Chapter 5
BEAU
Sweat dripped from my brow as my chest heaved with each deep breath I took.
I reached for my shirt, which had been removed at least an hour ago, and used it to dry my face.
Downing some water as I grabbed a seat, I watched as Vic geared up to attempt a trick on the A-frame rail.
Vic, Talon, Jamie, and I had been at this all morning.
Not the rail. Just the skating, as it was something the four of us typically met up with one another a couple of times a week to do together.
The last time I’d done any skating was three days ago at the demo.
The demo.
I hadn’t stopped thinking about it since. Not the skating. Not the community. Not even the promotion of the Blackman Boards brand and the good news we’d gotten that the demo had driven up product sales for the last three days.
Nope.
My mind was solely and completely focused on Jules.
Just Jules and that kiss beside her car.
If I allowed myself to think hard enough about it, I swore I could still feel the softness of her body pressed against mine. I could still hear that slight whimper that had escaped when my lips brushed lightly against hers. I could still recall the sound of her moan and taste her on my tongue.
Obviously, it was that kiss that I continued to relive over and over since that day. But if I was honest, that wasn’t all I thought about. There was something about Jules that I just liked more than any other woman I’d ever spent time with before now.
She was such a cool person. She was fun, flirty, and didn’t try to place any demands on me. That she’d shown up at the demo on her own had been proof enough of that. When we got interrupted by others that day and she didn’t get upset about it, I couldn’t overlook that.
So, I guess it was no surprise that it had been three days, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her. If I could’ve gotten together with her before now, I would’ve. There wasn’t much I was unwilling to do just to have the chance to kiss those lips again.
Unfortunately, Jules had been unavailable for the past few nights because she had other obligations with work and her family.
That was something else I was unaccustomed to with other women.
Generally, if I was reaching out in hopes of meeting up with them, they dropped whatever they were doing to make it happen.
Jules not doing the same meant needing to exercise a bit more patience, something that might have led other men to run in the opposite direction.
Only, for some reason, it seemed only to make me want her more.
But she was finally free tonight, and it was safe to say I was beginning to feel just a smidgen of relief at the thought of being mere hours away from seeing her again.
Then again, it might have been all the promise in that kiss and the few words we’d said to each other after that.
Or it could have been in the flirty texts we’d sent to one another since then.
The sexual tension was building between us, and if what I’d experienced with her so far was any indication of what was to come, I suspected I was in for a real treat.
And if my suspicions were correct about how good things would be once we took that step, I believed it’d be a long while before I got tired of her.
I might not have been looking for a serious, long-term relationship, but I’d certainly entertain more than just a one-night stand.
Though I hadn’t exactly had a discussion with her about it, based on the way she’d been teasing me, it seemed she was just as interested in something physical as I was.
Like some divine intervention was stepping in to get me to stop thinking about just Jules, my phone buzzed with a text.
I reached for it as I watched Vic’s attempt at the rail. And when he successfully executed the trick, the rest of the guys and I didn’t hold back the praise. A smug look washed over Vic’s face, like he’d had every confidence the entire time that he’d land that trick.
While he celebrated that win, I glanced at my phone.
Perhaps it wasn’t divine intervention after all. Maybe it was just proof that Jules was thinking about me as frequently as I was thinking about her, because the text was from her, and there was a picture attached.
I’d never swiped my finger across the display as fast as I did at that moment. The picture was of Jules holding up a cupcake in front of her in one hand while the other hand showed a single finger covered with a healthy dollop of frosting. Beneath that photo was her message.
Jules
I’m celebrating early.
Damn, she was gorgeous.
As delicious as that cupcake looked—and I could feel my mouth salivating—it didn’t compare to her. If given the choice of one or the other, I’d pick her every time.
BEAU
What exactly are you celebrating?
Jules
I finally get to see you again tonight.
Well, there it was.
Even if she’d been unable to meet up before now, at least I had some proof that it bothered her and that she’d been longing to see me again, too.
BEAU
I hope you realize just how lucky you are to have treats like that to celebrate with.
A moment later, another picture came through, and it was all I could do not to react in the way I might have if I’d been alone at home.
Jules had taken a picture of her still holding that cupcake while she licked the frosting off the other hand. And beneath that picture was nothing but utter temptation.
Jules
Oh, if you only knew…
God, this woman was so much fun already.
And best of all, she was giving me every clear signal that she was looking for precisely the same as I was when it came to what was happening between us.
It was friendly and fun, and we could easily hold a conversation about something.
But when it boiled down, it all seemed to be about building that physical tension between us.
Walking up to that bakery and getting those cookies was proving to be the best thing I’d done in a long time.
BEAU
You are the best kind of trouble.
Jules
What can I say? I’m a bit of a rebel.
And I was loving every second of it.
I was about to send her a reply when I was interrupted by the approaching footsteps of my friends.
“So, are you going to tell us what’s going on, or are you going to make us guess?” Talon asked.
“What are you talking about?” I countered, even though I was certain where this conversation was heading.
As the three of them sat down and grabbed some water, Vic mumbled, “Seems like we’re supposed to guess.”
I rolled my eyes as Jamie chimed in. “I saw her, Beau. At the demo. Is she the one who’s got you grinning like a teenage boy?”
These guys were my best friends, so there was no reason for me to hide anything. It wasn’t like there was anything out of the ordinary happening anyway. “Her name is Jules. She’s the girl I talked to after lunch at the bakery the day we went to Westwood’s.”
“But she also went to the demo, and you got her number,” Vic noted.
My phone buzzed in my hand, an indication that Jules had sent another text, but I avoided looking at it. Instead, I shared more of the situation with my friends. “We went out for dinner the night after I met her, too.”
“Nice.” Talon was grinning at me like he thought that meant something more than it did.
“Relax, man. It’s not serious. She’s honestly just a lot of fun to be around, and she’s gorgeous.”
He narrowed his eyes on me like he didn’t necessarily believe that was all there was to it, but I didn’t acknowledge his response.
The only way I could prove it to him would be to share the truth about how she flirted and teased, and I wasn’t about to show any one of them the pictures she’d just sent me.
“And yet, she was at the demo a few days ago,” Jamie noted. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but she didn’t strike me as the type to attend such a thing.”
I would have thought the same thing with just one look at her. And even if she hadn’t ever done any skateboarding, she did admit to board sports with snowboarding. Plus, she showed an interest in learning to skateboard.
“What are you getting at?”
He shrugged. “Just seems like it’s not your typical hookup.”
“Because she came to the demo?”
Vic said, “You just shared you went out to dinner with her, too.”
I tossed my hand out and huffed. “Oh, please. So, because I’m not a total dick and can at least buy the girl a meal, I must want something more than just fun. Trust me, even if I was crazy enough to go down that road, which I’m not even close to entertaining, it would never work out between us.”
Talon was instantly intrigued. “What makes you say that?”
“She’s turning twenty-five later this month.”
Jamie couldn’t hold back the shock. “What?!”
“What is that reaction for? You make it sound like it’d be impossible for someone that young to be interested in me.”
Vic blew out a long breath. “I don’t mean to be a dick or make assumptions, but have you considered the possibility that she’s only interested in you for what you can do for her? That’s quite the age difference.”
Obviously, I’d been shocked to learn how young Jules was, but not once had I been concerned about her being interested in me strictly for some potential financial benefit.
“I don’t think that’s the case at all. But even if it were, it’s not like it would matter.
I’m not looking for anything serious with her for that to even be an issue. ”
He gave me a nod of understanding. “Fair enough. I’d just proceed with caution.”
“You know, there is the other possibility,” Talon reasoned.
“What’s that?”
Still smiling, ever the optimist, he said, “Perhaps she just likes you.”
I smirked. “Oh, well, there’s no question that’s the case.”
If there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty, it was that Jules liked me.
And she hadn’t deviated from being the woman she was since I walked up to get those cookies.
It wasn’t as though she’d learned I was a professional skateboarder and suddenly turned into a completely different person.
I wasn’t remotely concerned about her having some ulterior motive for wanting to spend time with me other than wanting to enjoy my company.
“When are you seeing her again?” Jamie asked.
“Tonight.”
The guys nodded as they dropped their gazes to the ground and held back their laughter and thoughts. Evidently, despite all that I’d said, they still believed there was more going on than I had indicated.
Oh, well.
I’d let them think what they wanted. Time would tell, and they’d see that this was nothing more than me living the life I always lived.
“Are you guys done grilling me, so we can get back to skating? Or do I need to do something else to prove I’m the same guy with the same viewpoints I’ve always had?”
“We can keep skating,” Vic said.
“Yeah, of course, we can.” Jamie was quick to agree, but he couldn’t leave it at that. “We all thought you might be finished for the day so you could go get ready for your date.”
His tone was teasing, but that didn’t stop me from throwing some water at him. He hopped on his board and dropped in a few feet away, laughing as he did. Vic followed behind him.
And as I stood to join them, Talon came to a stop in front of me. “You know, it’s okay to change your mind about what you want. If you like this girl, and she feels the same in return, you’re allowed to choose something different than you’ve always chosen.”
I jerked my chin down in understanding. “I know. But I’m not interested in that.”
Something that looked a lot like disappointment washed over him. “Fair enough.”
He turned and hopped on his board.
Before I did the same, I looked at my phone and saw Jules had texted.
Jules
So, am I the only one celebrating today, or are you doing something fun, too?
I figured it was only fair for me to send her more than just a bunch of words. But instead of sending a photo, I sent a video clip I’d taken earlier this morning not long after we’d arrived at the skatepark.
BEAU
This was me about two hours ago. I only stopped a few minutes ago to take a quick break. But I’m going to ride for a few more hours.
There was a big part of me that wanted to wait to see how she would respond, but another part of me realized that if I did, it might send the wrong message to my friends.
So I set my phone down, grabbed my board, and joined my friends for a few more hours of skating. Only after we were done for the day and were ready to head out did I pick up my phone and see Jules had responded.
Jules
That’s so cool. I wish I could do that. Do you think you could teach me sometime?
What would it say if I did?
Certainly, I couldn’t bring her here to teach her and risk my buddies seeing. They’d definitely get carried away with the thoughts of there being something serious happening.
But perhaps I could start small and show her the basics in the driveway at my place.
BEAU
Sure. If you want to learn, I can show you.
Jules
Do you accept desserts and freshly baked goods as payment for lessons?
I was glad she offered.
Because if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have given payment for lessons a second thought.
And I wondered if that said more about where I stood with Jules than I wanted to admit. So, before I slid my phone into my pocket and made my way to my car, I didn’t hesitate to send her a list of my favorite desserts to confirm that it would be purely transactional.