Finding Us (8 page)

“What time are we leaving?” Jeremy questions.

Tanner places his glass down, “Nine, I guess.”

Rex adds, “I’ll call the cabs and make sure they’re here by nine.”

Rhea looks over to Knox; he winks at her and then takes another fork full of eggs. Rhea shakes her head and continues to eat.
What the hell was that about?

The next few minutes are quiet as everyone finishes up eating. I start to get up from the table as Jeremy speaks up, “Jas,” I look over at him. “Make sure you wear something red.”

If looks could kill Jeremy would be dead right now. Knox tries to hide his laughter by coughing. “Jackass!”

While Jeremy is easy on the eyes, he gets me a little flustered. Jeremy is a flirt.

I’ve only known this group, aside from Rex, Summer and Knox, for a day but I feel like I’ve known them for years. They’ve accepted me with open arms and I’ve let them in with no questions. I never put up my walls with any of them. We have an easy banter that feels good. This is a first for me. Everyone that I’ve encountered through the years have all been fake, hence the reason for my walls.

Fucking Jeremy damn near opened his mouth. He knows better than to ever mention
her
in front of me. He learned his lesson after we all got shit faced one night and I decked him because he started running his mouth. My boys and Rhea know not to mention
her
around me. I lose my shit because I’m still so fucked up about everything that happened. I try to let it go, I really do, but when your life is ripped away from you, you become bitter.

After running upstairs I root through my bag to find one of the bikinis that I packed. I find the bottoms of the black and the red top to another. Irritated because I can’t find it and I know I packed it, I think ‘screw it’ and wear the black and red. I really wish I could find the top to the black one because I don’t need the jokes all day about the color red.

“Oh well.” I mutter to myself before heading into the bathroom. When I turn my heart leaps in my throat. Knox is standing in the doorway with an amused grin on his face. “Damn Knox! You scared the shit out of me.”

His chuckles vibrate through my body. He’s so hot standing there with those lips I just want to devour with my own. He is, of course, still shirtless and I can’t help but let my eyes roam over his bare chest.

“You done?” Knox asks amused.

Shaking my head I go into the bathroom to change. I quickly strip out of my shorts and tank top and put my bikini on. I forgot to pack my sarong and I only have a few outfits left so I just throw my shorts back on until I get down to the beach.

Stepping out of the bathroom I put my bra, panties and tank top back in my bag and grab my Kindle and towel. Knox is lying on his stomach across the bed so I try to be quiet in case he is trying to take a nap. I slip my flip flops on and close the door as quietly as I can behind me. I’m just about to the stairs when Cade yells, “JJ!”

I jump slightly and walk a little quicker to the stairs. “What?”

Cade whistles, “Damn girl!”

I roll my eyes, “Cade, I’m not screwing you.”

“That’s a shame; you don’t know what you’re missing out on, sweet stuff.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh, “Yeah I’m pretty sure I do. Remember I know you don’t like to stick it in the right hole.”

Cade laughs, “Knox’s girl has jokes.”

And there went the smile right off my face, “I’m not Knox’s girl, Cade. I’m no ones.”

He raises his eye brows, “Says you. Every time one of us looks your way Knox wants to rip our heads off.”

“Fuck off asshole.” Knox growls from behind me. He’s standing at the top of the steps. I don’t know how long he’s been there but he doesn’t look happy and I’m not sure why.

“See.” Cade says.

I push past Cade and find Summer fast asleep on Rex’s lap in the living room. I point to the beach, letting Rex know where I am going in case Summer wants to come down when she wakes up. I’m not paying attention to where I’m walking and run right into a very hard chest.

“Shit! Sorry.” I apologize.

A deep chuckle comes from Jeremy. “No reason to be sorry baby. You’ll never hear me complain when your body is pressed up against mine.”

A snarl comes from behind me and I know that it’s Knox. Jeremy laughs and opens the sliding glass door, allowing me to step out. The summer heat engulfs me and the salt water in the air makes my skin sticky.

I head down to find a spot on the nearly filled beach. After I’ve got my towel laid out I set down my Kindle and strip out of my shorts. I take a look around and I notice a few guys looking my way. I don’t want their attention. I lie down on my stomach and open the book that I started on the way down here. At least an hour has passed and there’s still no sign of Summer. I guess her Irish ass is trying to not turn crispy. Speaking of crispy, I turn over on my back to ensure I get an even tan. I set my book aside and close my eyes and listen to all the sounds around me.

I hear a bunch of little kids laughing and yelling and a few guys are playing football nearby. The sounds of the waves crashing in the distance start to lull me to sleep. I didn’t get the best sleep last night in the tub because after a while it was pretty cold and hard.

I startle awake some time later. I don’t open my eyes right away as I listen to the sounds around me. When my heart settles after being jolted awake I start to slowly open my eyes and sit up.

A few new groups are scattered around and I notice three familiar looking bodies surrounded by a cluster of girls. I shake my head; this doesn’t surprise me at all. All three boys are a sight to see.

A shadow casts over me. I put my hand up to block the sun from my eyes and a guy that looks exactly like a Ken doll. He’s got the perfect tan, perfect hair, perfect blue eyes and a surfer’s body.

“Hey,” He starts off.

“Hey,”

He bends down on one knee so we are almost eye level, “You by yourself?”

I nod. The guy is nervous I can tell. I smile thinking to myself how uncomfortable he is. I’m thankful that I’m a girl and don’t have to worry about really hitting on a guy.

“I’m Ken by the way.”

My eyes go wide, “You’re joking right?”

He shakes his head.

I start laughing, I can’t help it. “You poor thing.”

This gets a laugh from Ken and some of his nervousness fades away.

“Tell me about it. It’s the only thing that breaks the ice with the girls though.” He explains. “So are you from around here?”

Before I can answer another shadow descends upon me, I look up to see that it’s Cade. I let out a loud sigh knowing that Cade is going to mess with this guy.

“Hey baby.” Cade croons in a sexy voice.

There is no saving Ken at this point so I just play along with Cade and his cock blocking. “Hey honey.”

That response earns me a smile and a wink. Ken stands up and brushes the sand from his knee. “I’ll talk to you later.” Ken says before he turns on his heel and leaves.

After he’s out of ear shot, Cade sits on at the end of the towel where my feet were. I quickly had to spread my legs to accommodate his presence or he would have sat on my feet. “Well that was easier than I thought it was going to be.” Cade tells me.

“Yeah well you probably scared the shit out of him. You’re freakishly tall, have huge muscles and you’re covered in tattoos.”

“That’s not all I have going for me.” Cade waggles his eyebrows.

“Cade,” I whine. “I don’t want to hear about that shit.”

Cade shifts to the side and pulls out a bottle of sunscreen from his back pocket. He hands it to me, “Be useful and put some of this on me.”

I scuffle, “Really? You couldn’t get one of your groupies down there to do it?”

“Jealous?”

“Nope.”

“Why are you over here anyway? Did Knox send you?”

Cade raises an eyebrow, “You really think it would have ended that nice if Knox had come over?”

Good point.

Cade laughs, “Hurry up and put that on me. I can feel my skin burning and I hate that feeling.”

I flip the lid open and pour some of the sun screen in my hands and then start rubbing it into Cade’s back. I skim over to Knox and he’s still surrounded by the same group of girls. I notice one girl who is scowling at Knox and she has her arms folded across her chest while her friends are ogling Knox and Jeremy.

“What’s the deal with her?” I inquire.

Cade looks over to the group and shrugs a shoulder. “She got scorned by Knox and she’s bitter about it.”

My hands freeze on his back.

“It was years ago, JJ. It was before…” Cade trails off.

“Before what?” I probe.

He shakes his head, “Never mind. It was a long time ago, that’s all.” Cade climbs to his feet and holds out a hand for me.

I eye the hand for a second before taking it. He pulls me to my feet with ease.

“Let’s go cool off.”

I reach down and cover my Kindle with my shorts and follow Cade down to the water. He hasn’t turned around to see if I followed or not but when he does his eyes go wide in surprise.

“Fuck, how did I miss those before?” Cade asks as he’s looking at my hip piercings.

I giggle and push his shoulder, “Stop looking at me like that, freak.”

A wave comes up and splashes up my legs and I break out in goose bumps from the cold water hitting my hot skin. I pause, letting my body adjust to the cool temperature of the water before I slowly ease myself further into the ocean. Cade takes a few steps and dives right in the water. I’m not that brave to follow his lead.

I can feel Knox before I see him. My heartbeat picks up a beat, waiting for him to make a move. After a few moments I feel him take a step so he’s standing right behind me. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his body.

“Dude, move the fuck out of the way.” Jeremy yells.

Knox reaches out and places a hand on my hip. My whole body goes tense waiting for his next move. The anticipation is killing me.

“You ok?” Knox asks me over the sound of another wave crashing over my legs.

“Yeah, you?” I shiver but it’s not from the water this time. Knox’s hand is burning my skin. I so desperately want to fall back against his strong chest and have his arms wrapped around me.

“I wanna touch.” Jeremy pouts as he stands next to me.

I laugh and bend at the waist and splash him with the water. A sly grin comes across his face and the next thing I know I’m wrapped in the wrong arms and carried out into the ocean. He doesn’t let me down until he is shoulder deep in the water. I have to tread because I can’t touch the bottom.

Knox swims out to us with a blank expression on his face. I’m not sure how to take it but I don’t have time to dwell on it as Cade swims over to us and picks me up and throws me up in the air.

The guys are clowning around and I’m relaxing just floating on my back. Knox grabs my feet and brings me to him. I sit up and my legs go around his waist and my arms are wrapping around his neck. This is the closest we’ve ever been aside from the night back at Club Two Twelve.

Knox groans as a wave comes and shifts our bodies somehow closer. I notice right away that even in this cold water he has an erection. My center tightens from the feel of it pressed against me and with the waves coming one right after another the friction is making it worse and the need to rock my hips is so strong.

“Jasmine…” Knox trails off.

The way he says my name makes me lose all control. The rest of the world fades out and it’s just me and Knox. My hips start moving discretely against his length in sync with the motion of the waves and I almost come apart at the seams right then and there.

“Jasmine,” Knox tries again.

I wrap my legs around his waist a little tighter and grind harder against him. As I stare into his eyes I see the want and desire in them.

“Damn, y’all would make a fucking awesome porno video.” Cade says from somewhere behind me.

I scrunch my face in disgust. Knox loosens his hold on me and I drop my legs from around him. Our moment is over.

“You ready to get out of here and go get some dinner?” Cade suggests.

“Hell yeah, I’m starving.” Jeremy responds.