Chapter 11 Riley
ELEVEN
RILEY
Deep thoughts at twelve in the afternoon: Do pineapples really make cum taste sweet?
While picking at the pineapple on my plate, I have no choice but to search for the answer to my question. When I bite the yellow cube off my fork, the sour taste bursts in my mouth.
‘There is no scientific evidence to support this claim. However, your diet can influence taste due to high-sugar fruits and their fructose content.’
Hm. Interesting.
Today is a perfect day for tanning. Not a cloud in the sky. This is my plan: eat and tan. And no one can tell me what to do. I’m going to sit here and enjoy my fruit, wondering if I’ll taste sweet for a man.
The couple sitting at a table in front of me is all over each other. Anyone could tell they’re newlyweds. They have that newlywed glow. They’re laughing and flirting as if they’re on their first date.
The woman’s wedding ring shines in the sunlight, and she giggles as the man buries his face in the crook of her neck. They look young. Maybe mid to late twenties. I can just tell they feel unstoppable and on top of the world. Freshly married with many more milestones to come.
Is that what it felt like for my parents? Sparks flying, laughter booming, smiles wide, and affection toward each other every single day. Maybe it fizzled out during their first year. I’ve heard that the first year of marriage is considered difficult.
You’re blending two lives.
I pick up a strawberry and shove it in my mouth. I’ll drown my sorrows in fruit.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” A man with a guttural, deep accent pulls my attention. “Here is your drink you’ve requested.”
This man's bulge—in his very white, short shorts—is staring at me like it wants to ask me out on a date.
Are his thighs covered in oil? They’re huge. He’s huge.
Forcing myself to look away from his dick and at his eyes, I watch his lips curve with a dimple in his chin. He has the most striking green eyes I’ve seen on a man. His jet-black hair gleams under the afternoon sun.
He must get laid. Like a lot. There’s no way he doesn’t. I’ve never come across a man who’s made me at a loss for words, but this one…
“You must get laid a lot.” I word-vomit. My eyes grow comically large, and I slap my lips together.
I couldn’t help it. It just came out of me. I thought men like this only existed in romance books.
The tips of my fingers cover my lips. “I’m so sorry. That was incredibly inappropriate. Please don’t kick me out.”
His husky laugh makes my shoulders relax. A good sign that I didn’t just offend him. He shifts the tray he’s holding behind his back with both arms. The white polo that’s tucked into his shirt shows off every curve and muscle he carries.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing. If I had a dollar for every time a woman asked me that same thing, I’d be a millionaire.”
Relief washes over me knowing that I’m not the only woman with dirty thoughts that slip out.
“Really?”
“No.” He teases with a smirk.
My cheeks feel warm, and I giggle. I giggle. What is happening? I do not giggle at a man. Not even August.
“But out of every woman here at the resort, I’m happy that it was you who asked me. I like a woman who speaks her mind.”
I cross my legs and place my chin in my hand, smiling up at him. “How long have you worked here?”
“About a month, still new, still learning. What brings you here?”
“It’s my friend’s birthday. I wanted to take advantage of some alone time before I meet up with them.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay. Here’s my card.” He digs in his pocket, pulls out a small cardstock, and hands it to me.
Gio.
“If you need anything, call me. I’m available morning, noon, and night.”
“Oh, thank you.” I bat my lashes at him like an idiot, but he winks at me before he struts away.
I can’t help but admire his firm ass.
I’m no better than a man.
“Wow.”
My eyes close the moment I hear August’s voice. Of course, he’s here. Turning around, I see him at a similar square table to mine.
He’s in his forest green swim shorts and a casual button-up that’s splayed open. Oil glistens off his tan skin, while his dark brown hair drips with water. His eyes are covered by his Ray-Ban sunglasses.
I tilt my head in question. “A girl can’t compliment someone she finds attractive?”
He picks up his glass and sucks from the straw, drinking the last bit of his drink. The sound goes on and on.
“Do you like being annoying?” I ask.
“Only with you.”
"With all due respect, which is none, I'll be getting back to my fruit. It's more invigorating than this conversation." I give him a tight-lipped smile. My eyes go past him and to James, who’s walking up behind August. “Hi, James.” I wiggle my fingers.
He waves back before I return to my plate of fruit.
"I'll be here if you decide I'm worthy of your time," he shouts.
After seeing his body like that—the ridges of his stomach and the oil shining on him—I push the dirty thoughts away while heat creeps up my neck.
“Hey.” Hailey sits next to me.
“What’s up?” I bite into a piece of juicy watermelon.
“Are you ready for the spa later today?” Her fair skin is starting to turn pink. Hailey isn’t someone you’d find lounging in the sun, and when she does, she burns.
“Sure. I could use a foot massage.”
She snorts. “Why don’t you ask August to do that for you?”
I glare at her with zero amusement.
Hailey always teases me about August. Despite our friendship drifting apart throughout the years, she’s never let me forget how I’ve submerged my feelings for him so deep that I’ve started gaslighting myself into thinking they don’t exist.
“You know I’m joking.” She shoves me by my shoulder.
“No, you’re not.”
“Yeah, I’m not. But first I told the guys we’d go cliff jumping with them,” Hailey says.
“What? I’m not cliff jumping. Are you crazy?”
“You’re going,” August shouts from behind us.
“No, I’m not!”
“Riley, come on.” Hailey grabs my hand and tugs me off the chair.
“Are you guys seriously going to do this?” Addie asks James.
Beau walks backward to get a running start, then charges toward the edge of the cliff, jumping into a front flip before heading into the water. A huge splash follows as he hits the water.
James and August yell and clap their hands, then follow suit. They do their own flips and dives. The rock they jump off is at least twenty-five feet or more. I look over the edge, and I feel my stomach fall out of my butt.
“I am not doing that.” I point to the water.
Hailey brackets her hips. “Oh, come on. It’s not that scary.”
When the guys get back to the top, Beau and James jump while I stand still. August stands next to me, and I side-eye him.
“What?” I ask.
“Why aren’t you jumping?” He pushes his wet hair back, his glasses missing.
“Because I don’t want to die.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re not going to die.”
“Do you hear that?” I pause, letting him hear the waves crashing hard into the rocks. “That’s the sound of death. This isn’t safe.”
“If it wasn’t safe, the resort wouldn’t let us do this. It’d be blocked off. I’ve seen other people do it all day.”
I cross my arms and look up at the bare blue sky, the sun gleaming down at me. I’m perfectly fine with sitting outside of the water and getting a tan.
“Stop being a chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken.” I lower my arms and ball my fists, close to throwing a tantrum.
“I’ll make it interesting. If you jump into the water, I will attend one of your yoga classes.”
I widen my eyes and gasp. I’ve been trying to get August to take one of my classes for years. I fell in love with yoga in high school, and sometimes I’d find myself randomly doing poses at Ellie’s house when I’d hang out with her.
I always told him it could help with his ADHD, but he never took me up on the offer. Until now.
“Wait, seriously?” I hold my hands out, making sure he’s not joking with me.
He crosses his arms and cocks his head. “Seriously. You can choose the day and the class. Let’s turn it into a bet, make it worth your while.”
“This is too good to pass up.”
He puts up a finger. “If I can last through your class without breaking a sweat, then you get to take me out to dinner.”
“Oh my—”
"If you win..." His gaze lowers to my lips and back up to my eyes. "I get to take you out to dinner."
He studies me while I contemplate his offer.
We used to make bets all the time for fun.
If we were bored, we'd challenge each other at something.
Silly little bets. Who can hold their breath underwater the longest, who can stuff more marshmallows in their mouth, or who can make the other spit out their water first by making them laugh?
But going out to dinner, regardless of who wins, I’m not dumb. I’m letting the walls fall that I built around me when my feelings for him started to take over my every thought.
"So? Are we jumping?" he asks in a low, sultry tone that has me feeling things between my legs that I don't want to feel with him.
Biting my lip, I listen to the waves again, take a breath, and nod. “Okay, yeah.”
August holds out a hand. “I promise, you’ll be okay.”
After hesitating for just a second, I take his hand in mine, and he squeezes it once in reassurance. We step back, making sure we get a good running start, and then we jump.
The air rushes around us, and I find myself screaming, but I’m not scared. Within seconds, we hit the water, and our hands let go. I fall deep into the ocean, adrenaline coursing through my veins, and for a moment, I stay under, absorbing the quiet around me.
Then it’s time to come up for air. I swim up to the surface, take a deep breath, and let out a laugh.
“I can’t believe I did that.” I look around me to see where August is. “August?” My feet kick, and my arms sway as I keep myself afloat. “August!”
I start to count the seconds—five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. Someone comes up from the water behind me, and when I turn, there’s August—with a grin on his face. He whips his hair out from his eyes.
The pounding of my heart doesn’t slow down, even with August being right in front of me. The waves push us closer together, and I splash water in his face.
“What the hell, asshole!”
He runs his hand down his face and knits his brows. “What?”
“Where were you? Why did it take you so long to come up?”
“Riley, I’m fine. I’m okay.”
“I thought something was wrong!” My arms start to tire as I keep myself above the water. I pump them up and down, against the water's pressure.
“Come here.” August presses his hand against my back, pushing me toward him. “Wrap your legs around me.”
“What? Why? I’m fine.”
“I can tell you’re getting tired.” A drop of water falls from his nose as our bodies press together. “I won’t let you go. I promise.”
I don’t know what’s happening. What I do know is we can swim back to shore, but being alone with him like this, not knowing where everyone else is—I want to take advantage of this moment where no one can see us.
“Okay,” I whisper, then wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. We’re in deep water doing this. Literally and figuratively.
“Is this okay for you?” He holds me with one hand while the other glides under the water. His hips move when his legs kick. I nod.
“Looks like you’ll be taking my class.” I lick my wet lips, and his blue eyes drop to them.
“What class?”
“Did you already forget what you promised?”
His gaze still roams my face, and I feel him push my body into his, keeping his word that he won’t let me go.
“Oh, right. Yeah. Set it up when we get back home.” He says, sounding out of breath. The tips of our noses practically brush against each other, and I take in the silence around us.
The water covers his long, dark lashes, making his deep blue eyes intense and beautiful. I can stare into them forever. He licks his lips, and I wonder what they feel like. What they taste like. I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing about mine.
“Riley,” August whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Riley?” Someone shouts my name from above. “Riley, are you okay?”
Shit. August and I pull away from each other, and I swim back to see who’s calling out. Everyone stands at the top of the cliff, their voices echoing down toward us.
“Yeah, I’m good! We were just—” I look at August, still staring at me, then back up as the sun blinds me. “Swimming.”
“Oh. Okay.” She doesn’t sound convinced. “Well, Hailey and I are going to get going to the spa. Are you coming?”
I look at August again, still swimming in the same spot. “We can get going. How are your arms?” He gestures his head toward them.
“A little tired, still. But manageable to get to shore.”
He turns away from me. “Get on my back.”
When I look back up at the cliff, no one’s there anymore. I swim over to August and wrap my legs around him once again, with my breasts pressed against his back.
“Thanks,” I whisper as he takes us back to shore.