Vacation (12 page)

"Fuck," I grumbled and brushed
my fingers over my lips. "Don't you know that telling a dominant male not
to do something is an invitation to have him do it? Do they not teach you girls
these things?"

"Of course I do," she whispered
seductively and got up, walking to the counter as if to check on Casey.

I leaned back against the bench seat and
watched her as my body hardened. One night. Just one night was all I needed to
convince her that maybe we could be a bit more than friends.

Wait.
All you want is friends.

Right.

Chapter
13

Vivian

"I just wanted to check on my
friend." I glanced up at the nurse at the front desk of the minute clinic
as she scowled at me.

"She'll be out any minute. Have a
seat, miss."

I figured as much, but needed a reason to
break away from Easton. A large part of me wanted to crawl into his lap and
forget that we were in public. It was a damn good thing that we were. His
kisses were capable of breaking down my reserve fast.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as I
turned and let my eyes move across him. The thick swell of his chest and
stomach were beyond delicious. The bulge at the front of his shorts was bigger
than it had been back at the beach, but after making out for the last few
minutes, he'd better be turned on.

"You don't have to stay here. I'll be
good just waiting on Casey myself." I stood in front of him.

He rose to his feet and ran his hands over
my shoulders and down my arms. "I don't mind. Let's grab her and get her
back to the hotel, then I can go back out to get our stuff."

"My room key was in the pocket of my
shorts. I don't have an id or anything to get back to my room with." I
tried not to enjoy the warmth of just having his hands on me.

"I'm well-known at the hotel, which
should work in my favor today. We'll have them get you a new key, or you can
just stay with me while I get your stuff." He squeezed my shoulders and
looked past me. "There she is."

I smiled and turned, moving to wrap an arm
around Casey as she hobbled toward us.

"How freaking embarrassing." She
shook her head and turned to look up at me. "I'm sorry."

"About what? I would have done the
same thing, but worse. I'd probably have asked Easton to pee on it for
me." I gave her a goofy grin and she smiled in return.

"And I'd have done it too." He
wagged his eyebrows playfully.

"Let's get you back to the
hotel." I rolled my eyes at the sexy dark-haired man that was soon to
steal my heart if I wasn't careful.

"That sounds good. The ointment
should help a little with the burn. The doctor said I would be fine later
tonight. It just stings like hell, but whatever." She shrugged and moved
out of the clinic with my help. We took our time getting back to the hotel,
making sure that Casey wasn't in any sort of pain.

Easton offered ten times to carry her, but
she wouldn't have any of it. She was independent and wanted to prove it to both
of us. The girl had more spirit than anyone else I knew. She would be back on
her feet and ready to have a good time within hours.

"Let me go grab a key from the front
desk and we'll get you settled." He moved away from us as I turned to
Casey.

"You really okay? I'm worried about
you." I held onto her narrow shoulders and searched her face for the
truth.

"I'm good. It just burns, but no big
deal. I'll get over it." She glanced toward the front desk. "I like
him. He would be really good for you. Really."

"I know." I followed her line of
sight and let my eyes move across his thick muscular back as my body ached for
more of him. "I'm just scared. We just met him. If I could assure myself
that nothing but a friendship could come of it, I would be okay. I just don't
think that's the case."

"I understand that, but wouldn't you
rather limp your way across the finish line of life having loved a million
times and lost than to never have really experienced the exhilaration of being
in love at all?" She gave me a soft smile.

"Yeah, I think so, but this
guy...he's different." I turned my attention back to her. "I don't
want to focus on men right now, Case. I want to focus on me. My career is about
to start, and I don't want to miss out on any of the moments coming up because
I'm heartbroken from the latest bullshit some dude wants to put me
through."

"Viv."

"No, I'm serious. A night with him
would be magical, a week – heaven." I shrugged. "Anything more, and
I'm sure he'd soon discover what Jackson figured out."

"And that is?" Her voice
tightened as she narrowed her eyes on me.

"Okay girls." Easton stopped
beside me and lifted his eyebrow. "Wow. Looks like a catfight is about to
start. Should I get in the middle or move back fast? I can pop a mean bowl of
popcorn too."

"We're good." I reached for the
key he offered. "I'm going to take her back up to the room. If you'll wait
for me, I'll run back to the beach with you to get our stuff."

"Sounds good." He turned to
Casey. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help today.
You're my hero." She blinked her eyes rapidly, making her impossibly cute.

"Come on, love bug." I put my
arm around her shoulder and moved us to the elevator without giving Easton
another look.

"You're wrong, Viv. I never step in
the middle of your business, but I really think you're off about this guy. He
lives in New York. He does something like what you want to do. He's crazy about
you, obviously." She hopped to the back of the elevator and leaned against
the wall. "Maybe he's the guy that's supposed to get you over
Jackson."

"What if I'm not ready to get over
Jackson, Case? He was my boyfriend for ten years. It's been a month. If I was
with Easton it would simply be a rebound, and I'm not that kind of girl. I'm a
love over lust any day of the week type of person, remember?" I put my
hands on my hips, wanting so badly to get her to move to my side for the first
time in our lives. I always moved to hers. It was my turn.

"He's not a rebound, and you fucking
know it." She pointed at me. "He's a next step. You're passing up an
opportunity here. Let down your guard just a little and see what happens."

The door opened and I helped her out.
"And you're going to hold me when he breaks my heart and leaves me with no
choice but to change companies in two or ten years?"

"I'll always be here to hold
you." She hopped to the door and reached back for the key. "Get
downstairs and get to know him better. If you still feel the same way in a week
or so, then let it simply be a spring break fling. If not, he deserves a spot
in your life."

"What makes you think he wants
it?" I stopped by the door and pressed my hand to the doorframe as she
moved inside.

"You know he does. So do
I
. Now, get out of here and do something about it." She
moved in and let the door close in my face.

After taking a shaky breath, I took the
elevator back down and walked around the lobby looking for him.

"Over here, Viv." He walked back
into the lobby from the main door, his arms full of clothes and towels. "I
decided to just go grab the stuff for us. No reason to drag you all the way
back down there."

"Thanks. You're too good to us."
I took my shirts and shook them out before pulling them back on and doing the
same with my shorts.

"I'm almost wishing I hadn't gotten
the stuff. You in that bikini was a treat and a half." He pulled his own
shirt over his head.

The cocky grin on his perfect lips stole
my thoughts, and I contemplated asking him for the penthouse tour just to see
how good we would fit together.

"She really okay?" He asked,
nodding toward the elevator.

"Yeah. She's a beast. She'll be
good." I reached up and tugged my hair down, loving the way he watched me
so intently.

"Hey, about the kiss..." He
glanced down at the floor and back up toward me. "I shouldn't have done
that. I know you're just getting over someone, and I'm really not looking for
anything more than a friendship right now. I told you how crazy my shit is. You
seem like a great girl. I just don't want to do anything that might–”

"It's all good. We don't need to go
through this awkward conversation." I forced a warm smile as my heart
contracted painfully in my chest. Of course he was pulling back. I'd almost
decided to step forward. "We're just friends. The kiss was nice and deliciously
hot, but just part of the high emotions of what happened. I'm good."

He nodded, not looking too sure of
himself. "You
wanna
grab a drink or
something?"

"
Naw
, I'm
going to get back up to Casey. I'd hate to think she needed me and I wasn't
there." I bent down and picked up the cards, the I.D.s and my phone from
below him. "Today was fun. Thanks for coming. I'm not sure I could have
carried her, even if she is small."

"How about dinner? I'll take you guys
to a great pizza parlor down the strip. We can drive?"

I stood up and realized what he was doing.
Protecting me. He thought I was crushed by the kiss and subsequent pull back.
He was working to save face. Was I really that pathetic?

"I'll text you later. Let me see if
she's up for it." I tucked the cards in my pockets and patted his arm like
I would a mere acquaintance. "Okay, well, see you around."

Without another word, I turned and walked
toward the elevator as I chided myself.
See
you around? What the fuck was that? See you around?

I turned when I got into the elevator to
find him watching me intently. I glanced down at my nails, picking at them
subtly until the door closed. Tears instantly filled my eyes, much to my
dismay. He meant nothing and it would be bliss to tell Case that she was wrong.
She was never wrong, but it would seem she was this time.

Checking my phone, I noticed that my
mother had called twice. She didn't leave a message, of course, because that
would be too convenient.

I got off on the floor before mine and
walked to the end of the hall, pushing the exit door and moving out onto the
balcony that overlooked the ocean. The wind whipped around me, and the desire
to be needed, to be wanted pumped through me, but I ignored it. It would lead
to more tears.

After dialing my mom's number, I moved up
to the rail and leaned against it.

"Hey, baby. How is your trip
going?" My mom's voice was thick as if she'd been crying.

"It's alright. Casey got stung by a
jellyfish an hour ago, and I met a really cute guy who isn't interested in
anything more than what this week has to offer, but other than that..."

"Oh, Viv. That's not good."

The sound of my mother’s sympathy always
did me in. Tears blurred my vision and I pressed my teeth into my bottom lip as
they spilled over onto my cheeks.

"I really just want to understand
why," I murmured through my tears.

"Oh, baby. Are you crying? Don't cry
or I will
too.
" Her voice thickened even more.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I hate being a
cry-cry head. I just wish I could understand why Jackson felt the need to cheat
on me. Ten years, Mom. Ten fucking years."

"Watch your language, please. I'm so
sorry. There is no excuse for what he did. He's a man, and men are pieces of
shit. Plain and simple."

I didn't believe that for a minute, but
after the last few months I could see why many women did. My father was a good
man, as was Casey's dad and my brothers.

"That leaves me no hope for a good
relationship, Mom. I'm thinking if I could just figure out what I did wrong, or
what was missing for Jackson, then I could stop it from happening again."
I brushed my tears away angrily.

"This isn't the time for me to do
this, but I was calling to tell you that your father and I are filing for
divorce."

Ice water raced through my veins as I
stood up, shocked being an understatement. "What? Why? You and dad are
like the most loving couple in the world."

"We were. A couple of years ago I
walked in on him sleeping with his secretary. I guess his late nights weren't
always about scoring the right kind of business deal. He's a cheating
bastard." Her anger bled through the phone and left my heart aching.

"What? Two years ago? Why didn't you
say something?" I pressed my hand to my chest and rubbed softly as I moved
through memories to see if I could see the signs better. They'd hidden it well.
Too well.

"I really thought I was one of those
women that could get over it. Your dad and I are so damn good together on so
many levels that I wasn't willing to simply give up my claim to him." She
let out a shaky sigh. "I think he's been faithful over the last two years,
but there isn't a moment during the day that I don't wonder if I'm still
playing the fool. I'm so angry, Vivian. I'm so far beyond angry that it's destroying
whatever was once good between us."

I nodded. "I understand that. I
couldn't forgive Jackson for sleeping around on me, and we've been together ten
years, not forty. And we weren't even married."

Pain laced me, but I locked it up as a
cute couple walked out on the balcony with me and moved to the far end to
snuggle each other.

"I had no idea." I wrapped my
free arm around myself.

"No one does. How does a man that has
everything feel the need to take the one thing he didn't think he had and
exploit it? I was so good to your father for all of these years, supporting his
dreams and aspirations because I just knew my turn was coming. He's a spineless
asshole. They all are." She barked into the phone just before her voice
cracked.