Chapter 10
TEN
ALEC
What the hell had I been thinking when I kissed Tally last night?
My feet thudded in the sand as I jogged along the beach around the corner from the Tranquility Bay Resort. The sky was clear and tinged with pink, the breeze crisp, and only two other solitary figures had ventured out this early in the morning.
Sand kicked up behind me, and I eyed the rocky outcrop I was running toward, then checked my exercise watch to see how many more miles I had to go before I’d clocked up my minimum for the day.
Only another mile left. If I reached the outcrop, turned around and headed back to the resort, that should be about right.
I smiled at an elderly man strolling with his dog as I passed him. I could have opted to run on the treadmill in the resort’s gym, but who in their right mind would do that when they could be out here in one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen?
Memories of the kiss tugged at my mind. Seriously, what had I been thinking?
I’d wanted to make a point, and I’d succeeded, but I’d spent the whole damn night with a raging hard on. I’d dreamed that I’d followed Tally into the bathroom, peeled that sexy pink dress from her body, and fucked her until she couldn’t do anything other than whimper, moan, and plead for more.
She was my best friend. I wasn’t supposed to have those kinds of thoughts about her.
Of course, I’d always known she was pretty. It was obvious. Her clear blue eyes, long dark hair, and creamy skin reminded me of snow white, except Tally also possessed the kind of curves that drove men wild and plush lips that would look perfect wrapped around my cock.
For fuck’s sake. I had to stop objectifying her. It had never been a problem before, so why now?
Because now you know she tastes as sweet as she looks.
The insidious whisper was perhaps the most honest I’d managed to be with myself. Previously, as long as I hadn’t thought of Tally in sexual terms or done anything with her of that nature, I could pretend not to be affected by her, but with one kiss, I’d blasted my defenses to smithereens.
God, I hoped I hadn’t fucked up our friendship.
The sun peeked over the horizon and I winced, shielding my gritty eyes from it.
Hopefully, Tally would wake up while I was gone, and when I returned, everything would be back to normal between us.
If that didn’t happen, I wasn’t sure what I’d do.
Things had been so tense between us last night.
We’d both been trying to pretend nothing had happened, yet we’d failed to behave anything like normal.
I reached the outcrop, pivoted, and started back toward the resort. Another handful of people had appeared on the beach. A pair of women were perched on lounge chairs and drinking coffees while a resort employee strung up volleyball nets.
I passed them by and made my way through the resort grounds, winding between rock pools and greenery until I reached the main building.
I climbed the stairs to the second floor and followed the signs to the gym.
I swiped my key card to enter and my spirit lightened as I left the gloom of the hallway for the bright airiness of the gym.
Floor to ceiling windows dominated one wall and treadmills were lined up in front of them.
On the opposite side of the room, mirrors covered the respective space, so weightlifters could monitor their form as they worked out.
A teenage girl was running on a treadmill and a guy with silver-flecked hair and a slight belly was doing bicep curls in the corner.
I started on the leg extensions. Hockey players need strong glutes and thigh muscles to skate quickly and powerfully around the ice. My quads were already warm from the run, so I was able to add weight quickly until I reached my limit.
I reconfigured the machine to do leg curls and lay on my stomach, hitching my heels beneath the bar so I could curl them back and exercise my hamstrings. I started at low weight and escalated. I was near my maximum when the gym door opened and Thad strode in.
My jaw clenched and my muscles twitched, almost causing me to lose my rhythm.
Thad looked around and, when he saw me, his expression darkened.
One of his hands clasped a drink bottle while the other fisted at his side.
When he noticed my attention on it, he relaxed the fingers but it was too late.
He’d already given away the fact he was about as pleased to see me as I was to see him.
To my surprise, he went straight to the other leg weight machine and stacked on more plates than I thought wise.
It was only when he assumed the same position as me and began pumping his legs that I realized he’d chosen the same amount of weight I was currently lifting in some misguided show of machismo.
Did the cocky asshole actually believe he could keep up with a professional athlete?
I added another ten pounds to my weights and started a new set of reps. A few seconds later, he followed suit.
My lip curled. He really was trying to show that he could keep up with me.
Never mind. I didn’t have to play into his game. I finished my set and added another ten pounds, maxing out in the same place I usually did. When I was halfway through the set, Thad increased his weights too.
I rolled my eyes. The idiot was going to hurt himself.
I unloaded the leg curl and moved to the squat rack.
A few seconds later, Thad claimed the second squat rack.
This was ridiculous. He had to realize that I knew what he was doing.
If he’d been serious about working his hamstrings, he’d have spent at least a couple more sets on the leg curl.
Instead, he’d abandoned it to go head-to-head with me.
I started off light. Next to me, Thad scoffed and started with an additional fifteen pounds. My back teeth ground together and my nostrils flared as I breathed out, reminding myself not to let him get to me. My purpose here was to keep up my regular workout schedule, not to put Thad in his place.
Yet after one set, I found myself adding twenty pounds, so my bar outweighed his. It still wasn’t a strain for me. He added another plate to each side of his barbell, edging me out. His breathing was heavy as he lowered himself into a squat and pushed back into the starting position.
I finished the set and stacked more weight on. Now, my breath started to come heavier too.
Thad grunted as he thrust the bar into place on the rack and tossed more on without even finishing the set. He glanced at me and our gazes met, a silent challenge in his.
I wasn’t immature enough to let him drive me to not complete a set, but I did shift up again more quickly than I usually would have. I’d nearly reached my maximum usual weight, but my legs felt strong. I could go heavier.
Beside me, Thad was red-faced and sweating. His muscle shirt was soaked through, and his lanky limbs were beginning to shake.
“Give it up,” I muttered, loud enough for him to hear but not for anyone else to. “I get paid to be fit. You’re a finance guy. You can’t beat me in this.”
If he challenged me to a math test or quizzed me about shares and return rates, he’d come out on top, but this was my natural habitat. There was no shame in losing to a professional. But judging from his glower, he didn’t see things that way.
Briefly, I considered setting my barbell aside and being the bigger person. I knew I could out-squat him. But then I recalled what he’d done to Tally and any sympathy I might have had for him fled.
I added more weight.
He did too.
I added more.
So did he.
And again, until finally, he added so much that he couldn’t lift the barbell off the rack.
“I win,” I said, and unloaded my barbell.
I left him collapsed on a bench, mopping his face on his shirt and trembling from head to toe.
Back in our hotel room, I stretched my legs thoroughly and showered, then changed into a T-shirt and board shorts and went looking for Tally.
I found her at the waterfront restaurant, with an empty breakfast platter in front of her and goddamn Jackson from the night before seated opposite. I grabbed a chair, dragged it over, and draped my arm around her shoulders.
As far as Jackson knew, Tally was taken. He needed to back off.
“Are you done with breakfast, cocobug?” I asked, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Morning, Jackson.”
“Hey, Alec.” Irritatingly, he didn’t seem bothered by my presence.
Tally placed her empty coffee cup on her plate. “Yeah, I finished a while ago. We’ve just been chatting.”
“Want to head back to the room and figure out our game plan for today?” I wanted nothing more than to get her away from her new friend. She’d had enough man trouble for one trip. The last thing she needed was some stranger lusting after her too.
“Um, okay sure. But don’t you want something to eat too?”
I gritted my teeth. I hadn’t thought of that, but she had a point. “Just give me a moment.”
I went to the buffet and loaded a plate with eggs and hash, then filled a bowl with Greek yoghurt, granola, and fresh fruit.
I carried both back to the table, sat, and dug into them with gusto, not because I was starving but because I wanted to get back to our room and away from Jackson as quickly as possible.
As I ate, Jackson and Tally made small talk about their siblings—or in Tally’s case, her lack thereof, their parents, and their friends.
Jackson apparently had two siblings, both older, and his parents were rich and semi-retired, gallivanting around the world on cruise ships and leading photography tours in some of the planet’s most beautiful places.
It annoyed me that he seemed like an interesting person.
I supposed, under normal circumstances, I should have been pleased that a friendly guy with a good job was showing interest in my best friend.
He was a better match for her than Thad had been.
But I couldn’t bring myself to be grateful to him or even to envision them together.
For now, Tally was mine, and that was that.
I shoveled yoghurt, granola, and fruit into my mouth, chugging down water between mouthfuls.
After only a few minutes, I cleared both my plate and bowl.
I pushed back my chair and stood. Tally arched an eyebrow, obviously confused by my behavior.
Frankly, I was too. Pretending to be her boyfriend was messing with me.
“I’ll see you later,” she said to Jackson, wiggling her fingers at him in a cute little wave.
“Bye, Tally,” he said with a grin. “Bye, Alec.”
As we walked back to our hotel room, I felt her eyes on me.
“What was that about?” she asked, jostling me with her elbow. “Is everything okay? You’re acting a little strange.”
I sighed. “I had a bit of a run in with Thad this morning.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “I’m sorry.”
Damn, now I’d made her feel bad.
“Don’t be. It just threw me off a little.”
“Hey!” The feminine call came from my right. I turned toward the sound. A tall, slim woman was hurrying toward us, gesturing for us to wait. She stopped in front of us. “It’s Tally, right? Lake’s cousin?”
“Yes.” Tally regarded her curiously. “What’s up?”
“There’s volleyball happening on the beach around the side of the resort in ten minutes.” She tucked a lock of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. “You guys should both come. Don’t forget to wear your swimsuits.”
She scurried away before either of us could reply.
“We don’t have to go,” I said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Especially not if it’s going to make you uncomfortable. Coral will probably be there.”
A range of expressions flitted across her face but then her jaw set. “We didn’t come here to hide in our room. Let’s go.”