Tall Cool One (12 page)

“I see your point.” Anna took a sip of her drink as a light ocean breeze ruffled the hair from her neck. “Nothing feels real here. The problems and hassles of life . . . It all seems to just melt away.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Kai said, hoisting his glass. “So, what about you, Anna Percy? What’s your story? Of course, you can choose to invoke the Las Casitas paradise clause, which states that you can be anyone you want here. No past, no future.”

“The Las Casitas paradise clause,” she repeated. “That’s tempting.”

“It’s tempted me for four years now. Ready for another?” He cocked his head toward her nearly empty glass.

“Sure.”

Kai caught the eye of his buddy who ran the Surf Shack, and he immediately started mixing two more drinks.

“So what’s your life like here, Kai?” Anna found it easy to keep the conversation going. “Beyond surfing, I mean.”

“Beyond surfing is more surfing. It’s addictive, like drugs or beautiful women—present company included. The waves here are some of the best on this side of the Pacific.”

“That’s it?” Anna asked.

He smiled at her. “That’s it.”

“That’s enough?”

“Your problem is that you’ve spent too much time in civilization,” Kai said lightly.

“And you never miss . . .” She searched for the right word. “More?”

“I did more, but that was long ago and far away. What can I tell you? I’m a happier bloke now by far.” Kai’s friend set the fresh drinks on their table and picked up the empties. “Joaquin, this is Anna. Anna, meet Joaquin. The second-best surfer at Las Casitas.”

“Nice to meet you.” The young man gave Anna a fabulous grin. Clearly Las Casitas picked its staff for looks at least as much as it did for skill. Joaquin was of medium height with a wrestler’s build. His hair was bleached blond and spiky. “Kai treating you right?”

“Kai is treating me just fine,” Anna assured him.

“Good. You two need anything, just let me know.”

“Hey, how about you fire up the Julio?” Kai asked.

“You got it, man.” Joaquin padded back through the sand to the Surf Shack. Moments later, the strains of Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson singing, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” filled the air.

Kai stood. “Dance?”

“To Julio Iglesias?” Anna asked archly.

“Hey, I like what I like.” He reached for Anna’s hand.

Anna was impressed by Kai’s unabashed lack of pretension. Besides, what difference did the music make? It was still paradise.

“I’d love to.”

Anna stood, took his hand, and went into his strong arms. It felt wonderful. Facts were facts: He was a party boy who’d dropped out of college to chase the perfect wave. But that didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to marry him or even have some big relationship with him. The paradise clause could work for her, too. Right?

With that thought, Anna lifted her lips to Kai’s and kissed him.

It quickly became clear that Kai had other skills besides surfing. Anna lost herself in the moment. They swayed in the sand until she heard a familiar voice.

“Dancing on an uncertain surface is murder on the knees.”

Kai and Anna broke apart to see Lloyd sitting on a stool by the Surf Shack. His silk shirt was open nearly to the waist, displaying far too much of his hirsute chest. But he wasn’t alone. A cute brunette in a floral sarong and bra top sat next to him.

“This is Debbie; she’s from Idaho.” Lloyd introduced the girl at his side with a great deal of pride. Then he draped an arm around Debbie’s neck. They were obviously on more than speaking terms.

“Indiana,” Debbie corrected, but she kissed Lloyd’s cheek nonetheless. Which had to mean their more-than-speaking terms encounter thus far had gone quite well.

Lloyd pulled Debbie closer. “Now, this girl can dance.”

Debbie giggled. “I took lessons at Purdue.”

“And I’m about to show her some new moves,” Lloyd added with a wink. “All work and no play. But I wanted to see how you were, Anna. So, who’s the lucky guy?”

Anna didn’t want to introduce Kai. Yet she was thankful that Lloyd had found a new little playmate and would leave her alone.

“He doesn’t speak English,” Anna said quickly.

Lloyd wagged a finger at her. “You forget, Anna. I speak five languages.”

“He doesn’t speak yours, Lloyd,” Anna said pointedly, as she felt Kai’s hands go around her waist.

Lloyd nodded. “Got it. Well, it looks like you two speak the same language, anyway.” He raised his glass in Anna’s direction. “Carpe diem, then. Have a blast. See you later.”

“Your escort who isn’t your escort, right?” Kai guessed as Lloyd and Debbie headed back arm in arm up the path toward the pool area.

“Exactly.”

“How bad can he be?” Kai teased. “He just encouraged you to seize the day.”

So. Kai understood a bit of Latin, too. Impressive, for someone who hadn’t finished college.

Then she realized what she was doing: assessing his intelligence, weighing whether or not he was educated enough, articulate enough,
suitable
enough for her to be with. Suitable enough. God, she was thinking like her mother.

Kai took her back into his arms. “Did I mention that you smell great?”

She snaked her arms around his neck and swayed with him to the music. “No.”

“Well, you do. Particularly . . . . here.”

He lightly kissed the side of her neck, just below her ear. Shivers ran down her body.

“Anywhere else?” Anna asked playfully.

He gently turned her around so that he was standing behind her. “Here.” He lifted her hair and put his lips to the back of her neck.

Whoa.
His arms went around her waist. They felt good. No. Great. Which meant she was as capable as anyone else of desiring a perfect stranger.

But should she? Could she?

He turned her back around and they were slow dancing again. “I’d love to be alone with you,” he whispered into her hair.

She smiled up at him. “We
are
alone.”

“Joaquin is my mate, but threesomes don’t do it for me.”

“Right. Joaquin. He makes a terrific—what do you call that drink again?”

“Paradise,” Kai said.

Anna nodded. “Perfect.”

“I totally agree.” Kai kissed her. She kissed him back because she felt like it. The more she kissed him, the more she liked it. She felt his hand slide from her waist downward. . . .

The moment of truth.

One part of Anna was saying: “This is moving way too fast.” But another part said: “Paradise clause, now!”

She could do it. She
would
do it.

She chucked her chin lightly in the direction of her casita. “Yes?” she asked.

“Definitely.”

Fun

K
ai looked around Anna’s casita. “Wow, this place is huge.”

“If that’s supposed to make me think you’ve never been inside a casita, it’s not working. Anyway, ultra-high-end resorts don’t do ironic,” Anna teased. She popped a Sheryl Crow CD into the player. “Is this okay?”

“Perfect.” He put his arms around her, and they swayed to the music just as they had at the beach. Then he kissed her again. He really was a great kisser. Anna felt as if she was floating.

“Your hot tub?” Kai suggested with a whisper.

Hot tub. Anna couldn’t decide if that would be sleazy. Clearly she was having trouble
committing
to the paradise clause.

No one’s here to judge me.

Whatever happens between Kai and me will stay between Kai and me.

Right.

Exactly.

She willed her superego to take a big fat break. It did. Mostly.

“Hot tub,” she repeated. “I have a bikini. But I don’t have a suit for you. Can you get one—?”

“Anna . . .” he interrupted, then kissed her gently. “Why would we need suits?”

His hands went to the top of his jeans. Oh no. He was going to undress right in the middle of her living room, right this very moment. Well, it was her own fault. She had invited him here. What would he think she wanted to do?

Exactly what she was planning on doing, probably.

Still, as much as she told herself she wanted him, she blushed as he undid his top button. And looked everywhere except at his hands as they shimmied those jeans down, down . . . to reveal the surfer jams underneath.

Anna folded her arms, red-faced. “That was mean.”

Kai hooted with laughter. “You should see yourself. You really thought I’d strip to nothing five minutes after you invite me to your casita? I’m pretty chill, Anna. We hook up, cool. We don’t, that’s cool, too.”

He was just so sure of himself! How did people develop that quality? Maybe you just had to do it first and believe it later. So Anna pulled her sundress over her head and tossed it on the couch. She wore only the briefest pink Belgian lace bra and the tiniest of matching G-strings. Kai’s jaw fell open. She tried for a look of total confidence and had no idea if she was pulling it off. But head held high, she headed for the hot tub and called nonchalantly back to him over her shoulder.

“You coming or not?”

Moments later, Anna had cranked up the tub’s Jacuzzi jets and lowered herself into the steaming hot water. Her long blond hair floated around her. Oh, this was bliss, pure bliss. She felt every muscle in her body relax. Kai was across from her, underwater save for his head.

“This feels awesome,” he declared.

Anna murmured in agreement. He floated over to her. Took her into his arms. And kissed her. It felt nice, so surreal. The next thing she knew, his hands were on the back clasp of her bra.

Red alert, red alert.

She politely backed out of his arms.

Kai held his palms up to her. “Whoa. We won’t go there if you don’t want to.”

“I . . . I . . .”

Anna didn’t know what to say. Did she want to? Or did she just
want
to want to? If she did it, would that be exploring new ground, opening herself up to new experiences? Or would that just be her trying to be someone she was not? How could she possibly tell the difference? Did she need a boy to fall for her, really care about her, before she’d have sex? And if so, was that more about her morals or her ego? To Kai, she was just another girl passing through paradise. So if she—

“I get the feeling your brain is working overtime,” Kai guessed correctly.

“It’s a character flaw,” Anna admitted.

“Maybe it’s a gift. I told you, Anna, I’m cool. How long are you staying at Las Casitas?”

“A few days.”

“So no worries, then. Let’s just see what happens.”

Anna nodded. “I feel like an idiot, I should tell you.”

“You’re being way too hard on yourself. It’s all supposed to be fun, you know?”

“I do,” Anna said earnestly. “I really do.”

“Then we’re good.” He kissed her lightly. “I can see myself out. Adios.”

Then Kai stepped out of the tub, pulled on his pants, and drifted away into the night.

Time Sensitive

“H
ey, Adam! Big guy, how’re they hanging?”

Adam waved to Zack, one of his teammates on the basketball team as they passed each other on the main quad of Beverly Hills High School. It was Wednesday morning and the fashion show/gossip exchange/flirt fest known as changing classes was in full swing. A thousand students were going back and forth between the four main buildings that constituted Beverly Hills High, and Adam watched as Zack had to dodge his way through the human traffic to get to him. Adam held up a hand for Zack to high-five, and they did the requisite three slaps that were the unofficial greeting of the team. With Zack was a sophomore— Charlie Something-or-other—whom Adam didn’t know well.

“Catch you at practice later,” Adam told him.

“You got it, big guy. Bring the balls.” Zack smirked. He elbowed Charlie, who guffawed.

“Uh, that’s what we’ve got a team manager for,” Adam replied.

“Yeah, right.” Zack snickered. Laughing together, he and his friend loped away.

Okay, that was weird,
Adam thought as he continued across the quad toward the science building—he had an AP biology class in five minutes. A few steps later, he encountered the team manager, a sophomore guy named Lawrence “Don’t Call Me Larry” Rothstein. Lawrence loved basketball more than anything in the world and was a decent little player. But the emphasis was on
little
because Lawrence was barely five foot three. And he couldn’t jump. So he’d asked the team coach if he could apprentice himself, because his ambition was to coach hoops in the NBA.

“Hey, point guard,” Lawrence greeted him warmly. “Wazzup, Mr. Big?”

“Not much.”

“Heard you had an awesome time last night.”

“From who?”

Lawrence gestured in the direction of the gym. “You know. Around.”

“Around
where?
”

“Oh, you know, man,” Lawrence retorted evasively. “Listen, just between us—I’m asking this because it’s my job, I swear I’m not prying—are you okay with that cup the trainer gave you? ’Cuz I thought maybe you felt
confined,
man.”

Adam shook his head. “Nope. I’m just fine with my cup, Lawrence. Thanks for asking.”

“Oh yeah, Mr. Modesty, I can dig it.” Lawrence bobbed his head up and down. “Well, if anything, you know, pops up . . .” He gave Adam a knowing look and ambled off.

“Look, there he is!”

Adam turned. Twyla Bonet was skittering toward him, dodging bodies, two of her skinny friends in tow. “Hey, why didn’t you come to my birthday party last night?” she pouted, throwing her arms around Adam’s neck.

“Uh, because I wasn’t invited?”

She stepped back far enough that she could look into his eyes while keeping her fingers snaked around the back of his neck. “Of course you were invited!” She slipped her hand down and pinched his ass.

Adam jerked away from her. “What is going
on?
”

“Us, maybe,” Twyla simpered. “Hey, I was thinking about going to the Playground tonight. Want to come?”

“At nine, nine-thirty, ten, ten-thirty,” her look-alike friend added.

“Yo, what’s up?” Parker Pinelli called to the girls as he loped over to them. “Killer party at Spider Club last night, Twyla.”