In Your Honor (34 page)

“
I don't think she likes
me,” Lucy said quietly when they had reached their room.

“
Don't worry about it,”
Shane tried to comfort her. “She doesn't really like
herself.”

“
That's sad,” Lucy pointed
out, her face solemn.

Shane shrugged. Lucy was right, but he
didn't want to waste his week with her trying to psychoanalyze
Harmony. Besides, he was still preoccupied with his own issues he
was trying to overcome. He didn't want to start meddling in someone
else's.

“
Get changed, we have
things to do today,” he changed the subject with a smile and tapped
her nose. She grinned and spun on her toes, grabbed her suit and
went into the bathroom.

***

Pop-ups, Lucy learned very quickly, involved
Shane teaching her the basics of keeping her balance on a
surfboard.

He made her practice for hours, crouching
down on the beach and popping back up. She felt a little like a
dummy but he was very encouraging, giving her kisses as a reward
when she got it right.

That was Lucy's favorite part. Shane's
kisses were slow and languid, she'd never really experienced
anything like it. Time seemed so irrelevant when Shane was kissing
her.

His friends would come by every once in
awhile and try to give their own pointers, undermining Shane's
teaching ability, but Lucy could see that it was only the dynamics
of the friendship. She was getting along really well with the guys.
It didn't surprise her, she usually got along with everyone. She
had the belief that she was a moderately likable person.

Harmony was another matter entirely. That
girl simply did not like her.

Shane had to go back to the house to get a
few things, giving Lucy a break, so she took advantage of being
able to lie in the sun for a while and rest. Her quiet was
immediately disrupted by Harmony's 'effervescence.'

“
I love your bikini! It's so simple,
it really suits you.” She flipped her platinum hair over her
shoulder as she reclined on the towel next to Lucy. “I don't think
I'd be able to wear the same suit everyday, I like variety,” she
continued in her sing-song voice as she rubbed oil on her legs and
body.

Lucy couldn't tell if the girl was being
sincere or if she was lying through her perfectly orthodontured
teeth. Was she trying to be friendly and her social skills were
just lacking, or was she being condescending on purpose?

“
How long have you been dating Shane?”
Harmony's smile was weird. It was narrow and came to a point in the
front, reminding Lucy of the goats she had raised for 4H when she
was a child. And then she immediately felt bad for thinking
that.

“
Um, not long,” Lucy responded
ambiguously. She hated that her guard immediately went up when
Harmony was present. She wasn't usually so reserved or distrusting.
But something about this girl made her wish she was
armed.

“
He's so hot,” Harmony purred next to
her as she stretched out on the towel. “What I would give to get a
piece of that again.”

Barf.
“Aren't you with Steve...?” Lucy felt like she shouldn't have
to point this out.

“
Oh, not anymore,” she
said airily, waving her hand like she was bored. “I'm staying with
Adam now.”

That was fast.
“Just making your way through the group then?”
Lucy clarified dryly.

“
You're so bad!” Harmony
laughed loudly and lightly smacked Lucy's leg.

Lucy's eyes widened. Did she really think
she was joking with her? A comment like that back home would have
started a full-on bitch brawl. Lucy was beginning to think she
wasn't cut out for the California social scene.

“
I was only saying that I
know what it's like to be with Shane,” Harmony curled a lip.
“You're a lucky girl.”

“
Thanks.”

Did it make her uncomfortable that Harmony
had slept with Shane sometime in the past? Only because Harmony
seemed to think she was going to do it again. Shane had already
said he had a past he wasn't proud of. Lucy looked over at
Harmony... yeah, she wouldn't be proud of that, either.

“
Are you really letting
him take you out in the water?” Harmony continued her treasure
hunt. Lucy still didn't know what she was looking for.

“
Uh-huh.” Lucy folded her
arms over her forehead, blocking the sun from her eyes. So much for
relaxing for a minute.

“
Aren't you scared?”
Harmony asked, voice dripping with dramatics.

“
Don't you surf?” Lucy
felt her face scrunch in a frown.

“
No!” Harmony shook her
head. “I only
date
surfers. I'm more of a pretty girl, not really the butch
type.”

“
I would hate to only be
needed and wanted for my looks.” It was a dig that Lucy wasn't
intending, but didn't regret.

“
That won't happen to you,
sweetie.
You
have
to do all those crazy things with the boys to be
noticed.”

Harmony's insult might have gotten to Lucy
when she was fifteen, but not now. Now, she found it almost
comical. It had never been Lucy's main focus in life to be noticed
by all the boys. She just happened to get along with them more
easily. Less drama. And suddenly, in that moment, she really missed
Lenny.

Lucy chuckled. “You're right, I'm hideous.
Remind me to put a bag over my head when we go back to the
house.”

“
What?” Harmony was
confused.

Shane came jogging back to them and Lucy
sighed with relief. She was willing to spend the whole rest of the
day doing pop-ups if it meant getting away from the blonde who was
sucking the energy out of her with each breath of conversation.

“
Hey, beautiful. You wanna
go for a swim?” he asked, standing over her, worry lines creasing
his forehead as he glanced sideways at Harmony.

“
Sure.” She gave Harmony a
slight smirk and stood up. Harmony, for her part, tried to look
offended.

Shane took her hand and led her a little
ways down the beach.

“
Is Harmony being mean?”
he asked when they were out of earshot.

“
I think she's trying to
be, but I kind of don't care.” Lucy smiled up at him, forgetting
his ex entirely as she took in all that was Shane
Brookings.

He was in plain blue swimming trunks. His
massive shoulders and biceps were turning a gorgeous golden color
from their day in the sun. By the end of the week he would resemble
a bronzed god. His shaggy brown hair was starting to lighten from
the sunlight, giving him a slight halo effect. He really was a
magnificent man.

“
What?” he asked, and she
realized she'd been staring at him.

“
I was taking time to
appreciate you,” she said as she slid her hands around his tight
waist and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his chin.

He caught her face in both of his hands and
gazed at her adoringly. “You make me feel important.”

She let her eyes trace
over the planes of his face, the amber intricacies of his eyes, the
nearness of his lips. “You
are
important... especially to me.”

As his mouth connected with hers, she closed
her eyes, letting herself fall for him just a little bit more.

***

On day three, Shane's stomach was queasy as
he paddled out into the ocean with Lucy. He checked the items off
in his head again, making sure he had taught her what she needed to
know. He had. They'd gone over it again and again. He'd been
thorough and she had paid attention.

But Shane knew how unpredictable the water
could be, despite any amount of training the rider had undergone.
Lucy was inexperienced and Shane was questioning whether this had
been a good idea. If something should happen to her, he'd never
forgive himself. It was a strange feeling... to want to protect
someone so deeply.

Despite his consternation, the day went
relatively easily. Lucy followed all of his instructions. She
didn't get very much action, but she was so brave that he was
beyond proud of her. She never gave up and she never let the water
scare her away.

They dragged their boards out of the ocean
and both collapsed on the beach, completely spent.

“
You did good today,
Newton. I'm impressed.” He reached over and held her hand as they
stared up at the brilliant sky.

“
I had a good coach,” she
replied, squeezing his fingers.

He rolled up onto his side and looked down
at her. Her eyes were closed, her hair wet and slicked back, sand
collecting in it the longer she lay there.

He touched her cheek with his hand and she
opened her eyes, her mouth curving into a sweet smile.

“
You were so brave, you
never gave up. Not once,” he said, unable to hide his
adoration.

“
I trust you,” she
answered simply. “I knew you'd save me if it got bad.”

Shane's heart hammered in his chest. His
lips were already drawing towards hers, as if her mouth was where
they had made a home. He began to kiss her slowly, achingly
determined to remember every movement of this. The taste of her
mouth, the feel of her wanting him in return.

How come he had never known that kissing
could be like this?

***

Lucy loved the ocean. She loved surfing even
though she really hadn't experienced it to the degree she witnessed
the other guys doing it. She loved the beach and California and
Serge's pancakes.

Shane had followed through on his promise
for her to have an amazing week.

Her muscles were tired and sore from all the
exertion, but she refused to let it slow her down. Besides, if she
got out of the water, Harmony was always waiting on the beach to
make another remark about her “simple” upbringing and “backwoodsy”
ways.

Lucy dropped onto her towel, face-down. She
only wanted a few minutes' rest, and Harmony was nowhere in sight.
It was weird, a girl whose name literally meant a pleasing
arrangement of tones or chords had the opposite effect on those
around her.

“
You look like you need
some extra sunscreen,” she heard Shane say from above
her.

She smiled into her towel. He was finding
any excuse he could to touch her and she liked it. A lot. She felt
wanted. Desired.

“
Yes, please,” she
answered him, and he sank to his knees in the sand next to her
without hesitation.

As he slowly rubbed the lotion across her
back, she felt the tension lessening. His hands were warm and
powerful, turning her muscles into putty. Each circle he made on
her shoulders caused her to melt further into her towel. When he
stopped briefly and leaned back on his heels, she peeked one eye
open to look at him.

He was sitting very still, looking
peculiarly at her side, and realization swept over her. He saw the
tattoo. Her suit must have moved around with all the activity she'd
been doing. She'd completely forgotten about it until this
moment.

Well, it was bound to happen eventually.

“
You okay?” she asked him,
sitting up slowly. She wasn't sure how he would react and she
didn't want to respond until she knew what she was dealing
with.

“
You have Blake's name
inked on your side,” he said flatly, his face
unreadable.

“
Yeah.” She felt her
shoulders drop. She hadn't been looking forward to this
conversation and suddenly it was here. She couldn't tell what he
was thinking and it worried her.

“
I have Lenny's nickname
on my arm,” he said with an unexpected chuckle.

Lucy frowned. She'd seen
the
Freebird
tattoo but hadn't put it together. “You're not...
mad?”

His once expressionless face was now clearly
shocked. “Of course not.” He swiftly put his hand under chin,
making sure to hold her eyes. “I completely get it. I was only
thrown by how much we have in common.”

Relief washed through her and she smiled.
This man continued to amaze and surprise her. She hoped it didn't
stop.

***

It was already day six. Shane only had one
more night left with Lucy. Then they had to reenter the real world
and see if their blossoming relationship had what it took to
survive.

He had loaded the week with activities. He
had taken her shopping, snorkeling, sightseeing, all the touristy
things. They hadn't had one dull moment, and he was having a ball
spoiling the heck out of her. The more he tried to do with her, the
faster time moved.

He sat in one of the white patio chairs out
on the stone balcony of their room and closed his eyes. He had
immersed himself in her completely this week. The making-out was
nearly nonstop. His lips were tender and swollen a majority of the
time.

He hadn't asked for anything more than the
kissing, not that he didn't want it. He wouldn't be alive if he
didn't want Lucy in every way possible. But he was reasonable
enough to know that the circumstances they were in weren't normal
and he didn't want to make hasty, passionate decisions in the
beginning. He wanted her for the long term. And because of that, he
could wait until the time was right.

He felt her hands slide along his shoulders
and come down his chest as she came up behind him. She leaned her
head down next to his, her dark hair tumbling in a chocolate
waterfall off to the side. He reached up and covered her hands with
his own.