There are some days a man wakes up knowing it’s going to be a shitty day. I’m not sure how. Maybe it was the way he slept, or an unsettling feeling in his bones. Either way, he’d know something was going to go wrong, and he’d spend the entire day trying to prevent it from happening. Today was not one of those days for me. For the first time in months, I woke up feeling a little lighter, like the world wasn’t weighing down on my shoulders, and I had no doubt that feeling had everything to do with Tristen. She had a way of making the day brighter just by having her near. Over the past couple of days, I hadn’t seen much of her and it had begun to get to me, but that was all about to change.
As soon as I found out she had the day off, I canceled my meetings and told Murray I wouldn’t be coming in to the office. He gave me all kinds of grief about it, bitching that we were too busy for me to be goofing off, but he was full of shit. I knew the real reason he was complaining, but since I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my private life with him, I let him give me hell. It was just easier than talking it out, and besides, I knew he and Max could take care of things for the day. So, I took a hot shower and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast.
I’d just put on a fresh pot of coffee and started the bacon when she walked in. She was wearing an old blue and white t-shirt, and her hair was on top of her head in a messy, tangled bun. She was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she sat down at the counter. Without looking up, she grumbled, “Coffee.”
I poured her a cup and asked, “Sugar or cream.”
Her eyes jerked up to me as her mouth dropped open in surprise. “What are you doing here? Where’s Max?”
“Nice to see you, too.”
I turned back to the stove as she stammered, “No. Wait. That came out wrong. I… uh… I just wasn’t expecting to see you. You’re usually gone by the time I get up.”
I poured the eggs into the skillet and gave them a quick stir. “Yeah, I know. I decided to take the day off.”
“Oh.” I looked over my shoulder and caught her quickly reining in her wild hair. She had no idea how beautiful she looked. I wanted to stop her, to tell her that I liked her hair just the way it was, but I was too late. She’d already fixed it. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Bacon, eggs, and toast.”
“Mmm, that sounds good.” She got up and walked over to me. As she peeked over my shoulder, she asked, “Do you need any help?”
“You could grab the bread out of the pantry.”
“Sure.” She opened the door and leaned in, exposing her long, slender legs, and I had to curse my cock when he stirred beneath my boxers. There was no doubt that he wanted her just as badly as I did. My need to possess her burned deep inside me, and with every second that passed, the flame grew stronger and more intense. There was only one way to keep it under control, and that was Tristen, the very person who set me on fire. Unfortunately, though, my cock and I had to wait. The time wasn’t right, but soon, very soon, she would be mine in every way.
She walked back over to me with two different loaves of bread. “White or wheat?”
“You pick. I’m good with either.”
“White it is.” She smiled as she sauntered over to the counter and pulled out several slices of bread. Once she was done, she took the remaining bread and put it back in the pantry. “Where’s the toaster?”
“Top left cabinet.”
She opened the cabinet door, and I watched with fascination as her shirt lifted over her hips and revealed her perfect ass. When I noticed her pink lace panties, I groaned beneath my breath. “Fuck.”
She placed the toaster on the counter and looked at me with concern. “Everything okay?”
“Yep. All good,” I replied as I cleared my throat. Trying my best to redirect my focus, I finished frying the bacon and eggs. When the toast was done, we took everything over to the table and sat down.
After she’d eaten a few bites and drank some of her coffee, she looked over to me and smiled. “It’s really good. Thanks for doing all this.”
“You helped.”
“I don’t think I can take much credit. I was still half-asleep when I made the toast.”
After I finished eating, I downed the rest of my cup of coffee and carried my dishes over to the sink. “So, you up for an outing today?”
“Sure,” she said excitedly. “What do you have in mind?”
“I thought we might take a drive out to the Cape. Maybe we can have a late lunch at a little seafood place I know.”
“That sounds perfect.” She cleared her spot and hurried towards her room. “I just need to take a quick shower.”
“No rush.”
A half an hour later, she walked into the kitchen sporting a navy-blue shirt with the shoulders cut out and a pair of old, ripped jeans with boots. Her hair was still damp from the shower, wavy and down around her shoulders, and she had a big smile on her face.
“All set.” We were on our way to the car when she turned to me and asked, “While we’re out, can we run into town for a few minutes? There’s a little shop Ava told me about, and I’d really like to check it out.”
“Absolutely.”
With the windows down, we headed to the bay and up to Cape Flattery Road. After another half hour of driving, we made it to the trail. It was one of my favorite spots in the area. Once I’d parked the SUV, I turned to Tristen. “You up for a short walk?”
“Absolutely.”
After a mile hike, we made our way up to one of the observation decks. It gave us a great view of the Pacific Ocean and all the cliffs and rocks. Standing there next to her as we looked out at the ocean took my breath away, but not because of the blue sky or the waves crashing along the rocks. While they were beautiful, they didn’t get to me the way she did. Her smile, the wind blowing through her dark hair, and those incredible blue eyes secretly glancing in my direction affected me in a way I didn’t expect. I watched as she followed the peak down to the water. She was just about to put her feet in the water when I felt my phone buzzing in my back pocket.
When I saw who was calling I quickly answered, “Hello.”
“Hey, there. I just thought I’d check in. Are you doing okay?”
“I’m doing just fine.”
“Did you do that thing I asked you to do for me?”
“Not yet, but I will.”
“It will take them some time to get it together, so don’t wait too long.”
“I know. I told you I’d take care of it.”
“I know… I was just making sure.” Her voice was soft and low, letting me know she was having one of those days. “You know I’d go with you, but my leg has been giving me some trouble.”
I knew her real reason for having me do it myself, and, as much as I hated it, I would do it for her. “I know. I’ve got it.”
“And you’ll come to lunch after? Colton is coming.”
“What time?”
“Let’s say around twelve.”
“I’ll be there.” I assured her.
“Good. I’ll see you then.” The wind was picking up, along with the voices behind me. There was no doubt she heard the commotion. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.”
“Okay, Mom. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
I shoved my phone in my back pocket and started down the cliff to meet up with Tristen. When I got down by the water, I found her talking with a young girl who couldn’t have been more than three years old. They were looking at a school of fish that were swimming close to the edge of the rocks. “There’s bunches of them!”
“Pretty,” the little girl exclaimed as she quickly turned to find her mother. “Look, Momma! Fishies!”
Tristen took a step back to give the girl’s mother some room to see and smiled at them. I walked up behind her and placed my hand on her waist. “Hey.”
She pointed down at the fish excitedly. “Did you see? There’s hundreds of them.”
“I saw.”
“If you put your feet in the water, they’ll nibble on your toes,” she laughed.
“I’ll pass,” I replied with a grin.
When the crowds started rolling in, we followed the trail back to the SUV. I walked her over to open her door, and without thinking, I reached for her. I placed my hands along her jaw and pulled her towards me. Then, I gently pressed my lips against hers. I hadn't imagined how soft or how perfect they’d feel pressed up against my own. They were absolute perfection. My hand rested just below her ear, and my thumb caressed her cheek as our breaths mingled. I could feel the beating of her heart against my chest as I pulled her closer. She moaned against my lips as I delved deeper into her mouth, relishing her taste and her warmth. I was lost in her touch, like a man under a spell, and for a brief moment everything around us stilled. Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last long. A car door slammed, and our attention was drawn to the voices behind us. I gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, then opened the door for her to slide inside. Once I’d gotten in, I started the engine and headed out to the main road. I hadn’t been driving long when we came upon the Seafood Shack. I looked over to find her gazing out the window, a little smile playing on her beautiful lips. “You ready for a bite to eat?”
“Absolutely.”
After I parked, she hopped out and headed for the front door. There wasn’t much to the restaurant. It was just a small place with a couple of booths inside and picnic tables outside, but the food was good and the view was even better. I followed her to the outside patio and over to one of the corner picnic tables. As she looked over the menu she asked, “What’s good here?”
“Everything.”
Tristen was still mulling it over when Dottie came over to our table. “Hey there, Nate. What can I get you?”
“The usual.”
“And you, sweetheart?”
“I’ll have the shrimp basket with a glass of lemonade.”
Dottie jotted the order down on her notepad as she replied, “Sure thing, hun.”
She headed inside and seconds later returned with our drinks. After placing them on the table, she looked over to me and smiled. “I got your orders in.”
“Thanks, Dottie.”
Murray had discovered the Shack years ago, and since then it had become one of my favorite places, partly because of Dottie. She never failed to treat me like one of her own. “Where’s Murray?”
“He’s at the office.”
“Well, that’s too bad. It’s a beautiful day.”
“That it is.” I leaned towards her and smiled. “I’m sure he’ll be by soon. You know how he loves your key lime pie.”
“Be sure to tell him I asked about him. I’ll go check on your order.”
“Thanks, Dottie.”
It wasn’t long before she brought our food out. Tristen’s shrimp were in a small tin bucket, while my oysters came on a huge platter that seemed to fill up half the table. “Hope you two are hungry!”
“Starving,” Tristen smiled.
We spent the next hour and a half eating and talking. Tristen talked about her childhood with Josie, sharing funny stories about all the things they had gotten into, and I could tell talking about her sister had made her a little homesick. While they’d talked, she hadn’t seen Josie since the day we’d left the clubhouse. Tristen had called several times checking on Lauren and just to talk. I knew she was missing her sister. I planned to rectify that, but for the moment, we needed to go. I stood up and said, “I guess we’d better get going.”
When we got back to town, I took Tristen over to the second-hand store Ava had told her about. I didn’t get what the fuss was all about, but Tristen seemed excited to check it out. We’d been walking around for a few minutes when I noticed Tristen staring at a picture on the wall. When I stepped closer, I saw that it was an image of a couple on a bridge in Paris. They were standing under a red umbrella in the rain. The guy had his arm wrapped around the chick’s waist and was holding her close to his side.
“What do you think?”
“It’s okay.”
“Don’t you love how the light reflects off the pavement? And how he’s giving her more of the umbrella, so she doesn’t get wet?”
I hadn’t noticed, but I nodded nonetheless.
“I think I’m going to buy it.” She stepped closer and checked the price. “Can I put it in your backseat or in the trunk?”
“Sure.”
She rushed over to the counter and gave the lady her credit card. After she finished checking out, the lady came over and took the picture down from the wall. Wearing a huge grin on her face, Tristen took it and headed over to me. “Got it.”
“Good deal.” I was about to take it from her when I noticed her looking down at the painting thoughtfully. Her eyes seemed to focus on every detail.
“They look so in love.”
“Umm,” I grumbled.
With a perplexed look on her face, her eyes darted up to mine. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, that was definitely something.”
“I’m just not one to buy in to all that.”
“What does that mean all that?”
“I’m all for having a good time, enjoying life and everything, but I don’t do love, Tristen. All that ‘love is patient, love is kind’ stuff—it’s all bullshit. It only sets you up for heartache and disappointment. I just don’t see the point.”
I immediately regretted being so candid. Her eyes searched mine as her brow furrowed, and her mouth set into a firm line. I watched as the excitement died from her face, and I knew my words were to blame. I hadn’t realized just how fucked up I was until I saw the way she looked at me. I would give her everything I had to give, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough. She wanted more. She wanted my heart and my soul, but that part of me died years ago. She’d just have to find a way to live without them. I had.