14. No Walk ‘O Shame Here
14
NO WALK ‘O SHAME HERE
REX
The boat groaned against the dock like people had just boarded. Then voices hit me. I shot straight up in bed, eyeing the sunlight through the porthole window.
“Shit.” My eyes scanned for my clothes, finding them in a tangled mess on the floor with Chelsea’s.
Moving beside me, she stirred. With the face of an angel surrounded by a carefree set of fiery locks, she opened her green eyes on me. Sexy bedroom eyes pointed right to my heart.
“What time is it?” She asked, her voice groggy and her lips swollen. I took full advantage of our night together and was damn proud of the way she looked this morning. Well-fucked.
Before I could answer, the guys sounded close and Brooks called out my name. “Rex? You down here? Awake?”
Xander laughed and said, “He’s probably naked and passed out after fucking some woman all night. ”
“Shit. Remember that one time—” Archer began.
I cut him off right there, calling out through the door. “Hey assholes, give me some privacy, please?” I didn’t need them telling Chelsea of my playboy not-so-distant past. Although after last night, she suspected it, anyway.
“Morning. Sorry. The guys are here, which means the race will start soon.” I leaned down and sorted our clothes, handing hers to her.
“Oh, Maisy is probably worried sick about me.” She searched through her things and produced a phone, texting away.
I got dressed quick and peaked out the porthole at the cloudless morning. “I’ll take you to the house and be back in time for the race.”
“No, it’s fine. Stay. I’ll call Maisy to come get me.”
“I won’t just leave you stranded. I guess you can take my car back to the house.”
She froze after covering up her body with her dress. “Me? Drive your expensive luxury car?”
“Sure. It’s only a car, Chelsea. Drives just like any other, so don’t let the price tag scare you. Unfortunately, I probably should stay to prep for the race.”
She chewed her cheek, getting dressed. “Fine.”
But it wasn’t fine, I could tell, from the way she tied the sash tight at her waist from her dress.
The guys made more noise above us, and I shot her an apologetic glance. “Guess the walk of shame won’t be easy.”
She glared. “You make what we did last night sound so cheap. ”
“No, not what I meant at all. If I had my way, I’d tell those idiots to piss off, hell I’d even cancel the race so I could get you back to your sister or spend more time with you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. I wanted you last night, and I have no shame in that. I own my decisions.”
She started toward the door, but I pulled her back to my front, my arms circled around her. “And I’m glad you did.” I possessively held a hand to her throat and suckled on her earlobe and whispered. “I want to see you again.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I might even walk into the deli and ask you out soon.”
“So, you’re saying I cured you of your phobia?” She grinned.
“Maybe. No promises.” I slid my hand under her chin, pushed her head back to my chest so our lips met again one more time before we hit the sunlight.
The instant we popped out of the stairwell, all the guys’ heads turned our way, most with a grin and all-knowing sneer.
Two of them didn’t appear happy.
“Chelsea?” Brooks exclaimed, his face reddening and jaw clicking upon seeing me holding her hand.
“Hi, Brooks. Thanks for taking care of Maisy last night.” To her credit, she waved and passed on by, unaffected by the stares and whistles from the crew. We were quiet until reaching my car, and I let her in the driver’s side, helping her adjust the seats, and buckle in. I pulled up the GPS for my home address.
I crouched down next to her. “You sure you’ll be able to drive this powerful beast?”
“Yes. If I could handle a beast like you last night, I think I’ll survive this drive.” She grinned.
“True,” I winked. “Both hands on the wheel now. Don’t be throwing your hands in the air and howling like last night.” My warning was rewarded by her laughter.
“Good luck at the race.” She waved and drove off.
Damn, I really liked her. And fuck, the complications added up, crashing in.
I waited until she left the parking lot and turned onto the road before heading back to the boat.
Brooks stood at the entrance with his arms crossed. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“What’s your problem, Brooks?”
“I guess I know why Chelsea turned me down for drinks—twice.”
“I didn’t know you liked her.”
“Just tell me you’re not using her, Rex. Because she’s a nice woman, her sister, too. I spent all night talking with Maisy and learning about Chelsea’s dreams with the deli. Does your plan involve getting her to fall for you so she’ll quit the business?”
“It’s not like that.”
“I know you too damn well. If you string her along and dump her later, I’ll lose all respect for you, man. ”
“That’s not my plan.” Right now, my head was too fucked up to think straight.
“Yeah right. You’re saying you genuinely care for her?”
“Maybe. So?” My shoulders hit my ears.
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you.” He stalked off.
“Where are you going? What about the race?” He didn’t respond. Well, this was a first, fighting with Brooks over a woman.
It took a team to race this boat together to win. Brody, Gage, and Xander, all college mates from Columbia, along with Archer and Brooks, made up my strong team, and we were on a winning streak the past few years; now we’d be lucky to finish today.
“Archer, are you staying?” I called to him.
“Yep. Whatever is going on between you two doesn’t involve me.” He shook his head.
“What happened with your ex last night?” I asked.
“What happened with you and Chelsea last night?” He countered.
We eyed each other, stayed mum, and got to work on the boat.
Toward the end of the race, my boat was neck and neck with the competitors. Then I spotted Chelsea, Maisy, and their friends on the shore, rooting for my team. I encouraged the crew, all of us working harder, less one man.
“Faster, guys. There’s a bottle of Macallan for each of you when we win,” I shouted.
“Something tells me he wants to show off with a win for that pretty redhead who’s waving on the dock,” Brody hollered.
“Oh yeah? Where’d you meet her, Rex?” Gage asked while manning the comms and keeping an eye out for the other boats. I said nothing.
Xander snickered. “Must be someone special. Usually you’re boasting about your latest conquest.”
“All right, enough. Let’s win this fucking race,” I snapped back, eyeing the steering compass. These guys were all some of my best friends, and I’d do anything for them, but sometimes they knew me too well.
It was touch and go, but finally we pulled just enough ahead to pass the final bouy and take the win. The guys cheered and high-fived. After we docked, I searched for Chelsea on the shore. She waved, but before I could reach her, other people crowded us.
When I finally glimpsed her again, she and her group drove away, headed back toward New York. If I thought about her often before, now I couldn’t stop thinking about her…of everything I’d do to her if she were in my bed again…and of a proposition I’d have for her very soon.