Sweet Alibi (11 page)

“You okay?” Silas slid an arm around my trembling shoulders.

“Yeah, I just overdid it,” I said.

“You want to leave?”

“Are you okay to leave?”

“Absolutely.” He gave me a reassuring grin. That was my Silas, always there for me, always concerned, always willing to be my person.

“Where’s hottie boy?” I asked.

“Justin left. Got his number though.” Silas wiggled his eyebrows.

“Justin, nice.” I swatted him on the shoulder.

“I'll go tell Drew and Gavin we’re leaving and meet you at the door.”

He headed for the dance floor and I wound my way to the corner by the door, when I spotted Tristan with his long-legged blonde. He was sitting on a bar stool and she had her arm draped around him, her fingers tangled in his hair. 

The hair my fingers had just been tangled in. 

My stomach flipped painfully before I turned away. I'd come too close to making a mistake with him. Shame bubbled in my chest when I thought of Kyle at home pouring over law books. I needed to go home and sleep this night off. I needed to forget it ever happened.

Thirteen

Georgia

I WOKE THE next morning with a faint headache. I'd called Kyle last night and we'd talked for a long time about everything and nothing. It was the longest we'd talked since I'd gotten here and it felt good to reconnect. I’d realized in the bright light of morning that that had been my problem these last few days; I'd started to feel the emptiness between Kyle and I, and I’d missed him terribly. I craved his arms around my body at night and his warm smile in the morning. 

I'd asked him to come for a visit the following weekend, and he promised he would do everything he could to make it work. I think he’d been feeling the ache created in my absence too.

I entered the kitchen to the smell of bacon. Gavin stood in pajama pants with an apron tied around his waist and nothing else. He held a fork in his hand as Silas and Drew sat on bar stools laughing. A smile spread across my lips as I reveled in the warm atmosphere of my closest friends. This is what I'd hoped for when I'd invited them here for the summer. We were a dysfunctional, makeshift family, and I loved it.

“Didn't anyone ever tell you not to fry bacon naked?” I laughed.

“I'm man enough.” Gavin gave a small shrug.

“No coffee? Tristan's off his game this morning.” I scooped grounds into the pot.

“Tristan didn't come home last night,” Drew said.

“Really?” My head whipped around to meet her eyes.

“Probably went home with that blonde he was wrapped around…or the brunette.” Drew shook her head.

“Maybe both.” Gavin added and turned back to the bacon.

“Such a whore,” I mumbled and tried to disguise the twinge of pain that radiated through my chest.

“Tried and true,” Drew said as she flipped pages in a fashion magazine. “You'd think he'd have learned his lesson after the last one.” She frowned.

“The last one?” Silas asked.

“Tristan slept with a client. They had a few meetings
―
”

“A few orgasms
―
” Gavin cut her off with a laugh.

“A few of those,” Drew chuckled. “She thought it was more until she flew down to surprise him one weekend and found him in bed with someone else.”

“Two someone elses.” Gavin held up two fingers. My eyes widened in surprise.

“Sounds like a soap opera.” I turned back to the coffee pot as my mind raced with the new information. It certainly filled in a few gaps about his history, and solidified his standing as a whore. All the more reason to steer clear of those full lips and that irresistible grin.

“Tristan's life can be.” Gavin poked at the bacon. “Ow! Fuck!” He jumped back from the stove and Drew, Silas, and I burst into a fit of giggles.

“Thought you were man enough,” I grinned.

“I'm fine, no tears.” He went back with fork in hand. “My girl likes it when I cook naked.”

“Do I ever.” Drew stepped up behind Gavin and slipped her arms around his waist, kissing his shoulder.

“Gotta say, I don’t mind either,” Silas winked at me. I laughed before pouring coffee in a mug and joining him at the island. “Less cuddling, more cooking,” Silas commanded.

“Shut it.” Drew glared at him as she ran her fingers up and down Gavin's back.

“Just in time for breakfast, I see.” Tristan ambled into the kitchen wearing the clothes he'd had on last night.

“Late night?” Gavin thrust a hand out to fist bump his best friend. A small smile lit Tristan's lips before he knocked his knuckles against Gavin's and made his way to the coffee pot. I tried to avert my gaze from his easy smile and the perfectly tousled hair that looked like he’d just had sex, which he probably had. My stomach clenched at the thought.

“So which one?” Drew put a hand on her hip.

“Which one what?” Tristan asked with a gleam in his eye.

“Blonde or brunette?” Drew glared at him.

“A gentleman never tells.” The corner of his sculpted lips lifted.

“Gentleman?” Gavin guffawed. A small smile lifted at the corner of my lips as I forced myself to pretend I didn’t care. What I really wanted to do was bolt from the kitchen and force the image of Tristan’s hands all over one of those girls from my head.

Tristan smirked before setting his coffee cup down. “I'm going to jump in the shower. Save me some food.” He smacked Gavin on the shoulder.

“Such a whore.” Drew shook her head with an amused grin on her face.

During breakfast, Drew suggested we have our first official beach day. The sun was high and the summer rain had helped warm the water. We gathered beach towels, magazines, and bottled water and made our way down the wooden walkway, over the low sand dunes, and onto the beach.

Drew and I laid down towels and watched as the guys played Frisbee in the water. All three guys were fine examples of the male form. Gavin had large biceps, broad shoulders, and clearly defined abs. His tanned skin was testament to the fact that he spent a lot of time in the sun.

Silas worked out multiple times at the gym each week and ran nearly every day, and his body showed it. He wasn't as big as Gavin, but each and every muscle in his body was well defined. He was the shortest of all three and his ready smile was confirmation of his friendly, flirty personality.

Tristan was the least defined of the three with a lean, toned body that could only be achieved by running diligently every day of the week, which I knew Tristan did before our morning coffee. The muscles were lightly etched across the breadth of his bronzed chest and he had a hint of a V across the expanse of his hips. He was mouthwatering in an I-don’t-try-too-hard sort of way.

The guys dove into the surf to catch the Frisbee and we chuckled and snuck glances at them while we laid out the towels and positioned ourselves in the sun. Skin cancer be damned, I wasn’t about to spend my summer on the beach a ghostly shade of white.

Tristan dove into a wave and came up, water dripping from his long hair, a carefree smile on his face. My eyes focused on him intently behind my sunglasses. He twisted his elegant body and flung the Frisbee just out of Gavin's reach on purpose, which sent Gavin diving into the water to catch it. I wondered what a relationship would be like with Tristan; mornings over coffee on the porch, days filled with sweet smiles and intimate touches, and that mischievous glint in his eye that turned my insides to mush. 

“You really think Tristan went home with those girls last night?” I asked Drew thoughtfully.

“Maybe. Wouldn't be the first time.” Drew turned over to lie on her stomach.

“Has he ever been in a serious relationship?” I turned over along with her.

“Not that I know of. But I’ve only been around them for a few months. Why?” Drew turned to watch me. “Did he hit on you?” Drew asked.

“I guess you could call it that,” I mumbled as I soaked up the warm rays of the sun. The heat coursed through my body and caused every tense muscle to relax.

“Did you like it?”

“What do you mean did I like it?” I laughed.

“I meant what I said. Did you like it when Tristan hit on you?”

I frowned. “I got caught up for a moment. But it won't happen again.” I sighed and nestled my head into the crook of my arm.

“You’re being pretty casual about it.”

“What's to say? We were drunk the second time, so that's the only reason I let it go for a few minutes too long,” I mumbled sleepily.

“The second time?” Drew questioned.

“We had a thing one morning on the porch.”

“A thing? What kind of thing?”

“A kiss. Just a small one. A brushing of the lips really. Nothing intense.” My stomach clenched because I knew it had been intense, for me at least. “I told him it couldn’t happen again.”

“And then he tried again?”

“Don't they all?”

“You don't understand, G. Tristan always gets the girl. Always.”

“Well, he’s not getting this girl. I told him I’m with Kyle.”

“Hasn't stopped him in the past,” she mumbled.

The wind left my lungs at her revelation. That confirmed it. Tristan wasn't for me. Would
never
be for me. “Maybe not, but it's stopping me.” 

“For now.”

“Stop.” I flicked sand on her towel with a grin.

“Look, I don't care if you hook up with Tristan. The boy's hot. Like, off the charts hot. And God knows he must have some serious talent in the bedroom. You can see it when he gives a girl that smile and his eyes do that sparkling thing
―
”

“Sounds like you’re interested in him,” I said.

“Whatever. Anyway, I don't care if you hook up with him all summer. Kyle's not here, hasn't even seen the place, and whether you like it or not, that means something, Georgia.” She tipped her sunglasses down her nose and locked eyes with me.

“It means he's busy,” I said.

“So you keep saying. Anyway, my point is, don't get attached to Tristan. That's all. If you can do that then I say jump into bed with him. You need to let loose and have some fun, just for the summer. You’ve had a stick up your ass since the moment we met.”

“Hey.” I flicked more sand at her.

“Just sayin’.” Her smile beamed back at me.

“So letting loose in Drew's world means
being
loose?” I gave her a grin.

“Sometimes.” She pushed her sunglasses back up her nose.

“Hey, baby.” Gavin dashed up and stretched his wet self across Drew's back. She screamed and punched him on the bicep.

“What are you two talking about up here?” He nuzzled into her neck and made wet kissing noses under her ear.

“I was telling Georgia she should screw Tristan this summer.”

“Drew.” I shot her a death glare.

“Hey, no corrupting my girl with your slutty tendencies.” Silas roamed up and sat on the edge of my towel.

“Who has slutty tendencies?” Tristan walked up, spinning the Frisbee around his finger.

“Drew, of course,” Silas said.

“Takes one to know one,” Drew glared.

“I don't deny it.” Silas winked back at her.

“You should come in the water, baby.” Gavin slid his hands up Drew's back. “Considering you’re already wet…” He winked.

“Christ,” Tristan threw the Frisbee at Gavin's head as the rest of us snickered.

“Come on.” Gavin hauled her up into his arms. She squealed as he walked her straight into the water to his waist before setting her down.

“You up for it, Georgia?” Tristan asked. Goosebumps broke out across my skin at the thought of Tristan throwing me over his shoulder and hauling me into the water like Gavin had Drew. I hated that part of me wanted him to do it.

“Don't even think about it.” I shot him a warning glance. He laughed before plopping down on Drew's vacated towel.

“Water's cold anyway, love,” Silas said, flipping the pages in a magazine.

“It's not so cold.” Tristan passed me a brash smile. A smile that seriously had the ability to take my breath away.

“I’m good. Maybe in a while.”

“So where'd you spend last night?” Why had those words just escaped my mouth? I’d only said them to fill the empty space between us. Tristan crooked his head to the side and looked at me.

“The boat.”

“Oh.” Alone? I burned to ask him that one-worded question. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that he had a built-in bachelor pad right at the marina. I thought how romantic it would be to make love on a gently rocking sailboat, before I shut my eyes tightly in the hopes of banishing the thought from my brain. I needed to call Kyle when I got back in the house. If I was going to keep my head straight around Tristan all summer, I was going to be calling Kyle. A lot.

The silence stretched between us as Tristan watched Drew and Gavin splashing in the water. I sat up on my arms watching them. I’d never seen Drew laugh as much as she did when she was with Gavin. It was sweet, even though most of their interactions revolved around sex.