Life After Love: Part 4

MARLEY

The warm clear blue waters of Sylvan Beach felt amazing as my body swam through it to get to the surface. I took a deep breath as I rose above the water and flipped my short curls out of my face. My toes and feet sunk into the sand as I made my way back towards my beach chair for my towel. I was halfway dry when I noticed a shadow next to my own.

"I'm sorry, did you drop this miss?" turning around, I realized the question was for me and it came from a very cute guy. A younger guy at that. He looked barely legal enough to drink, with his babyface, shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. Not to mention he had the slender but firm body of a lifeguard. He also had the red swimming shorts and whistle to prove it.

"I saw this buried in the sand and thought it might belong to you," he mentioned, bringing a small pearl out of his pocket. His wolfish smile let me know he knew damn well that pearl didn't belong to me and he only used that pearl as a ploy to flirt. I was about to turn him down when I saw Michael's new blonde chew toy holding his hips as he sped them down the beach on a four-wheeler. I wasn't this immature. I wasn't. But damn it, he was doing this just to piss me off. I couldn't let him win.

"How old are you?" I asked him, holding back my smile until I saw some real identification.

"21. As of last week," the lifeguard answered as he pulled out his ID card from his pocket and I giggled. This was perfect. Michael was going to fall off that bike of his when he spotted me and this little pearl I found.

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Tristan, the bodyguard had decided to accept my invitation to dinner with the rest of us after he got off duty. There was a seafood restaurant not too far from the beach and we all met up there once we were done washing off all the sand off our clothes and bodies, and changed into something more appropriate for dinner.

"Where'd you find the jailbait?" Serena teased, whispering so Tristan, who was standing behind me, holding my hips close to him, wouldn't hear, as we stood in line waiting for the hostess to sit us. The restaurant wasn't as crowded tonight but there was still enough chatter going around to make it seem that way.

"His name is Tristan, and he's 21, if you must know," I corrected and she rolled her eyes as Daniel pulled her back to his side and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and continued to hide her smile, as if nobody could tell they were talking dirty to each other.

It was sickening, and I was in awe they were getting along so well. It was definitely something to get used to.

"Oh, shoot. I forgot my wallet in my jeep. Save me a seat?" Tristan announced, placing a kiss on my cheek as I nodded, before bouncing out of the restaurant.

"Make sure you get him a pacifier. He might start crying soon," Michael chimed in, a smug grin spreading across his stupid face. I wanted to punch him. I wanted him to eat his words. I wanted him to stop being to attractive so I could focus properly.

"Where's your beach bunny?" I countered and his smile faltered as he looked behind him and realized she had disappeared. I grinned with satisfaction as Tristan returned, wrapping his arms around me as we moved up the line and the hostess took us to the outdoor dining area.

The sun was just about to finish setting and I wished I had bought my camera along so I could capture the beauty it held sinking into the rocky waves of the ocean.

Tristan pulled out a chair for me, and I thanked him with a wink as he pulled out the chair next to me for himself. Michael sat alone, of course, Jesse on the opposite side of me while Serena and Danny sat next to each other, bickering over what dessert to order without even looking at the menu first.

I relaxed into my chair and skimmed through the menu, Tristan's arm wrapping behind me as he leaned in to point towards a seafood dish he favored. Michael cleared his throat as he excused himself and made his way towards the bar.

"Marley, your phone is ringing," Serena brought me out of my haze and I reached into my purse, reaching for my phone. It was Freddy calling, and I smiled, excusing myself from the rest of the group. I rested my back against Tristan's Jeep and held the phone against my ear.

"Hey, big guy."

"What are you wearing?" he asked in a husky tone and I looked around to see if anyone was about to witness a very inappropriate conversation.

"A see-through top with a skirt that barely covers my ass and heels." I teased and smiled when I heard him laughing on the other end.

"Eres mala, sabes? But I called to tell you some bad news. The beach house in Sylvan has been auctioned off to a private collector. I tried to track him or her down, but it looks like whoever it is wants to stay anonymous. Sorry, chaparra," Freddy's news really did bring my mood down but I knew it had been a long shot.

When we decided to go into business together and buy the beach house to turn it into a bed and breakfast, we knew getting the property was going to be a long process. Now it wasn't even an option at all.

"Thanks for calling. Give Giselle a hug for me," we said our goodbyes and I ended the call, placing my phone back into my purse. I walked back into the restaurant and headed towards the restroom to freshen up a bit, and managed to run into Michael on his way out. His eyes lowered as he skimmed my body from head to toe, lingering on my lips as I licked them out of spite.

"Why'd you cut your hair?" he asked randomly, and after I briefly recovered from it, I lifted my chin up and straightened.

"Needed a change." I replied, as he stepped closer to give more people room to pass behind him. My back was now on the wooden planks of the restaurant walls and my hands began to fidget as his scent began to engulf me. He smelled like the ocean and bathroom soap and it made me wonder when exactly those scents began to be an aphrodisiac to me.

"Such a shame. Not much to tug on anymore," Michael commented seductively as his lips curved into a smirk while I pushed at his chest and entered the ladies room. That man was beyond infuriating.

This was exactly why I needed to stay on my celibacy path. Sex only blinded you to people's true nature, and Michael had never been more clear about his.

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Once I had enough of trying to ignore the suggestive ways Michael ate his food during dinner, I was finally ready for some dessert. We all agreed on some hot chocolate lava cake, with vanilla ice cream on the side, topped with caramel drizzle.

Tristan offered to feed me some, and I humbly agreed as he stuck a spoon into the ice cream we were sharing, and placed it into my mouth. His thumb traced my lower lip with some leftover caramel sauce and he leaned in to kiss it off. The second Tristan's lips touched mine, Michael stormed off.

"Whoa, what's his problem?" Jesse asked as she stuffed her face with some cake and Danny and I shared a look. He rolled his eyes at me, shaking his head as he turned back to his nagging wife, who was complaining there wasn't enough ice cream for them to share.

When it was finally time to pay the bill, we all offered to pay first, but it turned out Tristan had already taken care of it when he had excused himself to use the restroom earlier. I felt awful about it, considering it was an expensive meal between the six of us.

Tristan insisted it was well worth it, since he got to get to know me a little better. I felt worse after that. I never planned to see him again after today and I made sure it was clear to him before we parted ways.

He didn't seem too bothered by it. He simply thanked me asking him to dinner, and planted a kiss on my hand before he left me with the rest of the group in the parking lot.

"Can we go eat some real food now? These babies aren't done yet," Serena resumed her complaining and Danny rubbed his temples as we all headed towards the dock to find a snack shack we could take her to.

We found one ten minutes later, and her eyes glossed over when she saw all the sweets on their menu. Jesse and I opted for some popsicles and headed back towards the docks to give the nasty married folks some private time.

"How long have you and Michael known each other?" Jesse asked and I raised an eyebrow at her random question as I sucked the flavor out of my cherry popsicle.

"Since high school. He's a pain, so don't take anything he does personally," I expressed, thoroughly enjoying my dessert while she did the same and held back a laugh.

"I don't think I'm the one taking it personally," Jesse commented, gesturing towards a peeved Michael as he sat on the dock railing merely a few feet away, looking straight at me and the popsicle in my mouth.

I looked back towards her, and she walked away as soon as Michael strolled towards me, his hands in his pockets, his biceps flexing as he tried to hide his fists inside his pants. I sucked on my popsicle harder, moaning as I finished it off, not caring about the silent knives his eyes were throwing at me.

"You having fun?" Michael interrupted stiffly and I grinned, nodding as I licked my lips and threw the popsicle stick into a nearby trash can.

"Have you had enough yet?" I fired back and he cornered me up against the railing, bracing either hand on top of it as his eyes pierced my own. He was hard enough for me to feel it, and I was turned on enough to reach in there and show him who he was dealing with.

"I can take whatever you throw at me, dollface. I've done it before," he argued arrogantly and I growled at him when he smirked.

"Just remember, you started this. Not me," I pointed out as I slipped away from him, my desire to win gaining more traction by the second, while my desire to fuck him until we both passed out stayed dormant in my aching body.