Chapter 15
LINCOLN
To go or not to go. That was the question I was trying to answer.
Sofia had texted to let me know the beach party was on later tonight, inviting me again to join her. I hadn’t replied because I honestly didn’t know whether I’d end up going or not.
A round clock above the hotel-room door ticked loudly, counting every second of the debate I was having with myself. Eden’s words were still fresh in my mind, factoring into the decision I had to make.
What if Sofia’s father had spent his last days lobbying against me? If I found out he had, would I hold it against her?
More importantly, did it even really matter?
Whatever he had done was already done. Whether I held it against her also wasn’t really relevant.
It wasn’t like I was asking the girl to marry me and was worried about the outcome of our lives together.
In the greater scheme of things, going to a beach party with her couldn’t and wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.
After another minute or so of debating it, I decided to go. Fuck it. Literally the only difference going or not would make was whether I spent the night alone or with a girl I enjoyed being around.
I’d seen another side of her when she’d pulled over to help me, and I was fucked if I didn’t like it. The way she’d handled my blowout had been really mature which, I had to admit, was kind of the opposite of what I’d done. I’d let my ego get the better of me, and I wanted to make it up to her.
Once I got to the beach, though, I realized this was no small bonfire party. There were thousands of people swarming around multiple bars and bonfires that had been set up on the still-warm sand.
While I’d probably have loved to have been invited to something like this years ago just to have experienced it, it wasn’t really my scene.
Half-naked guys and gals laughed, flirted, and danced around.
Beer sloshed over the edges of red solo cups, the likes of which I hadn’t seen since high school, and judging by the music booming from the cars, I was guessing that some of these people might just still be in high school.
My gut twisted. If what I suspected was true, I really shouldn’t stay. Getting busted partying with underage kids would be like sealing the death warrant of my career all by myself. No help from Charles required.
Also, I still hadn’t received a reply from Sofia on the text I’d sent her when I’d parked. There was no way I’d find her among all these people. I took it as a sign from the universe that I shouldn’t have come out.
For all the stars in the sky, I couldn’t remember what it had been that had made me think it was a good idea to come to this goddamn party. Just as I was turning to leave, a figure waved at me from the nearest bonfire.
I twisted around to check if the person had waved at someone behind me, but I was the only one standing on the sidewalk. The rest of the partygoers weren’t nearly as undecided and kept streaming past me onto the beach like they were being tugged there at the ends of strings.
When the figure moved away from the bonfire and I saw her curvy shape, I instantly knew the wave had been for me. It was Sofia, now sashaying her way across the strip of beach separating us with her gaze zeroed in on mine.
“You came,” she said above the music when she got close enough.
A smart-ass retort about “not yet” was on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t offer it up. “I said I would, didn’t I?”
“Yeah.” A gentle smile I hadn’t seen from her before formed on her lips. “But I wasn’t sure if you would show up or not.”
“Didn’t I say something almost exactly like that to you the night we met?
” I asked, hooking my thumbs into the pockets of my jeans and risking a few steps onto the sand.
I still wasn’t convinced these people were all of legal drinking age, and I could smell the alcohol almost as strongly as the smoke from the fires in the air.
Sofia walked up to me, taking one of my hands in her much smaller ones. “Yeah, you did say something almost exactly like that. But we hadn’t fought then.”
“Maybe not,” I said, closing my fingers around hers. “I’m a man of my word, though. When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.”
“Duty, honor, and all that?” she said, her tone light and teasing but her eyes round on mine.
“Yep. Exactly that.” I let go of her hands and took a step back, surveying the scene around us. “Duty and honor definitely don’t go hand in hand with underage drinking, though.”
She frowned, then laughed and swept a hand out at the beach. “You think these people are underage? Jeez. Maybe I should have asked you this before, but how old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. Why?”
Sofia laughed again, making another grab for my hand before dragging me to the nearest bar setup. “These people aren’t underage. It’s a college and post-grad party. They’re not that much younger than I am, and not all that much younger than you, either.”
I cast another glance at the young and carefree crowd around us. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. One of the girls I used to have classes with invited me.” She looked up at me over her shoulder, her eyes shining in the warm orange light of the nearby fire, and smiled. “You have nothing to worry about. Drink?”
“Sure. When in Rome, right?”
“Right.” She stopped in front of the plastic table holding a variety of bottles, lifted two cups from a stack beside it, and mixed some kind of concoction in each one.
When she was done, she thrust a cup under my nose. “Try it. I’ve never worked as a bartender, but I’ve dabbled in the craft at parties like this. I’m pretty good at it.”
“What’s in it?” I took the drink but got nothing other than alcohol and soda when I sniffed it.
Sofia stifled a laugh and shook her head at me again. “It’s good. Just try it.”
“Fine, but I’m holding you responsible if I suddenly start acting like one of those guys.” I jabbed a finger at a group of dude-bros shoving at each other as they stumbled around and alternated between giggling and cursing.
She inclined her head and bumped her cup against mine. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Drink up, Linc. Let’s see if we can get you to unwind a little.”
“You’re on.” Bringing the cup to my lips, I parted them and opened my throat to toss the contents back in one go.
Whatever it was tasted vile going down, but the alcohol burned my throat and warmed my stomach. I had a feeling it would taste better the next round.
Sofia’s brows swept up in surprise. “Wow. You really did it. I’ve got to say, I didn’t think you would.”
I smirked. “I may not have been to one of these things in years, but I’m no stranger to drinking when the occasion calls for it.”
Her cup only had about the first quarter out of it, but she mixed me another before we found a free space to sit. The log we planted ourselves on was next to a bonfire nearest to the shore, and the lapping of the waves was audible now that the music was farther away.
Bright flames licked the air and heat shimmered as it rose into the sky. We were sitting far enough not to get too hot, but it was still uncomfortable. “Do you come to parties like this often?”
She shook her head, and her leg shifted where it was pressed up against mine. “I used to, but I haven’t really had much time lately.”
“Being a med student must keep you pretty busy.”
“It does, but it’s more than that.” Her head turned as she took in the surrounding scene, resting her gaze on a group dancing on the other side of the fire. “Parties like this used to be what I lived for. I’d have been right there with them not so long ago. Now…”
When she trailed off, I finished for her. “It’s just not the same?”
“Exactly,” she said, her voice so soft I could barely hear it before she cleared her throat. “What about you? Were you a big party animal?”
“Nah.” I shrugged. “Most people are probably party animals from time to time, but big events like this have never appealed to me.”
She adjusted her position to be facing me more fully, her head slightly tilted as she listened. “Do you think it’s because you grew up in a small town?”
“Hey,” I tapped her thigh, “don’t knock it till you’ve been to the annual Lobster Fest. Now there’s a party.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” she said, smiling.
Firelight softened her already beautiful features in a way that made her look almost ethereal. Shadows flickered across her face but brought out her cheekbones and the slender line of her slightly upturned nose.
My hands twitched with the need to reach for her, but I kept them firmly to myself. For now anyway. “Why did we come here tonight if it’s no longer your scene?”
The peacefulness melted from her expression, replaced by something much more contemplative. “I guess I needed to see for myself that I wasn’t twenty anymore.”
“Nothing wrong with getting older,” I commented, letting my eyes drift away from her to watch the crowd. “They’re all going to get there, too. We’re just slightly ahead of the curve.”
“If you don’t like big parties, why did you agree to meet me here tonight?”
“For starters, I didn’t have this in mind when you said beach party. The beach parties back home were never more than maybe twenty or thirty people.”
Her eyes widened. “Right. I should have clarified.”
“No, that’s okay.” I smirked, motioning to the writhing bodies on the packed beach. “We didn’t have this many young people living in our entire town. I don’t think I’d have expected this even if you’d said it would be a big party.”
That melodic chuckle of hers rang out, the sound wrapping like a nice firm grip around my dick. Between how gorgeous she looked and the easy sound of her laughter, there was no resisting her.
Despite Eden’s warnings and my own misgivings before I’d come here, I didn’t really believe she would ever knowingly cause trouble for me. And like both of us had said on numerous occasions, Charles was retired now.