Riding the Surf Read online

  Derek grabbed a beer and sat in the sand. His friends joined him a moment later.

  He turned to Nancy. “How is the new living situation going?”

  “I love it,” she said with a smile. “We should have done it a long time ago.”

  Thatcher rubbed his nose against hers. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Do you miss your bachelor pad?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “It was never a bachelor pad. And I love having you around. You fuel my artistic abilities, inspire me to paint more.”

  Sydney pulled her knees to her chest, not touching Coen. He had his hand on her thigh but she didn’t reciprocate the affection. “Are you combining your galleries?”

  Thatcher nodded. “That’s the plan. There’s no point in separating them.”

  “That’s so cute,” Sydney said.

  “You’re cute,” Coen said.

  She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

  “So…is there going to be a wedding anytime soon?” Sydney asked.

  Nancy felt her cheeks redden.

  Thatcher held her hand. “There will be whenever she’s ready.”

  Nancy shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s too soon. I’m ready but I don’t want anyone to judge us.”

  “Who cares?” Sydney said. “Coen and I only knew each other for a few months before we got engaged. When you know, you know. And we are really happy together—for the most part.” She turned and glared at him before she turned back to Nancy.

  Nancy nodded. “I guess that’s true.”

  “Do it at your own pace,” Ren said. “Who cares what other people think. It’s so obvious that you two are meant to be together. Everyone knows it.”

  Thatcher smiled then leaned close to Nancy. “I told you.”

  Derek looked at Henry and noticed the smile on his face. Everyone knew he was proposing to Ren soon but no one made that fact obvious. Sydney looked at the ground and Coen stared at Sydney’s face.

  “Baby, I’m sorry,” Coen said to her. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

  “You aren’t sorry,” she snapped. “You just want to get laid.”

  “Who are you kidding?” he snapped. “If I withheld sex from you, you would crawl on top of me and fuck me anyway. You can’t use sex as a weapon. You want me all the time and you know it. Two can play this game…”

  “Is that a threat?” Sydney said.

  “Ooh,” Derek said. “This just got interesting.”

  “Hell yeah it is,” Coen said. “I said I was sorry and I meant it. But if you’re going to keep acting like this, then I’ll teach you a lesson.”

  “Who wants to get a pool going?” Derek asked. “I’m in. Twenty bucks Coen cracks first.”

  “I’ll take that bet,” Ren said. “Fifty bucks says Sydney caves.”

  Derek nodded. “Fifty it is.”

  “I want in on this,” Nancy said. “Fifty on Sydney.”

  Sydney glared at Nancy. “Nancy!”

  Nancy shrugged. “You told me about your entire relationship. I really don’t think you’re going to last. I’m sorry. I know I couldn’t last with Thatcher.”

  Coen smiled triumphantly.

  Sydney glared at her best friend then her husband.

  Henry shook his head. “My money is on Coen.”

  “To make it even, my money is on Coen too,” Thatcher said.

  Derek rubbed his hands. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “Well, some of you are about to get richer,” Coen said with a smile.

  Sydney shook her head. “I’ll make you break down so quick.”

  He shook his head. “My hand will hold me over until you beg me to make love to you.”

  “All I have to do is wear slutty lingerie.”

  “And all I have to do is close my eyes,” he said. “And you’re about to start your period. You know what happens then…”

  Nancy raised an eyebrow. “What happens?”

  Coen smiled. “My wife gets really, really horny.”

  Sydney’s cheeks turned red. “Do we need to tell everyone that?”

  “All I have to do is kiss you and your legs will be shaking for me,” Coen said. “I’m going to love watching you lose.”

  “You’re going to be eating your own words,” Sydney said.

  “Can we bet on ourselves?” Coen asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Derek said.

  “Good. I have fifty dollars that Sydney breaks first,” Coen said.

  “I’ll take that bet,” Sydney said.

  “Baby, I don’t want to take your money,” Coen said.

  “You won’t.”

  Henry turned to Ren. “I never want to have a competition like this.”

  “Why?” Ren asked.

  “I would lose.”

  Her eyes softened when she looked at him.

  Nancy moved closer to Thatcher and kissed him gently. “I know I would lose too.”

  He smiled but said nothing.

  “Let’s go home,” Nancy said. “Now I’m horny.”

  Thatcher and Nancy left and returned to their car.

  Henry nudged Ren’s shoulder. “I think we should go home and feed Perry.”

  “Me too,” she said with a smile. They left and disappeared from the beach, Bryce following behind.

  “Well, I guess we should go home,” Sydney said.

  “Why?” Coen asked. “You have to study?”

  “Stop being annoying,” she said.

  “Or do you have to make something vegetarian?”

  She rolled her eyes then walked away. Coen stared at her before he followed her.

  Cheyenne looked at Derek. “I like your friends.”

  “They are a little odd.”

  “They are very open about their personal life.”

  He shrugged. “We’re very close. There aren’t many secrets between us.”

  “That’s cute. I wish I had friends like that.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be annoying, then.”

  “I can be pleasant company,” she said.

  “I have yet to see it.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You know you love me, Derek. Try to deny it but it’s useless. I would die for you and you would die for me.”

  He stared at the ocean and listened to the crashing waves. The sun had almost set and they were almost blanketed in darkness. Seeing all his friends paired off made him slightly sad. He wished he had someone that he loved more than anything. He wanted to feel the closeness, to have that connection. But he was lucky he had his sister. No matter how bad things got, he’d always have her as his best friend. “I like you—most of the time.”

  She nudged his shoulder. “That’s what I thought.”

  “And I love you.”

  She smiled at him but said nothing.

  3

  When Derek arrived at Thatcher’s the next morning, Thatcher looked exhausted.

  “Up late?” Derek asked.

  Thatcher looked straight ahead and sipped his coffee. “A little.”

  Derek glanced at him. “You can talk about Nancy. It’s okay, really.”

  Thatcher finally looked at him. “I don’t want to cross any lines.”

  “I’m happy for both of you, truly. I wouldn’t surf with you every morning if I wanted to gauge your eyes out.”

  He smiled. “You have a point.”

  Derek turned down the road and drove to the beach. Since the sun had barely crested the horizon, there were no cars on the road. Anyone out and about was either heading to the beach or getting to work.

  “She can be…insatiable,” Thatcher said.

  “That’s not a bad thing, right?”

  “It is for my sleep,” he said with a light laugh.

  “You like living with her?” Derek asked.

  “I love it. I wanted to ask her the moment we got together.”

  “When are you going to ask her?”

  Thatcher knew what he meant. “I don’t know. Nan
cy told me Henry is proposing soon. I don’t want to step on his toes.”

  “Oh,” Derek said. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “And I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise by proposing first. That might make Ren think about it, you know?”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  “But I have a ring.”

  Derek looked at him. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “I had it specially designed. It something she’d appreciate.”

  “It could be a string of yarn and she’d love it.”

  Thatcher laughed. “Probably.”

  When they arrived at the beach, Derek parked his car and they pulled the boards out of the tailgate.

  Thatcher looked at Derek as he walked beside him. “Thanks for being so cool about everything. I know you act like it doesn’t bother you, but I’m sure it hurt in the beginning.”

  “I meant what I said. I want Nancy to be happy. And let’s be real. You two make more sense than she and I ever did.”

  He nodded. “But it still could have gone the other way. I’m glad both you and Nancy are so mature about the situation.”

  “I’m just grateful she still wants to be my friend after what I did.”

  “She loves you.”

  Derek stared at the sand below his feet.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” He walked in the water and felt the waves push against him.

  “Why did you lie to her?”

  Derek sighed. “Because I’m a coward. I’d already hurt her so much. I couldn’t do it again. And the fact it was just a misunderstanding made it worse.”

  Thatcher nodded. “I was just wondering.”

  “I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

  Thatcher patted him on the shoulder. “How can I hate family?”

  Derek was honored that he was still an intricate piece to his circle of friends. He feared he would be ostracized after what he did to Nancy. He feared Henry the most, not that he was frightening, but because Henry was very protective of the women in his life. The disappointment in Henry’s eyes hurt him the most. Derek wished he could be a better man like him.

  They paddled out to the waves and sat on their boards.

  “So, you really think Coen is going to win?” Thatcher asked.

  Derek laughed. “He better. He represents men everywhere.”

  “I have to say, I’ve never gambled on someone else’s sex life.”

  “We are an odd group of people,” Derek said.

  “I’ve noticed,” Thatcher said. “I was very…uncomfortable when Nancy told Sydney everything we did in the bedroom.”

  “Yeah. When something happens to one of us, everyone knows. There’s no point in trying to keep secrets.”

  Thatcher shrugged. “Apparently.”

  “And if you were wondering, Nancy never says anything bad about you, except for Grace. She didn’t like her very much.”

  Thatcher turned away and looked across the water.

  Derek paddled into the wave and jumped on his board, riding the surf. He cut across the water and felt his mind separate itself from his body. Sometimes he just had a good wave that did most of the work, but sometimes he picked a bad one and there was no saving the fall. When Derek turned too sharp, he fell onto his board but smacked his wrist against the edge. He cursed under the water then swam up.

  “You okay?” Thatcher said as he paddled to him.

  “I’m fine,” Derek said as he climbed on his board. He shook his wrist, fighting the sting. “I just hit my hand.”

  “Do you need medical attention?”

  “No,” he said. “I’m not going to risk it though. I’m going to sit on the beach.”

  “We can leave. It’s not a problem,” Thatcher said.

  “No,” Derek said quickly. “It’s fine, really.”

  “Okay.” Thatcher paddled away and returned to the water.

  Derek grabbed his board then marched up the sand, pulling down the zipper of his wetsuit and revealing his soaked chest. He sat on the sand and rested his elbows on his knees. He turned his wrist, trying to work through the pain. It wasn’t unbearable. Derek knew he would feel better tomorrow. There was no point in causing further damage to it today. Since he relied on his body, he couldn’t risk injuring himself further.

  Thinking of Nancy, he watched Thatcher ride the waves. Their buddy system was good because a lifeguard wasn’t always around. He was glad he could do this for Nancy so she wouldn’t have to come to the beach every morning. And he was glad he could get to know Thatcher better. He knew they would get married eventually. It used to bother him that Nancy moved on so quickly, but now he was nothing but happy for her. Nancy had suffered too much. She deserved to be with a guy that got it right the first time. Derek loved her and only wanted the best for her.

  A woman walked by him, holding her board as she approached the water. Derek turned and looked, distracted by the sight. She dropped her backpack and her towel then ran her fingers through her dirty blonde hair. She was wearing a bikini, and the sight stole all focus away from Thatcher.

  It was pink, contrasting against her dark skin. There were strings on either side of her hips, and two sets of strings for her torso. Derek was immediately mesmerized by the sight. On her wrist, she had a bracelet made of braided thread. There were seashells attached to the material. The board she left in the sand was white and pink, matching the swimsuit she wore.

  As the sun rose over the horizon, it shined on her skin, making it look shiny and glossy. He could only see her back and her side profile, but that was all he needed to see. Her legs were thick and toned, powerful from the constant running and swimming. Her toe nails were painted yellow, contrasting against the dark color of the sand. She wore a golden ankle bracelet. It was so thin and light, it was barely noticeable.

  When his eyes moved up her toned thighs, he stared at her ass. It was perky and lifted, making her legs appear thin and her waist even slimmer. The swimsuit covered her cheeks, but he imagined it rising as she ran. When he felt the heat flush his cheeks, his eyes moved up until he saw the curves of her waist. She was thin, but she had prominent abdominal muscles, washboard abs. She was thick and hard, hardly having any fat. She was almost as fit as he was. He wanted to see her from the front but she didn’t turn around.

  His eyes examined her back, seeing the prominent lines of her shoulders and the center of her back. Her arms were thin but defined with muscles. Even her triceps were noticeable. From the outline of her beasts in her swimsuit, Derek could tell she had a busty chest. It made her waist look smaller, tighter. Derek wanted her to turn around so he could see her face. He’d never seen a woman so perfect. She was a supermodel on Sports Illustrated, but toned and strong. There was no way she was absolutely perfect. Perhaps her face was hideous, deformed and non-proportional. He waited and waited but she never turned.

  “Come on,” he whispered.

  Her head turned at his words.

  Derek felt his mouth drop. Her face was even better. Her complexion was perfect, not dry and flaky from the sea salt. Her eyebrows were thin and curved and she had a small nose. Her green eyes were bright despite the dim lighting. Her lips were thin and curved, slightly upturned. Every feature fit together like a piece of art, every part playing its roll. Derek stared at her, unable to turn away.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “Uh…” Derek felt his mind go blank.

  She stared at him, waiting for a response.

  The sound of her voice, deep and powerful made him turn to jelly. The confidence in her eyes made him nervous. “What kind of board is that?” he blurted.

  “Rip Curl.”

  “Oh…cool.” Derek knew how stupid he sounded. He wanted to punch himself in the face.

  “What’s yours?” she asked.

  “The same.”

  “I like it.”

  “Thanks…me too.”

  “Well, I’m going to hit the waves.”

  “I
hurt my wrist,” he blurted. He didn’t know why said that. He just didn’t want her to think he sucked at surfing. In fact, if he wasn’t injured, he’d be showing off as much as possible.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

  He stared at her body, trying not to gawk at her breasts. She wore a golden necklace that contained a small pendant. It reflected the light. His eyes moved to her belly button, which was pierced. He’d always been a sucker for girls with navel piercings. Her body was so perfect he couldn’t look away. The definition of her stomach and the tightness of her waist immediately made him feel hot. He didn’t realize how attracted he was to strong women. Normally, he went for skinny girls with no muscle tone. This girl was different.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Did you hear me?”

  He couldn’t remember what she said. “Huh?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Oh. No. I’m fine.”

  “So, you’re okay?”

  “No. I mean, yes.”

  She nodded her head slowly. “Okay, then.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Well, have a good day.”

  “I’m Derek.”

  “Hello, Derek.” She grabbed her board and walked to the water.

  When she wasn’t looking, he smacked himself in the head. He sounded like such an idiot. Derek knew how to pick up on women. It was easy and natural for him. But with this girl, this supermodel, perfect woman, he was totally lost.

  She paddled into the water then rode her first wave.

  Derek’s mouth dropped. “Holy shit.”

  “What?”

  Derek looked up to see Thatcher approach him. “That girl…”

  He looked over his shoulder and spotted her. “Yeah?”

  “She’s fucking awesome. She’s better than me.”

  Thatcher grabbed his towel and started changing. “How’s your wrist?”

  Derek ignored him. “Look at her go!”

  “You’ve never seen her before?”

  “You have?” Derek said when he looked at him. “I’ve never seen her. And if I did, I would have remembered her.”

  “She’s usually here in the morning.”

  “Do you know her name?”