Finding Us (5 page)

Rex is going to be here any minute. I throw some last minute things in my bag. I’m ready to get out of the city and into some sun.

Summer drags a big ass suitcase into the living room. “Summer, seriously? We are going away for a few days not a month.”

She stands the bag up against the wall near the front door. Summer glances back at me and rolls her eyes, “You never know what we’re going to need. We don’t have anything planned so I packed for a little of everything.”

I shake my head, “All I packed was a few outfits, a few pairs of shoes and a couple of bathing suits.”

Before she could go on about me needing to be more prepared in the event that we go somewhere and I don’t have the correct clothing, there is a knock at the door.

Weird, Henry didn’t buzz us first.

Summer runs over to the door to answer it.

“Oh…hey Knox. I wasn’t expecting you, where’s Rex?” Summer asks.

Rex peeks his head in the door and Summer blushes.

I hope I’m not stuck with these non-relationship committing lovebirds all weekend or this is going to be a bust of a trip.

Both boys walk in, I get up to grab my bags from my bedroom so we can get this trip started. I pick up my bag and I’m about to sling it on my shoulder when I hear chuckling behind me.

I quickly spin around, “What the hell are you doing in here?”

He holds his hands up, surrendering, “Just coming to see if you need help.”

He takes a step forward, I take a step back.

“Well as you can see, I’ve got everything right here. Let’s get going.” Damn, he was making me uncomfortable and is invading my space again. I can’t think straight when he’s near me.

He takes another step forward. I attempt to take a step back but I’m stopped by the bed. I’d be damned if I submit to him, so I stand tall.

He reaches up and cups the side of my face with his big callused hand, “Damn you’re beautiful.” Knox says in that gruff sexy voice of his. He slowly runs his fingers down my neck to my shoulder and all the way down my arm to grab the bag out of my hand. “I know you can handle it but I insist on helping.”

Holy Hell! It’s hot as hell in here; I guess Summer already turned the air conditioner off.

Knox laughs, “Red looks good on you.” He winks and strolls out of the room.

Knox 1. Jasmine 0.

This ‘ruining his challenge’ is going to be my personal hell.

Taking her to the house that holds so many memories for me is going to screw with my head, but it needs to be done. I need to devote some one-on-one time with her. I just hope no one brings
them
up.

If I’m being honest with myself, the more I’m around Jasmine, the more I’m reminded of
her
. Not only do they appear strikingly similar, but I’m finding they act and do some of the same things.
She
loved to dance, Jasmine loves to dance too.
She
ran every day, Jasmine runs every day. When you paid
her
a compliment she would get all bashful. Jasmine is the same way when her cheeks turn all red.

I miss
her
so much.

Knox’s car doesn’t surprise me when we walk out of our apartment building. There was a sleek black Ranger Rover parked at the curb with its four ways blinking. Obviously he’s got some kind of connection because there is no way in hell that he would have been allowed to park there and run up to our apartment.

“Fancy.” I say sarcastically as he opens the passenger side door for me.

Knox has a smug smile on his face, “Only thing fancy here is you, sweetheart. Now get your fine ass in the car so we can get going.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glance over in Rex’s direction. He is still loading his bag in the trunk. Summer has been watching our banter back and forth and she knows I’m about to ask Rex if I can sit in the back so she pulls the puppy dog face. I shake my head and give in, even though I don’t want to sit next to Knox on this long ass drive. After I’m seated I buckle my seatbelt and adjust it until I’m comfortable. Knox walks around the front of the car, all the while watching me, and then climbs in the car. I’ll admit Knox’s car is really nice, something I’m sure my father would have bought me for a graduation present had I gone back home and worked for his company. The interior is just as sleek as the outside, the leather seats are gray and black and super comfortable. Most of the interior is black and gray throughout; there is a navigation system that comes to life when Knox starts up the car. All the interior lights are cool blue, giving it the perfect glow even in the broad daylight. There is a nice full size panoramic sunroof and when he turns the radio on, the speaker system sounds crystal clear.

“Sweet, there are TVs in the headrest.” Summer announces as she and Rex both climb in the back seat. “How do you turn this thing on?”

Summer gasps and Knox and Rex both curse under their breath. I turn in my seat to see Summer’s eyes as big as saucers.

“What wrong?”

Summer looks to Rex who starts chuckling. “My brother here must have forgotten to take his porno DVD out.”

I look back to Summer who has a disgusted look on her face. I shake my head and turn back around in my seat. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that that’s what would be playing.

Our ten hour drive to Myrtle Beach is for the most part uneventful. At least it is for me because I slept most of the ride. If I wasn’t sleeping I had my headphones in to drown out what was going on around me and keep my focus off Knox. Nothing was stopping him trying to get under my skin the whole ride though. He’s brushed up against my arm at least a million times. I had my arm resting on the center console and my hand dangling off when he slipped his pinky finger around mine. I didn’t react even though maybe I should have but I just kept acting like I was asleep. Another time Knox was handed a water bottle from Rex and when he finished he “attempted” to put it in the cup holder and completely missed.
Conveniently
it fell on my side of the car so he tried to reach for it while he was driving. I knew what he was doing all along but I wasn’t about to fall for it so I moved my legs over and out of his reach, but of course that wouldn’t stop Knox who still managed to get a nice long feel up my calf to my knee where I flung his hand away.

We pull up to the house and I’m a little blown away. Okay that’s a lie, I’m really blown away. I was thinking we were coming to a condo that they have on the beach. I mean what more could two guys like Knox and Rex need when they don’t permanently live here?

It’s a burnt orange two-story house with a grand double staircase. There are two palm trees planted on both corners of the house and beautiful landscaping all along the front of the house. A porch lined the front with rocking chairs placed on either side of the front door and great big bay windows on either side of the entrance. There is a tall gate surrounding the house too. The second story is mostly lined with windows. On both corners of the house are French doors that lead out to small balconies.

I open my side of the car door and step out. The salty air invades my senses. I take a deep breath, hold it in and then release it. The sounds and smells of the ocean are calming.

“Damn guys,” Summer says when she climbs out from the other side.

Knox, who has already got out of the car, shrugs his shoulders, “It’s just a house.”

I snort, Knox turns and smirks at me. Our apartment in the city feels like a shoebox compared to the house we are about to be staying in.

Summer tilts her chin in the direction of a black Jeep sitting in the driveway in front of where Knox parked. “You didn’t tell me everyone would be here this weekend, asshole. Where are we all going to sleep?” Rex says when he opens the car door.

Knox shrugs his shoulders again, “When aren’t they here, Rex?”

Knox reaches back into the car to grab his cell phone then leads us up the front steps. I take a survey of all the other houses around. None are really close which is nice. They all have the same style but all different colors. It seems like the houses across the street are all lightly colored and the oceanfront properties are all brightly colored.

Knox is unlocking the door when he turns and peers over his shoulder, “Prepare yourselves.”

I prepared myself but not for what I hear. He pushes open the door and all we hear is music playing from somewhere in the house and a female voice moaning, “Not that hole Cade!”

Summer elbows me and I lose it. I can’t hold the laughter back. We are crying from laughing so hard and my stomach is aching. Rex and Knox are looking at us like we have completely lost it.

Finally, catching our breath, we straighten ourselves back up as the guys still gawk at us like we have two heads.

“What?” I say and start busting out laughing. Damn, it feels good to laugh like this. I’ve decided to temporarily put operation ‘keep away from Knox’ on hold and just enjoy myself. It’s so nice to be out of the city and feel like I can act myself around Knox even if it is only for a little bit.

Knox walks in the house first and calls out, “Cade!”

We all hear Cade say, “Fuck.” Followed by a girl asking, “Who’s that?” and then Cade telling her to put her damn clothes back on and get out.

“Cade!” Knox yells again as we close in on what I believe is the living room. I hope to God this girl is a quick dresser, I’m not really into that sort of thing.

My eyes roam the foyer. All the walls are white but they are bare, no pictures, no nick nacks, nothing. We walk down a hallway and into a huge open-floor plan which consists of the living room, dining room and kitchen. The walls are all a lightly colored orange. In the living room there is a dark gray sectional couch with orange throw pillows piled on one side as Cade and his disheveled looking girlfriend, or whatever she is, sits on the other end. Glass end tables sit on both ends of the sectional and a glass coffee table sits in the middle of the room. A huge flat screen TV is mounted on the wall above a fireplace. The right side of the room is lined with twenty foot glass windows looking out over the ocean. The view of the ocean is incredible from where I’m standing. I walk over to the windows to get a better look of the beach.

It’s a magnificent view.

Someone clears their throat behind me and it startles me. I turn and Knox is giving me a knowing smile. He’s proud of their house and he has every right to be. I return his smile and peer back out towards the ocean. I could stand here and admire this view all weekend long.

I hear shuffling and mumbling behind me but still don’t turn around. Honestly I hope it’s Cade and his girl leaving. I’ve probably lost Summer somewhere because I don’t hear her and she isn’t next to me.

“Some view huh?” He asks.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“Just like you.” Knox whispers.

I close my eyes and bite down hard on my bottom lip. I slowly open my eyes, hoping to ignore that comment. He can try and woo me all he wants, I’m not caving. I refuse.

Before Knox can say anything further I can see someone approaching, I look back out at the ocean, feeling a little shy. Knox is oblivious until the person comes over and rests his elbows on both of our shoulders.

I snap my head in the direction of the laughter that is now filling the silence.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize you guys were coming so early.”

I shrug this guy’s elbow off my shoulder.

Knox chuckles, “Cade this is Jasmine Jennings, Jasmine this is Cade Stevens.”

I manage to muster up a small smile.

He smiles happily, oblivious to my distaste of what we walked in on and says, “What’s up JJ?”

I glare, hard. “Jasmine,” I correct him. I hate when people call me that when they don’t even know me.

He throws his head back and laughs. I peek over at Knox who shakes his head and walks away. I figure now it’s safe and turn around to find out where the hell Summer went, but I don’t see her anywhere so I follow Knox into the kitchen. Same color walls with stainless steel appliances and dark gray cabinets. That’s something you don’t see a lot of and it gives the kitchen a more modern look.