Selina sucked down the first drag of nicotine, her whole body relaxing as it hit her system. The crowds shouldn’t bother her since she was a bar owner and all, but she was used to having the buffer of the bar to keep from the elbow jabs and random jostling that happened on the opposite side. She cast a glance to her left, unable to help herself.
Aubrey Moore crouched there as if she didn’t hear a word she said. Fine by her. The woman was a cocked pistol of trouble on the best days, and in a party environment like summertime in Rehoboth, Selina was shocked the woman loitered out here rather than seducing some lonesome hottie at the bar.
Just like Aubrey did time and time again at Renegades. First day she’d met Aubrey Moore, she’d been struck by her Guatemalan good looks—tanned, smooth skin, curious dark eyes, and a smile that gave whiplash. Yet she’d watched over the years as Aubrey added notch after notch to her bedpost, charming women by the barstools and leaving with them before an hour passed. Honestly, the chase seemed exhausting, and all that the pattern cemented in Selina’s mind was “avoid at all costs.”
Not like she hadn’t looked though. Even now, the woman was the sort of scorching to turn heads. She kept her hair pulled back in a ponytail on a permanent basis, tonight no exception, and the exercise outfits she donned left little to the imagination of how in shape she was.
“Fuck me,” Aubrey said, scrubbing her face with her palms.
“Not even if you begged, sweetheart,” Selina responded on instinct, unable to help the retorts that popped from her lips around this woman.
“Hilarious,” Aubrey responded, her voice saltine dry.
Selina took another drag from her cigarette. Clearly, Aubrey was struggling with something, but Selina wasn’t about to go digging around in other people’s business. She’d learned early on from owning a bar to keep the conversation superficial and light—save the real stuff for those in her inner circle. Aubrey grew quiet, staring at her beat-up Adidas. There was something vulnerable in the crouch though, something that caused Selina’s gaze to return.
“You look like you need a cigarette,” Selina murmured, nudging the pack her way in offering. Goddess above, entertaining a conversation with Aubrey wasn’t a good plan. A good plan would be heading back into the bar with Cass and Steph, even though she wasn’t feeling the party-by-the-beach scene tonight.
“Nah, I don’t smoke,” Aubrey said, casting a glance at the bar. “Fuck me, I don’t want to go back in.”
“Did you already strike out with whoever was your pick of the night?” Selina asked, not knowing why she was humoring her. Maybe it was the hopeless look in Aubrey’s chocolate eyes as their gazes locked. It was nothing she’d ever seen before from the woman who appeared to be all slick smiles and cockiness.
“Didn’t even get the chance,” Aubrey said, tugging on the end of her ponytail. She glanced at the entrance of Castaway Cantina again. “This is a little crazy, and guaranteed you’re going to say no, but do you want to get out of here? Not a line, like… a walk on the beach or something?”
Truth be told, yeah, she wanted to get away from the crowds and soak in the quiet. Just not with the biggest player on the Delaware Beaches.
Aubrey scrubbed at her face again. “Right, forget I said anything. It’s just the first night here, and I don’t want to go back in and ruin everyone’s good time. And hey, you can’t stand me, so at least my bullshit won’t affect you.”
“What bullshit?” Selina asked, keeping her tone level. Still, she couldn’t help her piqued curiosity. Something was off with the woman she normally swapped casual insults with.
“Mom’s in the hospital, and they’re running tests, so, yeah. Might be nothing. But it might also mean her cancer’s returned.” Aubrey’s lip trembled, and her gaze darted away, as if to stop Selina from catching the glossiness in her eyes. “Sorry, fuck. That isn’t the type of thing you unload on someone at random.”
“I’m not exactly a stranger,” Selina responded. The storm cloud made sense now. Aubrey pushed up from her crouch as if she might stride off in the next few moments. She chewed on her lip. If this was normal Aubrey Moore, Selina would head right back inside. The woman’s usual ego could fill an amphitheater. However, right now, a different person stood before her looking for help, and damn, escaping to the beach sounded like a solid plan.
Selina stuck out her hand. “Truce,” she said. “Tonight only.”
Aubrey cocked a brow, looking at the offending hand with hesitation. She pressed her lips together and slapped her palm against Selina’s. “Truce.”
Selina dropped her cig to the ground and crushed it under her heel before grabbing the stub and flicking it to the nearest ashtray. She glanced toward Aubrey who still stood in the same spot. “So, are you coming?”
Aubrey walked in stride with her as they headed in the direction of the ocean, not a far stroll from the hubbub and roar of the busy boardwalk. Castaway Cantina was one of the bars a few blocks away from the beach, so they’d be able to escape the alcohol and crowd-induced noise within minutes.
They strode in silence, dodging past the drunks swaying along the streets, their loud, slurred laughter echoing in the air. Selina found the quiet, in and of itself, a shock. She’d never been in Aubrey’s presence for five minutes without the woman trying to make a pass or offering up some flirty comment. When Selina had maneuvered around her advances for years, Aubrey switched to incessant teasing, as if she couldn’t take being ignored. Selina racked her brain for topics, yet in the end, clung to her silence. If Aubrey wanted to talk about the situation, she could, but Selina wasn’t the type to push.
She fired off a quick text to Cass, letting her know she headed back to the house early. Not like anyone would be surprised. For someone who owned and operated a bar, she rarely went to one herself. Felt too much like being at work.
They reached the edge of the boardwalk, the sand and the sea stretching before them in a pale strip that clashed with the inky darkness of the waters. Something loosened in Selina’s chest at the sight. The ocean always calmed her, especially at night when most of the daytime rabble had retreated. She was used to being surrounded by people, but sometimes she preferred the solitude.
“I’m sorry for dragging you away from your friends,” Aubrey said, loosening her ponytail to run her fingers through her hair. The moonlight highlighted her deep brown strands, and the way they fell down to her shoulders made her seem a little softer than the sharp, pointed woman Selina’d come to know. She found this side of Aubrey far more alluring.
“I could’ve done this by myself,” Aubrey admitted. “I just lost my mind a little bit back there.”
“I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t want to.” Selina shrugged. “Bars aren’t really my scene.”
“Said the bar owner.” Aubrey gave her the side-eye. “Why even own one then?”
Selina swung her arms by her side, staring at the half moon overhead. It glowed with pearlescent promise, a steadiness she’d always longed for. “Spend your whole life traveling from one town to the next and you get desperate to set down roots. I wanted to create a safe space for folks like me, and I needed to stay in one place. Renegades ensured that.”
Aubrey shook her head, a throaty laugh escaping her. “I’ve known you for four years now, and I’m pretty sure that’s the most you’ve ever shared about yourself.”
“Well, we’re having a truce tonight,” Selina said. “Tomorrow I can go back to loathing you, and we can return to the usual witty repartee.”
Aubrey pointed at herself. “Me? Witty? Glad you think so, doll. I don’t keep track of half of the things that leave my mouth.”
“Good to know,” Selina murmured, a smile nudging her lips. The earnest note in Aubrey’s voice had her warming up to the woman far faster than she had in years. The lack of an agenda helped too. Selina slipped off her sandals to hold them in her hand, walking barefoot on the sandy shore. “Won’t the girls be wondering where you went?”
Aubrey shrugged. “They’ll assume I took someone home. It’s my MO when I pull the vanishing act.”
“That sounds pretty lonesome.” The words slipped out before she could help herself. Selina licked her lips, not knowing what to say. The salt air wove past her, caressing her senses.
“Different bed every night? How could that be lonely?” Aubrey joked, yet her voice scraped over the words like a tire crunching uneven rocks. She cast Selina a sideways glance. “Maybe a little,” she admitted, her dark eyes somber in the surrounding dark. The slight gleam from the moonlight only enhanced that sharp, vibrant beauty. This version of the woman, framed by moonlight and unguarded, with her hair down, struck Selina as far more gorgeous than the sweet-talker she regularly saw at the bar.
Aubrey bent down to slide off her sneakers, and Selina couldn’t help but follow the motion. Those long legs were on full display, all corded muscle and defined calves, and the red shorts she wore showcased a gorgeous sculpted ass. Selina never argued that the woman was hot—Aubrey Moore undeniably, unequivocally raised her temperature, but she was also the exact sort of person Selina needed to avoid.
She wanted someone to settle down with. Someone who wouldn’t get bored, or cheat, or ditch her when the routine got too monotonous. Been there, done that. She’d learned her lessons well and committed them to heart.
Aubrey straightened up with her shoes in one hand, and an honest smile blossomed on her face. “That’s a bit better. Let’s go dip our feet in the water.”
Selina shook her head, her heart beating a little faster. “Sure, and we can get dragged away by the kraken lurking in the deep while we’re at it.”
Aubrey started heading in the direction of the tides, which glittered under the silvery moonlight. The gentle glow, the rocking ebb and flow of the water, and the soothing sounds of the waves crashing to the shore all surrounded her like a cocoon. Selina felt like she’d been transported to a different realm, far away from the lights and crowds on the boardwalk. She approached the edge where Aubrey waited for her to catch up, the tide kissing the shore again and again and again.
A shiver rolled down her spine as she crept closer, the sand growing damp beneath her feet. The ocean beyond appeared black with wicked crests, a wild, churning morass that seemed tranquil and like a void in the same breath.
Aubrey took a few steps forward until the water rolled around her feet and her ankles, and then she glanced back. “Are you coming?”
Selina hesitated. She loved being by the ocean, but in it was another thing. She pursed her lips together and took a single step forward. If the water lapped her toes, she’d be fine. Still, a chill permeated through her, and she hadn’t even stepped to the tide yet.
Aubrey turned around at this point, a grin lighting her features. “Are you afraid of the ocean, Selina Beckett?”
Selina skated a hand over her strands, avoiding Aubrey’s gaze. “I prefer deep bodies of water from a distance.” Any time she got too close or stepped too far in, all she could remember was the tug, like she’d been tripped, the flurry of bubbles and thrashing limbs, and the salt and aluminum that filled her mouth, choking her nostrils.
Aubrey stalked to her side, her eyes dancing with curiosity. “Hey, I won’t force you in or anything. If you want, we can go close enough for the water to lap over our feet—no more than ankle deep.”
Selina glanced between Aubrey and the growling, consuming beast before her. Aubrey offered a hand, her grin softening, her expression genuine. Truthfully, Selina wanted to. The most she’d done in far too long was approach the shoreline and watch, darting back the moment the icy tide nipped toward her.
Selina placed her hand in Aubrey’s, and together they took the first steps forward. Her heart beat a little faster, but she focused on the warmth of Aubrey’s palm and her confident movements as they took careful steps into the breach of the ocean. The first wave slithered up the shore, the foamy water rolling over her toes. A gasp of delight warred with the urge to bolt the other way and run up to the dry, still-warm sand.
“Just a few more steps forward,” Aubrey said, her voice encouraging, steady. “And then we’ll stop.”
Selina followed her, one step, then another, until the waves coated the tops of her feet. Her heart jackhammered in her ears, but she focused on trying to steady her breaths, bringing her gaze to rest on Aubrey rather than the immense expanse they faced, which could whip her away at a moment’s notice. The woman moved with a physical confidence bred from her job, but the soft grin on her face and the way her eyes glittered as she stared out at the ocean was full of a gentle excitement Selina had never expected to witness.
“And, we’ll stop here,” Aubrey said, coming to a halt. She squeezed Selina’s hand in reassurance. Selina stood beside her and glanced down. Ankle deep. She hadn’t gotten this far in years. Standing this close to Aubrey, she caught the scent of sage and lemon intermingling with the salt breezes. The water rocked around them with a lullaby’s ebb and flow.
Aubrey stared out over the water, not letting go of her hand. “Last time Mom got cancer, she barely made it out alive. The struggle wasn’t just a couple rounds in the ring, and the strain affected the whole family. It happened a little before I started showing up at Renegades.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m just… not sure if I’m ready to dive back into that battle all over again.”
“Not like cancer’s kind enough to politely knock on the door and offer the choice,” Selina murmured. Her heart twisted at the thought of the fight Aubrey and her family must have weathered.
Aubrey’s gaze shifted toward her, a half smile on her lips. “True. Kind of a presumptuous jerk that way. Anyway, I just wanted to explain the breakdown you had the misfortune of stumbling onto.”
Selina shrugged. “You didn’t need a justification. Sometimes life kicks you in the labia. We all hit those moments.”
“I guess so.” Aubrey shrugged. She didn’t say anything after, but she didn’t have to. Selina started to piece together a better picture of the woman who clung to her togetherness like she was impermeable. She’d gotten so drawn into studying Aubrey that she almost forgot they stood here ankle-deep in the ocean. The water swirled around her, droplets kissing her shins. Aubrey hadn’t let go of her hand, and she took some comfort in that.
“I don’t know about you, but my feet are starting to freeze. Want to keep walking along the shore?” Aubrey asked, tilting her head toward the sand.
“I think I can manage that,” Selina said with a slow smile. If someone asked her where she’d be tonight, her guess would’ve been either at the bar or tucked away on the porch with another book. Not taking a beachside stroll with eternal flirt and womanizer, Aubrey Moore. However, once all the bravado exited the stage, she found she enjoyed this woman’s company far more than she’d ever thought.
They took slow, careful steps out of the ocean, Aubrey leading the way, and even when they passed the wet sand to meet the dry part, they didn’t stop holding hands.
Selina was tempted to pull away, but somehow, she got the sense Aubrey needed the lifeline tonight, like Selina had needed the connection to wade into the water. The grains of sand stuck to her wet feet, coating them as they strolled along the length of the shore, the waves lapping endlessly into the distance. Several groups sat in flimsy chairs, camping on the beach, drinking, and celebrating, but they continued their solitary stroll under the moonlight.
“Hey, Selina?” Aubrey said, glancing her way. Their eyes met, and Selina needed to repress the shiver trickling through her veins. The raw vulnerability in that tone made her curious, a flutter of her pulse she didn’t often experience. Aubrey swallowed, her neck bobbing. “Thank you.”
Selina’s lips turned up before she could help herself. “Don’t know what you’re thanking me for,” she responded. “I’m just taking a nighttime stroll.”
Aubrey shook her head, but a wry grin clung to her lips as she squeezed Selina’s hand again.
The woman she’d encountered tonight was dangerous in a way she’d never been before.
Good thing the truce ended soon. They’d return to their bickering by tomorrow morning, and she could banish all thoughts of this vulnerable, real Aubrey Moore from her mind.