May 27th
An interesting spin.
Ainsley
I wake up, and it takes me a minute to remember where I am.
I think about last night. How we all put on matching pajamas, exchanged friendship bracelets, grabbed snacks, got snuggled up in our side-by-side beds, and watched movies.
And I must have fallen asleep in the middle of one.
I glance at my phone to check the time, see that it’s almost seven, and read a couple of texts.
Damon: I’d better see you at the gym this morning.
Sammy: I’m in love. Again. It’s not just a love story. It’s a Roman love story. He just went out to get coffee and pastries, and I’m giddy and dying to talk to you!
I quietly get up, grab my bag, carefully make my way around the beds, sneak out of the room, and hit Sammy’s number as I head to the gym. I have workout clothes that I planned to wear to sleep in last night, so I’ll just change there.
“Thank you!” he says. “You’ll never believe all of this because Roman actually romanced me. Oh my gosh, romanced me, like Roman ced me.”
“I get it,” I tell him.
“Best night of my life, possibly. I went to his hotel, and he ordered us a gorgeous room service dinner. We talked, kissed, shared a bottle of wine, and the rest of the night was both sexy and blissful.”
“I’m happy for you. Did you find out why he’s in town?”
“Work. They gave him a new client who is based here, and he will be in town often.”
“But the question is, will he be in your town?”
“Oh, girl, he already was.”
“Sammy! You said you would never, ever, ever get back together with him. You played the song that repeats those words over and over and over again. And it’s by one of my favorite artists, and you totally ruined the song for me.
Forever. I was there for all the heartbreak and drama.
I can’t believe you would fall for his tricks again! ”
“That’s not how it was,” Sammy says, and I can picture him with his chin jutted out in defiance.
“Then how was it?” I ask, taking a seat on a bench just outside of the locker room. No one is around, so I put him on speaker.
“He only wanted to get together because he said he owed me an apology for what happened,” Sammy explains. “And he didn’t come on to me. I seduced him. ”
“And why did you do that?”
“Because now I can crush him back. It was revenge sex!” he says triumphantly.
“You’re supposed to have revenge sex with someone other than the person you want revenge on. It’s supposed to show them that you’ve moved on. It’s the big eff you. And apparently even better when the person you sleep with is their best friend.”
“No!” he screams.
“No, what?”
“You never told me you had sex with one of Brad’s friends.”
“Everyone knows the definition of revenge sex. It doesn’t mean that I’ve had it myself.”
“You totally did. I could hear the conviction in your voice.”
I laugh. “Well, I did consider it. And I most definitely wished I could do something to get back at him, but I didn’t.”
“Hey, Sammy!” Damon says, plopping down on the bench with me.
I suddenly panic, wondering what all he heard.
“I will admit to agreeing with Ainsley’s assessment of revenge sex, but you put an interesting spin on the concept. It’s like reverse psychology. So, do you think Roman wants you back?”
I close my eyes in humiliation. Shit, he heard everything.
“Damon, dude, I wish I knew. And I’m considering being even more of a cad and leaving now, before he gets back.”
“That will probably make him feel used,” Damon says.
“Exactly! Yes, I’m grabbing my things as we speak and ditching him. Talk soon!”
And then he hangs up.
I look at Damon, who has his lips pressed together like he’s trying not to smile.
Then he says, “Cute jammies.”
I roll my eyes, rub my hand across my forehead in distress, get up, and go straight into the locker room to change.
A few moments later, he peeks his head inside and says, “You decent?”
“I am,” I say. Because I haven’t even moved yet.
He comes in and sits down very close to me. “Question. Yesterday, when I teased my sister about Chase bach -ing it while she’s interning, you said the same thing to me. And don’t forget it. You even did that sultry purr thing you do with your voice, which is quite sexy. What did you mean?”
“I have a sultry purr thing?”
“Oh, yeah, you do. It’s hot. Do you do it on purpose to get me riled up, or is it just natural?”
I close my eyes and take a cleansing breath. As much as I would actually like to sleep with Damon, I can’t.
“I like you, Damon. We’re friends.”
“We are more than friends,” he states as he slides a single finger under my jawline and then leans in and kisses me.
I know I shouldn’t kiss him back. I shouldn’t lead him on.
But I can’t help myself from wrapping my arms around his neck.
Next thing I know, I’m sitting on his lap and feverishly kissing him—finally fully kissing.
I’m sucking on his tongue, running my fingers roughly through the back of his hair.
His hands are tucked under my ass, and he’s pushing me in closer to him.
My hips pulse against him in urgent need as his lips move down the side of my neck.
I toss my head back and let out a throaty moan.
“Oh! I’ll just, uh, go,” I hear Dani say before the door slams shut.
Which causes Damon to stop and look into my eyes. “That was nice.”
And I’m thinking, Nice?
That was way more than nice. It was sinful, sexy, and oh-so delicious.
“It was,” I reply.
But then I realize that even though we stopped kissing, I’m still sort of pulsing my hips toward his crotch.
“Still is,” he says with a grin. “Maybe we could work out and then continue this in my hotel suite later?”
“We’ll see,” I say as I leap off of him suddenly, wondering what I was thinking. “I thought you were staying in the boathouse with Daine.”
“I am, but since it’s my birthday, I managed to wrangle myself a suite too. You know, just to let Tripp know what I think of it. Give the hotel some feedback. ”
“How generous of you,” I tease.
“You ignored me last night,” Damon says when I go out there, dressed and ready to pretend to be focused on working out.
But the truth is, I can’t stop thinking about the kiss. The fire. The heat. And instead of wondering why I was kissing him like that, I’m wondering why I stopped.
“I did not. You didn’t call or text me,” I reply.
He grins like a naughty little boy caught in a lie. “I was told not to.”
“By whom?”
“My dad. Grandpa. I think that was because they were given strict instructions not to call unless it was an emergency. Did you have fun?”
“Yes, we had fun,” Dani says, coming around the corner with Chase and giving her brother the eye.
He seems to take it in stride, not the least embarrassed, but I remember what I told her last night about us just being friends, how it wouldn’t work. And now I look like a liar.
What she doesn’t realize is that I am torn.
Even more so after that kiss.
Because I really, really liked it.
And the fact is, if given the opportunity, I would have done it with him right then and there. Without a thought as to who might walk in .
Lit from within.
Ainsley
I’m just finishing up another round of playing cards with my cousins when I get a text from Damon.
Damon: I missed you today. Did your family have fun on the party boat? And did Hunter ever learn to ski?
Me: We had a great time, really. My cousins are all so great, and it’s been fun, watching the next generation learn to love it here too.
And, yes, Hunter did. Finally. And he was so cute.
They drove by us in the ski boat, and he was pumping his arm up in the air so hard and cheering for himself that he crashed.
But the second time, he got right back up.
It’s fun, too, because it makes you remember how you felt the first time you did it.
Damon: It’s late. I assume you’ve had dinner?
Me: Yeah. Tripp is considering letting people rent out the party boat. So, he had one of his chefs on it to test it all out. We had a really lovely dinner.
Damon: Is “lovely” code for high quality and low quantity? Like those really pretty 5-star dishes, where you get a cube of lobster meat, a tablespoon of clarified butter, and a micro-sized lemon peel? And you’re supposed to swoon.
Me: I take it, you’ve had a meal like that in the past?
Damon: Yes, ma’am. Chase and I joined our dads with Tripp and Van on a yacht in Miami over spring break. Van had hoped his sons could come, but it was planned at the last minute, and none of them could get away from work. But we had a lot of fun. Cruised down to the Bahamas. And ate “well.”
Me: In our case, the chef grilled massive tomahawk steaks that we all shared, an assortment of hearty sides, and a “lovely” red wine.
Damon: Oh, I could have torn up one of those steaks. They are the best. We had Mimi’s world-famous spaghetti and meatballs, garlic-cheese rolls dipped in warm butter, and salted caramel cheesecake for dessert.
Me: Yum.
Damon: I know it’s game night for both families, but ours is winding down. Wanna hang out with me? We can revisit one of the scenes of the crime.
Me: Same deal here. And yes. I’ll say I’m tired and sneak out. Meet you out front.
I feign exhaustion, then go up to my room and appraise my appearance. I know I looked like a bit of a mess this morning, and after that steamy moment in the locker room that left me breathless, I want to look good tonight.
My face has gotten tan, so I just throw on some highlighter, a little sparkly eye shadow, and some mascara. Now, what to wear.
I decide on a pleated miniskirt—because if I hadn’t had pants on in the locker room, parts might have touched—with a tank top and a little cardigan in case it gets chilly.
When I sneak down the stairs and go outside, I find him waiting on a golf cart.
He takes in my outfit. “You look hot, but if we’re gonna do this, you have to take your clothes off.”
“Right now?”
He grins. “Yep.”
And he looks so cute—backward ball cap, little light scruff, and those naughty brown eyes.
“I can’t,” I say.