Chapter Eight
Warning: Don’t Poke the Bitch
Keera Collins. Tall. Blonde. Dangerous.
She’d been surfing for as long as I had. Heck, we started the same day. Same beach. Same instructor.
As we grew, the differences between us became very clear. She collected beach bum after beach bum. I collected surf title after surf title. She used sex to get where she wanted. I used talent. She was fun and free and fuckable.
I wasn’t.
And right now she had Theo. I couldn’t tell which emotion swirled through me. Anger or jealousy? Whichever one, it was making me feel funky and feisty.
“You two know each other?” Theo asked.
“The surf community is small. We all know each other one way or another.” I was trying to gloss over the fact that Keera and I had been best buddies until we were twenty-three.
We had a complicated relationship. She blamed me for always standing in her way.
Now she stood in mine.
“And some people I wish I could forget.” Keera picked at her half-inch long manicured nails. Seriously, how did she surf in those things? “Alicia and I go way back.”
“Theo’s not interested in our past. He’s only here to take pretty pictures and hit on everything without a dick.” Just like Theo, Keera always brought out my nastier side.
“Theo’s here with me.” She clamped her claim onto his arm. “He’ll be plenty satisfied.”
I glanced down at their intertwined arms and had to hold back my up-chuck reflex. “Sex. The one thing you’re actually good at.” Then I smiled at Theo, my model smile, the one that got me discovered in the first place, and the smell in the air sweetened. “I’d make sure you wash your willy after a tumble with her. Never know what nasty things have infested her crotch.”
Poking the bitch wasn’t the best idea, but boy was it fun.
Keera dropped Theo’s arm and lunged at me, nails at the ready to inflict some serious damage, shorts crawling higher up her ass. “Bitch.” Globs of spit left with the word, and I side-stepped out of the splash zone.
Theo snagged her by the straps of her tank top, ensuring she couldn’t make contact. “I’m not sure if I should hold her back or watch the two of you go at it.” His smile said he was imagining naughty things.
“If she leaves a mark, you’ll be out a lot of money.” I figured a gentle reminder not to let the talent get damaged would help make up his mind.
He seemed to take a moment to think about it, then reeled her in. “Calm down.” He placed her hands at her sides and held them there. “I need her in one piece and undamaged for the rest of the week.”
She took a deep breath and seemed to chill. “I’ll kick her ass on the waves instead.” The smile she gave me was more malevolent than the meanest cartoon villain.
But her words would never come true. We both knew it. Not in any parallel universe, in any other lifetime, in any dream could Keera Collins beat me on the waves.
Just another thing that pissed her off.
“First you’d have to learn how to stay on your board.” I knew I was tossing more dynamite into the raging inferno, but didn’t care.
Theo chuckled, then caught himself, and quickly removed any hint of humor off his face. Not quick enough. Keera turned her tsunami of anger in his direction.
“You think she’s better than me?” There was a hefty dose of pout in her words. “That I can’t beat her?”
He glanced in my direction, a look that said “save me.” He wouldn’t get a life preserver from me. Let him drown.
“I…I…” He stopped stuttering and cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen her surf.”
She stuck her boobs out, hand on her hip, head tilted. “Just wait until tomorrow.”
“Why? You couldn’t beat me last year. Not even close.” I scratched my head. “Fourth place to my first? Was that it?”
Keera used to intimidate me. She was everything I wasn’t allowed to be. Free to date who she wanted. Love whoever she felt like. Be herself without repercussions from some sadistic god with a hard-on for revenge. I hated her for it. She hated me for other reasons, none I wanted to be reminded of.
A smile crept onto Theo’s face again, trying to hide it by lowering his head.
“Not this year. I’ve been training. This is the year I’ll finally crush you.”
I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug. “We’ll see.” I knew it drove her crazy that I didn’t even see her as competition. “It’s been lovely catching up, but I have things to prepare for tomorrow.”
Before another insult could be volleyed, I turned and walked toward the bank of elevators. I didn’t make it ten steps before I heard Theo say. “Tomorrow morning?”
I spun on my heel and faced him. “Wouldn’t miss it.” To add a little extra kiss-my-ass, I winked and blew him a kiss.
Then I left them both standing there, but not before I heard Theo let one word slip. “Damn.”
After that, Keera began to shriek. My smile grew even wider when I got on the elevator and took it up to my room.
My routine was simple at competitions. Practice, sleep, practice, surf. It’s what I did. It’s what made me the best. So, that’s what I planned to do, no matter how many Theo-like distractions came my way. I slipped into my gear, grabbed a board off my balcony, and headed back to the beach, hoping I had some time alone for once.
The waves weren’t high, not quite ankle busters, but were still significant enough that I could catch a few. Work on my technique. Clear my head. Enjoy the ride. There were other surfers out, mostly dudes, all doing the same thing I was. Working to win.
With my board secured, I paddled out and waited for the next wave to head my way. An A-frame rose. Curled. The crest rising over my head. I stood and waited for my board to catch. For the wave to push me. Try to punish me. I rode that sucker. Loving the feel of the water on my skin. One foot centered on the board, the other balanced toward the tail on the deck. True freedom.
The only freedom I’ve ever really known in my life. I came off the face of the wave and let my board guide me to the shore. Peace. That’s what I felt every time I rode. It was my drug, my one true rush in life. An addiction.
I caught wave after wave until the ocean wasn’t anything but glass. Then I sat on the smooth surface of one of my favorite possessions and watched the sunset over the water.
My traitor of a mind wandered to Theo. Trying to force me to confront my feelings about him. Did I care if Keera had him? I wanted to say no, but that would be a lie. I cared. But was it because of my competitive nature with my ex-bestie or because I wanted him to be the cure to Cupid’s curse?
That was one question I really didn’t want to answer.
I paddled my way back to the beach before the tide carried me out too far. A figure stood on the sand watching me. Nothing new, there was always someone watching me when I surfed. I mentally prepared myself to be asked for an autograph or pointers. Both which I gave away freely.
Walking closer, the figure started to look familiar, taking on a definite Theo shape, the red arrow glowing under his shirt, acting like a beacon. Probably here to defend his play toy’s honor.
I stopped, un-clasped the leash from my ankle, and shifted my mental preparedness toward a war-of-the-words.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” The air surrounded us with the sweetest smell I’ve ever inhaled. I stopped and turned to see what he was staring at because it certainly couldn’t be me.
“The sunset?”
He paused, closed his eyes, and took a breath. “Yeah. The sunset.” His words weren’t convincing. “I’ve never been to the Renegade’s before.” He tore his gaze away from the natural beauty of the ocean and the setting sun and looked at me. “Are the waves here really as tough as I’ve been told?”
“They can kick your ass at times.” I tucked my board under my arm. “Where’s your beach bunny appendage?”
“Working on some stuff for tomorrow.” He didn’t sound upset to be alone.
“Hmm…that’s different than her normal routine of getting drunk and laid.”
His smile crinkled his eyes. “I guess she’s determined to kick your ass this week.”
I didn’t mean to scoff, it just escaped.
“She doesn’t stand a chance, does she?”
I stuck the tail of my board in the sand, and gave him a one shoulder shrug. “If she trained this year, you never know. But this is my fourth time surfing the Renegade’s and I haven’t lost yet.”
“You’ve been the champion four times?” He actually sounded impressed.
“This year will make five.”
“Someone’s confident.”
Surfing was the only thing I was confident about in my life, but he didn’t need to know that. “It’s what I do.” I gave him my own half smile.
He went back to staring at the sunset, and I worked at towel drying my hair. Within a few short minutes, I picked up my board. “I really need to eat and get some sleep. With my normal schedule and now my shots with you, this week is going to be a killer.”
He took my board from my arms, and for a second his scar flickered, giving me a glance of the man he could be if his attitude was less prickly. “I’ll carry this for you.”
I let him.
We walked in silence. Me, because I was afraid of saying something that would ruin the cease-fire that we seemed to have found for the moment. I was giving peace a chance.
In the lobby, we headed toward the elevators. While we waited, Theo said, “Nervous about tomorrow?”
I took a minute to really analyze his question. “Not about surfing. That never makes me nervous. The photo shoot in the morning, well, that’s a different story.”
The door dinged and we got on. He pushed the button for our floor, then relaxed against the railing, setting my board next to him. “You’re not comfortable in front of the camera are you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Honestly, no.” His smile mimicked Dream Theo’s. “You’re a natural from what I’ve seen.”
The elevator dinged, and I already missed the non-War-of-the-Roses moments we had. He grabbed my board again, and we walked to our side-by-side rooms. His door stood open, a billow of smoke escaping, music blaring, laughter coming from inside.
Party girl Keera struck again.
“Sounds like half the beach is in there.”
His sigh didn’t sound all that enthusiastic. “Not for long.”
He handed me my board, more like shoved it in my arms, and without even so much as a see-ya, marched to kick some serious ass.
I tried to ignore the feeling of abandonment as I went to my own room alone, but it wiggled its way in anyways. Keera’s yell filled the hallway. I closed my door so it didn’t seem like I was playing peeping Alicia.
Theo’s door slammed twice, then the yelling continued. Swear words were used liberally, mostly tossed at Theo. Keera’s voice could shatter anyone’s sanity.
Cranking on the shower, I stepped in and let the water flow over my head, removing the last bit of the ocean from my body, cooling my blood, helping me to relax and forget that something so close to the man I had always wanted was next door probably having rage sex with my biggest enemy.
The thought of Theo naked sent tremors to all my naughty bits, reminding me that it had been way too long since the last time I’d had sex. Turning the knob to cold, it chilled out the thoughts that Theo would be anymore than an annoying co-worker. Especially with Keera in the picture.
I wouldn’t repeat that hellish past.
I stepped out of the shower and noticed all was quiet next door. Tossing on my “I love you but I love pizza more” shirt and a pair of panties, I climbed between the sheets and hit the shut off switch in my brain.
My eyes closed, and the last thought before falling asleep was that I would be seeing Dream Theo soon. The kaleidoscope of colors swirled around me, the branches of the willow tree just forming. Then there was a pounding on my door, taking me from an almost perfect dream to what-the-fuck, catapulting me out of bed, I tripped my way to the door to see who dared disturb me.
Yanking open the barrier between me and the rest of the world, I had to wonder for a moment if I was actually dreaming when I saw Theo standing in the hall, but the bright red scar, camera bags in his hand, and clothes tossed over his shoulder convinced me he was live and not Memorex.
“Any chance I can crash with you tonight?” He sounded tired.
I tugged at the hem of my shirt, which did a horrible job at covering the red silk panties I wore underneath. His gaze wandered and I stopped fidgeting. “Trouble with your weekend conquest?” I peeked around his body to the door to his room.
“Not the first time I’ve dealt with her mood swings.” He lowered his gaze to the floor. “I tried getting another room for the night, but they don’t have anything available until the morning. I need sleep. Your couch will do for tonight, if you’ll let me.”
Theo Castas in my room. On my couch. Ten feet away from me as we slept. Now I knew Cupid was effing with me.
He resembled a beaten kitten. I opened the door wider, not one to ever turn away an animal in need. “Couch is all yours.”
“Thanks.” He walked in, put his stuff on the small table, then walked into the bathroom, but before he closed the door, he poked his head out. “Love the red silk panties.” Then he closed the door before I could throw something at him.
The shower turned on and I wondered when our relationship had gone from barely tolerating each other, to him sleeping on my couch. I climbed into bed and picked up a book, knowing that sleep wasn’t going to happen until Theo finished his nightly primping.
After twenty minutes, the door opened and billow of steam announced his return. “Sorry.” He towel dried his hair, but that wasn’t what drew my attention and made my mouth flop open. The only thing he wore was a pair of low hanging cut-off sweats that did magnificent things to his body. He caught me staring. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
I turned off the mini-movie in my head of removing those sweats with my teeth. “It’s fine. I just need some sleep.” I put my book down and flipped off the light next to my bed. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
Then I turned my back on him.
I heard him getting settled in the other room. “Sweet dreams,” he called out.
With the sweet smell of berries filing the room, I had no doubt that my dreams would be just that.