Page 58 of Tell Me You Like It

On surf days, I drive my Range Rover, because it’s the only car I have that I can strap a board to. My shortboard is small enough that I can toss it in the spacious trunk.

I slip my winter suit on, strap my board to my ankle, and head out to the water, where the rest of the guys are already waiting. Three black figures bob on the water, sitting on their boards, fucking around as they wait for a decent wave.

I paddle out to the guys, then straddle my board. The water is cold on my skin, but I fucking love it. Cold ocean water in the morning is better than coffee. It wakes me up and makes me feel alive.

“Yo, Roman,” Jackson says. “You’re late.”

Yeah, I knew that was coming. I’m usually the first one in the water, so the fact that I’m even a few minutes late wasn’t going to go unnoticed by the guys.

Christian wags his brows suggestively. “Crazy night with your little pet?”

The guys burst out laughing at that.

I shrug one shoulder, avoiding the question—which is weird, because usually, I don’t hesitate to tell the guys all about my conquests. It’s no big deal. But it’s a big deal now—and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. Maybe it’s just because the stakes are so fucking high—this isn’t a casual fucking fling. It’s something else. Something darker, heavier.

“Oh, don’t be so damn modest,” Jackson laughs. “The whole damn house was talking about your sexcapades with Lux last night. Apparently, you guys weren’t very quiet.”

Fuck.“News travels fast,” I say. Not that it matters. Word was going to get out regardless.

“Oh, hell yeah,” Christian adds. “I think there might actually be audio floating around. Someone sent it it me, but…” He mimics throwing up. “Excuse me if I’m not interested in hearing my buddy fuck the enemy’s brains out.”

The enemy. Yeah, I have to remember that. Because in my mind’s-eye, all I see is her wide, innocent eyes burning with hunger…forme.That image is burned into my brain, and it’s probably what I’m going to jack off to for the next fucking decade.

“So it’s done, then?” Lucas asks.

I push out a breath and glance up at the sky for a second before turning my attention back to the guys. I could really use a good fucking wave right now—anything to escape this conversation–but the water is calm, and there’s no avoiding the topic of Lux and what happened between us last night.

The guys are looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“I mean, yeah,” I say with a half-shrug, just to keep itcasual like I don’t care. “We fucked. There’s nothing really to say about it.”

Jackson looks at me like he’s expecting more. “And?”

I’m annoyed now. “Andwhat, bro?”

“Give us all the dirty details,” Lucas says. “Like, dude, did she grow horns when she came?”

The guys roar in laughter again, like this is the funniest shit ever.

Jezus. “You guys are fucking idiots.”

“We just want toknow!” Christian says, still chuckling. “I mean, dude, we’ve been planning this shit formonths. It’s nice to see things finally fall into place.”

Lucas is unusually quiet, but he finally pipes up. “So, you think she’s falling for you, or what?”

Yeah, that’s a tough question to answer, and I knew it was coming. But with the amount of resistance she’s throwing at me, I can’t really be sure. So I’m honest with them. “I don’t know.”

“They fucked,” Lucas says, like duh. “Of course, she’s falling for him. They always fucking fall. It’s inevitable at this point.”

I shake my head. “Yeah, Lux is different. She’s not going to be as easy to break.”

That seems to sober Jackson and Christian.

“We don’t have a lot of time, Roman,” Christian says. “We need her to fall fast.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I snap back. Damn. I’m sick of being hounded with facts I already fucking know.

“I could take a crack at her,” Christian offers. “Chicksfall at my feetafter I fuck them. I could bring that bitch to heelrealquick.”

---