Page 16 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

I groan. He’s right. Her wedding is in two months. Since it’s taking place in Wendell Beach and she lives in Boston, a lot of the errand-running has fallen on Haley and me. Her fiancé, Beckett, hasn’t helped nearly as much as he promised he would.

“Not a full party then, but something special. This is a big deal, Christian.”

“I know.” His voice is quieter than I expect.

“Right, I’m headed home. I have marketing research due by the end of the week,” I say. I slide from my barstool, grab my bag, and wave goodbye to everyone.

Paradise is so close to my house, it’s a given I’ll walk, so there’s no polite offer from anyone to give me a ride. I put on my sunglasses and head out the beach side of the restaurant. The fine white sand is hot on my bare feet as I carry my flip-flops. I do this short trip so often it’s easy to ignore what’s around me. But I appreciate the beauty of the beach and the vastness of the gulf. This beach stretches the entire seven miles of the gulf side of the island. The water is relatively still today. It’s early enough that I might have time for a paddle before sunset. It’s so hot out and I want nothing more than to plunge into the water. I pick up my pace. At least now it doesn’t matter how sweaty I am.

I get home, and after grabbing a glass of water, head to my back porch. The neighbor’s house is quiet and I didn’t see the SUV parked out front. I want to sit for a few moments and see if I can reclaim a little bit of the equilibrium that’s been missing over the last week. Then I’ll grab my board and head out to the water. Market research can be done after the sun sets. What’s the point of owning an athletic wear company if I’m too busy to use the clothing?

I see movement from the corner of my eye in the neighbor’s yard and turn.

“No, you can’t be here,” I gasp. I expected the shirtless form of a stranger.

Instead, I see the beautiful skin and tattoos of the man I can’t get out of my head.

seven

ORION

I knew movingto Florida in August would be demanding. The endless heat and humidity drain my existence. But the renovations are done on the house and I’m ready for this new chapter of my life. All the improvements had to be done before I moved in. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to escape rather than deal with the chaos of construction projects.

I don’t have a lot of belongings, so the house needs to be filled. Today was delivery day for my furniture. My sister, Brooklynn, told me to hire an interior decorator, but I don’t want outside influences on how my house looks or feels. I want my vision to come through. It was risky since I’d never decorated anything before, the boat only ever having the necessities. But I’m happy with the results as I walk from room to room. It feels like home to me.

Now that my bedroom is set up, tonight will be the first night I spend here. I love theTwisted Rigging, but my pillow smells like Carina. It made me antsy from wanting her.

I’m hot from the moving, and even with the a/c on, I feel sticky. I had the pool cleaned a few days ago, and I decide to check it out. I step into my backyard and pull off my shirt.

That’s when I hear her voice.

“No, you can’t be here.”

I turn to the house next to me, the one between me and the water. And only a few feet from me, looking perfect, is Carina. The sun dips toward the horizon behind her and the light hits her blond hair, making it look like a halo. She’s wearing yoga clothes.Did she come from the studio?Her hands rest on her hips like she’s angry.

My mind freezes. I genuinely don’t know how to react to her. I wasn’t expecting to see her. At least not like this.

I’m so fucking happy.

I’ve been thinking about her constantly, but I’m biding my time. I’d let it happen naturally at Paradise or bring her up casually with Alex. As much as I can’t stop replaying the way she came, I didn’t think our paths would cross this soon.

The fence between our houses is low enough that I can see straight through to the beach from my raised deck. If I’m in the pool below, I have a little privacy. But right now I’m elevated, and I see her standing on her deck.

She looks mad.

“Sorry?” I let her know I’m confused.

“You can’t be here.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, but I am.” Is Carina my next-door neighbor? The thought of having her close to me all the time sends all my blood straight to my dick.

I shift my body away from her, like I’m surveying the land. I can’t get hard right now. It’ll be too obvious in my shorts. I don’t think that will endear me to her.

“No, that’s not right,” she says.

“Will you come around so we can talk about this like adults?” We both have gates on this side of our houses. She can be here easily and then we’re not shouting at each other.

She huffs but does what I ask, while I put my shirt back on. She’s seen me naked, but I can’t read her right now. While distracting her with memories of sex might be fun, I should give her the chance to focus. None of this is a game to me. I’m certainly thinking about the future, and not just now—I’ve thought about pursuing a relationship with her, but I have to be careful. Her living next door gives me too much access to her. It could get dangerous fast.

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