Page 22 of Should've Been Us
Connor was trudging up the beach by himself to the little shack that had supplied them with their sandcastle building tools and drinks. His back was broad and tanned and flexed as he moved. It was hard to tell in board shorts but he had a nice ass too. She wasn’t the only one that had noticed. Half the women on the beach had turned to watchhim.
“Why you went running out of the room last night when we were talking about the boys and their… manhood.” Sierra snickered a little when Lulu whipped back to face her. “Oh come on, you think I didn’t notice that you couldn’t get out of there fast enough? Child,please.”
Her words, while casual, felt like a slap in the face. Lulu fought to keep her face from giving anything away. Horror filled her veins and panic seized hold of herheart.
Sierra had noticed. Sierra knew. It had taken this woman who was a virtual stranger less than a day to figure out the secret Lulu had managed to keep from those closest to her foryears.
She shot a look towards Derek but he and Aubrey were oblivious to this conversation. She almost snorted. Hell, when wasn’t he oblivious to her? She watched the happy couple making googly eyes at one another, sneaking touches and kisses as they worked side by side to build their ridiculous castle. Her heart ached and she had to look away when a thought she’d never had before entered herhead.
They were perfecttogether.
Derek was happy. He was happy with Aubrey. He lovedAubrey.
There were no doubts left to that. There hadn’t been in a long time. She’d known it but she’d failed to accept it. Here and now, she had to. After spending last night talking to the girl, she knew Aubrey wasn’t the devil or the enemy. She was just the woman that Lulu’s best friend had fallen in love with, the woman he’d chosen instead of her. To him, it hadn’t even been achoice.
Lulu hadn’t even been on the playingfield.
“It’s not what you think.” She finally managed to choke out, glancing at Sierra from under herlashes.
“Oh, I think it is.” The blonde smirked, “I didn’t get it last night but seeing you today… it’s totallyobvious.”
“It is?” Lulu tried to hide the flush of embarrassment that heated her face by taking a long drink of the margarita Sierra had handedher.
“Of course it is.” Sierra lowered her voice conspiratorially; “You’ve got it bad forConnor.”
Lulu choked on the alcohol that was in her throat. She coughed and spluttered. Heat lit up her entire body until she was certain she was beet red from head to toe. A couple of their friends turned to look at her but she shook her head and her hand at them, motioning them not to come over because she wasfine.
But she wasn’tfine.
It took her a minute to get air back into her lungs and when she did the shock and horror of what Sierra had said seemed more absurd than ever, “What?”
“You’ve got a thing for Connor. I get it. Hearing about him and Amber last night must have sucked. I’m sorry about that by the way, I didn’t know when I brought up the conversationand…”
“No.” Lulu was still shaking her head, couldn’t seem to stop the movement, she was like one of those bobble dolls people put on their dashboard, “No. No. You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t… We don’t… It’s not likethat.”
Sierra dropped her glasses down her nose enough to shoot a disbelieving glance at her, “Uh huh.Suuuure.”
“I’m serious. You’re wrong. I don’t…” She blinked and shot a glance around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear them, and that the man they were talking about was still up the beach at the shack before turning back to the blonde, “I don’t even like him as like… a human being. Haven’t you been paying attention? All we do isfight.”
“Oh, I’ve been paying attention and what you two do isn’t fighting. That’s foreplay,honey.”
“No. It’s just fighting. We can’t stand eachother.”
“If my friend Lane was here she’d totally back me up on this but since she’s not you’re gonna have to take my word for it. All that heat between you two, you might think it’s hate but there’s a thin line, baby girl. When you two hit the hay you’re gonna set the barn on fire the sparks are sohot.”
Lulu opened her mouth, closed it again and then shook her head. Sierra wasn’t making any sense. None at all. If she’d figured out that Lulu had a crush on Derek that would have been hard to explain away but this? Connor? There wasn’t anything between her andConnor.
“I do not have a thing for Connor.” She hissed as quietly as she could manage, “I am definitely not having sex withhim!”
“Well, why not?” Sierra raised her eyebrows. “Lordy, he’s hotter than a whore in church and he looks at you like he wants to make your insides melt and then lick all that goodnessup.”
“Jesus Christ.” Lulu put a hand to herface.
Sierra was crazy. Aubrey had tried to warn them all of that when she’d said her matron of honor was coming from Montana. Lulu hadn’t believed her then. Even last night, she’d thought Sierra was just a little eccentric. This confirmed it though. The woman was alunatic.
“He does not look at me like that, not that I even know what that means, but trust me, he only looks at me like he wants to strangle me most of thetime.”
“Well, yeah.” Sierra shrugged, “Sometimes he does. But most of the time I think he’d rather kiss you than killyou.”
