She glances up, sans the smile. Obviously they don’t pay her enough to want to be here on a perfect summer’s day.
“Hi.” I tap my knuckles over the counter. “Are you guys still accepting applications for the fall?”
“Of next year?” She reaches for a stack of brochures.
“No. Actually, I was thinking more like this year.” My heart sinks like a lead weight because I know where this is going.
“Oh, no.” She looks at me like I just crop-dusted the vicinity with a foul stench. “Fall semester starts in just a couple of weeks. It’s closed to new applicants. You could apply for next fall.” Her eyes widen as she pushes a glossy brochure in my direction, hoping I’ll take this ray of trifolded sunshine and fuck the hell off.
“Got it. How about spring?” I can lose a semester if I have to. Worse things have happened.
“They’ve already recruited for that too. Enrollment for next fall opens in late October and ends right after Thanksgiving. You should hear back from the university around April or May.”
“Got it.” Crap. “So, what’s the tuition?” I think I know. Kendall is on scholarship and has private loans, so it’s got to be in the stratosphere.
“It’s twenty-one thousand for twelve to eighteen units a semester.” She doesn’t even blink at the honest-to-God horror that just spewed from her lips. “If you need assistance we have a great financial aid office. They’ve got every grant, loan, and, scholarship you could think of.”
Fuck.
“I’m sure they do.” It feels like a twenty-one-thousand-dollar bullet just sailed through my heart. There’s no way I can entertain going here. My grades aren’t as stellar as Kendall’s and for sure no one is going to gift me a scholarship for anything but baseball.
Baseball.
“You wouldn’t happen to know the name of the baseball coach, would you?”
Ally and I drive up to the cabin at the same time.
I don’t dare tell her about my adventures at Garrison. Or how I was invited to try out as a walk-on next week, not that it would instantly cure the tuition problem, but it couldn’t hurt.
“Did you enjoy your Ruby Tuesday?” I tease as I pull her into a hug.
“Ha, ha. I get it. Ruby and it’s Tuesday.” She bites down gently on my lower lip and my dick tries its hardest to stand at attention. It’s taking everything I’ve got to control the budding excitement. “It went terrific. In fact, I have a little surprise for you, but it’s for another day.” She tips her head playfully and her eyes siren out at me like a pair of key-lime pies.
“Well, I have a surprise for you,” I say. “But it’s for another day.”
“Really?” She squeals and jumps on the balls of her feet.
“No, not really—well, maybe,” I murmur, grazing her gently over the ear. “You’re so fucking cute, you know that?”
“You have a dirty mouth—you know that?” She flirts when she says it. She makes a face as she looks through the tiny window of the cabin. “Kendall and Cruise are home.”
“Let’s go somewhere.” I spin her in the direction of my truck. “We’ve got a little bit before the club opens, and I’ve got Cal doing the liquor run. I don’t have to be anywhere until at least ten o’clock.”
“That makes two of us. Let me get out of these jeans. You want to hit the beach?”
“If it means staring at you in a bikini, hell yes I want to hit the beach.” The beach, the sheets, both.
We head inside to do a quick change and find Kendall and Cruise knotted up in one another’s arms watching a movie.
It takes less than five minutes for me to throw on my swim trunks so I hang out with the lovebirds for a second while Ally gets ready.
“You guys heading out?” Cruise asks, nodding at the towel thrown over my shoulder.
“I thought we’d check out the ocean—see if it’s still wet and salty like they say it is.”
“You should head over to Pine Tree Cove,” Cruise whispers, glancing toward the hall as if he doesn’t want Ally to hear. “It’s private. If you go to Charleston you’ll be surrounded by soccer moms and teenagers.” He nods as if this were a part of some bro code. “Just saying.”
“Pine Tree Cove.” I nod. That should be easy enough to remember. If I forget I’ll just smack into one.
Ally comes out with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her face scrubbed fresh. Ally’s so beautiful all on her own she doesn’t need anything from a bottle to make her pretty.
“Catch you two later,” I say as we head out the door.
“Morgan?” Kendall glances back at me. “Rehearsal dinner is Thursday, don’t forget.”
“Got it,” I say as Ally and I head outside. “You’d think by the fifth go-around there wouldn’t be much to rehearse.” Actually, it might be Mom’s sixth march down the aisle. I stopped keeping track.
“That’s a lot of wedding dresses to buy.” Ally wraps her arms around my waist as we step out into the sunshine. “I plan on doing it once and getting it right the first time.” Her mouth opens with surprise as if she just realized she said that out loud.
“No, it’s okay. I agree. I think something like that should be entered into carefully—done once and done right.”
“Carefully.” She smiles. “That’s my new favorite word.” Her gaze drifts for a moment before settling in the direction of her car. “Oh no.”
The front tire is flat on the passenger’s side, and her Honda looks like it’s taking a nap. Hell, it looks like it needs one.
“Don’t worry.” I press a kiss in over her temple. “I’ll throw on the spare in the morning, and we can head into town and get it fixed.”
She pulls me in by the chin and sears a kiss over my lips that takes the breath right out of my lungs.
“You’re always saving me—you know that?” Ally holds my gaze as if those words were gospel.
“You don’t need saving, darlin’. You’re strong enough on your own. Besides, we’re a team.” I give her shoulders a little squeeze. “Teammates help each other out.”
“Well then”—she runs her tongue over her lips and they shine like glass under the sun—“I feel damn lucky to be on your team.”
“I’m damn lucky to have you.” Now if only I can think of a way to keep the team within kissing distance next semester.
But I’m on it.
And I never let my teammates down.
Pine Tree Cove is about seven miles up the coast, and thanks to my good sense of direction, and even better GPS, we manage not to miss the turnoff.
PINE TREE COVE. Ally reads the sign while gliding her long, tan legs over one another.
Ally Monroe has been doing her best to elicit a boner in me all the way over, and with nothing but my swim trunks on there isn’t a lot of room to hide the evidence.
Cruise mentioned this place was private and both my hard-on and I are hoping he’s right.
Sure enough, the parking lot is bare as my ass in the shower. It’s free too, which is another point I’d like to award him since I’m running low on quarters, but thankfully not on cash. The nightclub business is apparently where it’s at because for the first time in my life I’ve got more than two dimes to rub together. I could get used to this, that’s for sure. But it’s for a limited time so I appreciate the fact I’ve got to make every last penny count.
A layer of salted air clings to our skin as we get out of the truck.
“It’s not this humid back home,” I say without thinking as we walk down a small hill on our way to the beach.
Perfect. Remind her you’re leaving in a couple weeks. Shit.
“Oh”—she wraps her arm tight around my waist—“it’s not like this all year.” My body goes weak thinking we might be able to count on one hand how many more times we can do this. “Fall is my favorite time of year,” she says.
“The colors are outrageous, and the air goes cold right after Labor Day. It’s amazing the way nature just knows to do that.” She says that last part quietly, drawing it out, as we walk down to the brown, sugary sand.
“I like fall too.” I say it quiet, somber as a eulogy as we stroll through the warm sand.
A set of boulders sits near the hillside. A few pepper trees offer the area shade, so we migrate over. I lay out the blanket, and we toss our stuff down. My wallet has a condom snug inside in the event we decide to get enthusiastic with our bodies.
Ally tilts her head seductively and smiles with those strawberry-colored lips. Her eyes lower to slits as she reaches down and pulls off her T-shirt, revealing a barely there red string bikini. She peels off her shorts, and my dick pulsates just taking in the bandage of a bottom held together with a few measly strings. Suddenly I’m overcome with the urge to unwrap her like a present. I’m enjoying the hell out of the fact her bottoms are equally as pleasantly scant as the top.
“Hot damn, girl,” I say, pulling her in by the waist.
“Your turn.” She plucks my shirt off and runs her hands over my chest in a series of achingly slow circles.
“You’re pretty good at that,” I say, picking up her hand and kissing each of her fingertips.
“Stripping?” Her eyes widen as if a slap is next on the agenda.
“No.” I push out a little laugh. “Taking my clothes off.” I gently pull her in by the face and give a playful bite to her bottom lip. “I’m going to have to keep you around, Ally.” Shit. Did I just go there again? Is there any way to get through this afternoon and not depress the hell out of us by bringing up the not-so-distant future? I mean, it’s obvious Ally and I have a future, right? What the hell am I saying? Of course we do, a brilliantly long one—paved with happiness and hot sex right through to our golden years and beyond.
“Are you going to keep me around?” Her features soften as if she had started it out as a smart-ass remark, then it became a general-interest question that directly affects her well-being.
“Hell, yes.” My lungs pump out some serious steam as if I ran all the way here from Cruise’s cabin. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
“And, you’re”—a smile twitches on her lips—“it!” she screams, slapping me on the chest and taking off toward the waterline.
“Hey”—I shout, taking off after her—“that hurt, Ally. You’re going to have to kiss it to make it feel better.”
Laughter bubbles from her as she streaks across the sand. Her ponytail whips around her shoulders like a white flame.
“You’ll have to catch me first!” she shouts as she races down the waterline.
“Sweetie, if I catch you, you’re going to have to kiss a few other body parts as well.” I come up on her in less than five seconds, dive for her ankle, and miss.
“Morgan.” The smile melts from her face as she looks over my shoulder.
A wall of water collapses over me like an avalanche before yanking me back, trying to drag my sorry ass right into the Atlantic with it.
“Well played, Monroe.” I roll onto my back and feel the sun warming my skin.
“It’s going to happen again if you’re not careful.” She strolls forward, and I pretend not to notice.
“Careful is my middle name.”
“Yeah, right.” Her foot swoops just shy of my hip and this time I snatch it, pulling her down to the damp sand right along with me.
Ally falls to her knees in a fit of laughter.
“Let go! A wave is going to come and—”
“And what?” I reel her in until she’s lying next to me.
“You’re getting me wet.”
“Now who’s the one with a dirty mouth?” I slip my hand down over her bottom and circle around to the front.
“Morgan!” She laughs, squirming and biting down over my ear.
I run my finger along the lips of her bathing suit bottom before dipping my hand in. I can feel her warm slick, wet just like she promised in a roundabout way. Ally bites down over that bright pink lip approvingly as I slip my finger deep inside her. Sure enough, Ally Monroe is warmer and wetter than the big blue sea.
A wave starts to crest in the distance, and I wrap my arms around her.
“It looks like we’re going under, babe.”
Ally turns to look just as the powerful blast detonates over us. The water retracts, and I shake my hair out.
“Morgan!” she screams, staggering to her feet.
“That’s the second time you shouted my name, and I’m still not getting any action.” Any sane man in her presence would be begging by now.
She kicks the damp sand over my stomach and takes off for the shade.
“Was that an invitation?” I scramble up and give chase until I land next to her on the warm blanket.
“Everything’s an invitation to you.” She reaches over and scratches at my chest, so I catch her hand and kiss it. “You’re a perv.”
“Yeah, well, you’re a tease.”
The sunlight hits her just right, lighting her up from the back like an angel. The water beads over her skin and glows like a thousand fallen stars.
Her features grow serious. She reaches forward and plays with a loose strand from the blanket as if trying to deflect her thoughts.
Shit. She’s feeling it. Thinking it. All that talk about back home—fall—it sunk into her bones and now I’ve dragged her into the funk I’ve been trapped in all week.
“Come here.” It slips from me sadly, far too quietly to match the light banter we’ve volleyed back and forth for the better part of an hour. Ally conforms to my chest, and I press a kiss into the back of her hair. The dark cloud of uncertainty has squatted over us, already pissing on our parade whether we like it or not. The fall semester has become the nine-hundred-pound gorilla looming over us with a sickle. Long-distance relationships suck and we both know it. The first mile I’m away from her I’m going to want to turn back. I’ll probably cry like a pussy as soon as I hit the state line.
Ally reaches down and dips her hand into my shorts, her cool fingers finding me and my seaside shrinkage.
A dry laugh rumbles from me as I pull her over me and indulge in a deep-throated kiss. The heat of her mouth pushes me out of sanity’s bounds while her tongue strokes me into a rush of excitement. I pluck off my shorts and Ally glides over me, kissing my stomach, my happy trail, all the way down south. She wraps her lips around me and encourages me to grow in her mouth.
A heated breath rips from me. I reach over and fumble for the condom I packed with a seed of hope and tear into the package.
I pull her toward me and slip it on.
“Looks like you’re ready this time.” She smiles but it looks sad, lonely.
“I may not be the brightest, but I learn from my mistakes.” Mostly.
I dip back over her with a kiss wetter and hotter than the sea and the sun. I don’t want to think of the past. And I’m pretty sure the future has the capability to kill my hard-on just as fast.
I pluck at Ally’s string bikini like I’ve been dying to do ever since we arrived. I give a slow, methodical pull until both her top and bottom come apart in pieces.
“I dressed for the occasion,” she whispers, running her tongue over my neck.
“Honey, you are the occasion.” I lay her back and roll on top of her. Her legs rise over my ribcage and I hike them back before plunging deep inside her. “Fuck, Ally.” I give a heated whisper right in her ear. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
This is the moment I want to remember. This is the moment I want to relive over and over again. Right here at Pine Tree Cove, buried in the only girl I have ever wanted to spend my life with.
“I love you,” I whisper, rocking in and out of her as achingly slow as possible.
“Morgan.” She le
ts out a series of soft groans, and I’m about to lose it. “I love you forever.”
“Forever,” I whisper.
10
SCARE TACTICS
Ally
Thursday morning, Kendall and I decide to run out and pick up flowers for the rehearsal dinner.
“I’ll drive,” I offer as we head out into the overbright day. The sweet scent of pines perfumes the air as the heat expels their oils into the air. I soak it in because it just so happens to be one of those last, magical days of summer.
We step over to the Honda and a scream gets locked in my throat as I take in a bloodied mess sitting on the hood. Kendall shrieks to high heaven, sending both Cruise and Morgan flooding out the door.
“What the hell happened?” Cruise hooks an arm around Kendall’s waist, trying to calm her.
“Shit.” Morgan steps over and peers at the carcass lying over my car. “It’s just a rat.” He picks a stick off the ground and flicks it off. “Looks like a bird lost its breakfast. Either that or a stray cat has one mean crush on you.” His dimples wink in and out. “Go shopping.” He touches his lips over mine with a cool, minty kiss. “Drama’s over. You okay?” Morgan wraps his arms around my waist and offers a gentle smile.
“Mmm-hmm,” I whisper as Kendall says good-bye to Cruise and gets in the passenger’s seat. I glance back over at the rat with half its body bashed in. “Do you really think it was from a bird?”
“Yes. You’re safe.” He leans in and his lips find a home just over my ear. “I’ll always keep you safe, Ally. I promise.”
Lauren meets up with us at the flower market, and we walk up and down the multicolored aisles perfumed with an abundance of all the things that make my allergies sing.
I shuffle from the poppies, red as a blood let, to the black-eyed Susans. A smattering of stargazer lilies catches my attention and I linger. I sit mesmerized by their long purple tongues, freckled and soft as velvet—their pollen-coated tips, delicate and powdery as cinnamon.
I wish Morgan were here. But more importantly, I’m dying over the fact Morgan is just a hair away from packing his suitcase and driving right out of Carrington for a good long while. I thought for sure he would have brought it up by now—that he would have mentioned it in some small way—but it’s like it doesn’t even matter. It’s as if he can just as easily lure me to his bed as he can kiss me good-bye. Or maybe, like me—he’s afraid to go there. I mean, he said he loved me, and that’s got to count for something. Tess once said that boys only say “I love you” if they think a blow job is on the horizon, and at the time I believed her. But a lot of things have changed since then, and now I’m not so sure.