Chapter Fifteen

 

Waves crashed against the shore with thunderous applause, creating a loud and beautiful symphony. Sandpipers chased the tiny crabs re-digging their homes as the water rearranged the shoreline. Children squealed in delight as they played in the shallow breaks. Evie breathed deep, dragging the salted air into her lungs and tasting it on the back of her tongue. She’d only seen the ocean one other time in her life, when she and Chris were young and their parents decided to take them to Disneyland for vacation. She must have been about eight, and she remembered being awed by the enormity of the ocean. How it just extended so far that it dropped off the edge of the world. Her father had told her that if she listened hard enough as the sun set, she could hear the sizzle as it settled into the water.

“I booked us into the hotel,” Bishop said as he came up behind her. “You check into The Cove tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, not taking her gaze off the water.

He came to stand next to her. “You sure you don’t want to go now?”

She glanced quickly at him. “You trying to get rid of me?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I just want what’s best for you.”

“I need this,” she said. It was late afternoon, with twilight coming fast. “I want to hear the sizzle.”

“The what?”

“If you listen you can hear the sun settle into water.”

She placed her index finger over her lips and then pointed to the horizon. Then she sat down and patted the sand to her side. After a moment, he joined her. As they waited for the sun to set, she laid her head upon his shoulder. Eventually, the nearby children left with their parents and the sandpipers retired from their hunting, leaving her and Bishop alone. She kept her eyes focused on the horizon, on the brilliant colors illuminating the sky as day gave way to night. Oranges and reds, mixed with some purple. Evie listened intently, her whole focus on the sunset, and for a brief second, she swore she heard an undeniable hiss, like hot metal cooling off in cold water, just as the sun disappeared over the horizon line.

“Did you hear it?” she asked in a whisper.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad. My dad told me about the sizzle.”

“What happened to him?”

“Car accident. He was drinking and rolled the car with my mother in it. They both died.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Should’ve known then that addiction runs in the family.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulder and they sat there for a long time, letting night take control as it fell upon the seaside town of Malibu.

“Are you hungry?” Bishop finally asked.

Her stomach rumbled. “I guess so.”

“How about some dive bar comfort food?”

She thought for a moment. “Actually, that does sound like a good idea. I could use some chicken wings.”

He stood up and held his hand down toward her. She let him help her up, but instead of letting her hand go, he threaded their fingers. Together, they walked from the beach back to Chris’s car.

****

Halfway through dinner of buffalo chicken wings, sticks of celery and carrots dipped in blue cheese dressing, and a large glass of sweet iced tea, anxiety reared its ugly head. Evie’s heart palpitated in her chest, a very odd sensation that felt like butterfly wings fluttering under her skin. She wiped her mouth and then pushed her plate away because if she swallowed one more bite, she knew she would throw up.

“Excuse me,” she muttered and rose from the table to hurry to the tiny bathroom located in the back of the bar. She was lucky it was empty, and she locked herself inside, trying to gulp deep breaths of air in an effort to calm herself.

She thought she’d gotten over this, at least gotten over the worst part of withdrawal. Instead, her hands shook, and looking in the mirror over the sink, she saw her eyes were wide and partially dilated.

“Damn it,” she whispered.

Turning on the faucet, she splashed cold water on her face and the back of her neck. If she went out now, everyone would stare at her. They’d know she was having a panic attack. They would stare and point, whisper behind their hands. Just the thought of everyone looking at her, perhaps judging her, threatened to make her hyperventilate. The room began to close in on her as tears welled up in her eyes and her breathing increased.

A knock sounded on the door. “Evelyn?”

Groping behind her, she managed to unlock the door. Bishop opened it and air flooded into the small space. She practically fell into his arms, shaking.

“Evelyn!”

“I-I can’t b-breathe,” she managed to gasp. “H-help me.”

The exit from the bar and the ride to the hotel was all a blur. She let him handle everything since a chill had settled in her bones and her shaking came from deep inside. Bishop undressed her and put her in the shower, turning on the hot water in an effort to warm her up. As the water sluiced over her head, Bishop stepped into the shower behind her, hugging her into his own body. Slowly, she began to warm up, and once the shaking began to subside, the tears began to flow.

“Shh,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

“For a moment, I thought I didn’t need The Cove,” she said.

“This is just a momentary blip. You’re going to be okay.”

Her tunnel vision began to clear and that was when she noticed he was naked, and so was she, and they were pressed against each other. She had no memory of undressing, but as the fear drained away, a new hunger took over, chasing away her need for the pills. She slid her hands up his chest as something powerful took hold and she pressed her pelvis against his. She couldn’t help but notice his own response to her nearness, although he pushed her slightly away.

“Evelyn, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know perfectly well what I’m doing.”

“Damn it, I can’t resist you.”

“Then don’t.”

He tried to pull away, but she clung to him, rubbing her breasts over the hair on his pecs, loving the friction against the sensitive nubs. At the blatant seductive move, he seemed to give up any type of protest, instead pulling her closer and capturing her lips with his own. Heedless of the water pouring over them, they kissed passionately, tongues meeting and twining together. When they broke apart, he spun her around and she flattened her palms against the tiled wall. He cupped her breasts and rolled the turgid nipples between his fingertips. She gasped and arched back into his body as he drove her desire higher. He kissed her neck before leaving her sensitive breasts to travel down, finding her slit between her thighs. 

His fingers stroked along her clit, electrifying her senses. He bent and gently took her earlobe between his teeth to suck on the loose flesh, shifting behind her which brought his hard cock directly against her rounded buttock. Evie tried to move her hips faster against his fingers and was rewarded when one tip spread apart her cunt lips to tease her entrance. Bishop undulated against her, bumping the bottom of her pussy with his cock, just as his fingers slipped into her body. The water flowed down over her head as she leaned back on his shoulder, the sensation a passionate contrast to the heat they were producing. She moaned as she pushed her body against his, his hard cock so close to where she needed him. He sucked her earlobe harder as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, speeding up, causing her to move in time with his ministrations. His cock bumped along the bottom of her cunt lips and she shivered, her back cradled by his chest. He pushed his fingers along her clit and deep into her cunt, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. She came, shaking and gasping, the pleasure almost unbearable. She rode his fingers until the last of her climax ebbed away, and only then did he withdraw from her body.

The momentary empty feeling immediately was replaced with anticipation as he buckled his knees a little to bring his cock up against her still quivering pussy. Bishop lifted one of her thighs, draping it over his arm as he took hold of his dick, lined it up with her slit, and then slid all the way inside. For a moment, they stood absolutely still, for which Evie was grateful because she wanted to ingrain this moment forever in her mind. Her world suddenly aligned itself. Nothing had ever felt so right, so perfect, as if some part of her soul seemed to touch his and merged the two halves into a whole. Bishop groaned in her ear, and the sexy sound galvanized every cell in her body. She pushed back into him, taking him as deeply as possible. The seductive heat of his body completely outsourced the steam from the shower as little tiny tremors of pleasure quaked within her. With his free hand, he took hold of her hip and begin to pull in and out of her harder, thrusting faster. His cock was deep within her body. As he began to rock back and forth, his thrusts became more and more pronounced. Her legs felt like jelly as her body began to react to his strokes.

She flung her head back and his thrusts grew wild, out of control, holding her steady as he fucked her. His cock plunged in and out as her pussy tightened on his cock, her whole body shaking as an orgasm rushed through her like a tidal wave. His rhythm splintered apart as he pumped his cock deeper. His balls slapped against her ass. Then, suddenly, he stilled … and a second later he pulled out of her body. Warm cum splayed against her back, shielded from the shower spray, his hips jerking as the last of his orgasm spilled out.

His weight pushed her against the wall, and they flattened, breathing heavily. After a moment or two, he moved off her. When she felt soap lathering upon her skin, she cracked her eyes open to glance over her shoulder. He didn’t say anything, so she let him bathe her, also not saying a word. She was afraid of spoiling the magic that had descended over them. When he was done washing her, the water turned off and a big towel was wrapped around her body. He lifted her up and carried her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, where he tenderly laid her upon the bed. They stared at one another, looking deep into each other’s eyes, and Evie swore she could feel their souls meeting, touching, binding together. Love bubbled up, flooding every dark part of her soul, and freeing her heart.

She opened her mouth to say the words, but closed them away at the last second. Tomorrow morning she had to go into rehab. She needed to face and defeat that demon so they could have a fresh start together. So instead, she shut her eyes and snuggled into him, not caring at all that her hair was damp or she was still wearing a towel. Nothing else mattered.