Chapter 1
I love Skylar, but sometimes my best friend drives me up the wall.
“Come on, Meadow! We are going to be late,” Skylar says to me.
“How can we be late if we are just going to the beach?” I ask her.
She had the brilliant plan to go surfing today because ‘the swells are amazing’. I don’t even know what that means. My happy ass will be sitting under an umbrella, reading a spicy book while trying not to get burnt; I have ghostly white skin and chestnut hair that reaches my shoulders. I turn into a lobster any time the sun sees my pale skin, and then I can’t move for a few days as the sunburn incapacitates me. I usually have Skylar cover me in aloe. But because I love her, and she loves surfing and going to the beach, I always tag along. She is always looking for her next ‘prayer’, as I like to call them, whereas I want to find someone meaningful. One-night stands aren’t my thing unless I am desperate. There are a few men I call upon when my need hits. I am keeping my options open but limited until the right guy comes along.
I am only twenty-four. I have some time before the pressure gets to me; I don’t need to settle for the first asshole who comes along just because I am lonely—been there, done that, and never again. I don’t have a motto saying all men are assholes or anything, but the ones I’ve dated sure are. I’m not sure if I am the problem or if it’s just pure luck that I seem to find the worst of the worst. When I think back to the men I’ve dated, my mind immediately goes to my childhood when I was in love with three assholes, but they shattered my heart years ago, and I never looked back.
Skylar comes into my room, pulling me out of the past. Specifically, the three men I shouldn’t think about. I haven’t thought of them since I left town after I turned eighteen. But moving back home brings back all the memories, both good and bad.
“Babe, you’re not wearing that; you’re a hot twenty-four-year-old. You need to wear something that shows off more skin.” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
“What’s wrong with this? It is a modest, black bikini that covers my ass, unlike yours. There are people at the beach, Skylar. I don’t feel like showing off everything I have for everyone to see,” I tell her as I roll my eyes. She proceeds to ignore me and dig through my bikini drawer, pulling out my one impulse buy from a few weeks ago when I was feeling brave.
“NOPE, absolutely not! Put it back right now, Skylar.”
“Why keep this gorgeous bikini if you won’t show it off, Meadow? It will look amazing on you. The ruby red will make your pale skin pop. You will be like Snow White. Please, please, please wear this,” she begs me. I grab the bikini, wondering what I was thinking when I bought it; the thing looks like it should be lingerie not something to swim in, but it is gorgeous. It has two small triangles to cover my nipples and a thong bottom with strings that intertwine over my stomach. I just know I will get stuck in this and have super awkward sunburn lines.
“Fine, but you owe me! And if I get a ticket for indecent exposure, then you’re paying the damn fine,” I sass Skylar. She jumps up and down, clapping her hands, making her boobs almost pop out of her bikini, which doesn’t seem to be doing much to hold things together. I wonder how she’s going to surf in that. It took five minutes for me just to get this contraption on, but when I look in the mirror, I look fucking fantastic. My chestnut hair falls to my shoulders in a natural, wavy beach look, and my glasses comfortably rest on my nose. My small—but perky—boobs look amazing in this top, which acts like a push-up bra. It almost makes me look like I have a C-cup instead of my sub-par, B-cup breasts. The color stands out against my light skin; I feel gorgeous.
We finally make it to the beach in sunny La Jolla, California, which according to Skylar, is the beach for surfing. The two of us share a small, two-bedroom apartment in San Diego, California, and La Jolla isn’t that far of a drive from our place. As soon as we arrive, Skylar gets out of the car like her ass is on fire.
I grab everything I need from my 2016 Honda Accord to set myself up in the shade. My hands are full, and Skylar is nowhere to be seen; so much for going to the beach together. I swear I’m going to murder the woman one day. I start searching for somewhere to drop my shit without getting in anyone’s way. As I scan the beach, I see a nice, secluded spot not too far from my car, where no one will be around me. I begin to set up my umbrella and blanket to lie down. By the time I finally get everything arranged, I am already sweating so badly that I may need to jump into the ocean.
I look around and take in the breathtaking view. Vast golden shores stretch for miles, while coves sit hidden over to my right. There’s not a cloud in the sky, and with the ninety-three-degree temperature outside it feels like I am in a movie.
After admiring the view, I double-check that everything important is hidden, so I can take a dip in the ocean. Removing my white swimsuit cover-up, I place it on my blanket and throw a bottle of water on top to ensure the wind won’t blow it away. I start walking down the beach, the sand hot under my feet, but it feels nice. When I get to the water’s edge, the waves splash my ankles, and the cool water makes me shiver.
I slowly wade in the ocean, adjusting to the temperature; it’s not bath water, but it’s not too cold either. I would say it’s somewhere between refreshing and on the verge of being too cold. My nipples harden the farther out I go, until the water reaches my stomach, and anyone looking at me would be able to tell that I have a titty hard-on. I decide to dunk under the water to rinse the remaining sweat off me, and when I emerge, Skylar appears in front of me. Her hair is slightly disheveled, and her cheeks are tinged pink.
“It took you long enough to show. Where did you go, Sky? I had to set up all the shit by myself.” I give her a little attitude because she shouldn’t have ditched me to do whatever or whoever she did since I didn’t want to come to the beach in the first place.
“I’m sorry I ditched you and left you to set everything up, but when we pulled up, I saw someone I knew. I went to say hi, which turned into going to his car and making out for a bit. I am a shitty friend, but if you meet him, you will know why I had to say hi. Meadow, the dude is fucking hot, like Adonis hot. I had to. I’ve slept with him before and, let me tell you, babe, his dick is worth it,” she happily says, which leads me to believe they did more than make out. I am not impressed. She was gone for ten minutes; the surfer guy can’t be that impressive. I guess I can’t be pissed that she is getting some, but Skylar shouldn’t have bailed to get some dick. The guy must have been a two-pump chump. She really needs to find better prey.
My best friend is hot as fuck, with her long brown hair that flows perfectly down to her mid-back and a nice, tight, and toned body from all her time spent surfing. She stands at 5’8” and has an angular face that would be perfect for modeling, but she claims she has no interest in that and just wants to enjoy life.
Skylar and I met when I moved away; I needed to escape this town, so I took the first bus I could, heading south. I had no idea where I was headed, but when I met this carefree girl on the same bus as me, I knew things would be alright. We became instant friends and traveled together for a few months until settling down in Florida. But we both missed the west coast and decided it was time to return and face our demons.
Sky’s a barista at our local coffee shop called the Corner Café, which is in the corner of a building, so it’s a fitting name. It allows her to surf in the morning, then make coffee in the afternoon, which is perfect for both her lifestyle and mine. I visit her when I am done with work, getting my caffeine fix for free while I read; it’s the best life for us. Most days, I wait for her to finish her shift, so we can walk home together. I know the shop is right around the corner, but I don’t trust men enough to let her walk alone, so I wait and read until she’s done with her shift.
I currently work as a receptionist at a local doctor’s office. I don’t enjoy the job, but the pay is excellent, and I get weekends and holidays off; plus, the benefits package is impressive. I am pulled out of my thoughts when she splashes me. “Um, excuse me, bitch. What the hell was that for?” I yell. She laughs, shakes her head, and walks away.
I follow her back to the spot I set up on the beach, but on the way, I notice three men to my left; two are tossing a football back and forth, and the third looks like he may go surfing. I stop because these are easily the hottest men I have ever seen. I think I may even be drooling a little. The one heading into the water has long hair pulled up into the sexiest man bun I have ever seen, and I don’t usually think those can be sexy, but this surfer God can pull it off. The sexy beard he’s rocking makes him look like a badass, rugged mountain man, and I could lick the sweat off him any day. The guy with his back to me has a shaved head, tattoos covering his back and, from the looks of it, his chest is also covered in ink. He throws a perfect spiral to another gentleman, and the muscles in his back tense. The size of his arm muscles alone, make it clear he takes great care of his body. I think one of his arms is bigger than my thigh; I’m not even kidding. The man could break me in half, and I would gladly ask for more.
His friend, who catches the perfect spiral, has tanned skin, and I am not sure if it’s from his ethnicity or just because he thoroughly enjoys the sun. Tattoos cover his entire torso, and I can’t tell from this distance, but from here, it looks like he has piercings as well. The man is a girl’s wet dream come true, and he seems to know it from how he carries himself.
Where did all these hot men come from? I swear I have never seen anyone so hot in my fucking life. I can’t totally see their facial features from here, but something about them looks so fucking familiar. Skylar yells my name so loudly that I jump because I was too busy eye-fucking strangers. Thanks for that bestie. Now my face is rosy and not from the heat. I hurry back to Skylar, not glancing at the men who now know I was staring.
“Thanks for embarrassing me, asshole! Now they know I was staring at them!” I whisper-shout at her.
“Honey, everyone saw you staring at them; I tried calling your name twice, and you were so lost, drooling over them; the only thing I could do was shout your name. You should be thanking me because now they know you think they’re hot.”
I wasn’t that obvious, was I? I cover my face with my hands to hide how embarrassed I am. I can never go out in public again; I am so awkward sometimes. Maybe I should call up one of my regulars for a booty call; it has been a while.
“Well, since I am now dying of embarrassment, I am going to lie here and read this book that I’ve wanted to catch up on for a while now.” It is called Underworld by Ivy Cole. I’ve heard nothing but excellent reviews from everyone who has read it. I grab my Kindle paperwhite and lie down on my stomach to get comfortable and start this fantastic book. Sky tells me she’s going surfing, and I wave goodbye. Ha-ha, get it... wave her… oh, never mind. I am so enthralled in the book that I don’t realize an hour has passed. The book is impressive; Silas and Macy are to die for, I mean the rest of the men in the harem are just as amazing, but those two together are my favorite. I wish I had a love like that, minus the trafficking part, but the love part is something I can get behind.
I take a quick break and drink some water before looking around for Sky. I find her sitting on her board in the water, talking to some guy; I assume it is the one she hooked up with when we arrived. I also discretely look around to see if those men are still here. They are. One is out on his surfboard and looks damn good riding a wave; the other men are lying on chairs, catching some sun. I can already feel myself burning, so I grab my sunscreen but notice I am out. Oh no!! I went through all that already? Me and my damn pasty white skin. I walk back to my car in search of more, but I get a strange feeling, like I am being watched, which makes the hairs on my neck rise. Maybe I’m being paranoid because I usually don’t wear something so revealing, but ever since we came back to California, I’ve had this weird feeling that I’m being watched.
I shake off the feeling and notice my shoulders are a little burnt. Of course, I was barely in the water for ten minutes, and I still managed to burn. Otherwise, I’d been under the umbrella, so it must have been from the water. I get to my car and pop the trunk to look for stupid sunscreen. I practically have to crawl inside to search, so my ass is hanging out of the trunk. I’m sure I make a lovely sight. Screw Sky for convincing me to wear this bikini. Eventually, I find a bottle of sunscreen. When I climb out of my trunk and turn around, I notice two of the men from earlier in their chairs, staring at me, or at least, I think they are. I look around, finding nothing else around me, so they are definitely staring at me.
I start heading back to my spot under the umbrella when I notice one of the guys playing with the football walking toward me. I am so caught up watching him that I don’t watch where I am going, and I trip, sending my glasses flying. This is a real Velma moment; I am so busy bitching at myself for being clumsy that I don’t notice the God in front of me.
Except, when I look up, I realize it’s not a God; it’s Knox, the devil in disguise. My childhood best friend is standing in front of me holding my glasses. I grab them and quickly shove them on my face. I have no desire to talk to Knox, so I keep walking without thanking him. I knew I’d run into him sooner or later, but I was really hoping for the latter.