Chapter 12: Longing in the Sand

Being sober at some point had been the plan, but as the day wore on, the men kept drinking beers. They had swum, headed to the private beach he’d taken Emma to, played a little netball, ran around like kids for a while, and ate nonstop most of the afternoon.

He had kept checking his watch, wondering what she was doing and hoping she was having a good time with Leila. Not that he should worry; Leila was a good-time girl and sweet enough to make Emma feel right at home. He just wished she was here right now.

He missed her. He was too drunk to drive the speedboat ashore when the day drew on and had the ship’s crew taxi them instead. Emma had been gone all day, and he had quelled the urge to call her and text her a dozen times.

The merrier he got, the stronger the desire to have her right here in his arms, beside him with that intoxicating little face and perfect smell. ~Smell?~ ~Jesus, he really was in trouble… Knowing her scent was pretty much admitting in neon lights to himself that he was in love with her.~

~What guy associated a girl with how she smelled and actually ached for it?~ ~Fuck.~ He was in so much trouble with her. Miracle kept her distance on the boat ride, but Marissa was borderline humping his leg, much to the unamusement of her date.

Vincent was watching her with a face that just yelled “Tramp” at her. Poor guy should have realized this would happen; there was a reason all their trips had a “No Marissa” rule, and he had stupidly broken it.

She was like a dog in heat whenever she got within a fifty-mile radius of Jake and had been for years. Apart from one drunken fuck-up that he had no memory of last month, he never went down that route and never would again.

Even if she hadn’t broken his heart years ago, she was a coldhearted, manipulative bitch that he would have seen through eventually. She was the exact opposite of Emma in every way. Not just in looks but in body and soul.

Emma was pure and good in every way, and Marissa was dark and nasty. He shrugged her away and moved forward enough in the hopes that they would get ashore before he let go and threw her overboard.

The restaurant was nice and private. It had a beach theme and little palm leaf roofs over each table, making it quirky and relaxed. The tables spilled out onto the sand near the shore and were strung with fairy lights now that it was getting dull. Not that Jake cared.

His mind was on one thing only. Jake couldn’t help but keep watching for Emma’s arrival. He’d texted them when they were on the way here, knowing a phone call would only have his so-called mates crooning in the background.

He was missing her crazily. It felt like she had been gone for days already, and a part of him was nervous that he would hate her new hair. ~He swore not one of them better say anything about the day’s conversation.~

Marissa was making a hell of a play trying to get him into some eye-on-eye action. He had no idea what was with this chick. He had no patience for the way she was trying to catch his attention when they all picked seats, so he decided to stay on his feet as far from her as he could manage.

The last thing he needed was Emma arriving and seeing Marissa’s eye humping him when he wanted to avoid all talk of her. Daniel stayed upright too, coming to his side as the twins ordered the first round of drinks at the bar.

Miracle was sitting next to Marissa, avoiding him at all costs and still embarrassed about earlier. The two obviously didn’t exactly get on but were conversing out of boredom. Marissa was still watching him a little too hawkishly.

He wished she would fuck off. The twins returned with trays and started dispersing glasses and bottles all over the table. Jake was handed a beer, and Daniel was already unsteady on his feet, which was a sign that he might stop drinking.

Daniel had the same tolerance as him, and they had pretty much stayed level in the amount they had drunk all day. If he could see signs of it in Hunter, then he was sure he was probably worse than he realized too, and drunk Jake would be no good at behaving himself around Emma.

She was too much of a lure for wandering eyes, hands, and mouths. Jake pushed Hunter playfully as he swayed closer and banged into him for the third time. “Jesus, man… stop trying to cuddle up to me.”

He smirked at him, and Daniel just shoved him back. “You’re the one who’s trying it on with me. All this lack of playtime has you thinking bro sex is acceptable.”

Hunter smirked right back cheekily at him as the two twins decided to stay standing too, the four forming a little group on the side of the table and ostracizing both women. “Never, ever would that be acceptable.” Richard cringed, and Jake just shook his head at him.

“Says the guy who slept naked in a womb with another bloke for nine months and most likely a bed for the first few more.” Jake pointed his bottle at him with a cheeky smile.

Jake had no problem with gay men; he knew and liked a few of them, but his immediate circle of friends right now was not as comfortable with it. “Yeah, I reckon Vince is the big spoon, and Richie here takes it like a trooper… Brotherly love and all that.”

Hunter laughed, amused by his own jokes. Jake smiled too, taking a swig of his mellow beer and watching them closely. “Shut the fuck up… I am not that way inclined!” Richie made an effort to put on a manly pose and grabbed his package crudely.

“I’m all horny male for tits and ass.” “Notice he said ass… Not pussy?” Daniel frowned Jake’s way. They clinked beer bottles across the neck with nods of agreement. Riling your mates was the best amusement a guy could get.

“Busted, little brother, now bend over and take it like a good little bitch!” Vince tried to push him forward but was only met with a flustered and almost angry Richie slapping him away. “Shut up, or I’ll tell them about that tramp you let use a strap-on up your ass.”

Richie spat at his brother and then laughed when Vincent turned crimson, only reinforcing the fact he had done that. Both Jake and Daniel grimaced at the thought and looked at one another as if to say, “Yeah … just NO.”

As kinky as both of them were when it came to sex, even they drew the line on some things. Anal on a guy was one of those things, although he was pretty sure if Emma were ever up for that sort of thing, he would do it to her.

~Mind out of the gutter, Carrero … She’s too pure for that shit.~ Jake glanced in the direction of approaching blonde hair for a moment, some inner sense to turn that way, then did a double take when he realized that small, blonder, wavy-haired girl was, in fact, Emma.

And she looked fucking amazing. ~Holy hell~. Her hair had been cut to above shoulder length; somehow, the waves had only gotten wilder and sexier, with shorter, blonder highlights. They lightened her honey-blonde and framed that perfect face in a way that made every single nerve in his body react impulsively.

She was beyond stunning. ~Man, he wanted to fuck her right now.~ ~Badly.~ He quelled the urge to groan, reeling back from the five thousand filthy thoughts running through his head right now, and walked toward her.

She was locked on him visually, smiling softly and completely inviting. For a second, he could have sworn she had missed him too, if her expression was anything to go by. Without even thinking, he was drawn straight to touching that hair, pushing back a strand from her face and reveling in how soft it felt between his fingers.

~How soft she looked, how she smelled.~ God, he had missed her like crazy, and right now, she was like some perfect vision of angelic beauty captivating him and knocking everything else out of focus around them as she smiled up at him almost adoringly.

The urge to kiss her was killing him. He ran his hand through that touchable hair and concentrated on staying in control as much as possible, realizing just how close to her he had gotten and cooling his heavy breathing so she wouldn’t see how much he was unraveling.

He needed to sober up if he was going to stop himself. “I like this. A lot!” he said softly, his eyes heavy with lust and intoxication and knowing being this drunk this close to her was a bad idea.

He was fighting with every piece of his strength not to lean down the rest of the way and kiss her. Her mouth was calling to be kissed right now—soft, pouted, free of makeup, and achingly inviting.

He could almost reach her, taste her, and he knew she would taste as good as she smelled. “Thank you.” She smiled—sexy, soft-voiced—and pulled the hair from his hand, tucking it back with the rest of her short waves shyly.

Eyes flooring him in that way she sometimes looked at him that almost convinced him he stood a chance with her.

She looked so goddamn adorable when she was like this, and he had zero control. He leaned down, almost losing the battle to stop himself from kissing her, and at the last moment, caught it and redirected it to her cheek.

~Close, Carrero … So, fucking close.~ He needed to have more control than this. He needed to sober up a little if he had to look at her all night in that dress and new, very fuckable hair.

He had been wrong about her cutting it. As much as he had loved it the way it was, this somehow was more her. It made her a hundred times more appealing, even though he had never been one for shorter hair.

It was softer, sexier, yet still angelic, and he loved it. Grasping her hand to ground himself back to reality, he looked back at those perfect baby-blue eyes, which only somehow seemed bigger and softer with all the layers around her face.

Jesus, his girl was probably the most breathtaking woman he had ever known, and it was taking the strength of a hundred men not to lift her up around his waist right now and devour her. It was almost painful to take her hand when every fiber of his body was aching for more.

“Come on.” He entwined her small, delicate fingers in his, happier than hell to have her back with him again, and led her proudly to the table. She was the most beautiful woman in the bistro, and he would be damned sure no one else would get a look at her.

He wouldn’t be liable for having to endure another guy making a play for her. She would see violence come out of him, probably sending her running for the hills.

Emma followed obediently, tightening her hand in his snugly and making him feel like the only thing that mattered right now was that tiny little set of fingers wrapped in his. She felt like home.