Page 31 of Try Me

Cold Showers

Declan

After helpingPearl get to bed, Declan had gone to his room and taken a cold shower. He’d hoped the cold water would rinse Pearl from his mind, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Picturing her head in his lap got him so hard that he had to take care of himself. He imagined her full lips wrapped around his cock and her dark eyes flashing up at him as he stroked himself, and it had only taken a few minutes to climax.

He’d thought he’d gotten Pearl out of his system, but it hadn’t worked. She’d been the first thing on his mind when he’d woken up in the enormous four-poster bed. One thought about how Pearl would look lying naked on the sheets with her hair fanned around her body, and he’d been instantly aroused. It only got worse when the first thing he’d seen when he’d come downstairs was the back of her head. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, exposing the elegant sweep of her neck.

Declan had been so busy building a fantasy around pressing his lips to Pearl’s neck that he hadn’t noticed her breakfast companion until he was almost at the table. When he’d seen it was Reno Morales, the superstar surfer from Costa Rica, his gut had twisted with jealousy. He’d kissed Pearl on impulse, and he’d known it was a mistake as soon as their lips touched. No amount of cold showers could erase the memory of her hot mouth on his.

He’d needed to get away from her, but she’d insisted on accompanying him on his run. Declan let her get a little bit ahead of him on the beach, considering turning and running in the opposite direction. They weaved through the tourists, already out in droves even though it couldn’t be past 8:00 in the morning. He hoped Pearl would tire herself out by trying to outpace him and return to the hotel in defeat.

After a half mile, Declan realized Pearl had no intention of slowing down or turning around. He sped up to catch her. “It’s better there,” he said, steering her to the wide sidewalk that paralleled the beach.

The words teased up a memory Declan had long forgotten. They were almost exactly what Eddie had said to him the first time they met. Declan couldn’t have been more than fourteen-years-old, just trying out surfing. He’d gone a few times, and finally built up his courage to paddle west along a shallow lagoon that led to the deep water channel where the surfers lined up to catch waves.

Declan remembered being so nervous that he’d taken a roundabout way so he could study the other riders. He’d been the only haole. The other surfers had all seemed to know each other, talking and laughing in a language Declan recognized as Pidgin. He could hardly understand a word they were saying, but one thing they had in common was they all had a smooth style.

As Declan paddled, a boy not much older than him with a mop of curly brown hair passed him and gestured seaward.

“Mo’ bettah outside,” he’d said, and then paddled off.

The boy had been Eddie and it was the first thing he’d ever said to Declan.

After that, it hadn’t taken Declan long to meet Keoni. Before he knew it, Declan was surfing with them every day. They’d become inseparable. And it had all started right here in the shadow of Diamond Head Crater.

Declan jogged into Kapiolani Park away from the tourists at the beach. Running usually cleared Declan’s head, but today it wasn’t working. Between his running companion, and the familiar route resurrecting memories at every turn, his head was more crowded than the sands of Waikiki Beach.

He couldn’t outrun the memories.

The banyan trees looked exactly as he’d remembered. They were called “walking trees” because of their aerial roots that stretched to the ground and gave them the appearance of gliding along the grass.

Long ago, Declan had met Linda at the park to study. He’d roar up on his Vincent Black Shadow and hurry over to their spot under the biggest tree in the park. Declan had always been late, and Linda had always pretended to be angry. But she’d been too busy reading to really be mad and they both knew it. Linda always had her nose in a book, perfectly happy to ignore the world as she was transported by a story.

Declan tore his gaze away from the trees and focused on the back of Pearl’s neck. She’d refused to let him catch her, insisting on running a few strides ahead. He had thought she wouldn’t be able to keep up, but she’d surprised him by keeping pace stride for stride. As he picked up the pace to catch her, she glanced at him and smiled, then sped up again. Declan let her get ahead a few steps, then kicked into a burst of speed and caught her in a few strides. She laughed and shook her head, making her ponytail swing.

Jesus, now Declan was going to have fantasies about Pearl’s hair in a ponytail. The sweet skin at the back of her neck tempted his mouth. He wanted to follow the beads of sweat dripping between her breasts with his tongue. The thought made him instantly hard, forcing him to slow his pace. She was killing him.

He slowed as they passed the giant banyan tree he and Linda had christened as “their tree.” They’d studied there every week for a year. Declan had managed simultaneously to pass ninth grade and fall in love with his best friend’s girl.

He could almost picture Linda sitting there now with her nose in a book and her long legs crossed at the ankles in front of her. Declan skidded to a halt a few feet from the tree. His imagination was either really good, or Linda was sitting under the tree, head bent as she read a book.

Pearl ran a few steps then turned around to see what was keeping him. “You tired?” she asked, jogging back to where he stood rooted to the ground.

Declan couldn’t find any words. The blood rushed from his head, and he thought he might faint. So far he was zero for two in reunions. Yesterday, Keoni. Today, Linda. This trip home had gone wrong from the start.

Pearl followed Declan’s gaze to where Linda sat under the tree. “You know her?” she asked.

Declan sucked in a sharp breath. “Not anymore,” he said.

Linda must have sensed them staring because she suddenly looked up from her book. Sweeping aside her curtain of pale hair, she spotted Declan and her eyes went wide. A sunny smile transformed her face and she launched herself from the ground, across the sidewalk and straight into Declan’s arms.

“Declan Bishop! You’re home!” she cried, clutching him so tightly that he couldn’t breathe.

Waves of confusion crashed over him. He hadn’t seen Linda in years, and they hadn’t parted on good terms. “You’re not mad at me?” He asked, easing back to look at her.

Linda clutched him tighter, burying her face against his damp T-shirt. “You know I can’t stay mad at you! I’m too proud of you!”

Declan felt drunk on her words. He’d never considered that anyone at home had kept up with him, or cared what he was doing.

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