Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Knight
“Troy, why the fuck are we in Jersey?” I grin as I turn the Harley off and help her take off her helmet.
“One, the Jersey Shore is iconic. Two, the best pizza is on the Boardwalk, and where else are we gonna play Skee Ball?” She can’t help laughing at my enthusiasm as I drag her up the ramp and into midsummer night madness.
The moon is out and bright overhead, and soon enough, all the little kids will be gone, leaving just the older crowd to enjoy the night waves.
“Are you going to be a gentleman and let me win?” I scoff, shaking my head.
“Not a chance in hell. You’ll have to win fair and square.” She looks me up and down, sizing me up.
“What do I get if I win?” Her eyes have the playful quality I was aiming for.
“Any damn thing you want.” I lick my lips as I point to the arcade, wagging my eyebrows at her.
She moves closer to my ear so that no one overhears her next words.
“I’ve never had sex on the beach.” I pull back, arching a brow.
“I hear the bar down the way makes an excellent one. Not my thing, too fruity.” She rolls her eyes, trying to walk away, but I spin her back, lifting her up so I can reach her face without bending, and lower my mouth to hers.
“It’s messy, abrasive, and you’ll be pulling sand out of your ass for weeks, but if that’s the prize you want if you beat me, I’m game.” I kiss her quickly before dropping her back down to her feet, dazed.
“Sounds messy,” I smirk and nod.
“Like all good sex should be. If you ain’t a shaking, dripping, incoherent mess, then I didn’t do my job right.” I try to keep my voice down so only she hears me, but with this crowd, someone was bound to overhear our conversation.
“He’s right, dear. Keep this one.” A lady old enough to be our grandmother pats Jenna’s arm as she walks by.
“Oh God, did that just happen?” I chuckle as I take her hand and move her towards the arcade.
“Enough shit talking, woman. Come try to beat me.” She trips trying to keep up with me, and I lift her up on my back, giving her a piggyback ride all the way inside and to the quarter machine.
I stuff a hundred into it, grab a bucket to put them in, and point at the games.
“Pick a lane.” She moves to the corner one, and I take the one next to her.
“Highest score wins?” Jenna says, juggling the fucking balls, and I start wondering if she works in a circus as a side gig.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” I follow the balls as she moves them around in the air.
“College on a dare.” She catches them all and grins.
“Loser gets an ass full of sand.” She giggles and offers me her hand.
“Deal.” We shake, and I get my balls ready.
“I wouldn’t be so happy. Your knees are gonna hurt tomorrow.” I wink as she narrows her eyes at me.
“Is that so?” I nod confidently.
“Ladies first.”
Hours of shit talking, laughing, and her trying her damnedest to cheat her way to the top by distracting me with her ass passes, with me beating her by five hundred points.
“That game was rigged.” She frowns as we turn in the mountain of tickets for a prize.
“Pick whatever you want.” I hold her in front of me, trying to hide my hard-on, giddy to get my hands on her.
“Um, I’ll take the hourglass.” The teenager working the counter pops his gum, lifts it off the shelf, and starts wrapping it in newspaper without a word.
“Anything else?” He finally says, pushing a bag to Jenna.
“Maybe get a personality.” Jenna takes the bag as the kid rolls his eyes.
“So fucking rude. I’d have been fired if I acted like that at work at his age.” I bite my lip, not wanting to laugh at her motherly tone.
“Don’t let that punk ruin our night.” I lead her to the steps to the beach, and I drop to one knee to undo her boots.
“I can do that,” she fusses, and I look up into her eyes and smile.
“I know you can, beautiful, but I want to. Hold my shoulder for balance.” I gently pull the boot off her foot and tuck her sock inside.
Repeating the process, I quickly do the same and tie the laces together, tossing them over my shoulder before heading into the warm sand. Lacing my fingers with hers, I slowly walk with her under the moon and stars, further away from the boardwalk.
“This is gorgeous. It’s so calming.” She lets out a long sigh.
“It’s my favorite place to come and think. No better place to figure out your life. The sand grounds you, and the ocean seems to cleanse your soul of troubles.” She hums an agreement as we walk further away from the bright lights of the shops.
“So you know this beach really well then?” If she only knew.
“Every inch. I used to be a lifeguard here in high school.” She laughs and shakes her head in disbelief.
“No way?” I nod with a sheepish grin, about to admit something only Pirate knows.
“I wanted to be David Hasselhoff.” Her laughter surrounds me like a warm hug.
“Oh my God, seriously?” I shrug as I move us towards a rocky edge I know has a divet we can sit in and have complete privacy from anyone on the beach.
“Now you know why Pirate gave me this road name. It was Knight or Baywatch.” She laughs again as I drop our shoes and sit on the sand, dragging her down with me.
“He picked the right one. I feel like you could be a person, a knight in shining armor, if they needed you to be.” I tilt my head as she hastily tacks on the last part.
“You make it sound like you don’t need any saving.” She picks at her nails and shakes her head, not meeting my eyes.
“I don’t need anyone to save me.” I suck my teeth until she looks up at me.
I pinch her chin and lean in.
“We all need someone to save us, even if it’s from ourselves.” I let my lips capture hers.
The kiss turns heated instantly, all the flirting and teasing of the night heavy in the air around us. My hands find the hem of her shirt and hesitate before touching her skin.
“Troy, take it off.”
That’s all I needed to hear.