Believing Lies Read online

  “Thank you so much!” she squealed in delight. “Just let me know if it gets to be too much, and I’ll make up an excuse for us to leave. We can use a code word.” She appeared to be deep in thought for a couple of seconds. “Got it.” Her voice lowered when she said, “The code word is: Banana Hammock.”

  I giggled. “I’m not even going to ask why or how you came up with Banana Hammock as the code word.” I shook my head at her. “Come on, lover girl. Let’s go get your man.” We both began to use our hands to slowly paddle our way in.

  The closer I got to shore, the more the butterflies in my stomach fluttered. The sun was shining brightly behind the boys, making it hard to see clearly, but I noticed Adam’s tattoos looked incredible against the golden backdrop. I could finally see the full design on his muscled torso, and it was sexier than I had imagined. It was an intricate pattern of solid black lines and curves. Most would refer to it as a tribal tattoo, but for me, it was like an abstract piece of art painted on his skin.

  Once I was in shallow enough water, I tipped to the side to get out of the tube with the intention of walking the rest of the way. What I hadn’t factored into my genius plan was the vacuum my wet butt had created in the tube. Instead of gracefully dismounting, the tube stayed attached to me. I flipped completely over, my head and legs under the water while my ass was sticking up through the middle of the black donut. I swallowed a mouthful of murky water before the inner tube finally popped free from my butt, and I came sputtering back to the surface.

  Mortification would be an understatement to how I felt when I saw Adam and Conner clutching their stomachs, dying of laughter. To add insult to injury, my traitorous cousin was right next to me with her head back, laughing to the point of tears. I had two seconds to decide my next move. I went for the most “mature” route and used both of my arms to scoop under Sophie’s tube and flip her over. I burst out in laughter when the same exact thing I’d just experienced also happened to her. I no longer cared that they’d been laughing at me because once I saw Sophie’s butt upside down in the tube, there was no denying that it was absolutely hysterical. She came to the surface quickly, and I was punished with a huge splash directed at my face and a few choice words from her mouth. We both looked like drowned rats as we walked out of the water.

  “Smooth moves out there, ladies,” Conner commented as he took Sophie’s tube from her and set it on the sand by his feet. He turned to me and added, “Thanks for giving me a direct look at her beautiful behind.”

  I chuckled as I put down my tube and wrung the water out of my hair. “No problem. I live to serve.”

  I’d almost forgotten about my own blunder, but Adam quickly reminded me. “If you wanted to show me your butt, Princess, you could have found a sexier way to do it.” He took off his sunglasses and pierced me with his gaze. Oh wow. I had forgotten how brown his eyes were. “Hmmm . . . Why don’t you turn around and try again without the inner tube,” he suggested and then winked at me.

  I flushed crimson from head to toe, and considering the little bit I was wearing, there was no hiding it. Stupid fair skin.

  “What’s up with the winking?” I tilted my head to the side and gave him my most seemingly baffled look. “I can’t tell if you’re just cocky, if there’s something in your eye, or if you have some kind of chronic eye twitch that causes your lid to spasm. If it’s the latter, you might want to consider seeing a doctor about it.”

  “I like a challenge, so keep it up.”

  He put his aviators on, and although I could no longer see his eyes, I could feel them assessing me from behind the lenses. Dammit. He knew he affected me, and I could tell by the smug pull on the right side of his mouth that he relished the fact.

  I was going to nip this in the bud right now. “Although your colorful commentary is oh so fun, the question remains—why are you even here?”

  “I didn’t know the beach was invitation only.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I just wanted to spend some time in the water.”

  I was so done with this little back and forth game he had started. “Great. Have fun swimming. I’m going to suntan, so don’t let me hold you up.”

  I started to turn toward our towels when I saw the look of disappointment painted on Sophie’s face. I’d forgotten about her and Conner while I was sparring with Adam. In the moment, I hadn’t considered that Tough Love Sophie would never leave me alone today, and I’d accidentally put a kibosh on her spending time with Conner. I suck.

  I needed to fix this for her sake, so I said to all three of them, “Never mind. Suntans are overrated. We can all swim together.”

  Adam side stepped me. “I was merely stating that I wanted to spend some time in the water today, but there you go assuming I want to spend time with you. Has anyone ever told you that you assume too much?” Black, razor-sharp daggers were shooting out of my eyes into his. “I suppose it really would be rude to not invite you to join us now, so would you like to spend some time with me today, Princess?”

  Huh? Did he just pull what I think he did? Now it looked as if he was letting me hang with him instead of the other way around. Oh, he’s good. I’ll give him that. This match may have gone to him, but the game was just getting started.

  “Yes, please. Thank you for including me,” I politely replied, then added with smug satisfaction, “I’m not sharing my tube, though.”

  He was grinning. “I don’t want your little tube, Princess. We brought something better.” He took me by the shoulders and gently turned me around. “See?” Conner was leading Sophie by the hand toward the boat landing. There was a shiny, white Chevy pickup with a trailer behind it that was holding two Jet Skis. You have got to be kidding me.

  I reassessed the situation: This morning I’d been a depressed hermit refusing to leave my bed. Minutes ago, I’d been a fairly happy girl on a three dollar inner tube, floating with my favorite person. Now I was going to be on the back of a water deathtrap, with my legs wrapped around a gorgeous man-god. Things could really change in the course of a day. I decided to continue to push aside all of my stress and sadness for the next few hours and Carpe Diem.

  I gestured toward the truck. “Lead the way, O, Captain, my Captain.”

  He was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. “I didn’t take you for a Walt Whitman fan.”

  “I’m not really, but Dead Poets Society is one of my favorite movies . . . I didn’t take you for someone who’d recognize the quote,” I rebuffed.

  He silently chuckled and shook his head at me. “As I told you the first time I met you, I think you’re an interesting girl.” He tapped my nose with his index finger, and I swatted his hand away. “And you just became even more interesting, Princess.”

  “Stop calling me Princess,” I demanded. I turned my back to him, ready to catch up with Sophie.

  Instantly, I felt his body come dangerously close to the back of mine. He was leaning into me, but not quite touching, and the nearness was paralyzing. I shivered when I felt his hot breath against my ear before he whispered, “No.”

  Heat flooded my body, and before I could fully comprehend why, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward Conner and Sophie.

  Chapter Seven

  “Just hold on tight, and if I’m going too fast, squeeze me . . . Preferably with your thighs.” Holy shit. Did he really just say that to me? I didn’t know if I was offended or turned on; probably a little of both.

  “Don’t be an ass!” I slapped the back of Adam’s life jacket. “Just drive alreaadddyyy . . .” My voice trailed off as the Jet Ski shot forward. Instinctively, I held on to him for dear life. I could feel him shaking with laughter. Conner sped up next to us with Sophie sitting behind him, and the look of exhilaration she wore relaxed me. I loosened my death grip on Adam’s waist and took in the feeling of complete freedom as the water crashed around us.

  Adam and Conner weaved around each other, causing water swells for the other to smash into. Each small wave we hit caused us to mom
entarily go airborne. The first time it happened, I was petrified. By the second time, I knew what to expect, and it sent a rush of excitement through my system. Adam was an excellent driver, and I felt completely safe behind him. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and it was the first time I felt truly alive in almost a week.

  Eventually, we slowed our pace and came to a standstill in the middle of the lake. Sophie and Conner pulled up next to us.

  “That was amazing!” Sophie screamed.

  “Glad you had fun, Babe,” Conner said, then turned around and gave her a sweet, small peck on the lips.

  “How about you, Princess? Was it amazing for you too?” Adam asked as he partially turned his head back toward me.

  I was on such an incredible high that I unintentionally flirted back. “Of course it was, but I’m sure everything you do is amazing.” Sophie’s mouth dropped. Conner looked slightly perplexed. Ah, but Adam, he looked down right triumphant.

  “Glad to hear you think so,” Adam said with a cocky grin.

  “Don’t get a big head.” He quirked his brow at me as soon as the words left my mouth. “Pervert. That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

  He laughed. “Sure it wasn’t.”

  Sophie saved me from myself. “I’m getting really hungry. Should we go in now?”

  “Yeah. Sounds good. I’m hungry too,” I agreed.

  “You haven’t driven yet,” Adam said to me. “No going in until you drive.”

  “I’ve never been on a Jet Ski before today. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not too thrilled about the idea of spending the rest of my night in the hospital.”

  “It’s easy. I’ll hold on to you, and we can go as slow or as fast as you want.” His tone was smooth, and his words were taking on a whole different meaning in my head—One that had nothing to do with Jet Skis.

  There was absolutely no way I was going to drive. “Okay, I’ll drive.” Wait. What?

  Before I could undo my answer, Adam was standing and carefully maneuvering himself behind me. The inevitability of the situation caused me to freeze up. He noticed, and instead of asking me to move forward, he put his hands on my butt and pushed. Sophie must have found this hilarious because she was laughing like a hyena. I didn’t think it was funny—slightly amusing, at best.

  Adam looked to Sophie. “Are you going to drive too?”

  She immediately stopped laughing. “That’s a hard NO.”

  Conner rubbed Sophie’s legs. “You should try, Babe. I’ll teach you.”

  “Not going to happen.” Her voice was firm.

  Sensing it was a lost cause, Conner didn’t try to further persuade her. “Do you want to keep riding or go on back to shore while Sienna gives it a try?”

  “Go back. I’ll pick up our stuff and pack up the Jeep, so we’ll be ready to go when they’re done.” She looked to me. “Don’t take too long. I need food sometime this century.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to be driving this thing a second longer than needed to make it to shore.”

  She gave me a wave as Conner drove them off, leaving me alone with Adam.

  “Okay, let’s teach you the basics.” Adam taught me on how to work the controls and was very patient when I asked him a few questions. The fact that his body was wrapped around mine as he showed me what to do with the handlebars did not go unnoticed. After a couple of minutes, I was as ready as I would ever be, so I slowly moved the Jet Ski forward.

  “This isn’t so bad,” I yelled over the sound of the engine and the water shooting out the back.

  “Go faster then,” he urged me on.

  Feeling brave, I accelerated. The sense of power that came to me was shocking. It was incredible, and I was so glad that he’d talked me into doing this. I drove around the lake fairly fast, but we didn’t go airborne or anything like that.

  Adam tapped my leg twice, signaling me to slow down. “Great job, I knew you could do it. Now, let’s bring it in, so Sophie can get some food. It’s probably been about fifteen minutes, and I don’t want her to claw my eyes out with those red nails of hers.”

  I giggled. “You’re probably right. She gets wicked when she’s hungry.”

  I turned the Jet Ski around and drove to the shore. I hopped off when we got shallow enough, handed Adam my life jacket, and swam the rest of the way. Adam got the Jet Ski onto the trailer, which Conner had waiting at the boat landing for us. Wading out of the water, I was greeted by an irritated Sophie, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping.

  “Can we PLEASE go eat something now?” Oh yeah, she’s irritated.

  “Okay, okay, let’s eat. Where do you want to go? How about—”

  My words stopped forming when I looked over Sophie’s shoulder. She noticed the deer-in-the-headlights look on my face and spun around. Never in a million years would I have expected to see Trenton walking down the beach toward us. There was only one thing I could say at that exact moment in time. “Banana Hammock.”

  Sophie abruptly turned back and saw the trepidation written all over my face. “The Jeep’s all packed.”

  We both started to walk briskly to the parking lot, but Trenton simply adjusted his speed to a jog. “Sienna, wait!” he called out.

  I couldn’t avoid him forever. I was already planning on calling him tomorrow, so why not deal with this today instead? Sure, I hadn’t expected a public meeting, but it looked to be unavoidable at this point, so I stopped walking.

  Sophie back tracked a couple of steps to me. “Are you coming?” she cautiously asked.

  I shook my head. “Go on to the Jeep, please, but don’t leave. I’ll be there shortly,” I replied with a false calmness in my voice.

  “Are you sure?” She looked highly skeptical.

  She reluctantly honored my request and walked toward the Jeep.

  I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Trenton was in front of me. It looked as if he hadn’t shaved in days, and his eyes were dark underneath. Otherwise, he was as handsome as ever, dressed in his usual summer clothing of cargo shorts and a polo shirt. This one was dark blue, matching his eyes. Anguish struck me hard. The love I felt for him warred against the utter disgust I felt as I remembered the last time I saw him. He began to stroke the side of my cheek with a feather-light touch, as if he was afraid I would run. For a split second, the world felt right again.

  “Baby, I’m so sorry. Come home with me.” It wasn’t phrased as a question. He really believed I would just go with him. I recoiled from his touch. How could he think I would ever set foot in that bedroom again?

  “No. I’m not going with you,” I said without much conviction in my voice, my eyes lowered to the sand. I couldn’t look at him. It hurt too much.

  “Sienna, you’ve punished me long enough. I’ve learned my lesson, and I promise it’ll never happen again. You have my word.” I just stood there, speechless, averting his gaze by looking at the sand sticking to my wet feet. “I need you, baby. Please come home with me. We both know that you can’t stay at Sophie’s forever. We belong together, and we can still get married and put this behind us.”

  It was crystal clear to me now. A tiny part of me, which I had kept unacknowledged, even to myself, had thought I would still be marrying Trenton and that this would all go away as if it was a bad dream. Part of me was elated at the thought of him feeling the same. The rest of me knew with absolute certainty that my future would never be as his girlfriend, fiancée, or wife.

  Through my tear clouded eyes, I looked straight into his. “It’s over, Trenton. I’d like to come get my things tomorrow. I don’t want to make this harder than it needs to be on either of us, so will you please stay out of the apartment while I’m there? I can leave the key on the counter.”

  “You don’t mean that. I love you, Sienna.” A hint of panic tinged his voice. “We can figure this out together.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out. I’m sorry.” I stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Trenton.”

  He pull
ed me to him and smashed his lips to mine. Stunned, I didn’t pull away. I closed my eyes and, for a tiny moment, allowed myself to pretend all of the pain and heartache was erased. But the moment quickly passed, and I pushed myself away from him. Seeing the hurt on his face, as I backed a step further away, tore at my heart. A few tears escaped, which I didn’t try to wipe away or hide.

  “I can’t forgive you,” I said through a cracked voice and then turned from him, and began to walk toward a worried looking Sophie, who was sitting in her Jeep.

  “Don’t you want to know how I knew you were at the beach?” That caught my attention, and I halted midstride. I was so surprised to see him I that hadn’t considered how he knew where I was.

  I turned around, and instead of a heartbroken, remorseful man, I saw a bitter and angry version standing there in his place. “I’m sure you’re dying to tell me, or you wouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Paul called me. He and some friends are out on a pontoon boat, and imagine their surprise when they saw my fiancée driving around on a Jet Ski with another guy. I explained to Paul it was a misunderstanding and that I was on my way to meet you.”

  “I’m not your fiancée anymore. You should tell Paul the truth, so no further misunderstandings happen.”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “I’ve been a fucking wreck for the past five days, waiting for you to contact me, giving you the time I thought you needed. What a joke! While I’ve been crushed, not eating and not sleeping, you’ve been out and about having fun at the beach.” He exhaled, and I could see him struggling to calm himself. “It’s very obvious now that you never loved me.”

  My sadness was trampled over by the pure anger that raged through me. “How dare you?” I hissed. “Are you serious right now? Do you honestly think that I haven’t been in my own world of pain? I LOVED YOU! I WAS GOING TO MARRY YOU!” I screamed. I needed to calm down because most of the people around us were starting to stare. I shut my eyes and counted to five before speaking again. “I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life, and you threw that away for a cheap lay. Was she worth it, Trenton?”