I spend the next week dodging Preston with such skill it’s a shame avoidance isn’t an Olympic sport. If it were, Bonnie would also make a worthy competitor. She covers for me at our dorm one night, answering the door topless to scare him off. For whatever lewdness Pres gets up to in his free time, he remains terrified of public embarrassment. So when Bonnie starts shouting at the top of her lungs, and our hallway neighbors poke their heads out their doors to see what all the commotion is about, Preston is quick to retreat.
Ignoring his texts and phone calls is easy. Hiding from him on campus has been trickier. I’ve taken to ducking out the back entrance of every class a few minutes early or several minutes late to make sure he isn’t waiting for me. Getting classmates I’ve befriended to text me a heads-up when he’s spotted nearby. It’s a lot of effort, but a hell of a lot less messy than getting cornered.
Seems like everything in my life has been reduced to the act of sneaking around. Avoiding Pres. Going behind my parents’ backs to work on the hotel. Slipping around town to meet up with Cooper. I can’t risk anyone on campus recognizing him and ratting me out to Preston, and I think Cooper’s hiding me from Evan, so our rendezvous have become increasingly creative.
And while we still haven’t had The Talk about our dating situation, we can’t keep our hands off each other. I’m addicted. Utterly addicted to him. Bonnie calls me dick crazed. I’d argue with her if she hadn’t been right about absolutely everything since the moment we met.
On Saturday night, I meet Cooper at one of our usual spots down the beach from his house. This end of the Bay was the hardest hit from the last couple hurricanes and has been pretty much abandoned for years. It’s nothing but empty houses and decaying waterfront restaurants. An old fishing pier broken and mostly overtaken by the ocean. We let Daisy off her leash to run around a bit, and she wastes no time terrorizing the tiny sand crabs and chasing birds.
After stopping to sit on a piece of driftwood, Cooper pulls me to straddle his lap, facing him. Both hands cradle my ass as I scratch my fingertips lightly up and down the back of his neck, in the way I know gets him a little hard.
“You keep doing that,” he warns, “I’m gonna bang you right here in front of the seagulls.”
“Animal,” I say, biting his lip.
“Tease.” He kisses me. Strong hands slide up my ribs to give my breasts a teasing squeeze before settling around my waist. He eases his mouth away, his gaze finding mine. “I was thinking. There’s a party tonight. Come with me.”
I lift a brow. “I don’t know. We’d be going public. Sure you’re ready for that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Our sneaking around hasn’t been an explicit topic of conversation, but more an unspoken agreement. Altering that agreement, while inevitable, comes with a whole new net of consequences. That isn’t to say I’m unhappy at making this official. Surprised, maybe.
“So…” I run my palms down his chest, feeling every hard muscle until my hands meet his waistband. “Like a date.”
“Like a date, sure.” Cooper does this thing where he licks his lips when he thinks he’s being charming. It’s annoyingly hot.
“Which would mean we’re like dating.”
“Let’s put it this way.” Cooper brushes my hair off my shoulder. He wraps the length around his fist and tugs. Only a little. It’s a subtle, evocative gesture that has become our shorthand for I want to rip your clothes off. Like when I bite his lip or tug the front of his jeans, or look at him or breathe. “I’m not fucking anyone else. I don’t want you fucking anyone else. If anyone looks at you funny, I’m breaking their face. How’s that work?”
It isn’t exactly poetry, but that might be the most romantic thing a guy’s ever said to me. Cooper might be a bit uncouth and rough around the edges, but I’m kind of into it.
“Works for me.”
Grinning, he nudges me off his lap. “Come on, let’s take the little monster home. And I want to take a quick shower before we head out. I swear there’s always a layer of sawdust on me.”
“I like it. It’s manly.”
He rolls his eyes.
We walk to his house, entering through the back deck. I fill Daisy’s water bowl while Cooper goes to his room to shower. I’d join him, but I blow-dried my hair before coming over and I don’t want to mess it up, especially now that we’re going to a party.
“Hey,” grunts Evan, his tall, broad frame appearing in the kitchen doorway. He’s barefoot, wearing threadbare jeans and a red T-shirt. “Didn’t know you were over.”
I slide onto a stool at the counter and watch as Daisy laps noisily at her water. “Yup. Here I am. Cooper’s in the shower.”
Evan opens a cupboard and grabs a bag of potato chips. He tears it open and shoves some chips in his mouth. As he chews, he watches me suspiciously. “What’re you two up to tonight?”
“Cooper says there’s a party? I guess we’re going to that.”
He raises his eyebrows. “He’s bringing you to Chase’s?”
“Yeah.” I pause. “Got a problem with that?”
“Not at all, princess.”
“Oh, really.”
“It’s about time you came out with us,” Evan adds, shrugging. “If you’re with my brother, you’ll need to meet the gang sooner or later. Win ’em over.”
Well, hell. Now I’m nervous. Why’d he have to phrase it that way?
What if Cooper’s friends hate me?
My distress is momentarily forgotten at the sound of Daisy’s urgent barking. I glance over at the puppy, only to find she’s standing there barking at the wall.
“Daisy,” I chide.
“Don’t worry,” Evan says. “It’s probably just the ghost.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“Coop didn’t tell you about our ghost?” He tips his head. “For real? That’s usually the first thing I tell guests. It’s like a badge of honor, living in a haunted house.”
“Your house is haunted,” I say skeptically. Because, come on. I’m not that gullible.
“Sort of? She doesn’t really bother us,” Evan explains. “So it’s not exactly a haunting. But she definitely hangs around.”
“She. She who?”
“Patricia something or other. Little girl who drowned out back like a hundred years ago. She was six, seven? I can’t remember her age. But when it storms you can hear her screaming, and every now and then, the lights in the house flicker, usually when she’s feeling playful—”
He halts abruptly as the light fixture over the kitchen island honest-to-God flickers.
Oh hell no.
Evan catches my alarm and grins. “See? She’s just teasing us. Don’t worry, princess. Patricia’s a nice ghost. Like Casper. If you want more details, I think the town library has some old newspaper articles about it.” He walks over to pat Daisy, who’s quieted down. “Good dog. You tell that little ghost girl.”
I make a mental note to visit the Avalon Bay library. I don’t really believe in ghosts, but I do like history, and now that I own a hotel here, I’m even more curious to learn about the history of this town.
“I’m gonna ride with you guys, if that’s cool?” Evan says, then wanders out of the kitchen before I can answer. I guess it was a rhetorical question.
Sighing, I stare at the empty doorway. I think there’s only one person I really need to “win over” at the moment, and that person is Cooper’s twin brother.
Cooper’s friend Chase has a split-level house in town with a massive yard backing onto a wooded area. The moment we get there, I’m slightly overwhelmed by the number of people. There’s a ton of them here. Inside playing beer pong. Outside around a fire pit. Music blasting. Raucous laughter. We make the rounds as Cooper makes the introductions. It’d be fun if I didn’t notice everyone staring at me. Meanwhile, an oblivious Cooper keeps one arm around my waist as he talks with his friends. Everywhere I look are side-eyes, over-the-shoulder glances, and conspicuous whispers. I don’t usually get self-conscious in social situations, but it’s hard not to when everyone is making it clear with their eyes that they think I don’t belong. It’s nerve-wracking. Suffocating.
I need more booze if I’m going to survive tonight.
“I’m going to get another drink,” I tell Cooper. He’d been chatting with a tattooed guy named Wyatt, who’s complaining about how his girlfriend won’t take him back. Nearby, a small crowd is watching a game of bikini-and-briefs Twister in the backyard.
“I’ll get it for you,” he offers. “What do you want?”
“No, it’s okay. Stay and chat. I’ll be right back.”
With that, I slip away before he can argue with me. I wind my way through the house and end up in the kitchen, where I find a lone, unopened bottle of red wine and decide it’s the least likely to give me a raging hangover in the morning.
“You’re Mackenzie, right?” asks a gorgeous girl with long hair and a dark complexion. She’s in a bikini halter top and high-waisted shorts, mixing a drink at the counter. “Cooper’s Mackenzie.”
“Yep, that’s me. Cooper’s Mackenzie.” It sounds like a ’70s cop drama or something.
“Sorry,” she says with a friendly smile. She puts a lid on the cocktail shaker and vigorously shakes it over her shoulder. “I just meant I’ve heard a lot about you from Coop. I’m Steph.”
“Oh! The goat girl?”
Her lips twitch. “I’m sorry—what?”
I laugh awkwardly. “Sorry, that was random. Cooper and Evan told me this story about rescuing a goat when they were preteens at the behest of their friend Steph. That was you?”
She bursts out laughing. “Oh my God. Yes. The Great Goat Robbery. Totally my idea.” She suddenly shakes her head. “Except did they tell you the part about abandoning the goat in the woods? Like, what the hell!”
“Right?” I exclaim. “That’s what I said! That poor thing totally got eaten by mountain lions or something.”
She snickers. “Well, we live in a seaside town, so maybe not mountain lions. Definitely got mauled by some predator, though.”
I set the wine bottle on the counter and open a drawer in search of a corkscrew.
Steph pours her concoction into two red cups then offers me one. “Leave the wine. That stuff’s terrible. Try this.” She pushes the drink at me. “Trust me. It’s good. Not too strong.”
No sense in offending the only person to speak to me all night. I take a sip and am pleasantly surprised by the slightly sweet taste of orange and botanicals.
“This is good. Really good. Thanks.”
“No problem. Don’t tell anyone where you got it,” she says, tapping the side of her nose. As if to say, if the cops raid the party and catch you underage drinking, don’t snitch on me. “I was hoping Cooper would decide to share you soon. We’ve all been anxious to meet you.”
“We?”
“Just, you know, the gang.”
“Right.”
Evan had also used that phrase. I wonder who else comprises this “gang.” Cooper and I haven’t done much in the getting-to-know-you realm this week. I mean, beyond anatomy.
Speaking of anatomy, an insanely attractive, anatomically perfect guy strides into the kitchen. Tall, fair, and armed with a pair of dimples, he flashes a smile at Steph. “Who’s your friend?” he asks, curious blue eyes landing on me.
“Mackenzie,” I say, holding out my hand.
“Tate.” He shakes my outstretched hand, his fingers lingering.
Steph snorts. “Keep it in your pants, babe. She’s with Coop.”
“Yeah?” Tate sounds impressed. His gaze rakes over me in slow, deliberate perusal. “Lucky Coop.” He grabs a few longnecks from the fridge. “You girls coming outside to the fire?”
“In a bit,” Steph answers.
“Cool.” He nods and leaves the kitchen.
Once he’s gone, Steph is quick to give me the skinny on Tate. Apparently he sleeps around, but his dimples and easygoing charm make it hard to view him as a douchebag. “He’s just so darn likeable, you know?” She sighs. “I hate people like that.”
“Those likeable pricks,” I agree, solemn.
We continue chatting as we drink our cocktails. The more we talk, the more I like her. Turns out we both have a thing for amusement parks and the one-hit wonders of early 2000s pop music.
“I saw them last year in Myrtle Beach. They were opening for…” Steph thinks about it then laughs to herself. “Yeah, I can’t remember. They’re in their fifties now.”
“Oh God, I can’t believe they’re still together.”
“It was weird,” she says, pouring us another couple of mixed cocktails.
“What was weird?” A girl with platinum hair and dressed in a black cropped T-shirt with the sleeves cut off slides in next to Steph.
“Nothing,” Steph says. She’s smiling until she clocks the hard glare on the blonde’s face. Then all the humor falls. “Heidi, this is Mackenzie.”
There’s too much emphasis on my name. I can’t help wondering what Cooper’s told them. It leaves me at a significant disadvantage.
“Nice to meet you,” I offer to cut the tension. I’m assuming Heidi is yet another member of this “gang.”
“Great,” she says, bored the minute she looked at me. “Can we talk, Steph?”
Beside her, a redhead is sporting a smirk that signals I’m not in on the joke, whatever it is.
I get the distinct impression I’m no longer welcome here.
“You know, I should go find Cooper,” I tell Steph. “Nice meeting you all.”
I don’t wait for a reply before shuffling off, leaving my drink behind.
Cooper’s still in the backyard, only now he’s standing around the bonfire next to a very cute brunette whose ass is trying to climb out of her shorts. When her hand touches Cooper’s chest I want to charge her like a bull. Instead, I keep my cool and saunter up to him, grabbing him by his belt loops. That gets his attention. The corner of his mouth lifts wryly.
“Come on,” I say, ignoring the irritated look from the brunette. “I want to grope you in the dark.”
Cooper doesn’t miss a beat. He sets his bottle on the cement blocks lining the bonfire pit. “Yeah, okay.”
Together we round the side of the house to the street out front, where Cooper’s truck is parked. He lifts me up to sit on the open tailgate. With a dirty grin, he steps between my legs.
“Came to piss on my leg, huh?” He runs his callused fingertips up and down the tops of my exposed thighs. My teeny yellow dress has ridden up almost to my waist, but Cooper’s big body shields me from view.
“In not so many words, yeah, I guess so.”
“I’m into it,” he says, smirking. “You were gone awhile. Everything cool?”
“All good. Just mingling. I met your friend Tate.” I wink. “He’s cute.”
Dark eyes narrow at me. “Did he hit on you?”
“For about a second. Backed off when he learned I came here with you.”
“Good. I don’t have to kill him. Meet anyone else?”
“A few others,” I say vaguely, because I don’t want to talk about it.
Truth is, tonight has been a bust and I’m feeling anxious about the prospects of how Cooper and I are going to fit into each other’s lives. The longer I’m left to think on the subject, the more the doubt digs its roots into my brain. I don’t want to think. I want Cooper to make it all go away. So I tangle my hands in his hair and pull him toward me, kissing him with purpose until I feel the slightest groan from his chest, and he wraps his arms around me, deepening the kiss.
“What’s the matter, you two?” I jump when Evan sneaks up behind us, shining the flashlight from his phone in our eyes. “Party run out of Dom Pérignon already?”
“Fuck off,” Cooper grumbles, swatting the phone away. “Can’t you find someone else to entertain you?”
“I’m good. Came to check on you crazy kids.”
Evan flashes a grin and waves at me with a bottle of beer in his hand. The first night we met on the beach, I thought Evan was all right. Since then, I’ve found him rude and pointedly unfriendly. It isn’t enough to be a dick to me; he wants me to know he’s trying to be a dick. It’s the commitment to effort that’s been getting to me.
“Now you have.” Cooper levels his brother with a look. A whole silent conversation is happening that I can’t translate. “Bye.”
“Tell me something, Mac.”
“Give it a rest, dude.” Cooper backs away from me, trying to escort his obviously drunk brother toward the house.
Evan eyes me over the top of his beer. He takes another gulp while pushing his brother away. “I’ve been dying to ask. Do rich chicks do anal?”
“That’s enough, asshole. Leave her alone.”
“Or do you pay someone else to do it for you?”
It happens in a blink.
One second Evan is laughing at his own unfunny joke.
Then he’s flat on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
