CHAPTER 6
________
NICK
Fate had a funny way of intervening at times, but I wasn’t about to question it. All I knew was that it was the second time that day that I’d seen the girl with the jet-black hair, only this time she wasn’t wearing shades. Her eyes were the bluest I’d ever seen, and I was convinced it had to be because she was wearing colored contact lenses. She was looking straight at me, too, and she was blushing. I grinned.
Yep. You recognize me, all right, I thought. I slowly walked over to her. She was sipping from a glass of champagne.
“That’s a shame,” I said.
“What is?” she asked, looking up at me.
“That you’ve already got a drink. I was about to ask if I could get you one.”
Again, the blush. Damn, she was cute.
“So, I’m afraid the view’s a little different than the one you had this morning.”
“What?” she asked. So that was her game. Being coy, pretending not to know what on earth I was talking about.
“You know, after you left, a huge wave came. Biggest one they’d ever seen. And I rode it single-handedly, and tomorrow they’re presenting me with a medal.”
“Bullshit.”
“Made you smile, though.”
And it had. She had a beautiful smile. Her hair was incredible. Thick and shiny, as though she’d just walked off the set of a shampoo ad.
“What’s your name?” I asked. But there was no reply at first until the girl’s friend elbowed her in the ribs.
“I swear to God, Eva. If you don’t talk to him, then I will.”
“Thanks,” I said to her. She was pretty, too, with curly blonde hair and a sexy looking tan. But there was just something about the dark-haired girl. Eva. I looked back at her.
“What a beautiful name.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“I’m Nick.”
“Right.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, but her gaze didn’t leave my face. Her friend could sense something and made an excuse to leave, which I appreciated. It meant that Eva and I were alone, and we went for a walk around the deck. It was difficult to hear each other over the music, but I learned that she was on her summer vacation, celebrating her graduation from high school before heading off to college to study to become a physical therapist. She asked me what I was studying.
“I left college two years ago,” I said. “I have a Master’s Degree in literature, and I’ve been working for a newspaper in Illinois since then. But I have a good idea for a really great story, well, at least, I believe so. However, I’ve still got some research to do, ironing out some of the details. At least I can put my investigative reporting skills to good use. I’m certain I’ll soon be ready to put pen to paper, though.”
She smiled. “Wow. And here’s me thinking you were a champion surfer,” she said.
“So, you were watching me,” I teased, and she lowered her eyes. She had long, dark eyelashes, as dark as her hair, and now that I was up close, I could also see that she wasn’t wearing contacts at all. Her eyes truly were that captivating shade of blue. It reminded me of the ocean, of my aunt’s little house on the island of Santorini. The place was falling apart, but we still went there every year.
Eva was from Sacramento, and this was the first vacation she’d ever taken away from her parents. She asked me about my family. I didn’t really go into too much detail. I only told her that I used to live in Texas, with my aunt, before starting at the newspaper. She didn’t pry. I don’t know why I didn’t tell her more. I guess I didn’t want to burst the magic bubble by talking about the mundane kind of things that came with real life.
Even so, we’d talked for nearly two hours. Josh and Gavin came to look for me at one point, but they soon disappeared with a wink when they saw I was with a pretty girl. Eva’s friend Caroline was a little less subtle. She came right up to us, folded her arms and looked down at the both of us where we were sitting on the edge of the yacht, overlooking the water.
“Eva, I think we need to call it a night,” she said. “Sarah’s already started puking. Jesus. It’s like the girl’s never had free champagne before.”
Immediately, the thought of Eva leaving so soon was out of the question. “Don’t go,” I said. “It’s too early. Let me take you back a little later. How about it?”
Eva looked up at her friend Caroline and rolled her eyes. “Is she truly that sick?” she asked. I was pleased to see that she really did look disappointed about having her friend come and disturb us with the news of another friend’s lack of self-control.
“She’s retching so hard over the boat I’m pretty sure she’s going to fall over the side if she’s not careful.”
With a nod, Eva turned back to me. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I don’t want to go, but I can’t leave my friend in that state.”
“She’s not even a friend,” Caroline said. “She shouldn’t be ruining your night.”
I was beginning to like Caroline more and more. But it was clear that Eva wanted to do the right thing, and I admired her for it.
“Look, I understand,” I said. “How about you go and take care of her, get her back to camp safely, and tomorrow, if you want to come by the beach again in the morning, my friends and I will be out on the waves. If you’re not there, then I’ll know that the story about your friend puking was just a ruse to get away from me.”
At this, Eva laughed in surprise. “Are you kidding?” she asked. “I don’t want to go. I’m having a really nice time here with you. But she’ll never find her way back to the camp alone, and we all came together, so we all leave together.”
Caroline turned away and went to check on the elusive, puking Sarah, and it gave me time to do what I’d been putting off for far too long. As we stood up, I bent down and cupped Eva’s face in my hand, tilting her chin up slightly before touching my lips to hers. God, did I want more, but it was neither the time nor place for taking her in my arms and kissing her the way I truly desired.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you on the sand this morning,” I whispered against her mouth. Her eyes were still closed, and she seemed to relish the kiss so much, I wondered if any man had ever kissed her before.
It was difficult to watch her walk away from me that night, and for the rest of the evening, I couldn’t think of anything else but her. I wanted to kick myself for not getting her number, but the invitation for her to meet me the following day would have to be enough.
And, would you believe it, she came. I was at the water’s edge by seven, as we’d heard from some of the guys who were only just getting home at that time, that a wild breeze was whipping up the water nicely, and there were some big waves to be had.
By eight-thirty, when Josh and I had already spent an hour in the water, I caught sight of a young woman walking along the shore. She had shiny black windswept hair and beautiful long pale legs.
Eva.
I didn’t say anything to Josh, but merely left the water, my board under my arm, as I went to meet her.
I don’t think I’d ever known a day to go by so fast. We walked along the beach, then back up to the campsite where I changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Eva looked incredible in small denim shorts and a white crop top. She definitely had my full attention. More than once, I found myself wondering what lay underneath her clothes. What would it feel like to run my fingers along her smooth skin? How would her mouth taste when I finally claimed it and kissed her in the way I wanted to?
Even though I was a little older than her, it didn’t matter. It felt as if we’d known each other for years. Talking to her felt so natural, so comfortable and conversation flowed with ease. And, even though I got the feeling that she was a little overwhelmed by how soon into her vacation we’d met, I assured her that we didn’t need to rush anything. By that evening, I was relieved when most of our friends finally went their separate ways, leaving us alone at last. I couldn’t wait one second longer, so I leaned in and kissed her.
Her plump, soft lips were heaven against my own, and as refreshing as the cool waters that lapped against the sandy beach ahead of us. I gently pushed my tongue between her lips, parting them to probe her waiting mouth. She leaned into me, her breath sweet, a hint of the beers we’d drunk earlier still laced on her tongue. She let out a little groan of pleasure as my hands caressed up and down the sides of her body, the heat between us intensifying.
Then she moved her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, and I didn’t need asking twice. We fell back against the beach blanket on which we were sitting, and my hand immediately slid underneath the material of her crop top, desperate to feel her skin against my fingertips. It was smooth and warm to my touch, just as I’d imagined. My hand moved upward to cup one of her breasts and, through the thin material of her bra, I could feel her nipple stiffen under my touch. She moaned softly, making me want her even more. Everything just felt so right. I pulled away and stood up.
“Come on,” I said, holding out my hand. I tried to ignore the swell in the front of my shorts.
“Where are we going?” she asked, a little breathless.
“Just come with me,” I said, and she trustingly reached for my hand.
I grabbed the blanket, and we walked along the beach towards the dunes, and underneath an overhanging rock, I spread it out over a sandy area. Hidden from the world, with no one to see, she lay down with me, and I quickly drew her close once more, kissing her deeply. Only this time something had changed.
We both knew what was about to happen, and we both wanted it. I felt the trembling of her fingers as she moved them down to the front of my shorts and stroked my cock, which was hard and aching with desire for her. I pulled her top over her head and unhooked her bra, so her breasts spilled out into my hands, soft, heavy, and full of delicious wonder.
I lay her on her back and kissed down her stomach, my lips running over her milky white skin, down to her shorts, where I undid the button, and she lifted her hips invitingly, wordlessly asking me to remove them. I pulled them down along with her cotton panties, and seeing her exposed beauty in the soft moonlight, made me groan. I slowly ran my fingers up her inner thigh and felt the silky smoothness of her wet slit. She gasped at my touch, her eyes wide. Holding her gaze, I brought my fingers to my lips and licked them, tasting her sweetness, her innocent desire.
She stared at me, still wide-eyed with lustful wonder. I removed my shorts and made quick work of putting on the condom I’d slipped into my back pocket when I’d changed that morning – being the optimist that I was.
Then, I lowered myself down between her legs. I could feel the heat from her core beckoning to me as I gently pushed into her. She hesitated, tentatively conveying to me that this was her first time. I wanted to ask whether she was sure, but she pulled me closer, opening her body up to me. I was as gentle as I could be; my desperation for her outweighed by the desire I had to not hurt her.
With a wince and a gasp of pain, she gave me her virginity, and I held her close, cherishing her gift to me as I made love to her for the very first time. The only noise around us was the crashing of the waves and the only sound between us the soft gasps of pleasure we couldn’t hold inside.
I wanted it to last longer, all night, but my desire for her was so great that within just a few minutes of gliding in and out of her wet core, I felt myself getting close to climax. I wanted to slow down, but she grabbed my bare ass and kissed me.
“Don’t you dare,” she whispered against my mouth. I couldn’t hold on any longer, and came inside her with a trembling roar, kissing her all over, wanting to stay there forever. I finally withdrew from her, my mouth never leaving her body as I moved down, between her legs where I took her clit between my lips and licked her hard nub until she cried out and I knew without question that she too, had climaxed.
After that night, and for the next couple of days, we were inseparable. I’m sure her friends hated me for taking her away from them, but I wasn’t about to let her go. I rented a motorcycle, and we drove down the coast, stopping off whenever we could to fuck, hard and fast, against the bike, or a tree, or on an empty stretch of beach. Our lust for one another was insatiable, and the more time we spent together, the more Eva opened up to me, moving her body seductively as she quickly learned how much pleasure she could give herself.
One night, when we lay together in a motel room, hot and sweaty, she climbed on top of me and took me inside her, then pinned my arms above my head and told me not to move. I wasn’t about to argue and simply lay back, clenching my teeth as I gazed at her, grinding her hips against mine, holding her hair above her head as her breasts moved up and down with the rhythm of her body. After a while, I couldn’t resist her any longer, and I grabbed her thighs, pressing her down on top of me as I filled her completely, over and over, while she bit her lip and closed her eyes in ecstasy.
She lay on top of me afterward, stroking my chest, a soft look in her blue eyes.
“What happens when I leave here?” she murmured. I gently kissed her forehead and told her not to worry, that I wasn’t letting her out of my sight.
My words were short lived. After only a few short days, it all ended.
On the last night, we’d been lying in my tent, my two friends a little pissed that they’d been evicted and forced to find somewhere else to sleep, and Eva and I had fallen asleep together, naked as always. But when I woke up the following morning, she wasn’t there, next to me. I presumed she’d gone to the bathroom or back to her tent, but after a while, when she hadn’t returned, I went to find her.
It was Caroline who opened the zipper to the large tent the girls had been staying in. When I asked her where Eva was, I noticed she had a grim expression on her face, and I sensed that there was something terribly wrong. I all of a sudden felt sick.
“She got a call this morning,” she said. “Something about a problem at home, and she didn’t want to wake you. I drove her to the train station, and she’s gone back to Sacramento.”
To say that my heart sank, was an understatement. How could she just up and leave like that without telling me? When Caroline and her friends left later that morning, too, I was bereft. Before they had left, I’d asked Caroline for Eva’s number. I hadn’t needed it until then because we’d been together the whole time, but Caroline only shrugged and shook her head.
“Look, she’s dealing with some serious shit right now,” she said. “And please don’t ask me about it. It’s personal, and it’s not my place to tell you about it. Give me your number, and she can call you when she’s ready, okay?”
“I’m sure she’d be fine if you give me her number. She wouldn’t just go without telling me,” I insisted. I knew that from the time we’d had together, Eva wouldn’t have done that, but Caroline only looked at me strangely.
“Dude. It’s a holiday romance. You’ve had some fun but don’t over think it. All I’ll agree to is to take down your number and give it to her. That’s it.”
I was pissed to say the least, bewildered and confused. But Caroline’s offer was all I had, so I quickly scribbled my number down on a piece of paper torn from a notebook and handed to me by one of the other girls. Looking back, I should have entered it into her cell phone, but I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time.
“Promise me you’ll give this to Eva,” I urged Caroline, as I handed it to her.
“Cross my heart.”
I still felt sick when I turned and walked away, the look on Caroline’s face making it clear that the conversation was over. Even so, her words echoed in my mind. Was she right? I didn’t feel that she was, but what if the whole thing really was just a holiday fling, a vacation where an eighteen-year-old lost her virginity and then got spooked and went home? I didn’t know what else I could do, but try and hope that Eva would call me as soon as she got my number.
Nothing was the same for the next couple of days after that, though. I waited in vain for the phone call to come and felt a growing frustration, sometimes directed at Caroline, wondering whether she’d thrown my number away as soon as I’d turned and left, and sometimes at Eva, wondering why she hadn’t cared enough to pick up the phone and make the call.
Frustrated, I packed up my things and went back to Illinois.
Shortly after my return, I received the call that would change my life forever, and I suddenly had much more pressing issues than a beautiful girl who’d slipped through my fingers.
At the age of twenty-five, I had to put all childish things behind me and grow up fast, because, thanks to a strange and cruel twist of fate, I was about to become a father.