Slick Read online

  Elle’s turn. “I’ve never peed standing up.”

  All the guys drank and she winked at me.

  My turn. I decided to make fun of myself. “I’ve never had sex at 37,000 feet.”

  Ben and Bodhi both drank. Bodhi had sex on an airplane! My eyes watched his Adam’s apple jet out and back in with his swallow. The stubble on his face and neck looked sexy, and I fought the impulse to run my fingertips over it.

  The boys back at Cain prep barely had any facial hair. I wondered how old he was.

  “Tess?”

  “What?” I snapped, looking away from Bodhi.

  “I said, I’ve never fucked anyone in Massachusetts,” Ben repeated. I hadn’t heard him the first time because I was too busy gawking at the brown-eyed beauty two seats away.

  “Oh.” I set the can down without drinking it, and everyone’s eyes still rested on me. Elle kicked me under the table, and I glanced at her. What?

  “I’ve never fucked anyone in California,” Bodhi grinned with his brown eyes burning into me. He’s never had sex with anyone in California? But then he picked up his beer and drank.

  “Wait. So you have or you haven’t?” I wanted to clarify.

  Ben cleared his throat. “There isn’t a lot Bodhi hasn’t done. So he says stuff he’s done and then he drinks. Doesn’t really follow the rules.”

  Bodhi took off his ball cap and turned it backward. Oh… That only made things worse. Now that I could see his whole face, he was drop dead gorgeous. “So do you need to drink?” Bodhi asked with raised brows and one side of his mouth turned up.

  “Wait. What was the question?” I asked totally flustered.

  “Tess! What is wrong with you?” Elle asked.

  I gave in and drank simply because I couldn’t recall the question.

  “So you have had sex in the state of California,” Ben asked.

  “No!”

  Ty obnoxiously cleared his throat and grinned. “So if you haven’t had sex in Mass or Cali—have you not had sex?”

  OH! Finally it was registering. Elle’s kick. Shit. Trying to mask my deer in the headlights look, I laughed. “You got 48 more states to go boys!”

  “I’ve never had sex in the ocean,” Ben said, getting us back on track.

  Finally, I didn’t have to drink but every single other person did. Bodhi included. His damn eyes were burning holes into me like some intimidation tactic.

  There was a tap at the back door and Collin slid it open from where he sat. An attractive, deeply tan brunette came in. Elle was right, I was pale.

  “There you are,” she sang, and I noticed Elle roll her eyes.

  Bodhi scooted his chair back and then stood with a furrowed brow.

  “What are we playing?” she asked, sashaying toward him as he sat back down. She had to be his girlfriend.

  Except for when parents would show up to see other girls at the school, I’d never been jealous. My parents never did that. But when this beautiful girl’s hand slithered over Bodhi’s broad shoulders and her hip rested against his ribs, green slime began to slowly ooze through my veins. I’d never touched a guy like that. Especially not one like him.

  “I’ve never,” Ben answered, and Elle elbowed him.

  “I’m Ali and you are?”

  “My cousin, Tess.” Elle answered for me…distaste dripped from her words.

  Ali flipped her straight, dark hair out of her scowling face and glared at Elle. What was up there?

  Four beers later, my head was heavy; I’d literally been made to drink on most every question. My head rested on my palm, which was propped up by my elbow. I was done. Only twice before had I tried alcohol and it had only been some sort of moscato red wine a classmate stole from her house and smuggled into school. Seven of us drank it straight from the bottle.

  It was Bodhi’s turn again. Even though I barely knew the guy, I hung on every word he uttered. For someone who didn’t drink, he was sure enjoying this game. I wasn’t sure what had Elle so worked up because he didn’t pay much attention to Ali who completely smothered him.

  “I’ve never kissed anyone at this table,” Bodhi said and his raspy voice cracked somewhere in the sentence making his voice sexier than it already was.

  The courage brewing in my arteries took hold of me. It was as if a firework stand caught fire and every explosive was igniting. My body couldn’t take any more alcohol. So as Bodhi tipped his beer back, clearly drinking because he had kissed someone at the table…though I didn’t know if it was Elle or Ali or both, I scooted my chair back, balanced on my feet and took three steps toward Ty.

  His eyes widened as I got closer. “You OK?”

  I’d only kissed two guys in my life and neither kiss had involved tongue. After licking my lips, I leaned down and brushed my lips over Ty’s. Softly. No tongue. The first little peck he wasn’t ready for and didn’t really kiss back, but the second peck was a little softer and sweeter and more responsive.

  The screech on the floor brought my eyes open, and Ty raised both brows eyeballing me with an amused grin. Bodhi was on his feet and Ali settled into his now vacant chair.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked Bodhi.

  “That’s my girl!” Elle whopped.

  “Like cousin…like cousin?” Ali spat out. Bodhi’s head snapped toward her and his mouth moved, but I couldn’t tell or hear what he said. Whatever it was, it made her jaw clench and she turned her icy glare on me.

  Elle’s chair flew back and she stormed around the table getting to within about a foot of Ali. Being a gentleman, Ben stood next to Elle, not stopping her, but ready to step in. Bodhi didn’t even acknowledge Ali; his body was facing me but his eyes swept back and forth between Ty and me.

  “Let me tell you something, nasty rag. My cousin is one of the best women alive. She is everything that is good. Something that you couldn’t even begin to compete with. You want to call me a fucking name? Have at it…but don’t you dare throw her into the ring because, bitch, you will go down.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Ali said to Bodhi, who looked over his shoulder at her as if he’d forgotten she was there.

  “Good thing you introduced yourself too,” Elle continued, “because I’d have bet money that he didn’t know it. Now he can at least call you by the right name.”

  Unintentionally I gasped at that low blow, but Bodhi certainly didn’t dispute it. What a pig. And damn those etiquette classes that obviously didn’t work. As my face pulled into a disgusted grimace, Bodhi excused himself and went out the door with a livid Ali storming behind.

  “Well I think that went well,” Collin laughed, crushing yet another beer can.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered to Ty. “I guess that was pretty stupid of me.”

  His chin lowered to his chest. “Come with me.”

  Without meeting anyone else’s looks, I followed him out onto the deck.

  “Tess,” he whispered. “Don’t be sorry you kissed me. I know you are here for a short time. I also know you’re pretty hammered right now. Like you said, you’re here to have fun. For two months. If you want to have fun with me, then I’m in.”

  In just seven hours, I’d grown to appreciate this guy already.

  “I didn’t wanna drink anymore,” I apologized. “Clearly I’d drank enough and I trusted you more than anyone else to kiss. I’m sorry.”

  His chuckle comforted me. “Don’t be sorry. And…welcome to California baby.”

  I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad I flew commercial!”

  “Me too, Princess.”

  He held me in his arms for a moment, and I let the warmth of his body envelope me; he was so stinking skinny it felt like hugging a skeleton.

  The low thrum of a guitar floated through the night air and both of us spotted Bodhi sitting on the edge of the hot tub at their house strumming a soft tune.

  “That boy never stops.” Ty whispered near my ear.

  “What happened to his girlfriend?”
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  “Bodhi doesn’t have just one girl. Elle was right; he probably didn’t know Ali’s name. We call her bunny because of where she works.”

  “Where does she work?”

  “Hip Hop Tanning,” he grinned.

  Slowly I pushed myself away from Ty, yawning.

  “Want me to take you home?”

  I nodded.

  “It’s midnight here so that means it’s three o’clock to your little body.”

  “I can’t really go home without Elle.”

  Ty came up behind me and gently rubbed my shoulders in a gesture that could hardly be considered inappropriate. But, now that my eyes had adjusted to the night sky, there was no doubt we were being watched by the strumming guitarist.

  “Tess. Elle and her mom don’t get along. She doesn’t go home a lot.”

  Suddenly my heart broke and started racing at the same time. Elle doesn’t go home? What was going on with Aunt Di? Was Ty expecting me to stay with him? That kiss was a horrible idea.

  “She stays here?”

  “Yes. We have a buddy named Jaxson who she stayed with for a while too, but they broke up.”

  Undoubtedly, Bodhi’s eyes were still on us, and I wasn’t sure what to do about Ty’s hands on me. So slowly, I spun around to measure his response to my questions.

  “And Ben?”

  “Ben digs her. A lot. But Elle, she usually moves on quicker than Ben so he’s guarded.”

  “Dumb question but…where would I sleep?”

  His smile warmed me, and when his arm shot around my shoulders capturing my neck in his elbow ready to choke me, I played like I was gagging.

  “You can crash on our sofa.” He tilted his head toward where Bodhi sat. “Or you can crash on theirs. They won’t care either.”

  Matt and Collin were an unknown to me. Ty, I unquestionably trusted. But I wasn’t sure if being close to Bodhi was a good idea. He had sex with girls and didn’t even know their names.

  “So, it’s just you and Bodhi?”

  “Derk stays with us if he’s not at Rachel’s. Housing out here is pretty damn expensive so we crash together.”

  “Hey. I could pay,” I joked with a smile.

  “Oh I’m sure you could.”

  With his hand at the small of my back, we headed toward Bodhi on the deck. My heart was no longer beating fast; I think it had stopped all together.

  Our approach was no surprise to the man who I was sure had been watching our every move.

  “Hey,” Ty said as we walked past, and I kept my eyes down.

  “You all want to go down to the boardwalk?” Bodhi’s low, raspy voice sent tremors through me.

  “Nah. She’s pretty wiped,” Ty answered, but Bodhi caught my cautious eye.

  “Another time?” I desperately added and regretted it immediately. I hadn’t flown three thousand miles just to end up sleeping!

  “She can have my bed. You know I don’t sleep.” His fingers continued to work magic on the strings even as he spoke.

  “No. The sofa’s fine. I don’t know if Elle will come get me or not and…”

  “Then I’ll tell her where to find you. You’ll take my room.” His strumming stopped as he kept his eyes down and his words left no room for discussion.

  Ty’s blue eyes, however, found mine and he shrugged with a furrowed brow. Bodhi didn’t get to tell me what to do.

  Once inside, I turned on Ty.

  “I can take the sofa.”

  Too quickly he shook his head. “No. Just take his room. I need to speak with him for a few anyway, and we’d probably keep you awake.”

  “Ty…” I don’t know why I said his name. A feeling of fear consumed me, and for some reason Ty made me feel safe. “I want to stay in your room.”

  “Don’t worry, Tess. Like Ben said, Bodhi doesn’t follow the rules. If there is somewhere you’ll be safe tonight, it’ll be in there.”

  Before I could protest further, we were standing in a room. His room…I could feel it. Call it a vibe. A guitar hung on a black wall. Pictures of Jimi Hendix, Chuck Barry, Slash and Keith Richards were plastered across the walls. A signed Eric Clapton photograph. A square box with a guitar pic inside…wonder who that belonged to? An Oregon Duck pennant…

  “You OK?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Lie down and try to get some sleep. This is just about how every night around here goes during the summer, so get used to it.” Ty leaned forward and smacked my forehead with a kiss and then closed the door behind him.

  Immediately, I turned off the light, returned to the bed and gingerly crawled into the bed. The fresh, masculine smell in the sheets stirred something inside of me, and, with eyes closed, I inhaled the longest, slowest breath my lungs would allow.

  A shadow crossed in front of the window, and I froze until I realized it was Ty and Bodhi. I climbed out of bed and tiptoed over to the window.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “What?” Bodhi asked, his voice a much deeper baritone than Ty’s.

  “You may as well have announced to everyone tonight that you were calling dibs on Tess.”

  Dibs? I rested my head up against the window frame.

  “Don’t, Tyler.”

  “Don’t what Bodhi? When was the last time a girl slept in your bed?”

  Silence.

  “You can’t answer that because the answer is never. But suddenly this girl shows up who you don’t even know and you’re offering up your bed. Why?”

  “I was being nice. Don’t make it more.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Jesus, Tyler. All you bastards were eyeballing her like fucking dogs in heat. Like some new toy to play with. I have two sisters; if she’s in my bed, I know she’ll be safe because I don’t want her.”

  The words sliced through my heart and tears instantly flooded my eyes. I quickly blinked them back and snuck way from the window. There was no way I wanted him either. When I finally decided to have sex with a man, I wanted him to remember my name. Screw you, Bodhi, Whoever You Are! What the hell kind of name is Bodhi anyway??

  As I fell back into the bed, his incredible smell wafted around me and I thought about my father. If Ethan Ashby III found out I was spending my first night in California in some 21-year-old’s bed, half drunk and not at Aunt Di’s—well, I’m not sure what he would do. That’s how little I knew my father, but most dad’s wouldn’t like it.

  Chapter 4—Tessa~ Caught

  The sun peeked through the slit in the curtain and brought my eyes open. When my body arched into a full stretch, I remembered where I was—lying in the bed of a freaking guitar-playing, sexy … jerk! My phone showed it was 7 a.m., which meant it was 10 to me.

  As I got up, I noticed a cigar box on the dresser. The thought of him smoking totally grossed me out. Curiosity getting the better of me, I opened the box to find condoms inside…a lot of them…ewww!

  I took inventory in his room one last time before I closed the door behind me. The look on the girls’ faces back at school when I tell them this story—priceless. Bodhi wasn’t on the sofa or anywhere that I could see. I quietly made my way outside. As soon as the sunshine hit me, I closed my eyes and raised my face to the sun. It’s as if the sun drew a deep breath from me.

  With my bare feet, I walked across the soft, green grass in the yard and over to the other guys’ house. The sliding glass door wasn’t locked and the table was still piled high with beer cans. The four that were my responsibility sat where I’d left them after ‘the kiss.’

  The hallway was dark, and when I pushed open the first door I came to, Collin lay sprawled out across the mattress in his underwear. I silently pulled the door closed. The next door was ajar, and I peeked in. Elle blanketed Ben…literally. Her body draped on top of his as they both slept. The sheet covered her lower half, but her upper body was naked and pressed against his beautifully.

  For a few moments I stared at them, taking in the beauty of their bodies intertwined…my breath hitching�
��my heart beating faster…my groin clenching with thoughts. Quickly, I turned away and hurried back down the hall and out the sliding glass door to the deck.

  As I tried to manage my breaths with the excitement of seeing Elle and Ben together like that, I thought about the sheltered life I’d led. I’d read about sex—like the basics—but I’d never done it and never witnessed something like that. My body was responding in an unfamiliar way. The tingling sensation in my nipples forced me to run my hands slowly over my breasts trying to make it go away. I wanted that…what Elle had. I wanted to lie next to a guy and have him touch me.

  “You OK?”

  Bodhi’s sensual voice startled me and my eyes shot wide with embarrassment—could he read my thoughts? Blood rushed to my face as I stuttered and my hands fell to my sides. That baseball cap was still turned backward. I wondered if he slept in that thing.

  “I…yes! Why? I’m fine. What are you doing?”

  Oh my God! He was shirtless and drenched in sweat.

  “Just finished my run. What are you doing? Are you sick?”

  After a quick shake of my head, I answered. “No. Ready to go home.” I jetted my thumb in the opposite direction of him…possibly a subliminal message there.

  “Need a lift?”

  Another head shake. “Nah. I can’t go home without Elle.”

  “Go wake her up,” he said like it was no big deal.

  “No! They…um…are…asleep.” The level of frustration or whatever sprinting through my veins still caused my breaths to come at uneven intervals and that irritated me.

  His perfect lips curled up in a knowing smile and he took a couple of measured steps toward me. I started to back step, but my thigh hit the lawn chair behind me. His over 6-foot frame towered over me.

  “What’d you see?” He asked, his voice dropping an octave lower.

  I wanted to cry. His masculine smell permeated my every sense. My body wouldn’t stop reacting and moisture pooled between my legs. What the hell was that?

  “Nothing,” I whispered.

  He tilted his head to the side. “You’re lying, Tessa. Tell me.”

  How did he know my full name? No one called me Tessa.