“Oh, I do love Sheila. The sooner the two of us can get out of here the better.”
“If that’s what you really want, baby. But for now, let’s enjoy the time we have together. I’ve missed you.” I bring her hand up to my mouth and kiss the back of it. She watches me, her eyes shimmering with lust. Fuck, I want to kiss her for real, take away her pain and replace it with a good fucking time. She’s too beautiful to be so sad.
Suddenly she pulls back from me. “You know Kasen is a controlling asshole. I don’t want anything from him. Or any of you,” she spits, finding her attitude again.
I’m disappointed but not surprised. She wears the tough act like armor, and maybe it’s protected her in the past, but it won’t work with me. I’m going to wear her down. One bit at a time, her defenses willfade away, and she will realize what I have always known—we’re meant to be together. “Why did you come back to Deadwater Bay, Dove?”
She stares out the windscreen for a beat then leans over the back and grabs her towel. “What you waiting for? The water looks perfect.” She’s out of the van, stripping off her shorts and tank before I have a chance to catch up with her, completely ignoring my question. She has to know I won’t give up that easily. I’m desperate to understand her.
I grab my towel and follow her down the beach. “Why won’t you answer me?” I call after her, catching her up when she stops.
She glares at me, like proper glares daggers. Her chest rises and falls as she sucks in angry breaths. “I want answers, happy?” She tosses her towel on the sand and takes off for the water before I have time to think that nugget through, her silver hair splaying out behind her. Her perfect ass draws way too much attention from other beachgoers in the cheeky bikini she has on. I have the sudden urge to cover her up so no one else can check her out. That or burn out their eyes for having the audacity to look her way.
One particular dude gets under my skin the most; he watches her right the way down to the water. I toss my T-shirt down and move as fast as my damn knee will take me to catch up with her, making sure to scuff up sand in his face as I go by.
“Hey,” he calls to me as I pass.
“Girl’s taken.” I turn back toward him, my eyes narrowing to slits, making sure he knows exactly who I am. His eyes widen in fear, and he scoops up his shit and scurries off the beach in a rush. Yeah, being part of Deadwater Crew and working for Throne has its upsides.
Dove has no idea the trouble she’s caused and dives under the first wave, swimming out to a clearing like a mermaid.
I might not be able to surf anymore, but I still swim every day, and I catch her quickly, almost desperate to get my hands on her, to show every slimy dude back on the beach who she belongs to. I resist the urge, things still tense between us. The two of us bob around in the water instead.
Water beads over her face. It’s washed off some of the make-up she was wearing to cover her bruises. I can’t help but wince. They are hard to look at. Knowing some thug marked her beautiful skin makes my blood boil. K’s right, we need answers. She can’t keep hiding shit from us, not when we know she’s still in some sort of trouble.
“What answers do you want, baby? Maybe I can help,” I offer, trying charm instead of demanding she talks like I know K and Bodhi would.
She assesses me, chewing her lip, then seems to decide on something. “Where’s Jayden? Why haven’t I seen him yet? Thought he would be taking after daddy as well and, you know, ruling over the town and shit.”
Her question sends goosebumps over my arms. “Maybe you should ask K about him.”
“Ha. Yeah, you will help me only if it doesn’t interfere with business or give away some secret I’m not supposed to know about. I’m not a naive kid anymore, I know you lot are all involved in shady shit. But don’t pretend you’re going to help me then tell me to ask K.”
My heart sinks knowing she’s right. “I don’t know where he is. I have been away a lot over the last few years. One time I came home and he was just gone. K and Bodhi didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t push.”
“He was your best mate, and you didn’t push for answers? Shit, River, how bad is the stuff you’re all involved in?” She looks me over differently this time, I think puzzled by my answer, but I just told herthe truth. If I knew, I would go find him. He was my closest mate. Life’s not the same without him in it, but I get why he left. This life isn’t for everyone. I have seen things I can’t forget, Keller made sure of that. Every new job for him ate away at my soul more, until I became what I am now. But Jay was different, he was an overthinker, and that made him push back. He gave Keller shit over every new job presented to us. The two of them butted heads over every little detail, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Keller sent him away so he didn’t have to deal with the pushback anymore.
“It’s not that bad, really. Jay had his own personal stuff going on. I guess it was worse than even I knew.”
Her eyes narrow. “Do you work for Kasen like Slater does? All living in that stupid big mansion together like some frat boys? You know it’s weird, right.”
“Sometimes I stay with them, if I’m not too tired to drive home after I finish up at the bar and don’t use the apartment I have upstairs. It’s not weird, Dove, those boys are my family, yours as well.”
Her lips purse together. “Do you work for him, River?” she snips, and I know I’m pissing her off avoiding that part of her question.
“I do the occasional odd jobs when he needs me to. It’s not so much work as stuff that needs to be done to keep us in the position we currently hold.”
Her gaze intensifies as her eyes narrow to slits. “See, this is the cryptic stuff I’m talking about. You never used to keep anything from me. Now you talk in riddles so it looks like you’re being truthful but you’re not actually telling me shit. And you’re the worst because at least I can see what the other two are made of, but you come in this pretty, charming package, making me want to trust you when I know I shouldn’t.” She pushes onto her back and closes her eyes, floating asher body moves over small ripples. Her way of blocking me out, great. But I guess at least she thinks I’m pretty and charming.
Maybe she’s right, maybe I am the worst, but the disappointment is not something I’m keen to see in her eyes. I push onto my back, floating, and close my eyes, bobbing over the small waves beside her, the summer sun streaming down on my skin. It would have to be above average summer temperature today. It’s perfection. This is the stuff that makes me feel alive, the ocean surrounding me, the warmth of the sun tanning my skin. My girl at my side. If only life was this simple. When I was riding the waves round the world, it felt as if it could be. I could forget this life back here and my responsibilities and just live for every day.
I didn’t grow up spoilt like Dove was. My family was dirt poor, my dead-beat dad having taken off on me and my mum when I was only a kid. She was a good mum, doing everything she could to support me and make sure I didn’t feel like I was going without, even if it was obvious she was. So, when that call came to tell me they wanted me on the circuit, I didn’t look back. Life was there for living, and I was going to take it by both hands and give it all I had. Even if my contract was conditional.
And that’s what I did.
Until I couldn’t anymore.
Now I’m just drifting with no direction. Working for Throne helps to make me feel like I’m a part of something. And I know she might not get it, but those boys are my family. We have been in this together for so long I don’t see a way out. I don’t think I even want one. This life might not be perfect, but it does give us more than we could have ever hoped for as kids. And now that she’s back, things can only get better.
