Break Me (The Summer Series) (4 page)

“Yep.” She swallowed as much beer as she could
and then held the cup out toward him. “Keep this full all night and you’ll have
a new best friend.”

“Deal.” He pumped the keg and then proceeded to
fill her cup again. “I’m Jay.”

“Gemma.” She chugged again and then held the
cup toward him, trying not to burp. “Don’t,” she narrowed her eyes at him and
jabbed his chest with her finger, “call me Gem and we’re good.” No one ever called
her that name. And the one person who had been getting away with it would get
his ass kicked if he tried it again. She would make sure of it. She couldn’t
believe she had allowed herself to get sucked into that tool bag’s trap. She
could not and would not let history repeat itself. If Abe wanted the Kates of
the world, he could have them. She,
Gemma,
would be just fine without
him and with a few more drinks.

“Yes ma’am.” And what started out as one drink
turned into more than Gemma or Jay could count. Gemma wasn’t much of a partier
on account of her having never really been invited to parties, so this could
only end one way, badly.

~~~

“What the hell, Gemma?” Kate
struggled to help get Gemma to her feet. Suddenly, there were two more hands wrapped
around her, and the smell alone told her who was there. She tried to jerk away
but instead stumbled back, right into his chest.

“Hey,” he whispered, turning her to face him
and tucking the hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear, “you okay?”

“What do you care? Go back to Kate . . . or
Megan.” She pushed off him and stumbled forward before getting to her feet and
walking toward their end of the beach. Kate looked at Abe apologetically and
hurried to catch up to her.

“Gemma, what the hell was that? How many did
you have?”

“Oh, that’s right; you missed it. You were too
busy dancing and God knows what else. Well, I had at least five, lost count,
and didn’t care at that point.”

“Is there something going on here that I’m
missing?” Kate jerked Gemma to a stop and made her look her in the eye.

“No, DAMN IT,” Gemma yelled as tears filled her
eyelids. “Go back to the party. Go back to Abe. Go back to the life you get.”
With that, Gemma took off running toward the gate, never looking back.

Five

The next morning Gemma was up by six.
Her head was pounding, and she couldn’t seem to drink enough water. Luckily,
she wasn’t prone to throwing up. She knew she had some things to say to Kate,
and she didn’t know where she was going to start. She couldn’t carry this much
anger anymore, and she needed to accept that guys like Abe went for girls like
Kate. The sooner she got over it, the better. As Gemma was walking back into
the room from the shower, Kate sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Hey,” Kate
whispered.

“Hey, Kate, listen, about
last night . . .” Gemma was overcoming her nausea, but her nerves were
unsettling her stomach. She had things to say to Kate, things she hadn’t said
and never planned to say, but Kate deserved some kind of explanation for how
crazy Gemma had been the night before. She grip
ped
her towel, ready to talk.

“No, wait.” Kate put her hand out, interrupting
Gemma’s next words. “Let me say something.”

“Okay,” Gemma walked over to her bed and sat
down facing Kate, trying to ignore the pounding in her head and focus.

“Last night, I was, well, let’s just face it, I
was being desperate. Abe is so hot I can’t stand it. Even though I could tell
after I introduced you that you knew him and you two obviously had something
going, I still went for it. Mostly because I’m a horny brat but partially
because I want you to like me so much and you just . . . won’t.” Gemma was
visibly taken aback. “I just . . . I’m so sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have made a
move, especially after the first dance when he spent the whole song asking me
about you.”

“He what?” Her eyes went wide in shock and
something like a boulder dropped in her stomach.

“I know, right? He probably thinks I’m pathetic.
And that Megan girl? What a first-class “
B
,” right?” The snarl on Kate’s
face was priceless. Gemma sensed her sister’s dislike for the girl, yes, but
deeper, she sensed Kate’s protective side. Kate didn’t like the way Megan
reacted to last night’s situation, and that had something softening deep inside
Gemma.

Gemma laughed, not knowing where to start.
“Yes, you had better watch your back. I heard her call you more than one
colorful name.”

“Ooooh, really?” Kate chuckled. “This summer
just got exciting.”

“You’re crazy.” Gemma laughed, suddenly liking
Kate a little more. “How come you’ve never been like this with me?”

“Like what? How could I be any way with you? I
try to talk, but you basically run away or roll your eyes, and yes”—Kate raised
a brow—“I see it.”

“I’m sorry about that. I guess when you grow up
hating your father and his wife the kids just kind of fall in the mix.” She
frowned, guilt snaking its way through her body.

“Well, we didn’t make those decisions and
mistakes. And Gray and I, we’re actually pretty cool. Give us a try?” Kate
tilted her head to the side, waiting on Gemma’s approval.

“Deal, you get a shot,” Gemma said after some
internal deliberation. “Just please try not to throw yourself at anyone else if
I’m in the room.”

“Hmm.” Kate thought for a moment and Gemma
laughed. “Deal.” Kate started to get up and was looking for something to wear
in their dresser when Gemma took a deep breath.

“Kate?” She cleared her throat as Kate turned
and raised her eyebrows, indicating for Gemma to continue “Did he really, uh,
ask about me and stuff?” Mortified to be asking and ashamed that she was
already giving into her shocking feelings for him, she looked down and fidgeted
to avoid Kate’s knowing eyes.

Kate laughed and shook her head. “Yes, I’m such
an idiot. He stared at you all night and wouldn’t shut up about you. ‘What does
she like to read? What does she like to do other than read? How old is she?’ It
was so obvious. It didn’t sink in until we tried to help you home, though. The
way he looked at you when he was making sure you were okay . . . If you had
been sober,
you
would have been the one drooling all over yourself . . .
and him.”

Gemma tried not to shiver. As much as she
wanted to pretend she didn’t see and feel it last night, she did: the way his
eyes bore into hers, the way his fingers lingered on her ear, and the way she
trembled as those fingers ran down her neck before going back to her side for
support. It was there, and she needed to talk to him today to figure out what all
of it meant. She started pulling a tank top over the swimsuit she had put on
after her shower when there was a knock on the door downstairs. “Who is here at
seven in the morning? And why on earth are they already out and about?”

“Don’t know.” Kate pulled her hair up into a
messy bun. “Come on. Let’s go see.” They made their way down the stairs and
peeked around the corner to the back deck. “Is that Emily and Ryan?”

“I think so,” Gemma whispered back. “Let’s see
what they’re doing here before they start ringing the doorbell.” Gemma hurried
the rest of the way to the waiting couple and opened the door. Standing before
her, she found two far too awake and happy people for this time of day.

“Oh, good, you remembered. Let’s go. Are you
coming too, Kate?”

“What?” The girls said in unison, nearly
yelling their disdain for any sort of activity at that hour.

“Surfing, beach hangout, does any of this ring
a bell, my drunken friend?” Emily laughed and snaked her arm through Ryan’s as
he smiled down at all of them.

“Oh, balls! I’m so sorry. I completely forgot.”
Gemma looked to Emily apologetically.

Kate shrugged. “I’m game. Let me grab us some
towels.” She hurried away while Gemma looked at her feet, embarrassed by her
behavior the night before.

“Hey, he doesn’t care, you know. He’s just
hoping you show up today.” Gemma looked up confused as Kate joined the group
again and gestured for the other two to lead the way.

Gemma focused on Emily’s words the entire walk
to the beach.
Did that mean he
knew what was going on last night? Did that mean he was interested? How the heck
did people do this romantic crap all the time?
It
was a lot easier to read about it than to try to figure it out on your own. Emily
looked over her shoulder and smiled at Gemma. This was Gemma’s signal that they
were getting close to the group. At that moment, her stomach dropped out. All
of her bravado gone, she looked around for a place to hide.

“You’re fine,” Kate whispered. “He’s out in the
water, see?” Kate pointed in the distance, and sure enough, Abe was sitting on
a board, laughing at something one of his friends said. “Come on. Let’s go see
what Emily is doing.”

The girls walked over to where Emily was seated
on a towel and was applying sunscreen. Gemma and Kate followed suit, and Gemma
added a hat for good measure. “I don’t think I can do this,” Gemma suddenly
said as the other two girls were wiping their hands on a towel. “He’s going to
think I’m crazy after last night, or worse, come over here looking for Kate.”
She took a step back. “I’m sorry. I think I’m going to head back to the house.”

Gemma went to turn around, and her face
collided with a very firm, very smooth, and very enticing pec muscle. Exactly
how she wanted that moment to end. She kept her head down for a beat to try and
calm the burning in her face. “Gem, glad you could make it.” Abe reached out
and lifted her chin so she was looking in his eyes.

“Actually, I was just going to—”

“Take a walk with me? Please?” Abe nodded over
her head and then placed his hand on the small of her back. That small gesture
had one thought suddenly rolling through her mind.  She was so screwed. “Listen”—he
let out a breath as he kicked some sand while they walked along the water’s
edge—“about last night. I’m sorry if I did or said anything that gave you the wrong
impression. I’m just going to put it on the table and let you decide what
happens from here, good?” Startled, Gemma nodded and let him continue. “Okay,
so, I knew Kate was your sister when I invited her to the party.” He looked
down. “Sorry. I know it was wrong, especially since I could tell she was
interested in me, but I knew the one-word answers or insults you were flinging
were never going to lead to anything more than that, so I had to find a way to
get some time with you in a comfortable environment.”

“So you thought hitting on my sister was the
solution to that problem?” Gemma asked and crossed her arms over her middle
defensively.

He reached out and pulled her arm, leading her
to small nook in the bank. There was protection around them. No one could see
them anymore, and they could only see a tunnel to the water and some sand at
their feet. It was beautiful and peaceful and perfect. She sat down in the sand
and faced the ocean, not able to look in his eyes or at his body in that suit
as he continued. “No, that wasn’t it at all. Once you got there you were still
ignoring me. I just thought if I got her alone I could figure out what to say. It
seems everything I come up with on my own just serves to piss you off.” He
pushed some sand around nervously before finding her eyes again. She couldn’t
believe how the sight of him, especially with the sun reflecting off the water
and hitting him so perfectly, could make her insides completely malfunction.

Gemma reluctantly smirked at him. “Maybe you
should say better things?”

Once he had her facing him, he reached out and placed
his hands on her thighs, turning her entire body to face him. She flushed at
the intimate gesture. “I know you don’t trust me. I know we barely know each
other. I know this is crazy since you clearly don’t live here, but I want to
know more. You make me laugh. You’re beautiful, even if you don’t see it, and
more than anything, there is just something there. Don’t you feel it too? Aren’t
you curious?”

And with that, he had addressed every one of
her concerns and said everything she needed to hear. How did he always know? “So
what do you want?” She forced herself to look in his eyes and not at the sand
as she asked the question that suddenly held so much more meaning.

“A chance, that’s all I can ask for, isn’t it? I
just want you to let me try.” Gemma knew that he was attentive enough to understand
that this was the perfect thing to ask for. This was the big question wasn’t it?
Would she allow him a chance or would she wait for him to screw up, cheat,
leave, whatever came first. “Please, Gem?” The look in his eyes, combined with
the incredible sexy chest that kept distracting her, had her nodding her head.

“One.” She cleared her throat. “One chance.” He
smiled and then pulled her into a hug.

“Perfect.” He stood and helped her to her feet,
holding her hand a beat longer than necessary before letting go. “Go out with
me today. I don’t have work again. I only work Sunday through Thursday nights
and need something to do.”

“Oh, so I’m just helping you pass the time?”
She couldn’t believe she was flirting as she smiled up at him.

“Something like that.” He started to lean down
and she took a hasty step back. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s me. I’m so
sorry. It’s just that this is big. I need to take it slow.”

“I get it. I knew that. I just lost my head for
a minute, but I promise you set the pace from here on.” Then he used his finger
and crossed his oh-so-sexy chest, and she knew she was screwed beyond
comprehension.

When they made it back to the group, all eyes
were on them and then just as quickly looking around inconspicuously. She
looked up at Abe and rolled her eyes as he chuckled. “It’s nice to know they
care,” he whispered. As they started to walk again, his arm came in contact with
hers, and he straightened his finger to brush along her hand. She had to
concentrate on her steps to keep from going down.

“Hey guys,” Emily yelled from the far side of
the group, “we’re all going in. Come on.”

Gemma watched as one after another the perfect
girls around her started ripping off their shirts and the males around gawked
obviously. Suddenly shy, she lowered her hands from the hem of her shirt and
looked out to the water. “You know I’ve been trying to read for about a week
now and haven’t had time because someone keeps sending me home. I think I’ll
stay up here and take advantage of his distractions.”

Abe reached out and pulled her back to his
front, resting his hand on her hip. “If that’s what you want . . .” He lowered
his mouth to her ear and instantly goose bumps erupted everywhere. “But I can’t
lie; it’s killing me not to see what you have under there.”

She turned her head in surprise, putting their
mouths dangerously close. “Really?”

“You have no idea.” He made sure she was
looking him in the eyes before continuing. “Sexiest girl out here is hiding on
the beach. I’m not the only guy who’s disappointed. I’m just the only one with a
shot in hell to see more later.” He smirked at her and then kissed her cheek. “See
you soon.”

She finally let her legs do what they had been
waiting to do since he brushed her hand, and fell to the sand. A shiver ran
down her back. This was not her life. The sexy, confident, bachelor didn’t beg
her for a chance. He didn’t fight for
her.
And yet, there she sat, completely
turned on, watching him look back over his shoulder at her. She shook her head
to herself as she stood and found her bag and pretended to read, trying not to
make it obvious her eyes didn’t leave him for a second.