I quickly grabbed a towel. “Joyce! Why are you in here?” I asked as I turned off the water.
“Well, Michael asked me to bring you this lotion. He said you would want it after your shower.”
I instantly felt the anger building up in my chest. That bastard!
“I’m going to kill him,” I whispered.
Joyce asked, “Are you covered? Can I look at you now?”
“Yes,” I said as I shook my head and said, “I’m covered.”
Joyce turned and gave me a weak smile. “Now I know it’s none of my business, but maybe you should talk to Michael, honey. I’m sure he can…well, he can…well, I don’t know if you’re having sex or not, but I’m going to go with yes, and if he isn’t performing to his…”
Dear God no. This is not happening. This. Is. Not. Happening.
“Joyce! Please. This is just weird. It’s all just very weird for you to be saying what you’re saying.”
She nodded her head and said, “Well I think so, too. I would think if you were happy in the sex department you wouldn’t need to masturbate.” She tilted her head and looked up like she was thinking. “I should have Peter have a talk with Michael.”
“No!” I yelled out. “Joyce, I’m very satisfied. Beyond satisfied. Lark is a very good…well…he…umm…”
I closed my eyes and wished like hell I could go back in time about ten minutes ago.
“Can we just stop this conversation, and may I please have some privacy to get dressed?”
Joyce nodded her head and said, “Of course. Well um…dinner will be ready in about forty-five minutes, so…ah…”
She looked me up and down and her cheeks blushed. “I’ll just send Michael on up to um…well…help, I guess.”
My mouth dropped open and I stumbled back against the wall.
I slowly slid down to the floor after she shut the bathroom door and looked up. “I’ll do anything. Anything if you just give me back the last fifteen minutes or so. I swear…God. Anything.”
When the door opened and Lark walked in he was laughing his ass off.
I shook my head and said, “No sex for you for the rest of this trip. None.”
I stood up and pushed past him and began to come up with a plan on how to not be attracted to this man.
This was never gonna work.
I sat on the sofa opposite Azurdee and watched as she and Ryn giggled about something. This had been the perfect Christmas. Even though Azurdee was trying to stay true to her pledge not to have sex with me during the rest of our trip, I could already tell she was beginning to fold.
I glanced over and saw Tristan staring at Ryn. For someone who claimed he only wanted to have fun, he sure did look at her like I looked at Azurdee.
My father hit me on the shoulder and said, “Come on. I want to talk to you and your brother before you leave.”
Azurdee snapped her head up and looked at us. “Are you leaving?” she asked in a panicked voice. I smiled and said, “We’re leaving early. I thought we would go spend a few days at my parents’ beach house.”
The smile that spread across her face about dropped me to my knees.
My father gave Tristan a pat on the back and we both followed him into his office. He shut the door and then walked over to the window and stood there, staring out.
“Dad, is everything okay?” Tristan asked. My father stood there for a few more seconds before he turned around and nodded his head as he took a seat in his giant leather chair.
I looked around his office. I loved it in here. I loved the smell of the leather furniture. The animals hanging on the walls and the pictures, they were everywhere. There were pictures of Tristan and I scattered through out his office. I glanced over at the one picture of me holding the antlers of my first deer. I smiled as I thought back to the day when my father and grandfather showed me how to gut and clean a deer.
My father cleared his throat and said, “The last week a few things have been brought to my attention.”
Tristan and I both squirmed like two little boys who were fixin’ to get into trouble.
When his eyes pierced mine and then moved over to Tristan’s, I let out the breath I had been holding.
“Whatever it is, Dad, I’m sure it was Michael who did it.”
I snapped my head and looked at him. “You do know the Marines trained me to kill. Right? You’re aware of this information?”
Tristan rolled his eyes and my father chuckled. “Boys, settle down and listen to me.”
He looked at Tristan and said, “Your intentions?”
Tristan tilted his head and said, “For?”
Now it was my father’s turn to roll his eyes. “Ryn. What are your intentions with that lovely girl?”
Tristan let out a laugh and then quickly shut his mouth. “Why?”
“I see the way you look at her and it’s obvious you have feelings for her.”
Tristan quickly looked at me and then back at Dad. “Ryn and I are just having fun, Dad. Nothing serious. She isn’t the type of girl who is looking to settle down or anything like that. She’s just…fun.”
My father lifted his eyebrow in the all-knowing way of his. “Is that so?”’
Tristan nodded and said, “Yep. That’s so.”
My father placed his hands together in a folded position and then tented his pointer fingers and rested them on his chin as he looked at me.
“Your intentions?”
My hands started to sweat and my heart began pounding. I closed my eyes and pictured Azurdee’s smile when I told her I loved her.
I slowly opened my eyes and said, “I love her, Dad. I love her and see myself marrying her as soon as I get out…”
Tristan kicked me and I stopped talking. Shit. I almost spilled out my guts a little too much. This was why Skip said no girlfriends. They screw with your head.
“Marry her, huh? That’s a pretty big commitment there, Michael. Are you sure?”
I instantly felt the heat moving through my body. Why was my father questioning if I’m sure?
I sat up straighter and said, “What the hell kind of question is that, sir? No disrespect, but I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
My father slowly smiled and turned slightly and opened one of his desk drawers. He pulled out two bottles and a small black jewelry box. Tristan and I both looked at each other and I shrugged my shoulders.