Shades of Sydney (Sydney West #1) (2 page)

I nodded and went right, looking behind my shoulder as he moved toward his friend. The guy was sexy, but he didn’t seem interested in me. I swallowed my pride and kept the search going for my friend.

A laugh like wind chimes came from a table up ahead. Amelia sat across the guitarist who was on stage playing when we were dancing. The leather jacket was back on him, as if he needed it to showcase he was badass. They seemed to be whispering to each other and a deep laugh came from him. I was glad she’d found someone to hang out with.

I didn’t want to ruin her conversation, so I turned to the music and moved my body with the tempo. All my stress melted as I gave myself over to the mob once again.

A guy separated himself from a blonde girl wearing a tight black mini-dress. He tried to court me, even attempting to impress me with his moves. I playfully pushed him away and he grabbed my hand.

“Where you going, pretty girl?” he whispered. The smell of cologne hit my nose like a train.

“Away…unless you give me a reason to stay.”

He ran his meaty hand up my arm and gingerly traced my left collarbone. “One dance?”

I closed the distance between us and looked into his hazel eyes. A faint scar marred his right cheek. “What do I get in return?”

He laughed. It came from deep within his throat. “I’ll buy you a drink. How does that sound?”

We turned to let a couple pass by.

The girl he was with shot me a death glare. Her friend wore a white skirt with a leopard print tube top. She narrowed her eyes at me and said something to the woman in black. All I felt was jealousy oozing out of them.

I ran my finger down his jawbone, teasing the women watching me. “Sounds like a deal.” He placed a hand on my hip as I dug my fingers into his shoulder blade.

The small hairs on his cheek tickled my face when he brushed his lips over my ear. “You smell wonderful.” His voice made my stomach roll itself into a tight ball of need.

“Thank you. It’s my favorite perfume.”

“I love it. Maybe we can—”

“My turn,” a man about six foot three with chocolate brown hair said, looking at me like I was the Hope diamond.

My dance partner tripped over his words and before he could recover, he was pushed aside by my new suitor.

“Thought I’d save you from that guy,” he said, placing his hands on my hips. His voice had a husky tone, making my insides burn as the need for a man washed over me again.

Heat pooled low in my gut as I looked from the swell of his naked chest to his full lips. He probably knew how to put that mouth of his to good use. He fit the bill of what my summer boy looked like: handsome, tall but not super tall, and he was giving me a look as if I had cast a siren spell on him.

“What made you think I needed to be saved?” I asked, running my nails down his spine.

He rested his chin on my head for a moment and turned me with the music. “You’re too beautiful to be with a guy like him.”

I raised an eyebrow and locked my arms around his neck. “Is that so? Who should I be with? You?”

“Yes,” he said, flashing me a bright smile. The music swelled, enveloping everyone in a bubble of euphoria.

His lips captured mine. I let him in and our tongues intertwined. Strong hands explored my back and cupped my ass. He kissed like he was starved for affection. He twisted a piece of my dirty blonde hair around his fingers and kissed along my jawline.

In my ear, he whispered, “Do you want to take this—?”

“Yes.” The pounding between my thighs made my head hurt. I spotted Amelia sipping a blue drink with an umbrella. She appeared content with that guitarist. “Where do you wanna go?”

He towed me to the men’s restroom. One guy stood at a urinal, staring at the wall. We locked ourselves into the handicapped stall. He pushed me against the wall. The cold tile bit into me as part of my shirt rose up. He kissed the nape of my neck and moved down to my chest. Flames swept through me and the chill from the tile fled.

“I’d like to know your name before you go any further,” I said, pushing him away.

He looked down at my chest. “Mike. Yours?”

“Sydney.”

“I like that name,” he said while hitching my skirt up and pushing my thong down with eager fingers. I quickly stepped out of the thong. I leaned my head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling as he licked a wet line down my throat to the top of my breasts. When I looked back at Mike, he was completely naked. His bronze body reminded me of a Greek god statue I saw in a literature book.

He rolled on a condom and held me close, whispering, “You ready?”

I arched my back and said, “Yes. Don’t hold back.”

“Never do.” He bit my earlobe, sending signals down my body and making the space between my thighs buzz.

I turned the tables and pinned him to the wall. His fingers intertwined with mine. I dug my fingernails into the back of his hands. Feeling him within me made my heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. I increased the speed and bit his bottom lip, knowing it would be bruised tomorrow morning.

For a few moments, it felt like I was a whole person again. The sex being meaningless didn’t matter. What drove me was having physical touch, to feel my heart pounding, knowing it still functioned.

He moaned as he came. His hands pawed at my breasts, wishing to free them. I had enough and the smell of the place was burning my nose. Mike was a decent fuck. Maybe not one of my top ten, but he wasn’t the worst either.

“That was fun. I gotta run,” I said, forcing his hands off me. I pulled my underwear on and smoothed out my skirt before exiting the stall.

“Baby, that was only the first round.” He gave me a smoldering look he must’ve thought worked on women, but it only made me think he swallowed something disgusting by the way he’d screwed up his face.

“Call me,” I said, pushing the bathroom door open.

“Wait, I don’t have your number,” he called, desperately grabbing his pants and yanking them on.

“Guess.”

I waved and disappeared into the crowd. The chaos of music and drunk dancers had grown more out of hand than it was before I’d fucked my first boy of the summer. People were half naked and growing more bold. One guy was trying to take the DJ over and security was pulling him away.

A girl in the corner beckoned me. She wore high heels and what appeared to be a pink bikini.

Her lips curled into a smile, revealing perfect teeth. She reached out for me and ran a hand through my long hair. “I saw you on the floor. You know how to handle a man. Can you handle this?” she purred into the shell of my ear.

I opened my mouth to ask her what she was implying, but she pulled me in close and kissed me on the lips. Her tongue wished to enter my mouth. I couldn’t allow that.

I pushed her back and raised my eyebrows. “What the fuck?”

“You taste like cherries,” she said and tried to pull me in again.

For a second, I had a flashback to last summer with a girl while I was on acid. Not pretty.

“Whoa! I’m not into chicks,” I blurted and raised both my hands to keep her away. “I gotta go.” I turned and looked for Amelia.

“Bye, sugar lips,” she shouted after me.

Amelia wasn’t at that table with the guitarist anymore. I scanned the dance floor, looking for her wild brown hair and gray dress. If I knew I’d lose her, I would’ve gotten her to wear a neon colored dress.

“Sydney?” A hand touched my upper arm. Amelia had blood red eyes and wavered as she hugged me.

I took her hands and asked, “How much did you drink?”

“Two fruity drinks, then we both did a shot. Did you see him? He’s hot, huh?” She rubbed her eye and leaned against a table. “Can we go now?”

The taste of that strange girl’s lemon-flavored ChapStick lingered on my lips. I got all I could out of the party. “Yes, we can,” I said, draping her arm over my shoulders.

Ryder, the guy from last year, noticed me walking Amelia out the door. I almost expected him to still be upset with me and throw his beer in my face, so it was a surprise to see him raise it in a greeting instead.

“Hey,” he said and winked at me.

Ugh, I know that face. He wants another taste of me.

But to me, he was tainted, someone I had tasted before. There was no point in seeing a guy more than once or they’d get ideas I was a fuck buddy or worse, a girlfriend. I loathed when they remembered. It was like they were a ghost who never stopped haunting me.

I rolled my eyes and kept moving toward the exit.

God, I think I’m getting too old for this shit.

***

As I half walked, half dragged Amelia into the house, she yawned and said, “I need my bed.”

I nodded. “I know. That’s where we’re going,” I said, helping her up the stairs.

She fell into the queen bed with her dress still on. I was going to help her change, but she was already snoring softly. Amelia was a real party animal. I chuckled to myself as I took her heels off and placed them by the dresser.

My body ached and my bed called out to me, but I wanted to put the photo Gaby gave me into my summer album before I lost it. I went into the living room and took the photo from my purse. The photo album was where I left it last August, on top of the bookshelf.

I curled myself into my leather chair and looked through the glossy pages, reminiscing about the past. There was a space between the pictures of me dancing on a table and a random guy kissing my neck. I placed the photo Gaby gave me into a plastic sleeve and continued to flip through the pages. I had twenty summers under my belt and was currently working on my twenty-first. I filled countless pages with memories of bonfires, beach parties, slumber parties, being wasted, and everything else under the sun and moon.

A new summer meant a new year to begin, a new chance to rebuild myself. Most people wished their dreams to come true or planned their goals on their birthday or on New Year’s Eve. I went by summers.

What was life without summers to remember?

This summer had spectacular written all over it in permanent marker. I had a reputation in Malibu, one people thought I shouldn’t be proud of. Every summer for the last six years, I came here and partied. I was the bitch who every girl envied and every guy wanted to bang. Cliché, some say, but I was worth it. I had a trademark of loving and leaving when the sun rose. To my naysayers, I was toxic, like a vampire’s kiss, but they were only envious. At least that’s how I took it.

Chapter Two

The water sparkled with reds and pinks. With the sun sinking into the sea, the world was lit in an almost dreamy light. We settled on a private beach located near cliffs and jagged rocks. It wasn’t the best place to catch a wave, but at least it wasn’t littered with noisy children.

Amelia and I laid our beach towels onto the folding chairs. I dug in my bag for sunscreen. The sun was dying, but I didn’t want to chance getting burned.

“I’ll put some of that on your back and then you can do mine,” Amelia said, taking it from me before I could reply.

I sat on my chair with my back to her. She pushed my hair to the side and spread the lotion on all the skin my powder blue bikini didn’t cover.

“By the way, how was that guitarist last night?” I asked, eyeing a couple in their early twenties holding hands as they walked down the beach. They stopped briefly and kissed as water rushed over their feet.

How romantic…I’m going to be sick.

She clicked the sunscreen closed and placed it next to me. “Syd, I can’t believe how gorgeous he was!” she said, walking to her chair in front of me and sinking into it. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blushed. “I talked to him all night. He’s been playing lead guitar for five years now. His band is going on tour soon, so I gave him my number. What did you do at the club while I was with him?”

I ran my hands through my hair as I watched the couple disappear further along the coast. “I had a few bites…”

It was my first night at a club and I already had a summer boy. Not a bad start.

She poked my arm. “I’ve been your best friend since we were kids. I shared my pudding with you in fourth grade.” Her eyes narrowed. She was trying to act like my big sister. “I know when you’re withholding info from me, Syd.”

I shrugged, rubbing my eye. “It was pretty basic. One guy left his girlfriend to dance with me. While we talked, another cut in and we hooked up in the bathroom. Then a girl kissed me.”

Though it wasn’t as bad as waking up to a strange girl in bed with you and having no memory of all the events that occurred, like last year.

“Wait, a girl kissed you?” Only Amelia would get hung up on that piece of the story.

I grabbed a strand of my hair, studying the ends. “Yeah, she did,” I said dryly.

Amelia bounced in her chair and giggled. “Why? Were you giving off some kind of vibe?”

I frowned. I didn’t like breaking down my nights into play-by-plays. “Not that I know of. What difference does it make? I get hit on by all kinds, girls and guys. I wasn’t feeling it, so I left and found you.”

“Wow, Syd. You know, we should kiss at the next club. It’s a turn on for some guys,” she said, laughing. Then she snorted. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her hands.

“Damn, one night in a club and you’re thinking up plots to pornos. I don’t know what to do with that.” I grabbed the sunscreen. “Spin around,” I ordered, standing up.

Amelia gave her back to me and moved her hair. “Your bikini is coming untied.”

She crossed her arms as if her top was going to fall off at any moment. “Can you fix it?”

“Mmm-hmm,” I said, rubbing the last pool of sunscreen onto her shoulder. I grabbed the strings and tied a strong bow.

She turned to face me. Her bikini was white with blood red Hawaiian flowers plastered all over it. She pulled her top up, trying to make her breasts fit in better.

I threw the sunscreen back into my bag and sat in my chair again.

Out on the water another couple who looked to be in their forties playfully splashed each other. Then he grabbed her, dunked her under for a heartbeat, and brought her back up. They kissed passionately, like a cover of a romance novel.

When did this beach become a couple magnet? I saw them all over, lying in the dying light, giggling to each other. I was sure one couple was fucking under a towel. Two teenagers kept brushing each other’s hands and sharing flirtatious smiles. My stomach knotted itself up at all the affection being shown.

Amelia spotted the couple in the ocean and sighed. “That’s a life goal right there.”

“Hardly. Love isn’t real.” I cackled at the thought.

She gave me a pointed look, but didn’t argue. My anti-love wasn’t new to her.

I drifted back to last night with…what was his name…Mike? That sounded right. My body loved the touch of his rough hands on my skin.

I never wanted love. Those fantasies were for fools and little girls who watched too many Disney movies. All I needed was a good fuck and that’s what summer was for.

“You like Malibu so far?” I asked, trying to get those couples out of my head.

Her eyes were on the ocean as small waves crashed on the warm sand. “Of course I do. The guys are fucking hot! I can’t believe this is my first summer in Malibu with you.” She fanned herself with her hand. “Some of the guys are, like, heart stopping hot. I can see why you always come here.”

I smiled. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t sign up to do that summer camp job again?”

“Yeah, being a counselor wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Those tween girls go crazy. Last year, someone caught the deck of a cabin on fire. This summer I want to have fun and be foolish,” she said, stretching her arms over her head.

“You’ve come to the master,” I said, holding my hand to my chest.

“Do you wanna surf? I need to get back in the water. Can’t believe I haven’t touched a wave since last summer. And to think I used to live in Florida and no one could keep me away from the ocean.” She shook her head and looked at the horizon. “I want to get some waves in before the sun is totally gone.”

She searched the open ocean again, wonder in her eyes. Her hair was a little frizzy from the drive here and without makeup, her freckles contrasted with her skin, appearing like sprinkles spread across her face and over the bridge of her nose.

“Night surfing isn’t that bad if the moon is bright,” I said, leaning back in my chair. The salty breeze licked my skin. I wanted to enjoy the moment.

Amelia clicked her tongue. I didn’t have to look at her to get a glimpse of her signature glare. Narrowed eyes, a pouty set of lips, and flushed cheeks. “Surfing at night is dangerous. Haven’t you seen
Jaws
?”

A laugh burst from my lips before I could swallow it. “Have
you
? That movie is so fake, Amelia. A real shark can’t do half of what Jaws can.”

An annoyed look crossed her face, but she quickly hid it. “Whatever, it’s still unsafe. We could be pulled out to sea and drown because no one could see or hear us to help.”

I let out a breath. “Fine, let’s go then.”

She jumped up and grabbed her board that was stuck in the sand behind our chairs. “I’ll race ya!”

***

My senses were a bit rusty from being in Arizona for the past nine months, but my body knew how the ocean worked. I caught wave after wave like I’ve done for countless summers. The water was like riding a bike; the skill came back when you needed it to.

After a few big waves, the ocean turned a bit flat. Using my board as a mini boat, I lay on my back and watched the birds fly above me. Amelia was still riding the smaller waves the last time I looked at her.

The silence was cut by her shrill screams.

I shot up like a rocket, thinking the worst. She was a few yards away, waving her arms above her head and looking at me with a frantic expression. Her lips moved, but I couldn’t make out any words. I scanned the water for a fin or a large, dark body, but didn’t see anything. Fear sent a chill through my body.

She lay on her stomach and paddled toward me. I stayed put and kept looking at the water, wishing she hadn’t brought up
Jaws
earlier.

“There’s some…cute…boys coming…over here,” she said, gasping for air.

The waves softly rocked my surfboard. “That’s why you freaked out? Boys? God, I thought there was a shark.”

She laughed at me. A roll of a wave made her grasp the board a little tighter to keep from falling off. “Really? Wow, Syd, and you thought I was paranoid for bringing up that movie.”

“Shut up. If you wanna go flirt, then go. I’ll be right behind you.”

She nodded and turned around to head back to shore. I noticed she kept moving her head side-to-side. If I didn’t know any better, she was looking out for a shark too.

Once ashore, Amelia tucked her board under her arm, but didn’t walk directly to the guys. We never went to them, the guys always came to us. That way we had control.

I tied my hair in a ponytail with the purple hair band around my wrist. The boys spotted us and smiled. They saw a couple of hot girls and their dicks led the way.

“Hey, girls, what’s up?” the boy with sandy blonde hair and red trunks asked. He hugged his board under his arm. It had a dragon on it and looked custom made.

I took him in. He was super tall and thin, so Amelia’s type. As if on cue, she sighed.

“Just catching some waves. I’m a bit rusty,” she said in a low voice, attempting to be sexy.

So she was going for the old I-need-you-to-show-me-some-surf-tricks route. Classic. I hated pretending that I wasn’t a pro, but guys loved to feel needed. It helped their fragile ego.

At first I didn’t think they’d bite, but I was wrong. They came closer, and the boy who first spoke to us went to Amelia.

“I can show you some tips. Been surfing all my life,” he said proudly.

“Yes,” Amelia said excitedly, dragging the poor boy to the ocean.

Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the other boy. He was tall, but not über tall, like the other guy. His muscles moved like liquid as he approached me. I had the urge to touch his abs and see if they were as firm as they appeared. His hair was tussled and golden brown, as if sun-kissed. His board was a light blue with black stripes. It was a good brand, but a basic print.

“Do you need surfing lessons too or are you here in support?” the boy asked me. His silver eyes mirrored the moon, sending shivers down my shine.

“Umm…I was wanting to be surfing…”

What the hell did I just say?

His eyes sparkled with laughter, but he didn’t mock me. “I can teach you some tricks if you want.”

I looked at him closer. My stomach fell to the sand. He was the guy I bumped into at that club who didn’t bother giving me a second look. He kept walking as if I was just another body in the crowd, no one worthy of his attention.

“Were you at Club Purple last night?”

He tilted his head. “Yes, how did you know?”

“I ran into you and we kept going the same way and then—”

“Oh, right,” he said, nodding as if it all made sense.

But I was still lost. Why wasn’t he looking at me like the other guys did, like I was the only sin he wanted to taste?

He stretched his arms in front of him and said, “You never said if you’d like a surfing lesson.”

I dug my toe into the warm sand, creating a hole. “Sure…Wait, I don’t even know your name.”

He smiled, revealing perfect teeth. “The name’s Jason, and yours is…?”

That boy’s smile was contagious. I had to give him one back. “My name is Sydney.”

“Pretty name. Shall we get to our lesson before the sky turns black?”

“After you,” I said, motioning him to go ahead of me.

He led me to the ocean. “Okay, get on your board. I want to see how you stand on it.”

I sat with my legs on either side of the surfboard. I won a surfing competition a few years back, but that wasn’t what I should be focusing on. My brain felt fuzzy as he watched me, and somehow I almost slipped off the board as I moved to stand.

Jason touched my leg before I was on my feet. “No, that’s not how you stand.” The sun highlighted the water droplets in his hair. He shook his head and stood. “See?”

Yeah, I see you have a sexy body. Maybe you could be one of my summer boys?

“Umm…” I said, readjusting my bra, but he didn’t look at my breasts. Instead he sat back down and stared at the horizon.

“You’ll get the hang of it. You surfed before, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

A smile took his lips. “It’s like riding a bike. Wanna go over how to take a big wave?”

Damn. The boy compared surfing to what I like to compare it to. How ironic.

He explained all the basics I already knew. I fought the urge to confess I had a first place trophy in surfing and simply listened as he rambled on.

“Lay on your stomach.” I did and he moved closer, touching my upper arm. “You paddle out further and we’ll find a promising wave. Then turn toward shore and stand, angling your board along the shoreline. Before you know it, you’re gliding across the surface. Once you master that, you can go into the barrel of the wave or ride backside.”