South beach (21 page)

220

toward Aaron from the night before. They suddenly seemed exactly on the same wavelength.

"Should we go catch up with them?" Aaron asked, still hanging onto her pinkie.

Holly closed her eyes against the boardwalk spinning around her. "I want to, but I'm ..."

"You're ... ?" Aaron prompted gently.

"Trashed," Holly said, opening her eyes. Once again, she and Aaron burst out laughing.

"If I laugh, I get more dizzier," Holly explained, clinging to Aaron's arm.

"'More dizzier?'" Aaron teased, setting down his beer bottle. "Come on, let me walk you back to the Flamingo. You're in no shape for another club."

Aaron took hold of Holly's hand. As he led her away from the crush, and out of Yacht, Holly felt a rush of gratitude toward him. He was so sweet to have waited for her, and such a gentleman to be walking her home, Holly thought as she swayed along at his side. When they entered the Flamingo lobby, still holding hands, Aaron said to Holly, "I think Kaitlin and those guys didn't want to bother you because they saw you kissing someone."

"They did?" Holly squeaked, her cheeks burning with shame.

"Yeah," Aaron went on, his eyes dancing. "And we
all
saw you up on the bar."

221

"No!" Holly cried, pulling her hand out of his grasp. "Oh, my God! I'm so embarrassed."

"Why?" Aaron asked. He took a step toward her and put his hands on her hips. "
I
enjoyed watching you. Come on, dance for me again. Right here."

"No!" Holly shrieked. "You can't make me!" Giggling, she turned and tore toward the back exit that led to the pool. Aaron followed her, their laughter echoing through the empty lobby.

The pool's surface shone diamondlike in the bright moonlight. Holly skidded to a stop, then whirled around to see Aaron approaching her.

"Do it, Holly," he teased. "Come on.
Get into the groove,
" he sang, moving his shoulders to the beat.

"You're making fun of me!" Holly exclaimed, blushing madly. She walked backward, holding her hands up and dropping her bag. "Don't... come ... near ..."

Suddenly, Holly lost her already shaky footing and fell over into the pool. She screamed as she hit the water, and went under. She resurfaced, gasping, her drenched clothes plastered to her body.

"Look what you did, Aaron!" she spluttered, but she was laughing. The pool water was almost cold enough to sober her up. Almost.

"Oh, calm down," Aaron snorted. "It's no big deal. Look, I'll do it, too." He took off his Polo shirt and his pants, carefully removing his wallet from his back

222

pocket and setting it on the nearest chair. Then he kicked off his sandals and dove into the pool wearing only his boxers, sending up a great splash. Holly screamed again, paddling away from him.

"Shh," Aaron said, swimming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Get off me," Holly said, but she didn't really mean it. Aaron had big hands and long, tapered fingers that felt so nice against her skin.

"I wasn't making fun of you," Aaron murmured into her ear. His breath was hot on her neck. "I think you are so sexy, Holly."

"You do?" Holly asked giddily, floating around to face Aaron. Sure, she'd suspected that those boys at Yacht tonight -- and Shane thought she looked good. But to actually
hear
a boy say it was something else entirely.

She and Aaron bobbed up and down, their legs brushing underwater. Anticipation made Holly's skin quiver. She wanted him to touch her again.

"Uh-huh," Aaron replied, his voice velvety. "I thought that from the first minute I saw you."

Holly smiled, remembering how she'd opened the door in her bathing suit to see Aaron and Thomas.

"You have the prettiest smile," Aaron whispered, tracing his thumb over Holly's lower lip. Holly held

223

her breath as he leaned over and lightly touched his mouth to hers.

"I -- I thought, maybe, you liked me," Holly said, the alcohol loosening her tongue. "But I wasn't sure."

"Oh, come on," Aaron murmured, his fingers grazing her collarbone. "It wasn't exactly an accident that I walked in on you in the shower over there." He motioned with his head.

"You planned that?" Holly gasped, getting water in her mouth. "But you -- you acted all surprised and shy ..." She trailed off, remembering that night.

Aaron laughed softly. "I could tell you were a good girl, so I figured I'd play nice."

A good girl.
Holly felt a rush of anger, mixed with desire. She was
not
a good girl anymore. And, to prove her point, she put her arms around Aaron's neck and kissed him hard on the mouth.

"Wow," Aaron whispered, drawing his head back to look at Holly. "All
right."

He kissed her deeply, sliding his muscular arms tight around her waist. Holly pressed close to him, and they both submerged. Kissing underwater felt so sensual, the cool water enveloping their bodies. When they came up for air, Holly shook out her sopping hair and laughed, gesturing down to her soaked tube top.

"I'm all wet," she complained.

224

"Let me help you," Aaron said, reaching down and sliding Holly's tube top up over her head. He tossed it out of the pool, and it landed on a beach chair.

Holly bit her lip, as Aaron smoothly reached behind her and unhooked her strapless bra. She remembered how Shane had tried to go up under her shirt at Yacht, and she'd stopped him in a panic. Things felt different now; she was still a little hesitant, but Aaron seemed safer. Familiar. He was literally the boy next door -- at the Flamingo, anyway As Aaron drew her close again, she thrilled at the new sensation of skin on skin. His hard chest felt so warm and smooth against her own silky softness that it sent tingles through Holly's whole body. She smiled as she wrapped her legs around Aaron's underwater.

"I've got condoms in my wallet," Aaron told her. His teeth were very white in the darkness. "Just in case."

Is that where this is leading?
Holly wondered. She hoped Aaron couldn't feel the mad pounding of her heart. "That's good," she said lazily, as if she'd done this a thousand times before. To mask her nerves, she leaned in and started kissing Aaron's neck.

"Hey, Holly?" Aaron murmured.

"Mmm?"

"You know this is just for fun, right?" he asked. "Like, I'm not planning on breakfast or some shit tomorrow morning."

225

Holly glanced up. Aaron's face floated above the water, serious.

"Oh, sure," Holly replied tremulously. She hadn't really thought about tomorrow. She guessed she didn't want any strings attached, either. That would get too complicated.

"I mean, you can't really stay over tonight," Aaron went on. "My brother and Jon and I have this thing about girls sleeping over. It's too weird if one of us guys is in the room. You know what I'm saying?"

Holly nodded, remembering what Daisy had told her that morning. So would she and Aaron, like, go all the way ... and then trek back to their separate beds? Holly shivered in the cold water.

Back in Oakridge, whenever she thought about sex, she always imagined her first time would be with her first real boyfriend. Someone Holly would feel absolutely comfortable with. Someone who knew how to kiss her and touch her just the way she liked, and who'd want her to sleep in his arms all night. Someone she'd love, and who'd love her, too. Had she been naive to hope for all that -- just as she'd foolishly hoped for a chance with Diego?

"I just thought we'd lay down some ground rules first," Aaron explained, squeezing Holly's waist underwater and kissing the side of her neck. "I generally like to do that."

226

Holly stomach turned.
How many girls has he been with?
she wondered.

Suddenly, being here with Aaron felt all wrong. And it wasn't because Holly was thinking she should have been with Diego, or with any other boy. She was thinking about herself. Just because she was being naughtier and wilder tonight did
not
mean she had to give it up to some loser. No, Holly realized. She wasn't being naive this time. She simply knew; with absolute certainty, that she deserved better.

"Here's a ground rule for you, Aaron," Holly said, pushing him off her. "Next time you want to get lucky, try not to be such a slimy
bastard?

Aaron's jaw dropped. "You're turning me down?" he asked incredulously.

Holly rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Aaron," she replied. Grabbing her bra, she climbed out of the pool and pulled on her wet tube top. Then she snatched up her bag, and, without looking back at him, hurried out of the pool area as quickly as her waterlogged platforms could carry her.

It was almost three in the morning as she shot through the Flamingo lobby and up the stairs. Out of habit, Holly headed toward Room Number 7, and paused in front of the door. Though Holly felt much more sober, she still needed a dose of clarity.
I need to talk to Alexa,
Holly realized. But Holly was still sore

227

about last night. She wasn't about to apologize to Alexa yet.

Still, Holly didn't want to spend another night in Kaitlin and Daisy's room. She wanted to change into
her
own pajamas, and climb into the narrow bed that had become familiar to her since Saturday. She just craved some sense of normalcy. So Holly hesitated, then braced herself, and knocked on the door.

228

CHAPTER TWELVE

Temptation Times Two

There's nothing like the sight of drag queens to cheer you up,
Alexa reflected as she peered through the lens of her digital camera. It was Tuesday night, around ten, and Alexa was taking pictures of people on Lincoln Road. After nibbling on a slice at Pizza Rustica, she emerged in time to see three drag queens in high heels and tight, sequined dresses sashaying down the strip. Alexa grinned as she snapped the picture. Then she settled down on a nearby bench to review the images in her camera, but soon she was stifling a yawn. Alexa couldn't concentrate on photography tonight. Her eyes stung from lack of sleep, and she had plenty of other things on her mind.

Alexa had left her door unlocked last night on the off chance that Holly decided to come back to the

229

room. But she had been so paranoid about the possibility of intruders sneaking in and so haunted by her exchange with Holly on the beach -- that she didn't fall asleep until after dawn. She was rudely awakened a few hours later by Kaitlin, who barged in to retrieve Holly's necessities for the day. Alexa had rolled her eyes, supremely annoyed. The fact that Holly clearly didn't have the guts to confront Alexa only deepened Alexa's aggravation toward her former friend.

But as Alexa showered and changed, she found that she was kind of missing the company of said former friend. Alexa drove to the Miami Art Museum, hoping a dash of culture and beauty would revive her. After wandering the galleries for the afternoon, however, her argument with Holly still gnawed at her like a persistent toothache. Even a phone call to Portia from the car didn't help; Portia couldn't talk because she and the other girls were on a private cruise with boys they'd met the night before. When Alexa returned to the Flamingo, she ran into Thomas and brusquely turned down his invitation to join him later that night at some outdoor club he'd forgotten the name of.

So that was how Alexa found herself with her camera on bustling Lincoln Road, wearing a simple, peach-colored cotton sundress, her hair in a low braid, and no makeup. It was the first time in years

230

that Alexa St. Laurent was out after sundown ... and not
going out.

But she craved time alone tonight -- time away from the whirling circus of bars and clubs and alcohol. And, mostly, she needed time away from boys. Because, out of all the unpleasant memories Alexa couldn't shake from last night's fight, the most persistent one was Holly calling her a slut.

In the heat of the moment, Alexa had been more than ready to defend herself. But after the argument, doubts began to brew in Alexa's mind.
Was
she sort of a slut? Did she move from boy to boy mindlessly, using their affections to fill some sort of void in herself? Alexa had to admit that this concern had been plaguing her since that night at Ohio's. And that was why she'd grown so enraged at Holly's accusation last night. The truth always bit sharpest, didn't it?

But with Diego, it felt different,
Alexa mused, gazing off at the bright lights of the Colony Theater. Though she'd been totally sober, Diego had made her feel drunk with possibility -- with the sense that she'd finally found a boy who understood her. And Alexa hadn't aggressively flirted with him, as she'd done with hot boys in the past. Their coming together had felt fluid, elegant, inevitable.

Forget him,
Alexa eluded herself, turning her attention back to the camera. Diego was too confusing.