Another holler down the beach and the sound of a boot kicking leather and Stacey’s and my little picnic was turned into chaos.
It all happened in slow motion.
First, a football hit me in the head.
Then I was sent flying backward into the sand.
The next thing I remember was waking up in the arms of Dane O’Connell.
“Hey, there. Good. You’re awake. Thank God. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
His voice was like whiskey, smooth but not deep. It was caring. His smile, along with his blue eyes, was caring, as well. He had gorgeous blue eyes…
“Hey,” I managed.
He smiled again, and a dimple appeared. I felt like dying all over again.
“Here, let me help you sit up. I really am sorry.”
“It’s okay. It was an accident.”
Dane helped me sit up. I looked around, and Stacey was nowhere to be seen. It was just Dane and me alone in this section of the beach.
“How long have I been out? And where’s everyone else?”
He chuckled. “To answer the first part, you’ve been out only about twenty minutes. And second, the others are playing a game up the beach in the dark. I decided to stay with you.”
“Thank you.” I frowned, thinking it was rude of Stacey to leave me alone when I was unconscious.
“Your friend’s fine, by the way. If that’s what you’re worried about.”
I looked at him, the definitions of his face visible in the glow of the fire. He had a pointed, slightly upturned nose, deep brown hair which had a bit of coif like a fifties’ gentleman, or what Stacey liked to call the ‘recently fucked’ look. His hair was a little wavy, kind of unkempt. I had the sudden urge to reach out and run my fingers through it. But I didn’t. I snapped myself out of it.
“Oh, good. So, um, thank you. I’m Darcie, by the way. Darcie Ryder.”
“I’m Dane O’Connell. Nice to officially meet you.” He held out his hand, and I took it, smiling as we shook. But then his touch lingered, and a handshake turned into entwined fingers. Dane flipped my hand over in his, twisted my fingers in one, and began to draw shapes on my palm with the other. I moaned. My lower abdomen flipped, and I clenched down below.
Oh, my God. Was there anything better than someone tracing shapes on your skin?
Probably. Stacey said there was nothing better than sex and a swim in the ocean on a hot day. But I wouldn’t know about the first one.
I was still a virgin.
Dane most probably wasn’t.
I bet he had been with a million girls.
But he seemed different than his reputation.
I liked this Dane O’Connell better.
“So, are you looking forward to school?” I asked, just for conversation.
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Kind of. I mean, I’m new here. My father and I just moved to Rich Bitch Mile.”
“Oh, welcome. How do you like it so far?”
“It’s all right, I guess. I miss my old neighborhood. But thankfully, Stacey is here, so I know someone at least.”
He nodded. “That’s good. And now you know two,” he said with a smile. He continued tracing patterns on my skin, and I leaned into him.
“I’ve been here all my life,” he said after a moment of silence. We stared at the rolling waves in the background and the dying embers of the fire in the foreground. “I grew up with all of these kids. My father cheated, and Mom kicked him out, so it’s just my mom and me in our big house by the ocean.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about your dad. My mom died about a year ago. And my dad got a new job here in town. So, we moved here for a fresh start.”
“I’m sorry about your mom. May I ask how she died?”
I nodded. I didn’t like to talk about my mom, but I have been seeing a therapist for a few months now after being diagnosed with depression because of her death. My therapist had told me it was okay to talk, that opening up would help me heal.
“She, um… she went missing, then her body was found in the creek in my old neighborhood. We’re still unsure what her cause of death is. The rumors are she committed suicide, but I know my mom. She would never have done that.”
“That’s horrible. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m learning to deal with it. But my dad thinks that coming here will help me. So, here I am.”
Dane reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I sucked in a breath as he leaned closer.
“Fresh starts are good.”
And then he kissed me.
His lips were soft but moist. But not too wet. Even though I was still a virgin, I had kissed a few boys in my life.
Dane’s kiss was the best yet. He was caring, but there was a sense of urgency in his kiss.
I could tell he wanted to kiss me, that he’d wanted to kiss me most of the night.
I could only dream of kissing him.
Was this a dream? Was I still unconscious? I took his face in my hands and kissed him back. Leaning forward, I pushed my breasts against his chest. He placed a warm palm on my thigh and guided my legs around his waist. I moved so I was straddling him.
Stacey would die if she knew what I was doing right now.
Dane slipped his tongue between my lips and deepened the kiss, just as a blood-curdling scream echoed through the night.
“What was that?” I asked. We broke apart and stood up.
“I’m not sure. Let’s go investigate.” He took my hand in his, and we jogged up the beach toward the others.
They were crowded around something near the waterline. I could hear a few people crying, and others were frantically talking.
“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”
A few of the guys standing huddled around the dark shape in the water parted.
And that was when we got our first glimpse of the body.
A group of girls was standing close by, and one was being comforted by two others. She had long blonde hair, short shorts, and a bikini top covered in a guy’s jacket.
The crying blonde girl then ran over to Dane and threw her arms around him.
“Dane, oh my God. It’s horrible. I was just walking along the beach and came across this… this dead body!” She sobbed loudly. I stepped back as she hung off Dane and used his T-shirt as a tissue. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the body lying on the shore.
It was a woman. She had been in the water for a while because her skin was falling off, and fish had eaten out her eyes.
“Guys, I think we should call the cops,” I suggested.
“Who are you?” asked one of the three girls who had comforted the crying one. She had red hair and was dressed similarly to the crying one.
“This is my best friend, Darcie,” said Stacey, stepping out from behind the group of teenagers now crowded around the body on the beach. She ran over to me.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Fine. We should probably get home. Can you give me a ride?”
“Sure. But I’ve been drinking, FYI,” she said.
“We all have,” shouted one of the other guys. This one was rough looking and wore rainbow clothing made from hemp and carried a bong. Most of the kids cheered in agreement. I rolled my eyes and began to walk up the beach.
“That’s okay. I’ll walk.”
I began my slow walk back home in the dark. Everyone else was too high or drunk to notice I was gone.
Story of my life.