt different. Did I look different? Oh God, I was so lame.

“You sure about that?” Mac asked.

I picked up the conversation and the menu. “Sure about what?”

“Cassie’s fallen in love,” Mac announced.

“Oh. Good for her.” Did I want an omelets or pancakes?

“No, not good! He has another girlfriend.”

“Bastard.” I turned to Cassie. “What are you doing messing around with a guy who belongs to someone else?”

“I’m not messing around with him! I can’t even get him to kiss me, let alone do anything more.” Oh. Well, I couldn’t get mad at her for that. “So, not a problem then.” Yep, definitely carbs this morning. I deserved them.

Mackenzie gave a long, dramatic sigh. “Problem. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Nobody was supposed to fall in love.”

“I’m not in love!” Cassie hissed.

“I don’t think you can decide that kind of thing ahead of time,” I pointed out. “Especially not for someone else.” After all, I didn’t know what was going on with James, but I’d never experienced such a strong connection before. I was done judging other people. “I think I’ll have pancakes. With blueberries.”

“Do they have cheese grits here?” Mackenzie grabbed for the menu. “How about biscuits and gravy? And sweet tea?”

Grits. Yuck.

“This is the South. I wouldn’t be surprised,” Cassie said. “Just as long as there’s orange juice, I’ll be happy.”

“It’s Florida,” I said. “There’ll be orange juice.” I leaned back and got the rest of the dirty lowdown on Cassie and the guy she was attracted to but had a girlfriend. Damn, I wanted her to be able to enjoy herself and let go a little. We were alike, and found it harder to party and leave behind our worries. I urged her to find another guy to take his place, but she didn’t seem too thrilled with the promise. Maybe James had someone I could introduce her to. Nah, I didn’t care for his friends and wouldn’t trust them with Cassie. Especially since she seemed extra paranoid about going around with strangers, citing date rape and all sorts of scary things. I had to remind them all again of their pinky promises to watch our drinks carefully. When I was finally satisfied, I settled into blueberry-and-carb bliss.

Hot tattoo guy was named Austin, and worked as a bartender at Captain Crow’s. Mac seemed pretty into him, but when I waited for the big reveal, she only said he’d let it slip that he knew who she was.

“Your turn, Quinn,” Mac demanded, shoveling grits into her mouth. For someone so damn skinny, she had a crazy appetite. “What happened with Ivy League Dude? Cassie said he followed you out of the bar and you gave him another chance.”

I wondered how much to spill. Who would’ve thought serious, shy little old me would be getting some before everyone else? I chewed frantically at my lip and tried to decide. Of course, I kept nothing from my best friends, so I found the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could snap them back.

“We went sailing yesterday. I had an orgasm.”

Mac spit out her grits and choked. Cassie’s eyes widened with admiration. I blushed.

“Woot! That’s my girl!” She high-fived me in the booth and glowed with satisfaction. “Was it amazing?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “It was. Now I know what the fuss is all about.”

Mac pointed her fork across the table. “Remember, no love shit. Just sex.”

Cassie groaned. “What a nightmare. I’m not in love!”

I shot her a sympathetic look. When Mac got on a tear, it was all over. “Sorry, Cass. Of course, the sex is off the charts, but he’s completely opposite of anyone I imagined myself with. He flunked out of a bunch of Ivy League schools, has a ton of money, and spends his time throwing parties and travelling the world.”

Guilt nipped at my nerves. All of it was true, but I wasn’t telling my friends the real stuff. Like how he held me tight, and stroked my hair, and whispered how beautiful I was. How he opened up and admitted there was something between us. How he showed his hurt and loneliness from not having parents or family who gave a crap. I opened my mouth to defend him, but Mac was already talking.

“Who cares? We’re here a week, as long as the sex is good and you like him, that’s all you need. Anything else is a major complication, and you have enough of those at home, Quinn.”

“Yeah. I guess.” She was right. I needed to enjoy every moment but try to keep my heart locked up. Falling for James would be a mistake that would get me nowhere but a lot of pain. I spent the rest of the time chatting with Mac. I couldn’t help the worry that cut through me. If anyone realized she was America’s country sweetheart, we’d be outed and stuck with public scrutiny. Exactly what we all didn’t need. Cassie looked even more freaked out than me.

“That’s not good, Mac. What if he tells someone, or sells the story of you two?”

Mac shook my head. “He won’t.”

My brow furrowed. Mac had great instincts, so if she trusted him, I probably would. “You’re sure?” I asked.

Mac shrugged. “If he was going to sell me out, don’t you think the pap would be here right now, snapping pics of me?”

I peeked over her shoulder to check. Cassie stood up and searched the crowd, holding her hand over her eyes like a sun visor. “Just because he didn’t yet doesn’t mean he
won’t
, you know.”

Mac raised her chin in pure stubbornness. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m so freaking sick of being scared to live. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t. He might sell me out, but he might not. And I’m willing to take that chance, for the first time in a long time.”

I reached out and squeezed her hand. “And if he turns out to be a jerk, we’ll kick his ass for you. Right, Cass?”

“Right.” Cassie cleared her throat. “No matter what, we’re here for you.”

Mac smiled and seemed to relax. The warmth of our friendship flowed over me, and I wondered again how I’d gotten so lucky. They were like my sisters, and I could always count on them. Again, my thoughts flashed to James. What would it be like to have no one in your life you could trust? Talk to? Laugh with?

Mac sniffed. “I know. And I love you.”

I decided to break up the serious tone, so I twisted my face and dropped into my best Southern accent. “Now, now. Let’s not go getting all mushy and lovey-dovey. This is a vacation. It ain’t nothing but fun and games.”

Mac laughed. “Please. I don’t even talk like that anymore. I stopped when I became famous because my agent didn’t want me to be typecast as the little Southern girl.”

“Yeah, but it’s still fun to do,” I said with a grin.

Cassie nodded. “It really is.”

We finished eating and discussed where we’d split up for the day. Mac’s final words were like a promise and a threat, wrapping me up in a flurry of emotion I couldn’t seem to untangle.

“By the time this vacation is over, none of us will be the same. It’s going to be legendary. You both just have to make sure you live it to its fullest, like I am. Promise me.”

Cassie looked doubtful, but I nodded in agreement. After all, I had gone too far to turn back now.

I kissed them goodbye, reminded them to stay safe, and left to meet James.

I
WATCHED
her walk toward me. She wore her dark hair loose, the straight shiny strands swishing across her shoulders, and those inky almond eyes peeking at me from behind her bangs. Today, she sported a pair of denim shorts, a simple white T-shirt, and brown leather sandals. No jewelry. Little makeup. And she blew me away more than a Victoria’s Secret model shaking her ass on the runway.

Quinn ducked her head as she got closer. I recognized the shyness of the gesture, but in seconds she’d pulled herself to full height and marched the last couple of steps. I loved the dual aspects of her personality, especially her strength, and my body lit up when my arms finally closed around her.

“Hi,” she said softly.

I didn’t respond. Just bent my head and kissed her slow and deep, reminding her of last night and our connection. I never exhibited such primitive behavior before, but I didn’t care. I only knew I needed to mark her and make sure no other guy even sniffed around Quinn this week. She softened beneath my kiss and practically sighed in surrender. I wanted to drag her back on the boat and stay in the cabin, fucking her every way possible until sunset. If we hid away from the world, nothing would ruin this. Nothing would ruin us.

But I promised to show her some actual tourists traps in Key West, and she deserved that.

Slowly, I broke the kiss. Her lips were wet and ripe and inviting. Her tongue slid over her bottom lip as if to catch my taste, and I groaned in agony. A wicked glint lit up her dark eyes.

“Do that again and I’ll show you some different types of sightseeing.”

A low chuckle vibrated from her throat. “Promise?”

My body locked down to full attention. I playfully grabbed at her but she sprang away, her cheeks red, laughing. “No, no! I want to see Hemingway’s house.”

“How about I show you his drinking stool and we retire for the day?” I suggested with a leer.

“No. It’s beautiful out, and we can’t waste it.”

“Okay, you win.” I grabbed her hand and snugly interlaced her fingers with mine. My spirits lightened and suddenly the day spread out before me in rich promise. “Let’s get all the visitor stuff done today so we can relax tomorrow on the boat. What do you want to see?”

She frowned, obviously thinking hard. “Hemingway’s house. The southernmost point. Sloppy Joe’s Bar. Jimmy Buffett’s house. Glass-bottom boating. Sunset sailing. Drink a margarita at Margaritaville. Oh, and the sunset festival on the pier.”

My mouth dropped open. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

She gave an adorable little pout. “I am. How can I go back home to Chicago and say I’ve seen nothing?”

“I’m insulted.”

She laughed. “Well, it’s quite impressive and not nothing, but I can’t
tell
people about that!”

“Hmm, good point. Better get started. We have a torturous day of being tourists ahead of us.” I tried to tick down the agenda and figure out the best place to start, but she stopped in her tracks and dug her heels into concrete. “What’s the matter?”

The playfulness disappeared. Her brown eyes turned serious. “You don’t have to babysit me today. I mean, we could always hook up tonight.”

Temper reared, but I pushed it back. The idea she thought I looked at her as just a sex toy bothered me. Funny, if she were another woman, I’d dread dragging myself around town when my only purpose was to get her in bed. With Quinn, it was different. I’d go anywhere with her, because her presence made me feel good. But I couldn’t dump all that on either of us, so I grabbed her again and kissed her hard enough to make her forget. “I want to be with you.” The doubt on her face made me lower my voice and smile. “Besides, I refuse to let you lock me up so you can use me as your sexual slave. I deserve a meal, fresh air, and to be out in public.”