Page 100 of Adrift

Darian reluctantly shakes Liam’s hand, but neither of them say anything further to each other. Progress, I think to myself. It’s better than the outright animosity my guy would prefer to show if it were up to him.

The whistle blows somewhere in the distance near the water, and the participants all line up with their kayaks. Felix starts speaking into the bullhorn in his hand.

Darian rests his hand on the small of my back. “I’ve gotta get on safety patrol duty, sweetheart. You go do your thing, and we’ll meet back here in a few hours when the tournament finishes.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take Liam to meet my friends before I do that.”

I wave to Darian, whom I notice gives Liam a leery look, before gesturing to Liam to follow me.

Melody immediately locks her eyes on Liam when we get closer. Before I even know it, they’re wrapped up in a conversation. I hug Bella–she’s going to be on my mind all day, I know it–before telling her we’ll talk more about everything later. She nods, and I again notice the way Garrett’s eyes linger on her, as if he can’t peel them away.

As much as I wish for more between them–given how much I would love Garrett for her–my cousin is probably overwhelmed with her upcoming future. Even if she were interested, I doubt Bella will give Garrett any indication that she’s available.

I take the lens cap off my camera and stride toward where the kayakers are starting the race–completely unaware that the next time I’m back here, I’ll be horrifically regarding Ryan as he squirms, lying in a pool of his own blood.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Darian

I stay close behind the competitors. For the most part, they’re all experienced kayakers, but there are parts of the river where the currents can be unpredictable, so I like to hover around there until everyone is past it. Thankfully, I’m not the only patrol in the water–we have several keeping a close eye on the participants.

I was a little worried throughout the week since we had unusually high winds in this area. If it had been as bad as it was a couple of days ago, I would have had to push the tournament to another weekend, and what a mess that would have been. But thankfully, while today is more overcast and cooler than a typical August day, the wind seems manageable and safe for all the kayakers.

A few kayakers pass by me, trying to find their place in the race. I don’t recognize them from my short glance at their profiles, but they seem to know what they’re doing, adeptly maneuvering through the choppy water.

I look at the low cliffs nearby, hoping to find Rani, but I don’t see her. I shouldn’t be surprised. We’re quite a ways down the river at this point, but I find myself always being disappointed when she’s not nearby. Her presence, her laugh, and her closeness has become such a familiar part of my day that if I don’t see her for a few hours, I can feel myself get antsy. I’m looking forward to finishing up today and coaxing her into a nice warm bath at the end of the night.

Perhaps I can entice her to enjoy the hand shower again, like she did the night she came back from her parents’.

And now I’m kayaking with a hard-on. Just perfect. Hopefully a few splashes of the cold water will have my dick relaxing.

Holding my paddle up to wave at Felix, who is a few yards ahead of me, I keep paddling through the rushing water, coming to an area where the water isn’t as turbulent. I look around to make sure everyone still seems comfortable, specifically around the areas where I know there are some unpredictable currents behind me.

“How’s it going, Darian? Or should I call you ‘King’ like all your minions around here?” The voice has my head snapping to my left. Ryan smirks. “Long time, no see, buddy. Are you guys no longer playing poker or am I just no longer invited?”

I look ahead, trying not to get wrapped up in whatever it is he’s trying to goad me into. “I need to focus, Ryan. You should, too.”

“Can you even focus anymore, man? I mean, if I was ramming that ass every night, I’d probably be unfocused by daybreak, too.”

My eyes lock on him, and I barely hear the rush of water around me–the surge of my blood against my eardrums is deafening. “What’d you say?”

He paddles ahead, jeering over his shoulder. “Fuck, I thought lightning only struck once, but you lucky bastard, you’ve had two times the luck. Picking apples from the same tree, I see. Good for you, man.” He chuckles, and I swear the thought of closing the distance between our kayaks so I’m close enough to shove him off spins through my mind. “I mean, Sonia had a nice ass, but Rani . . .? Now that ass is what the phrase ‘cushion for the pushin’ was made for.

“You motherfucker.” I paddle past him, but my blood is speeding through my veins faster than any white water rapid. My heart is pumping so hard, it’s fogging up my brain.

Every cell in my body screams to unleash on this asshole.

I fly down the river, keeping a steady gaze on the participants near me. Who the fuck let this douchebag into this tournament? I must have missed his name on the signups. Though, I wasn’t really paying attention to who signed up.

* * *

About forty-five minutes later, we have five participants coming up to the finish line with the rest following behind them.

My mood is shot to hell, and I can’t see straight. Worse, I can barely think straight. I knew Ryan was an obnoxious piece of shit, but to bring my late wife up as if she was nothing more than an object for him to ogle, and then having the fucking audacity to talk about Rani! How dare he even look at Rani, let alone say her name or speak of her using his filthy mouth. I’m ready to pull his fucking tongue out and throw it into the river as fish food.

I get out of my kayak, watching as Felix and Greg call the first, second, and third place winners. While everyone else high-fives each other, I pretend to be focused on my kayak, begging the buzzing inside my head to stop. It feels like it’s a hive for angry bees.

“King!” Felix calls from where he’s shaking hands with the winners. They look exhausted but thrilled. They’ll be getting trophies, free kayak rentals, and a ton of complimentary items from our vendors. “Get over here. You’re handing out the trophies.”

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