Before You(24)

“It’s your turn,” he said, brushing the sand off his legs.

Jax watched her lay down on the board and paddle with her hands. “Good, cup your hands a little more,” he said as he crouched down next to her. “Now try the pop up.”

She slid her hands underneath her shoulders and pushed her torso up. He pressed gently on her lower back. “It’s an arch, not a push up.” She shivered at his touch. “Are you cold?” he said, scanning her legs for goose bumps.

“No,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Okay, now in one smooth motion, jump up with one foot forward.”

She jumped up, and without thinking he placed his hands on her thighs, reminding her to bend her legs.

He momentarily froze and then let his fingers trail down her legs just a couple inches. Yes, he got his answer. Her legs were as soft as they looked. This woman was killing him.

Bre looked down at him, her eyes soft and her lips parted. “Jax,” she said softly.

“Hmm…” he responded, his fingers still on her legs, his mind imagining his mouth where his fingers were.

She cleared her throat. “Do you think I’m ready to try it in the water now?”

It took a moment for him to register what she was saying, and then he pulled his fingers away from her skin almost as if he were burned. He picked up his surfboard. “Let’s give it a try.”

This was going to be a long morning if he couldn’t keep his focus.





Chapter Nine





Bre heard the front door to Cam’s apartment open, and she looked up from her book. Cam dropped his keys on the entry table and scanned through the stack of mail sitting on the table.

“How’d your day go?”

“I booked a big show for the band in Seattle,” Cam said, dropping his keys on the coffee table. “It’s an all day event at the end of the month with a bunch of bands.”

“Really? That’s great,” she replied, putting her book next to her on the sofa.

“I know. I can’t wait to tell the band at practice tomorrow afternoon. What’d you do today?”

“I went surfing this morning and then I wandered around Venice Beach, people watching and shopping.”

“You’re really getting into surfing. I tried it a couple times, but I still like boarding better.” Cam walked into the kitchen.

“When you come home for Christmas, we need to go boarding a couple days. I don’t think you went one time last year.”

Cam hadn’t been any more attentive in the last two weeks, but Bre threw herself into learning how to surf and exploring Southern California. Lucky for her, Jax agreed to meet her three mornings a week to surf, which helped her feel less isolated and lonely than before.

Jax never showed any interest in her other than as friends, and that was just fine with her. She valued their mornings together and she didn’t want to complicate their growing friendship with messy feelings.

Surprisingly, Jax had become a really good friend. For some reason, she found herself confiding bits and pieces of her life with him. He knew her grandmother was sick and that her mom was rarely around, or even when she was, she wasn’t much of a mother. Although Cam knew everything about her family and its eccentricities, talking to Jax about them was freeing. He had a different perspective because he had his own family issues. His dad valued his work and career above everything, and her mom valued her freedom and creativity more than anything else.

“I don’t know if I’ll be home for Christmas,” Cam said, interrupting her thoughts. He pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, opened it, and took a long swallow. “I don’t think I’ll have time between gigs. I think I’ll hang out with the guys. Jax doesn’t do much for Christmas, so I’ll probably tag along with him.”

Frowning at his comment, Bre stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “Really? Not even for a few days? Your mom and dad will be disappointed.”

“They’ll get over it,” Cam responded with an unconcerned shrug. “Besides, there are a bunch of parties that I don’t want to miss. Networking is the key to getting signed.”

“Well, I’ll miss you, too,” she said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“We’ll figure out something,” he said, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. “Maybe I’ll fly you out here for Thanksgiving or New Year’s.”

Thanksgiving and New Year’s were months away. Apparently, that didn’t matter to Cam. This trip wasn’t what she’d envisioned. Instead of bringing them closer together, it solidified their distance.

The distinctive ring of her cell phone made her jump. There was only one person with the old car horn ring tone: her mother. Before answering the call, she knew it wasn’t a social call. Her mother never bothered to call unless she needed something. Her hand trembled as she reached for the phone.