Forever With You (Silver State Series) (31 page)

Gradually the alcohol takes effect, and I begin to feel the music.  Aiden holds me tightly with one arm while the other hangs loosely at his side; he doesn’t bother to disguise the hunger in his eyes as he stares at me.  I can feel his erection whenever one of my body parts comes in contact with his crotch.  The drunker he gets, the tighter he seems to hold on to me.

There’s no telling how long we’ve been dancing when another girl slinks over to us – or more accurately, to Aiden.  She has dark brown hair, olive toned skin and big brown eyes that are heavily lined with black eyeliner, and she’s dressed in a white miniskirt and flowy tank top.  The girl shamelessly presses herself up against Aiden’s other side and begins twisting around him.  For a moment I’m struck by how skilled she is as a dancer – I almost want to tuck my figurative tail between my legs and scamper away, because clearly she’s won this round.  Watching her roll her body and wrap herself around my boyfriend makes me feel horribly inadequate.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised Aiden seems to be enjoying himself.  Whereas before he only had eyes for me, now his attention seems equally divided between the two of us.  He keeps a firm grip on my waist, but he snakes an arm around the other girl as well.  It occurs to me I should probably feel angry or slighted, but I’m either too drunk to care or too curious to watch what he’ll do next – apparently alcohol has the ability to bring out some repressed voyeuristic tendency within me.

The girl’s confidence grows as Aiden touches her, and her already intrepid movements become that much more daring.  I watch in awe as she runs her hands down Aiden’s heaving, sweaty chest, feeling his bare skin beneath his partially unbuttoned shirt.  The way she’s flattened against him, I have to imagine it would be impossible for an outsider to determine which of us is his girlfriend.  I feel Aiden grope desperately at my butt at the same time I notice him cinching his arm tighter around the vixen-like interloper.

Suddenly I feel a different kind of touch brushing against my arm; this hand is smaller, softer – more feminine.  I look down then back up, shocked to realize the girl has transferred her attention from Aiden to me.  She angles her body so she’s pressed up against both of us as she expertly swirls her hips; her eyes are locked on mine.  Meanwhile, all I can do in stare in bewilderment.  She picks up my hand that’s flattened against Aiden’s stomach and places it on her shoulder, then uses her own hand to trace the line of my hip up to the side of my breast.

I have no idea what to make of all this – I feel like I might be going into shock.  Slowly I lift my eyes to meet Aiden’s gaze.  I’m taken aback when I see he’s biting his lip while staring between the two of us; his hands are pressed against each of our backs, pushing us closer together. 
What the hell?!
  Suddenly it all becomes too much – I need space to breathe.  I break away from Aiden and the temptress and flee through the crowd without looking back.

Kyle
– Tuesday, 11:00 PM

D
inner was empanadas and pinot noir on the candlelit terrace overlooking the ocean; afterward we tossed around ideas about how to spend the rest of our evening, and I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from suggesting Squid Roe.  Tempting as it is, the last thing I want is to walk in on Tawny dry humping her asshole boyfriend.  I’m going nuts enough as it is, knowing his plans to seduce her tomorrow night – the whole situation has the feel of a timed explosion only I’m privy to.

We ended up changing into our trunks and swimsuits and getting in the hot tub, which was miraculously empty when we got there.  Les ordered another bottle of wine, which he brought over despite signs forbidding food or drink in the whirlpool area.  After the wine we had with dinner, it only takes a couple of glasses for me to feel pleasantly buzzed and more than ready to relinquish my incessant thoughts about where Tawny is and what she’s doing.  Whether for better or worse, it almost seems as if Macary and her tiny yellow bikini were placed in my path for just such a purpose – call it divine intervention.

We’re sitting in a circle with the underwater jets churning up a froth that covers the surface of the water.  For a while we all talk; we end up spending a fair amount of time making fun of Steph for the role she played in yesterday’s misadventures, until she starts getting defensive and somebody decides we’d better change the subject.  At some point not long after that, Leila turns to Les and Steph turns to Rochelle – leaving Macary and me to our own devices in the middle.

I’m gazing at a spot a few feet in front of me, mesmerized by the bubbles, when I notice a toe emerge from the water; its toenail is painted bright red.  I stare at the toe as it bobs further above the surface, then turn to look down at Macary.  She’s smiling to herself as she watches the foot, which evidently is hers.  When she lifts her face to return my gaze, there’s something liquid and burning in her eyes.  With the alcohol pumping through my veins, carnal instinct takes over, and I lean closer, breathing heavily in my effort to outrun all errant thoughts. 

My eyes roam farther south, taking in her cleavage, which is on prominent display.  Normally I’d have the good sense to conceal the fact I’m checking her out, but for now I’m past caring, and Macary doesn’t seem to mind; if anything, she seems to round her shoulders back, thrusting her chest out further to give me a better view.  I lick my lips as my eyes dart back to her face, and half a second later my mouth closes around hers.

Beneath the water I feel Macary’s hand closing around my thigh as she opens her mouth to deepen our kiss.  I follow along willingly, sliding my tongue against hers while groaning softly.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I’m aware we’re probably attracting attention.  I’m not typically one to care if I have an audience, however, and tonight I care even less.

It isn’t until Macary glides her hand farther up my thigh and begins to slip her fingers beneath the hem of my swim trunks that I start to reel myself in from the dark hole I’ve fallen into.  I break our kiss and pull back just enough to make out her face; judging from her expression she’s frustrated at my sudden withdrawal.

I make a noise in the back of my throat and lift my hand from the water to nervously rub my chin, noticing my fingers are puckered from their prolonged submersion.  I can feel Macary’s eyes on me still, but my attention is averted when Les loudly clears his throat and says, “All right, folks, we’re outta here.  Sleep tight.”  He looks at me meaningfully – I’m pretty sure he’d give me a high five if he wasn’t concerned it’d look too obvious.  I leer back at him, shaking my head minutely; I don’t think he picks up on it, though.

“I think we’ll head in, too,” says Steph from Macary’s other side.  “You coming, M?”

I can’t help it – I glance back at Macary, who’s watching me with a weak smile on her face.  “Yeah, sure,” she says, almost in a whisper.

We all climb out of the hot tub and reach for our towels.  Steph, Rochelle, Les and Leila continue to awkwardly chitchat while pretending Macary and I weren’t just making out right in front of them.  If I had any intact rational thought, I’d probably have the decency to at least act embarrassed.  As it is, all I want is my big, comfy bed.

When we get upstairs, everyone says goodnight and goes to their separate rooms.  I strip out of my trunks and put on a clean pair of boxers; I’m standing at the bathroom sink brushing my teeth when a soft knock sounds at the door.  I spit into the sink basin and splash some water in my mouth, then cautiously pull back the door just enough to see who’s standing in the hall.

Macary stands there in shorts and a tank top with her hair smoothed back into a ponytail.  “Can I come in?” she asks tentatively as I regard her from behind the door.

“Uh…yeah, hold on one sec.”  I let the door thud softly shut as I turn to grab a pair of gym shorts from my suitcase and quickly snap them on over my underwear.  When I go back to let Macary in, she strolls past me, checking me out like she did this morning, the last time I answered the door shirtless.

“Can I ask you to do me a favor?” she asks.  “Will you let me sleep here?”

All I can do is look at her – I have no clue what to say.

She sighs.  “Remember how I said Rochelle snores?  I barely slept last night.”

She’s slurring her words slightly, which is how I know she’s still drunk, and I can tell by the tingling in my head I’m not much better off than she is.  What are the chances, if I say yes, that this will end up being a monumental mistake?

“Sure, I guess.”  I look back over my shoulder at the single king size bed in the room and wonder what the hell I’m going to do.  What I would’ve done a few months ago and what I feel like doing now are worlds apart, that’s for damn sure.

Macary seems relieved.  She walks past me into the room and stands next to the bed as I begin to pull out the sofa to make up my own spot to sleep.  “You can have the bed,” I say over my shoulder.  “I’ll take the couch.”

She walks over and takes hold of my arm.  “No Kyle, don’t – I’ll feel bad.  I don’t wanna kick you out of your bed.”

I shrug as I toss a couple of the pillows off the bed onto the decidedly less comfy-looking pullout.  “Doesn’t bother me, I could sleep anywhere.”

I lie down on the thin mattress as Macary goes reluctantly to the bed.  “Seriously, Kyle, this is dumb,” she says.  “This bed is so huge – there’s plenty of room for both of us.  I swear I won’t kick or anything.”

I shut my eyes as I turn my face into the pillow. 
Am I being a jerk?
  I just kissed the girl – doesn’t mean we have to sleep in the same bed.  The truth is, I don’t trust myself enough to make it through the night without doing something I’ll surely end up regretting. 

“Goodnight, Macary,” I tell her.

Tawny – Wednesday, 12:45 AM

V
ivian rode back to the hotel with me earlier after catching a glimpse of what was going on with Aiden and me and that other girl.  She shook her head in disbelief the entire cab ride back while ranting about what an idiot Aiden is.

I silenced my phone after the sixth time he called within the first ten minutes after I left Squid Roe.  Once we got back to the room I changed into my PJs, scrubbed off my makeup and climbed into bed.  Vivian kept quiet, apparently able to sense I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.

Sometime after crawling between the sheets, I hear a knock on the door and listen as Vivian gets up the see who it is –
I’ll bet I have a pretty good guess
.  Sure enough, Aiden’s hushed voice fills the room the second Viv opens the door for him; by the sounds of it, though, she’s not letting him in out of the hallway.  I’m lying on my side, turned away from the door as I pretend to be asleep.  Really, I’m listening to every word of their conversation.

“Please, Viv, just let me in so I can talk to her.”

“No way, asshole.  You’ve done enough for one night.”

“Is she mad at me?”  Aiden sounds positively tormented – a part of me feels a little sorry for him.

“What do you think?” asks Vivian.  “You were practically having
sex
with another girl
right in front of her
!”

“God, I know I fucked up, okay?” he whimpers.  I can picture him hanging his head in his hands as he says it.  “I’m drunk, Viv.  I wasn’t
thinking
.  I thought she was having fun.”

Vivian lets out a humorless chuckle.  “Right, Aiden.  I’m sure Tawny
loves
watching her boyfriend fondle other women.  I’m sure she was having a
great
time.”

Aiden heaves a weary sigh.  “Just…tell her I’m sorry, okay?  Tell her I love her.”  I cringe at his casual use of those words – they seem almost dirty in this particular context.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll let her know,” says Viv.  Obviously she isn’t buying what he’s selling, but at least it shuts him up. 

I hear her close the door, but I still don’t turn around.  Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel.  I wouldn’t say I’m
angry
exactly – it’s more that I’m just confused, utterly mystified by what happened.  I know there are girls out there who would’ve been okay with it, but the whole situation was just so far outside my comfort zone I’m still reeling from the shock of it.

Chapter 29 – The Sighting

Wednesday, March 22

Kyle – 9:15 AM

I
woke up before Macary this morning and got in the shower.  By the time I got out she’d moved her suitcase into my room and was sitting out on the terrace with her feet propped up, reading a book.

“So does this mean we’re officially roommates now?” I ask her as I walk outside; she jumps a little at the sound of my voice.  I stand off to the side with my hands shoved in my pockets, squinting out at the ocean while she bookmarks her page and turns to face me.

“Is that okay?” she asks. 
As if I have a choice in the matter
.  “I slept
so
much better last night.”

I shrug.  “Doesn’t bother me.  You might have to take a turn on the sofa, though.  My neck was killing me this morning.”  Really it wasn’t that bad – I was being honest when I told her I could sleep anywhere – but part of me wants to make her work for it.

“Of course,” she says.  “Or, you know, that bed is gigantic.  You’d probably never even know we were sharing…”

I look at her, and I can tell she feels awkward for suggesting we share a bed again.  Suddenly I feel sort of bad for her, so I try to laugh it off and make it into a joke.  “
I
might not know
you’re
there, but you’d definitely know I am.  Give me a little bit of space, and I like to roll around in it.”

She giggles and begins to say something else, but my phone starts ringing inside.  I grab it just before the call goes to voicemail; it’s Les letting me know he booked our entire group on a horseback tour at 12:30.  After hanging up I head back out to the terrace to let Macary know what the plan is.  “Since we’ve got some time to kill I think I’ll go for a walk,” I say, sort of halfway to myself as I gaze back out at the crashing waves.  “Maybe take my camera with me.”