Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
TALLY
The sky overhead was gray as I picked my way along the sand in bare feet, listening to the footsteps behind me coming nearer. I hadn’t looked to see who it was. Hopefully just a resort guest, although knowing my luck, that was unlikely.
I gazed over the water. It was farther out at the moment, lines in the sand showing where the tide had been earlier.
While the clouds had gathered and the breeze was enough that I’d had to wear a sweater, the sea itself was flat.
It hardly moved except for the rhythmic hiss of water over sand as waves lapped at the beach.
The footsteps behind me slapped against the wet ground. Whoever was coming made no effort to preserve the peacefulness of the morning.
“Tally.”
I stiffened, recognizing the voice immediately. Seriously, couldn’t he leave me alone for just half a day?
I considered ignoring him but knew he wouldn’t give up until he’d achieved whatever it was he wanted.
“What?” I asked, turning to face Thad.
My ex looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath his eyes and brackets around his mouth that made him seem older than he was.
Perhaps he wasn’t sleeping well. Or maybe Coral had had a crisis of conscience and kicked him out, although that seemed like too much to hope for.
“What’s going on with you?” he demanded, his flip flops slapping as he crossed the final distance between us and stopped a few feet away. “I thought you’d be upset about me and Coral, but you’re acting like you never cared about me.”
I stared at him, my jaw slack. “Did you…want me to care?”
For a moment, he flushed as though embarrassed, but then his upper lip curled in a sneer. “I just want to know if I never mattered to you because you’re sure as hell making it seem that way.”
“What do you want me to say?” I demanded, picking my jaw up, stunned by his audacity. “Did you come here hoping to see me crying in a corner about my broken heart while you parade around with my cousin?”
His lips moved but no sound came out.
I took a step forward. “Did you want me to be hurting? Is that what this is? You feel robbed because I’m not as devastated as you’d like me to be?”
“O-of course not,” he stammered, looking taken aback. “I’m not the bad guy here. You always said that you and Alec were just friends, but apparently, you’re screwing him now. What the hell is going on?”
I raised my chin. “It’s none of your business what’s happening between Alec and me. You and I aren’t together anymore, so you get no say in the matter.”
He scoffed. “It sure as fuck is my business if you were sleeping around on me.”
My chest tightened. I tried to suck in a breath, but it got caught in my throat.
“How—” The word squeezed out but cut off too quickly. I inhaled roughly and tried again. “How dare you accuse me of that?”
First Lake and now Thad. Was that really what everyone thought of me? That I was a cheater?
“I’m the one who had to go to the clinic to get tested for STDs,” I hissed, leaning close so that no one else on the nearly empty beach would be able to overhear us.
“I’m the one who had to explain to a nurse that my boyfriend had proven he couldn’t be trusted.
I had to wait days for the results. Do you know how stressful that is? ”
Thad rolled his eyes. “As if I’d ever risk going without a condom.”
“How would I know what you’d risk?” I shrieked, clamping my hands firmly to my hips because, otherwise, I might lose control and slap him across the face. “I didn’t think you’d have sex with my cousin, but you did. I don’t know you at all!”
We both fell silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing. We stared at each other, neither of us seeming to know what to say.
A figure moved behind Thad. I blinked and squinted as they came into focus.
It was Alec.
Chunks of wet sand sprayed everywhere as he pounded along the beach toward us, heedless of his surroundings.
He kept a wide berth around Thad, slung his arm around my shoulder and drew me tightly against him.
His glare was locked on Thad, and even as he kissed my temple, his focus on my ex didn’t waver.
“Leave her the fuck alone.” Alec practically vibrated with rage. “Can’t you see you’ve upset her? Haven’t you done enough?”
Thad’s nostrils flared. “I deserve to know what my girlfriend was doing while we were together.”
I grimaced. Perhaps I’d been getting through to him, but any progress I’d made was shot to hell now.
“I never cheated on you,” I said tiredly.
“You’ve got your answer.” Alec steered me away from him. “Come on, cocobug. Your Dad was just telling me about a bakery down the road that they visited yesterday. Let’s go and check it out.”
He didn’t pull away as we started to walk, and his proximity warmed me inside.
“That sounds nice,” I said, allowing him to put distance between us and Thad.
With his free hand, he took his phone from his pocket and opened a maps app. He guided us through the resort and out onto the road. A paved sidewalk stretched alongside it, and after only a few minutes, we arrived at a small cluster of shops.
The bakery was immediately obvious because of the small, square tables with white and blue sun umbrellas arranged outside. Alec opened the door and held it for me as I entered. The interior was just as cute, with comfy-looking chairs in the same shades of blue and white as the umbrellas.
Alec led me to the display cabinet and my mouth watered at the delicious array of pastries, cakes, and bread. I chose a glossy chocolate croissant with pastry that looked buttery and flaky and had chocolate oozing from within.
Alec ordered a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, as well as a coffee for each of us, then we took a number and retreated to one of the tables nearest the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the street.
A slatted wood wall separated us from the next table over and we were out of sight of the main entrance.
It didn’t take long for our food to arrive, along with a plain black coffee for Alec and a caramel macchiato for me. I stirred my coffee and tasted it.
Mm. The perfect mix of sweet and dark.
Next, I tried the croissant. The pastry melted on my tongue. I closed my eyes and moaned. When I opened them again, Alec was staring at me.
“What?” I asked, self-conscious. “Is there something on my face?”
“No.” He blew a breath out of the corner of his mouth. “I just can’t look away from your lips.”
My pulse thrummed faster and my tongue darted out to dampen my lips. Suddenly, I was more aware of them than I’d ever been in my life.
What was I supposed to say to that?
My fork clanged against the plate and I set it down, my hands trembling too badly for me to use it.
Alec’s dark gaze continued to burn into mine. “Ever since we kissed that first night here, I can’t stop thinking of you. You’re so sexy, Tally, but you’re more than that. You’re sweet and smart and more kind than most people deserve, but you don’t let people walk all over you either.”
I hid my hands beneath the table, resting them on my thighs. All words had deserted me and I just had to hope that Alec was happy to maintain a one-sided conversation.
“I think…” He swallowed, his throat bobbling. “I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want to be with you for real.”
I tugged at the bottom of my ear lobe, as if doing so might change the words I was hearing. I drew in a slow breath and looked down at my croissant, the chocolate forming a mess on the plate that now appealed about as much as eating ash.
In a way, Alec was voicing a dream I’d never dared to hope for, but being faced with the possibility of my fantasy becoming real was scarier than I ever could have imagined. What if he was just being impulsive and changed his mind when he realized he wasn’t actually interested in me romantically?
“Are you sure?” I asked cautiously.
“What do you mean?” He almost sounded offended.
I rubbed my lips together, hoping he wouldn’t take this the wrong way. “We kissed, and it was nice.”
“Nice?” His eyes narrowed. “It was incredible.”
“Okay,” I allowed. “It was incredible. But it’s been a long time since you had sex—unless you’re keeping things from me—so maybe that’s all you really want? It would make sense if you’re lonely and latched onto me because I’m here and familiar and comfortable.”
A groove formed between Alec’s eyebrows. “Did you just try to mansplain my feelings to me?”
I opened my mouth, a protest on my tongue, but then snapped it shut.
Well, damn. I guess I had.
“I’m sorry,” I said weakly.
He nodded, as if this was his due. “I know how I feel, Tally. I’ve had blue balls plenty of times before.
That’s not what this is. It’s taken a while to get my head around it, but the truth is, I want you, and not just for a fling.
When I look into the future, the only person I can imagine sharing it with is you. ”
My heart thumped erratically. “Me?”
“Yeah.” He offered me a tentative smile. “You’re my person. Who else would I want?”
I hesitated, desperate to leap on his offer before he changed his mind, but the very fact I worried he might decide he didn’t want me after all was enough to make me pause.
I pushed my plate aside. “We’ve been really good friends, but we can’t be sure there’s enough chemistry between us for our relationship to be more than that.”
What would happen if we tried it, realized we weren’t physically compatible for some reason, and ruined our friendship in the process?
I couldn’t lose him. He meant too much to me.
Alec snorted. “After that kiss we shared, there’s no way you can doubt our chemistry. It was hot.”
Desire heated my core at the memory. The spark between us really had been brilliant.
“I don’t want to push you,” he continued, his tone gentling. “Especially not when you only just got out of a relationship and you’re still hurting from his betrayal.”
“I can’t lie and say it hasn’t made me more hesitant.”
His gaze turned sad. “I know, baby. But I’ll never hurt you like that, and I’m prepared to wait for as long as it takes if you think there’s even a chance that we could have a happy relationship.”
I searched my mind for an answer, but it was frustratingly blank. I wanted to say yes, but was that the smart decision? I was so twisted in knots that I couldn’t tell.
“Don’t rush,” he said, but there was a flicker of hurt in his eyes, and I knew he must have hoped that I’d be more excited to jump into a relationship than this.
Guilt twisted my gut. I didn’t want to hurt him. And honestly, I did want to be with him. I was just afraid to make that jump, and I didn’t know what to say to make him understand me without causing him pain or doubt.
“I… uh…”