When I got back to the suite, I wanted to text her.
Sure, I wanted to make sure they made it in okay, and that Jodi wasn’t too sick, but mostly I wanted to know who in the fuck Joe Motherfucking Guy was.
I pulled my wallet out and threw it on the night stand with my keys.
Reuben got another room for the night since Becca wanted to stay with him, and Nolan and Trevor were asleep on the couches in the living room area, so I didn’t worry about waking anyone up.
I shut the door, and then I paced.
Maybe Jodi was just drunk. I wasn’t about to act like some jealous prick. That wouldn’t help anything.
I didn’t want there to be a Joe. A Goddammed JOE.
Was he at the bar with them that night? Joe from the bar? Had she just met him?
Had I fucked up by not going? By giving her space?
“Fuck.”
I was sober and wide awake.
A Joe?
I was sitting on the counter in our suite, chewing one of the dry bagels room service brought with the coffee, when Trevor popped his head up from the couch.
“It’s about time you get up. I already took my stuff down.”
Scratching the sleep from the corners of his eyes, he asked, “Where’s Dad?”
“In the shower.” I finally choked down the stale hunk of bread and coughed. “There’s coffee.”
He stretched and shook out his crazy hair. “Is it any good?”
“Nope, but it’s hot.”
“No, thanks.” He picked his phone up, studied it, and then put it back down. “It’s only eight o’clock.”
“I know, but Reub and Bec are already at the cabin. You and your dad are riding over with me.”
He argued, “It’s Sunday.”
“Just get up. I want to get out on the lake so we get a good spot.” That was partially true. Also, I wanted to talk to Dana, and if not Dana, I was going to talk to Jodi. “And pack up because we’re staying at the cabin tonight.”
I’d had way too much shitty coffee and way too much time to think.
If that Joe Dickface was in town, and she met him at the bar, and if he had the balls to come over—to my place tonight—I was going to be there.
The thought of Joe was giving me a headache.
Dana hadn’t sent me a message or called, but maybe she was still asleep. I wasn’t even mad at her. It wasn’t her fault.
I hadn’t been there. I’d chosen to hang back with Trevor. I’d fucked up. But when I thought about Joe, I wanted to fucking smash something.
That wasn’t like me, but fuck.
Them meeting at the bar was the only scenario I’d let myself entertain. Because if this Joe guy came along back in Kansas City, and then after the few days we’d spent together she’d just never mentioned him, I didn’t know what I’d do.
I’d never told her I wanted to be exclusive. In fact, I was all but hiding the fact that I was crazy about her.
So damn stupid. And now what? Had I missed my shot altogether?
My thoughts freaked me out, so I kept busy by taking our bags down to the truck while father and son got ready.
I’d been wearing my swimming trunks since I woke up at five, and I just wanted to get there.
When we pulled in, I didn’t recognize the woman who was in the garage filling up a cooler, but as we hopped out of the truck she said, “Good morning.”
Nolan jogged ahead to help her.
“Is Joe in there?” Yeah, I’d lost my mind.
“I think Joe is still in bed with Dana.”
Unglued. Every part of me came unglued. I had no cool. No control.
“Thanks.” I stomped into the garage. “I’m Cord.”
“I’m Jyl. Thanks for having us.”
I went around them as Nolan offered to carry her Coleman down to the dock.
Becca was in the kitchen, and I pointed down the hall. “Joe?”
She was chewing so she nodded.
That motherfucker.
No one had to tell me, somehow, I knew exactly what room to go to, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I got there. I guessed we’d all find out at the same time.
What a fun little game. Sunday Funday. Yippee.
I opened the door and didn’t see anyone, but the covers on the messed-up bed moved. “You’re Joe, huh?”
There was a roar, then an arm swung out. “What? Shit. I said I was getting up. Give me a damn minute.”
It was Jodi, and she looked worse than hell.
Jodi? Joe?
I leaned back and let that sink in. Wait.
“Are you Joe?”
“Oh, my God. Are you drunk already or am I still drunk?” She threw the covers over her head. “Yes. I’m Joe; you’re Cord. I work at your coffee shop, remember? Now, can you please go away?”
I backed out slowly.
What the fuck happened? Had I lost my mind? Was I a crazy person now?
I scratched my head as I went back into the kitchen.
Becca guessed, “She still in bed, isn’t she?”
I nodded and decided it was a good time for me to go get shit ready on the boat. I needed some air. I’d never felt so strange. Never overreacted like that.
Where was my head?
I met a pair of pretty blue eyes at the sliding glass door at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled at me.
I wiped the cooling sweat off my forehead. “Can I talk to you?”
“Yeah,” she whispered and then looked behind herself. I even had her doing it. Keeping the secret. I sucked.
“Let’s go over here.” I grabbed her hand and swiftly kissed it, desperate to feel something normal, as I led her to my office.
“Did everything go okay last night?” I asked as soon as we were alone just inside the doorway of the dark room.
“Yeah, she drank way too much. We should have left a lot earlier. Then maybe I could have got a cab.” She squeezed my hand. “Sorry about that.”
“Dana?” a female’s voice yelled from somewhere upstairs.
Her head tipped like she could see through the floor.
I kept my voice low, but said, “Maybe we should just tell them that we’ve been spending time together.”
Her eyes shot to mine. “No. It’s their weekend. Let’s just go have fun with our friends like we planned. It’s fine.”
“Dana!”
She pulled her hands free of mine and leaned out of the dark office.
“I’ll be right up,” she shouted, and then came back to me. “I’ve got to go.”
Time was wasting, and I needed to touch her if I had to keep my distance for the rest of the day. I had to get what I could.
I wrapped my arms around her. My hands dipped under the sheer cover-up she was wearing, over her two-piece to her ass, and I lifted her up into my arms. She wrapped her legs around me and held on.
She moved herself against my erection, which had been there in the room with us the whole time. “What are you going to do about this all day?”
That was a good fucking question.
Usually, I didn’t walk around with a hard-on, and spending the whole day with her in the sun, wearing nearly nothing, laughing and watching her enjoy herself would be a major fucking test of will.
“I guess I’ll be in the water a lot.”
Her hands on my neck, she pulled my mouth to hers. The warmth from the cinnamon in her coffee lingered on her tongue, and although she didn’t know I’d freaked the fuck out the night before and all that morning, I did my best to apologize with the kiss.
Before it got too heated, and before someone came looking for her, her legs fell free of my hips, and she dangled her feet to be put down. Our lips would no more than part, and then one of us would lean in for just one more.
“Okay. I really have to go,” she said against my lips.
I was hunched over, boner full mast, as she attempted to back away. I groaned. It was going to suck not touching and kissing her all day. It felt like a mistake not telling our friends.
Sure, Reuben would be pissed, but he’d get over it.
Wouldn’t he?
Then again, he still hadn’t let me live down crazy-ass Bridget from his office—who I hadn’t wanted to take out in the first damn place.
Time to man up, Cord.
It was one day, and maybe later, when everyone was drunk and we were back at the cabin, I’d get a chance to steal more of her time.
I gave her ass a swat as she peeked around the door frame to make sure no one would see her.
“Yeep,” she quietly squealed. “No, Cord. You’re so bad.”
“Your Royal Highness has no idea.”
She gave me that scolding sneer for the name.
I corrected, “You have no idea, Dana.”
“I’ll let you show me later,” she teased out of nowhere.
I waited until the crotch of my trunks looked normal, and then headed outside.
“Are there anymore coolers that need to come down?” I yelled to Nolan who was stepping back onto the dock.
Pointing as he checked, he answered, “All of ours are down here, but there are two more that the girls wanted. I guess, ask them.”
Trevor came out of the sliding glass doors and I gave him the job. “Hey, I’m gonna go down and count life jackets and get situated. Go see if they need anything else carried out, and tell them to come down when they’re ready. Please.”
He nodded and turned around, not hesitating to do what I’d asked him.
I loved that kid.
Too bad he didn’t have more experience on the boat, I’d let him drive us back from Party Cove and I’d have a few extra beers. That was dangerous though, and even if I stayed relatively straight, it was the other boaters on the water who worried me most.
Fifteen minutes later, the boat was loaded with drinks, food, all life jackets were accounted for, and Trevor helped me get the tube blown up and strapped down to the back.
That was the good part about getting an early start, there wouldn’t be as many people on the water. Yet.
Dana took a seat on the open bow with Jyl and Becca. Reuben sat where my favorite red head had only a few nights earlier, and Trevor and Nolan lounged, one on each end of the long bench seat at the back. Coolers littered the floor and as Jodi lumbered down the dock to the boat, I shoved sandals and flip-flops in side compartments so they wouldn’t fly off.
Honestly, by the way she’d looked the night before, I was surprised she was going out with us, but I offered her a hand to steady her as she climbed aboard. “How are you feeling?”
“I puked and took a shower. So I should be good to go.” I couldn’t see her eyes through the dark shades, but I was sure they were bloodshot. I had to give her credit though. She was rallying for her friends.
Becca scooted over and tapped the seat beside her. “Come up here. I made Bloody Marys. After one of them, you’ll be all better.”
Jodi smiled weakly. “Great.”
“Bite the dog,” I encouraged, as she shimmied past me to the girls.
With everyone accounted for and seated, it was time to head out.
Even though it was early, the sun on the water was hot. It wasn’t long before my passengers were stripping. Dana’s chest and shoulders had a lot more color than she’d had the other day, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d be in a lot of pain later.
Surely, she’d put on sunscreen.
But what if she hadn’t?
Siding with doubt, just in case, I slowed to an idle, took my shirt off, and hunted for the sunblock.
I opened the glove compartment in front of Reuben and found it exactly where I thought I’d seen it last. I sprayed myself, making sure to get the tops of my feet where I always got it the worst.
“Dana, do you need this?” Four faces at the front of the boat shot at me. Dana’s lips clamped shut. “Or anyone? Sunblock?” I added.
Jodi held her hand up and said, “I need it.”
I stretched forward and handed it to her.
“Dana, you better put some on too,” Becca said. “You’ll be a lobster.”
I turned away, there was no need to watch and incriminate myself that early. There would be plenty of time for that.
Thank God for sunglasses because had a hard time keeping my eyes off her.
“He’s done,” Trevor shouted.
I eased up on the throttle. Despite my best efforts to dump him, Nolan had hung on.
“Will two people fit in there, Cord?” Jyl asked. “I want to go, but not by myself.”
“Two of you guys should fit just fine. There’s three handles.”
Jyl bounced. “Come on, Dana. Go with me.”
Becca had since moved to Reuben’s lap where I was sure she’d remain for the rest of the day.
Dana warned her friend, “I want to go fast.”
Figures. Exactly what my nerves needed.
“How fast?” Jyl asked.
“As fast as he’ll go.”
Fast wasn’t happening, but I knew better than to argue.
Jyl looked worried, but there wasn’t any need for it. I was in complete control of the boat, and if Dana wanted to go on the tube, that was fine. But I wasn’t about to sling her all over the place like I had Nolan, who was just climbing back on.
“Woo,” he said and grabbed a towel from the back seat. “That was a good one. You can’t knock me off, motherfucker.” He wiped the water off his face and ran his hand back and forth through his hair, spraying Trevor. “Are you going to go?” he asked his son.
Trevor held a hand up to block the sun. “I think the girls are going next.”
Jyl climbed onto the back area of the boat as Nolan climbed down and out of the way, heading straight for the cooler.
Beside me, Dana was having trouble with her life jacket. One of the straps was twisted and knotted up in the back. That wasn’t going to work for me.
I took a breath, hoping she’d get it before my patience ran out and I did it for her.
With her head craned to see what the problem was, I reached behind her and pulled the tether, yanking the tangle lose. Then I straightened her by the shoulders to make damn sure she had it on straight.
To hell with what anybody thought. I couldn’t take it anymore.
I gave the front a tug and she came with it, and when the bottom strap felt loose, I cinched it.
I didn’t dare look at her face, or anyone else’s.
She shoved her sunglasses at my chest. “Hold these for me.”
“Just be careful,” I replied.
Her eyes rolled, and she propped one foot on the seat to get on the back with her friend. Then her foot slipped, and I was compelled to tie her down with rope. My instinct was to grab her ass, which was about level with my chest, but instead I blocked her from falling with a hand on her back. She bent down to steady herself, and, when she was stable, she hopped up next to Trevor who held a hand out to her as well.
“Do we just jump in the water?” Jyl asked, looking over the side at the inflated raft.
“Here, I’ll hold it steady.” I watched as Trevor hung onto the line so the tube wouldn’t pop out from under her. She turned around and held onto the ladder as she let herself fall into it.
Trevor turned to Dana and said, “You might have to get in, then climb on or you might dump her.”
Without any hesitation, Dana bailed off the side, like that had been her idea all along.
Was she trying to give me a heart attack?
I leaned over the seat to get eyes on her. She’d jumped to the side, and I had an inboard motor, but I had to see.
She shook her head and pulled her ponytail free of the lifejacket.
I loved how she didn’t care about getting messed up and wet, but I didn’t like how daring she was one bit. I should have left the fucking tube at the house, but I hadn’t expected to feel that way.
On her third try, and with some effort from Jyl pulling her up at the same time, she was finally in the raft, and Trevor let the line go as they drifted away.
“Okay, we’re ready,” Dana shouted. “Give it hell.”
Fat chance, beautiful.
I looked ahead to check the path first. There were two boats heading our way and another coming up behind us, but they were slowed down. I gave my boat gas and waited for the rope to run out of slack, deciding to head to a cove and off the main part of the channel. I went slow, waiting for the other two boats to go by before hanging a left over their wakes.
One eye to the front and another constantly looking back, I sped up.
The cove was plenty wide and so instead of the jackknife cuts I gave Nolan, I was able to weave less severely, but still give them a ride.
Dana’s hand flew up and she waved, punching her thumb skyward for more. I wasn’t even going ten miles per hour, so I pushed forward, barely.
With Nolan on back, having known his capabilities and what he could and couldn’t handle, I’d put him through a fun ride. But I’d never pulled them before—one woman was leery, and the other apparently had a wild streak.
Again, her thumb signaled more, but I pretended I didn’t see that one and waited for Trevor to tap my arm to go faster. He was a good spotter, but there was no way in hell I would risk flinging her from the raft just so she could get her jollies.
A signal to turn. So I did, but slightly.
Another motion for speed, and another one I almost completely ignored. After a trip down the shoot, a safe turn and a ride back toward the channel, Trevor gave me another tap signaling they were done.
Praise the Lord.
I loved my friends, but I’d never experienced dread or worry like I had with Dana on that stupid fucking raft. I didn’t like it at all. Thankfully, I’d been the one at the helm. Had someone else been driving I would have lost my ever-loving mind.
I was irrational and overreacting again, but it was all very real to me.
Trevor didn’t feel like riding, Jodi didn’t even think about it in her condition, and the lovebirds didn’t even know we were around.
After towels were situated to cover the hot seats, and everyone in their spots had a drink—except for me—we set off for Party Cove.
We fell in line with other boats, all headed in the same direction. So I trimmed off and kept up with the flow. We entered the no wake zone and trolled around until we found a nice place to drop anchor.
I’d never spent a lot of time there, so I didn’t know any of the other boaters, but before long the cove filled up.
By the heat of the day, we’d made acquaintances with the boats to both side of mine and people hopped from one to the other. The girls had turned their lifejackets into floating seats and sang along to the music coming from a neighboring pontoon.
Nolan and Trevor had wandered off, leaving me and Reuben sitting on the back of my Bayliner handing the girls drinks as they requested them.
“I’m getting in,” Reuben said, leaned forward, slapping cool water on his arms. “Come on.”
I wanted to, but also the closer I got to Dana the harder it was to stay away from her. Realistically, it was hot as balls, and if I didn’t get in and cool off, I was going to fry.
“You guys need anything before we get in?” I called out to the floating women who were giggling about something.
“We’re good,” Jodi yelled, and Dana splashed her. I guessed she wasn’t feeling that bad after all.
Reuben climbed down the ladder, and, drifting toward his fiancé, popped the tab on his beer. “What are you guys laughing about?”
“Nothing,” Dana answered before anyone had a chance to. I pushed back from the boat and floated their way.
“The water feels so good,” Dana said as I stopped beside her. It wasn’t like I intended it that way, she was just the closest person.
“Having fun?” I asked.
“Yes, I love it here.” Somehow some of the awkwardness was gone. “I’m don’t want to leave tomorrow.”
“Me either,” Jodi agreed. “But I’ll have to, or I’ll become a drunk.”
“Did you talk to mom this morning?” Dana asked.
“Yeah. She said they’d made pancakes for breakfast and Max called them Grancakes. He won’t want to go home either.”
“Well, we’ve got all day today and all night before we have to go back,” Dana reminded her.
“Yep, me back to two toddlers and you back to your boyfriend,” Jodi teased.
I dipped my head back to cool off, suddenly hotter then I’d been on the boat.
Becca slapped the water. “He’s not her boyfriend. Remember?”
Reuben leaned over to Becca, but stared directly at me. “Who are we talking about?”
His fiancé answered, “Oh, just some guy Dana is seeing on the down low.”
Jyl chimed in, “Joe, isn’t just some guy. He’s the best sex she’s ever had.”
Motherfucking Joe obviously didn’t live at the lake. Well, fuck.
“I thought you were Joe?” I asked Jodi.
“Yeah, Joe. Jodi. Ha! That’s funny,” Dana said quickly. “I’m getting hungry. Anyone else?”
Everyone ignored her.
“No, she won’t bring Joe around. He’s not even coming to the wedding.”
Dana tipped her face to the sky. “Would you all just shut up and mind your own business?”
The only one who looked sympathetic for her was Becca. “All right. All right, no more Joe talk. We promise.”
That sounded good to me.
Shortly after that, I caught up with Nolan on a pontoon a few boats down and watched him try to teach his son how to play Beer Pong. That was my afternoon. It sucked, but everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves.
Also, it was hard to be upset when Dana was laughing and having a good time.
I didn’t know what I was going to say to her about this Joe guy, or when, or if I should at all. If she liked him, and he was good to her, shouldn’t I just back off?
That was why she didn’t want to tell people we’d been seeing each other. She had been seeing this other guy.
The thought of that drove me mad. I couldn’t just let it go. Let her go.
Could I? Was I that selfish?
As the day passed, everyone except for Trevor and I got buzzed, and slowly but surely everybody found their way back to the boat. On the ride to the cabin, I took my time trying to decide if I should dock and then just head back to Kansas City.
I didn’t know what to do. I was angry and frustrated. There wasn’t much I could say or do around everyone anyway.
Soon, I was pulling up to my dock, unsure of what to do with myself.
Although they were all kind of drunk, everyone pitched in, and quickly the coolers and bags were unloaded and carried to the house.
“You got a minute?” Dana asked from the wooden platform beside the boat. She’d hung back digging through her bag like she was looking for something, then quit when everyone was gone.
“I don’t want to do this right now.” I was sober, in a shitty mood, and, for the life of me, I didn’t want to hear what was coming.
“Are you okay?” She stood close to where I was climbing out, and then looked toward the house over her shoulder.
“I’m fine. Go hang out, and I’ll get this stuff.”
She took another step closer, and I felt my blood beginning to heat, my breathing got deeper, and words I didn’t want to say crept up my throat.
“You don’t want to talk to me?”
“Dana.” I stretched and gripped the back of my neck with my hand, and then focused on the bottom of her shirt where it rested against her pink thigh. She should have put on more fucking sunblock.
“Are you mad?” She clicked her flip-flop and swung the tote she was holding.
“I’m not mad. But if you’re with some Joe guy, I’m not going to be someone you have on the side.” The words came out harshly. “I guess that’s kind of what it’s been like, and maybe that’s my fault, but—“
She lifted a palm to me. “Hold up. You really think I’m seeing two guys? What am I? Some whore?”
Her face went blank, and my head pounded.
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Dana. I didn’t say that.” I lifted my sunglasses and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We’ve never been exclusive or whatever.”
“No, because you didn’t want your friends to know about us.” Agitation shook her voice, and I didn’t have an argument for that.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter now, does it?” I stacked a smaller cooler on top of a larger one.
She stood there frozen, head tipped to the side, looking at me like I was a stranger. She glanced somewhere behind me and exhaled.
“You’re Joe.” Her eyes closed like what she’d said was painful and maybe embarrassing.
“What?”
“You are Joe. You’re the guy I’ve been telling them about.” It took a second to switch gears inside my head.
“Me?”
She nodded, guiltily, her chin falling to her chest.
For the first time that afternoon, my head didn’t feel like it was going to implode.
I was still processing what she told me. Of course, I’m a guy, so immediately I went back to the part where she’d told them Joe was the best sex she’d ever had.
My mood changed fast, faster than what was normal. It swung from angry and irritated to relieved and curious so fast my head spun.
“I can’t explain right now, I’m sure someone’s watching, but you’re Joe.”