Текст книги "In Your Heart "

Автор книги: Micalea Smeltzer

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

“WOOO! WE’RE IN MIAMI BITCHES!” Maddox yelled, grabbing up Emma and tossing her over his shoulder. He ran straight for the blue-green colored ocean water. She beat at his back, laughing wildly at his antics.

“We’re not even in Miami!” Hayes hollered after him, shaking his head. “Fucking psycho.”

“Do you think we could, um maybe keep the cussing to a minimum?” Arden asked, covering her daughter’s ears.

I’d ended up closing down my shop for the week and after talking to the guys, Emma, and Remy to see if it was okay, I invited Arden and her daughter Mia to go on vacation with us. I knew it had been forever since she’d had a break—being a single mom was hard—and I felt bad that I’d blown her off a few times when she asked to get lunch or something.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Hayes smiled sheepishly at her. “That might be difficult between the two of us.” He tossed a thumb in Mathias’ direction.

Mathias rolled his eyes and finished unloading the suitcases from the trunk of one of the SUVs we’d rented for our stay.

I glanced up at the gigantic mansion we were staying in.

It had four stories—the bottom story was a massive garage, but the other three still remained a mystery. The siding was a pale blue and it had windows everywhere. It was just starting to get dark, but the house glowed from within making it obvious someone had been there earlier to get it ready for our stay.

On the outside palm trees and an endless amount of sand surrounded it.

I breathed in the crisp, salty air.

This was exactly what I had needed.

Glancing over at Ezra as he finished unloading the car we’d rode in I couldn’t help thinking about how difficult this week would be for us.

While Maddox and Emma played in the water—meaning he dropped her in the ocean on purpose and she retaliated by dunking him—the rest of us carried our bags into the house.

“Oh my God,” Arden gasped.

My gasp echoed hers.

The house was stunning.

Actually, that was an understatement.

Magnificent was a more accurate description.

The walls and furniture were all white with pops of turquoise and hot pink in the form of pillows and vases. It was so simple, but beautiful.

But the view? That was to die for.

I dropped my purse by the set of stairs and walked straight ahead to gaze out the windows. The ocean glimmered in the last of the setting sun and below on the beach Emma ran away from Maddox. He caught her around the waist and spun her around. It was a picture perfect moment.

Ezra stepped up beside me, his arm brushing mine. Body heat radiated off of him and I found myself leaning closer to him. I itched to be wrapped in his arms, but I fought off that urge.

On my other side Arden stood with three-year-old Mia on her hip. “Wow,” she gasped, “it’s so beautiful it doesn’t seem real.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Thanks for inviting me.” She glanced at me with a smile. “All of you.” She glanced at the guys and Remy.

“Of course,” Hayes huffed, setting down a heavy bag by the stairs. His face was red and he looked like he was starting to sweat. “What was in that bag?” He addressed me. “Fess up fashion Queen. It’s yours right?”

“Not mine.” I shook my head.

Beside me Arden’s cheeks flamed red, making her freckles appear even more vividly. “Uh…it’s mine,” she admitted. Hayes began to laugh. “In my defense,” she held up a hand, halting whatever he was about to say, “that’s my only bag and it has all of mine and Mia’s stuff.”

Hayes’ eyes sparkled with barely contained laughter. “I guess I can forgive you for that.”

She smiled at him, tucking a piece of bright red hair behind her ear.

I eyed the two carefully, trying to hide my smile. I turned away and back out at the beautiful view.

“I’m starving,” Mathias declared, heading over to the kitchen. He swung open the stainless steel refrigerator doors and cursed. “Motherfucker.”

“Language!” Arden admonished, covering Mia’s ears once more.

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

Holy shit, Mathias Wade apologized. Somebody, put that down in the record books.

“The fu—idiot only has the refrigerator stocked with Diet Pepsi.”

Ezra snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m going to run to the store to get some food and I’ll just pick up pizza for tonight or something.” Mathias swiped the car keys off a side table.

“I’ll go with you.” Remy piped up.

He shook his head and kissed her tenderly. “No, stay here and rest for a bit.”

She didn’t put up a fight, which led me to believe she did need to rest. Remy wasn’t one to listen to what she was told.

Mathias left just as Hayes returned with the last bag.

And by bag I meant cage.

Maddox and Emma brought their pet hedgehogs.

I wished I was joking.

Maddox and Emma ran up the beach and onto the deck steps.

Ezra unlocked the door to let them inside.

“You guys are soaking wet,” I said unnecessarily.

“It’s his fault.” Emma poked Maddox in the side.

“Mathias went to get food since someone only stocked us with Diet Pepsi.” Hayes muttered, strolling over with his arms crossed over his chest.

Maddox grinned crookedly and tossed an arm over Emma’s shoulder. “What else does a man need in life, besides the love of a good woman and Diet Pepsi?”

“A hedgehog,” Ezra chuckled.

“How could I forget?” Maddox mock winced.

Hayes sighed, but I knew he was secretly amused. “Why don’t we figure out the sleeping arrangement?” He suggested. “That way we can put all this shi—crap—away.” He pointed to the mountain of suitcases by the stairs and flashed Arden an apologetic smile.

“Sounds good.” Emma clapped her hands together.

We each grabbed a bag and started up the stairs. The same color scheme was carried throughout the large home.

On the second level—or I guess technically it was the third—there were five bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms. There was even a little nook with a chaise lounge and a bookshelf.

Everyone picked a room and that left me. “I guess I’ll take a room upstairs,” I mumbled, heading for the second set of steps.

“Uh,” Ezra interjected, “I will too. I don’t want you to be alone.”

Emma stopped outside a bedroom door with a hand on her hip and a calculating look in her eyes. “Or Sadie could take the extra room down here and you could go upstairs.”

“But then I’m alone,” he countered, “what if I get scared at night? Are you going to come hold my hand, Emma?”

Her lips pressed together as she held in laughter. “Does that mean Sadie is going to hold your hand?” She folded her arms over her chest. She was so on to us. She had been from the start.

“Of course.” He grinned, trying to play everything off as a joke.

Emma finally shrugged. “Whatever.”

The two of us headed up to the second level. There were only three bedrooms up here—and two bathrooms, one room had it’s own and the other was Jack and Jill style. The nook up here was larger and had a baby grand piano and art easel. This place was so incredibly peaceful that I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble unwinding.

The three bedrooms were similar in size, so I picked one based on the view of the beach and the fact that it had a balcony. Ezra chose the room across from me and set his bags inside before joining me in my bedroom.

I opened the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony. I leaned against the railing and he stepped up beside me with his hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki shorts.

“You realize I’ll be sleeping in here, right?” He winked.

I cracked a smile. After the night where he asked me to sleep with him without sex we’d continued the tradition.

“I expected so.”

“I’ve grown so used to the privacy we have at my house that being here with everyone is going to test the limits of my sanity.” He grabbed onto the railing, the last of the blazing sun haloing his body. I itched to lean forward and kiss him, but he wasn’t mine and I couldn’t risk someone catching us.

“I know what you mean,” I agreed.

Ever so slightly he brushed his pinky against mine, and then rested it overtop.

I closed my eyes, treasuring the brief touch.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

Maddox.

Ezra’s finger fell away from mine and he whipped around with a smile on his face. “Admiring the view,” he replied.

Maddox stepped outside with us and I noticed he’d changed his clothes to something dry, but his hair was still wet.

“Isn’t this place great?” He grinned. “I couldn’t believe I found it on such short notice.”

I had to admit I was surprised too. Plus, it was nice that the houses on either side were off in the distance. I doubted we’d have to worry about any crazy fans in this neighborhood, homes this big could only be owned by celebrities and CEOs.

“Anyway,” Maddox clapped his hand on Ezra’s shoulder, “I just came to tell you guys that Mathias is back already and I thought you might be hungry.”

“Sure,” Ezra nodded, “we’ll be right down.”

“Cool.” Maddox began to back away, watching us carefully. He was just as suspicious as Emma.

When he disappeared Ezra reached up and gently stroked my cheek.

I sighed happily and leaned into his touch. He placed a feather light kiss on my forehead and held his lips there when he murmured, “How can I do this for a week? How can I pretend I’m not spending every second thinking about the way your body hums when I touch you and you sigh when I kiss you?”

A week? How was I going to pretend to not be thinking about those things for the rest of my life? Our agreement was going to come to an end in a matter of months, maybe even less, and then…and then I didn’t know.

I grasped his shirt in my hands and leaned forward, inhaling the scent that was uniquely Ezra.

I answered truthfully. “I don’t know either.”

“UP! UP! UP! GET UP!” Maddox drummed his fist against the door to my room.

“Go away!” I yelled back, tossing a pillow over my head. If I had to deal with Maddox’s chipper personality at the crack of dawn every morning I might murder him, which would suck for Emma since she loved him and all. But, seriously.

The door to my room swung open and I sent up a silent prayer that Ezra had snuck over to his room early in the morning.

I tossed the pillow off of my head and rose up on my elbows to look at Maddox. I was sure my hair was a wild untamable mess, but for once in my life I didn’t care.

“I made breakfast.” He grinned, clearly pleased with this news, like he’d done me some kind of favor.

“It’s too early,” I groaned.

“It’s eight o’ clock,” he tossed his hands up in exasperation, “that’s not early. You’re as bad as Emma. Now come on and get ready. We’re all going snorkeling.”

“Snorkeling?” I sat up completely, this bit of news making me a little excited despite the early time.

He nodded. “Yep…or you could stay here and sleep. Your choice.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

I pointed a finger at him in warning. “Don’t you dare leave without me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Westbrook.” He flashed his winning smile and closed the door.

I immediately tossed the covers off and ran over to my suitcase.

I pulled out all of my bikinis and dropped them on the floor, rifling through them. I ended up picking a solid black one. The top made my breasts appear larger than they actually were and had several overlapping straps in the back. The bottoms exposed more of my ass than I was used to, but let’s face it, I was planning on driving Ezra crazy.

I put on a pair of old ripped jean shorts and a see-through blousy white top over my bikini.

I brushed my hair and it hung in soft natural waves just past my shoulders.

I didn’t bother applying makeup, just a bit of gloss.

Before I left my room I grabbed my sunglasses and stuck them on top of my head.

Ezra’s bedroom door was open, but I didn’t see him inside so I figured he’d already joined the others downstairs.

Everyone was seated at the dining room table and a smorgasbord of breakfast food was sitting on the table. An empty seat was left between Arden and Ezra.

Ezra looked up when I entered the room, his dark eyes raking over my body. They flared with hunger and he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth. His eyes rose to meet mine and he winked.

I sat down and Arden smiled. “Morning.”

“Morning.” I reached for a biscuit and put it on the plate that was already waiting for me.

“They all made breakfast,” she hissed like it was some kind of secret, “the guys.”

“We have many talents.” Hayes quipped, having heard her. “Did you know Mathias can rap?”

Mathias rolled his eyes. “I can do a lot of wicked things with my tongue.”

Emma snorted and Remy nudged his arm with her elbow in a silent gesture to tell him to shut up. She also threw in a glare for good measure.

“Sweetie, do you want another biscuit?” Hayes asked.

At his words we all turned to look at him and saw that he was talking to three-year-old Mia. Her hair was a vibrant red like her mother’s and she looked up at Hayes with wide blue eyes.

She nodded her head and he grabbed one for her.

Arden watched the two in awe.

“She doesn’t normally like strangers,” she whispered.

“Everybody likes me,” Hayes scoffed, flashing a wide smile, “I’m irresistible.”

“I’m beginning to think so,” she agreed.

Beneath the table Ezra’s handed landed on my thigh and he gave it a soft squeeze. I closed my eyes and my lips parted on a breath. He quickly let go before anyone could notice and my body instantly ached for his touch.

Once breakfast was done we all cleaned up and then piled in the SUVs to head over to a different beach.

There, we met with a guy that went over instructions and what to do in case of an emergency—mainly if a shark happened to swim by. It wasn’t likely to happen, but they still had to warn us.

I bounced with excitement, eager to dip my toes into the blue-green water and see the creatures that lived inside.

“I’m going to stay behind with Mia,” Arden said, holding her daughter’s hand and moving back a few steps.

Hayes paused what he was doing and frowned. “Come on, Arden, you don’t want to miss out on this. I’ll stay with her.”

“No, no,” she waved him away when he started forward, “I don’t want to be a bother. We’re fine here.”

He shook his head adamantly. “Go,” he said firmly. “Mia loves me,” he grinned, bending down to the little girl’s level. “We’ll go hunt for seashells while you snorkel.”

Arden seemed to be contemplating his words. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He reached a hand out to Mia. She put her much smaller one on top and her pale pink nail polish sparkled in the sunlight. A little yellow hat was perched on her head to block the sun from her eyes and she was dressed in a cute bathing suit with little ruffles on her butt. She was such a cute kid.

“Okay.” Arden agreed, watching as Hayes swept Mia up into his arms. He tickled her stomach and she giggled happily. I’d never seen this side of Hayes before and it made me smile. He really was maturing and I was beginning to think what he told me on our date about settling down wasn’t a lie.

Arden had brought a beach bag with her and she rifled through it. She pulled out a small bucket and handed it to Hayes.

“For the seashells.” She smiled at him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for doing this.”

“It’s not a problem. Mia and I will have lots of fun. Won’t we?” He addressed the little girl. She nodded eagerly.

Arden stepped away slowly, still a little reluctant to leave her daughter behind.

I put the goggles on that covered my eyes and nose and turned to Ezra. “How do I look?” My voice sounded thick and funny since it had a nosepiece.

“Adorable.” He grinned and kissed me quickly.

I froze and so did he. We both turned to see if anyone saw.

Luckily everyone was busy putting their own masks on and didn’t notice.

We both let out an audible sigh of relief.

That had been a close one.

My heart still pounded in my chest and I eyed them all warily in case one of them was pretending not to have seen.

“Relax,” Ezra whispered, his lips near my ear.

I didn’t know how he expected me to do that with him standing so close.

We followed the others to the water’s edge and I giggled when it tickled my toes. It was warm and the sand squished between my toes, which were painted a pretty pale purple.

I walked out into the water until it hit my hips. I fixed the mouthpiece between my lips and then dove slightly into the water, making sure to leave the snorkel sticking out so I could breathe.

Beside me Ezra did the same. Arden was close by with the others a little farther out.

Beneath me tiny bright colored fish swam around. They were gorgeous and seemed unafraid of us. One tickled my arm as it swam by.

I swam farther and saw a crab scuttling over a small rock.

The coral was gorgeous and in a rainbow of colors.

I’d never seen anything so beautiful before and I was flooded with inspiration for designs.

Seeing all of this beauty made me realize I’d been missing out on so much that life has to offer. I’d been stuck in my hometown for so long that I forgot that magic was all around us.

A piece of aqua colored coral—or maybe it was some kind of weird grass—swayed from the ocean current.

A finger tapped against my elbow and I jolted.

I turned to look and saw Arden. Her red hair billowed around her like a flame. She pointed to my right and I glanced that way.

It was a turtle and it swam right up to us, completely unafraid of us like the other fish had been. I itched to reach out and touch its shell, but the man we met with on the beach warned us to not touch any of the animals. After all, they were wild and this was their home.

I don’t know how long we swam around, but eventually we all emerged from the water with wrinkly fingers and toes.

Instead of returning to the beach house and hanging out there, we set up on this beach.

Hayes met us with Mia—the bucket now full of seashells. Mia was grinning from ear to ear and clinging onto him. I’d say the little girl had a crush.

Arden went over to join him, smacking a loud kiss on Mia’s cheek. Mia giggled merrily and reached for her mom.

I headed over to my bag and pulled out my towel, using it to dry my body before sitting down.

I grabbed my tanning oil and started rubbing it on my body.

Arden put her towel down beside mine and sat with Mia between her legs. Mia immediately toddled off of the towel and into the sand. She picked up a handful of sand and threw it at her mom’s legs. Arden merely shook off the sand.

“It’s unfair that you can get a nice pretty tan and I’m going to end up looking like a lobster and I’ll probably gain a hundred more freckles.” She nodded at my already natural olive-toned skin. She tugged her hair back into a ponytail and then began slathering herself in sunscreen before grabbing Mia and putting some on her too.

“Hey, I might get a tan but I’d kill for your hair.”

“I guess we all want what we can’t have,” she quipped.

Hayes strolled over to us and squatted down so that he was at our level. “I thought Ms. Mia might want to dip her toes in the ocean, if that’s okay?” He addressed Arden.

“Sure, if she wants to.”

Hayes turned to Mia. “Want to be a mermaid?”

The little girl nodded her head enthusiastically and I wondered if she actually knew what he said. I wasn’t around kids enough to know what they understood at what age.

Hayes picked up Mia and lifted her onto his shoulders. She grabbed the longer strands of hair on top of his head and tugged. “Horsie!” She cried.

Hayes winced and loosened her fingers. “Don’t do that.”

“Sowwy.” She frowned.

Before she could get too upset he took off running, holding on tight to her, and her giggles trailed behind her.

Beside me Arden shook her head. “It’s the craziest thing. Normally Mia hates strangers, so I don’t know what it is about him that she likes so much.”

“He’s a nice guy,” I supplied.

“I suppose so.” She shadowed her eyes with a hand to her forehead as she watched Hayes and Mia in the ocean. He was holding her now, barely dipping her toes into the water. She giggled and her legs flailed wildly.

Mathias and Remy sat in chairs off behind us beneath an umbrella, far enough away that they had some privacy from the rest of us.

Emma and Maddox were talking to the man we’d seen earlier about something, while Ezra was walking down the beach.

I itched to join him, but I knew Emma would see and draw conclusions.

I hated keeping our arrangement a secret from her, but I had to. No one could know. It was already messy enough with only Ezra and I involved. But if the others found out, I knew they’d root for us to end up a couple, and when we didn’t I feared that would lead them all to feel like they had to pick sides. If they didn’t know, they couldn’t form an opinion and pass judgment.

I watched Ezra pause and stoop down to pick something up out of the sand. He turned it over in his hand before tucking it into his palm. He squeezed it tight and continued on.

“I’m going to take a nap.”

Arden glanced at me and arched a brow. “Didn’t you go to bed early?”

“Uh…yeah. But the beach sun makes me really sleepy,” I lied. I couldn’t tell her the truth—that Ezra had kept me up most of the night. The possibility of getting caught had heightened every sensation in my body, and the effort to quiet my cries of pleasure had been exhausting.

“Okay,” she said doubtfully. “I’m just going to read for a little bit since Mia’s occupied. I never get to read anymore.”

I nodded and laid back. My sunglasses shielded my eyes from the sun and the warmth from the rays felt like a blanket.

I really was sleepy and in no time I drifted off.