While It Lasts (Sea Breeze 3)

Chapter Five

Cage

Tonight had been a bust. I didn’t f**k drunken innocents who I couldn’t walk away from the next morning. As good as Becca Lynn had felt all nice and wet, I hadn’t been able to go through with it. Her vomiting had helped make this decision much easier because at one point I’d been real close to forgetting how annoying it could be to have a pesky female who wouldn’t go away.

I stepped out of my jeans and pulled back the covers so I could crawl in my bed. The sheets weren’t bad. I had expected cheap sheets since this was a barn but they were nice. Soft. I closed my eyes and let myself imagine Eva putting the sheets on the bed for me. Her hands would be soft or maybe she’d have calluses. She did all the housework and she cooked. Wait. I hadn’t seen a mom yet. Eva had been the only woman I’d seen in that house. Had her mom died? Or just skipped out on her? Her dad loved her. That was obvious.

My phone rang and I reached for it. Low’s number once again lit up the screen.

“Hey, my favorite girl,” I said by way of a greeting.

“Hey, how are things?” Low replied. I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hot and the cows are scarier than I imagined but my tiny bed has some really nice sheets.”

“What about the girl?”

Leave it to Low not to beat around the bush. “I’m pretty sure she hates me now more than she did when she first met me.”

“Why? What have you done to her?”

“I haven’t done a damn thing to her. I did threaten her fiancé and rough him up a bit. Nothing serious. But the douche was talking about another girl’s tits in front of Eva. It was disrespectful.”

Low was silent a minute. I knew she was processing this and trying to figure out how to fix my problem.

“So, she’s engaged?” was her response.

“Yeah, she is and the guy isn’t a good match for her. I like him but they just don’t fit, you know?”

“Hmmm… I guess. But they’re engaged, Cage. That makes her off limits. “

I could hear the concern in her voice. “I wasn’t going to go there anyway, Low. She’s off limits for many reasons. For starters, her dad would fire me on the spot and I’d lose my scholarship.”

“Okay. Well, I miss you. I’m going to be there bright and early Sunday morning to get you. Marcus is going to give us time alone for the first part of the day. Then I’ll drop you at your apartment and let you catch up with everyone. Marcus will have to drive you back that evening though because we’re keeping Larissa this weekend and I’ll have been away from her most of that day. Besides, as much as Marcus loves Larissa, he’ll need a break from her.”

“Thanks, Low. I look forward to seeing you. Only four more days to go before my reprieve from hell.”

She laughed and we said our goodbyes.

~*~

Two days later. No sign of Becca Lynn and very few glimpses of Eva. The heat was getting worse and Jeremy wasn’t around to help anymore. He was back at his farm working and I was left to figure the rest out on my own.

A cold thermos of water magically stayed full and an icy cold towel appeared a couple times a day. They always showed up on the tailgate of the farm truck I used during the day. My back was always turned or I’d gone off to piss. Was she watching me from inside? How did she know when my back was turned? Damned if the idea of her watching me from inside didn’t make me smile.

I pulled my sweat-soaked shirt over my head and threw it in the back of the truck. Squirting some of the cold water over my chest and down my back, I tried to keep the smirk off my face. If she was watching I was giving her a helluva show. I grabbed the ice towel and headed for the shade. I had to go fix the fence in a few places that Wilson had pointed out but I needed to cool down a bit first.

Leaning against the tree, I took another swig of water and wrapped the ice towel around my neck. The breeze was nicer when the scorching sun wasn’t bearing down on you.

“What did you do to Becca Lynn?”

Snapping my head up from its resting place against the tree, I took in the first real sight of Eva I’d had since the night at the lake. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a short white cotton sundress and a pair of flip-flops. She was also trying really hard to look stern. She wasn’t upset with me. She was just being nosy. I liked that.

“Good morning to you too Eva,” I replied, unable to keep from smiling.

She tilted her head to one side and continued to force that frown. I’d seen the real thing. This was not the real “angry Eva” face. “Becca Lynn hasn’t come around in two days. That isn’t normal. Especially since she was so hot after you. So, what did you do to her?”

“I believe it’s what I didn’t do to her.” I took a slow swig of my water but I didn’t take my eyes off her as she let my words sink in.

Shifting her feet she put her hands on her hips. “What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. I didn’t do her. I’m guessing that’s the problem.”

Eva’s fake scowl disappeared and she was frowning. “But I saw you both naked at the…” she trailed off and her eyes grew wider. Two pink splotches covered her cheeks. Eva Brooks had come back to the lake the other night. She’d seen me naked. Yeah, I was going to have to spend a lot of f**king time in the shower now. The image of her sneaking around to see me naked was just hot.

“Did Eva Brooks come back to the lake and get an eyeful?” I teased.

I was sure she’d spin around and run off but she didn’t.