Love is crazy, p.12
Love is Crazy, page 12
My idea? It wasn’t my idea. Why would Mark say that?
“Kass!” Lennox hops off her chair and jogs toward us. Kass pulls her into a hug but grabs her left hand as soon their embrace is over.
“Look at this thing.” Kass pulls Lennox’s hand closer to her face. “It’s breathtaking.”
My gaze drifts to the ring on Lennox’s finger, and instantly I feel … nothing.
I let out a huffing chuckle sound and smile.
I feel nothing and it feels fucking great. But Kass looks at me and my heart swells.
That feels right.
“Oh, um,” Kass stutters, but before she stresses out with what to say next, I pull Lennox in for a hug.
“Congratulations. I’m happy for you, Lennox.”
Her shoulders drop under my hold. “Thank you, Winston. That really means a lot.”
By now Tripp and Mark have made their way over to us.
I shake Tripp’s hand and congratulate him, too.
“Okay, okay, we didn’t come here to gush over us,” Lennox says. “We came to have a little fun. I’ve missed our group.”
“Me, too.”
“Same.”
The only ones who don’t agree with her are me and Kass, so I change the subject before it can get weird.
“What should we do first?”
Kass and Lennox start sharing ideas, and as Tripp joins them in planning, I turn my attention to Mark. He nods his head to the side, and I follow him.
“She won’t even look at me.”
Right to the point. Damn.
“Well, you have to give her a minute. She didn’t know you guys were coming, and she’s only had about three minutes to adjust. And way fucking cool telling her dad this was my idea, by the way. What were you thinking?”
“What do you mean, what was I thinking? You invited me, and I invited Tripp and Lennox. I assumed you’d tell Kass.”
Whoa. Back up. “Who did what when?”
“When we were texting a few days ago, I said we should all be vacationing together because I miss the group, and you said, ‘me too.’”
“And you read that as an invitation?” I shake my head. Even I can’t mask my shock right now. “It was an agreement, Mark, not an invitation.”
His eyes widen, and it’s as if he’s slowly processing what’s happening. “Fuck. Fuck. How creepy do I look?”
I try not to laugh at his pitiful expression. The situation isn’t funny, but his reaction right now does make me miss how we used to hang out all the time and how comical he would get when he was acting more dramatic than he should.
“Calm down. It’s going to be fine.”
“Um, hello? You’re saying she had no idea. How pissed do you think she is?”
“I don’t know if pissed is the right word. Overwhelmed, maybe?”
“Fuck. I should leave. I’m going to leave.”
Now, I don’t exactly think he’s wrong to make that choice. Kass would most likely prefer it, but here’s the thing: he’s here now, and I need to tell Mark what is going on between Kass and me. I will tell him. However, I might take the coward’s way out and lessen the blow by sending it via text. Plus, that will give him time to think about how he’s going to reply without actually losing his shit right away.
Let’s face it. If I just come right out and say, “Hey bud, look, I know you still love her, but I've fallen pretty damn hard for her myself, and I don’t know what it is, but being with her makes me feel like everything is going to be fine. Like I’m finally exactly where I need to be in my life.”
So those might not be the words I should choose, but something along those lines.
Okay, the right way to do this would be either over the phone or in person. I’ll figure it out. Besides, I should probably discuss this with Kass and see how she wants to handle it. I think we are far past a “fling” at this point. I’m sure she feels it, too.
“You’re already here. Let’s just play this out, all right?”
With his hands on his hips, he nods.
“Hey, you two, let’s go get some food.”
Mark and I both turn and make our way to the group, following them into the restaurant.
I keep my eyes on Kass, but she doesn’t look back.
I’ll definitely have to explain the whole invitation miscommunication.
“This place is absolutely gorgeous,” Lennox says.
“Seriously. I should’ve brought Lennox here before I proposed,” Tripp adds.
“It’s okay,” Kass says, and it’s as if all the happiness the last week built in her voice is gone.
“Just okay?” Mark asks. “What all have you guys been doing? Have you gone on any excursions? Have you guys been zip lining yet?”
“Oh, I bet sunbathing has been amazing,” Lennox says.
“How’s your mom doing?” Mark asks Kass.
Everyone is speaking at the same time, and I can tell the way Kass requests a drink before 11 a.m. that she’s ready for this moment to be over.
I can’t say I disagree with her. I’m stoked that our group of friends is here, but considering the group wasn’t in the best of places when we left, it’s hard to be too excited right now.
For now, I sneak my hand under the table and rest it on her leg. In return, she swats my hand away.
Understandable for the time being.
No matter how weird this day just got, it’s going to be fine as long as Kass and I are together and as soon as I clear up this invitation thing. Plus, I have a surprise for her tonight, and, hopefully, it will bring a smile back to her face.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Winston
Breakfast wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be, but after about the fifty or so questions Mark asked Kass, which she ignored, it was hard to find a new subject to distract him. I could see he was getting frustrated, so I wanted to keep his mind busy, but yeah, I could only do it for so long. It only got harder as Kass focused more on her phone than the table.
Thankfully, we just signed the tab to our room, and now we just need to think of a reason for an exit.
“What next?” Lennox asks. “Beach?”
Shit. They really want to spend the whole day together, don’t they?
Kass’s attention finally leaves her cell phone.
“I’m so sorry to break this up, but Winston and I need to go check on some event thing superfast that was mis-scheduled for my brother,” she says and stands.
Her gaze meets mine, and I rise without question.
“Isn’t there some wedding planner or someone who can do that for him?” Mark asks, also rising from his seat.
“Probably, but he asked me specifically,” Kass answers quickly. “And he’s my brother, so I’m happy to help.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Mark says, turning to face me. “You can sit this one out.”
“No,” Kass all but shouts. “I mean, um, Trevor asked for me and Winston. Sorry.” She shrugs and gives him a small frown.
“All right” is Mark’s answer. He takes his seat, and I follow after Kass.
“Oh, Winston,” Marks calls out after a few steps. “Let’s talk when you get back.”
“Sure” is all I can manage to say.
The moment we round a corner out of sight from our friends, Kass shoves me behind a tall, probably ten-foot tree décor.
“What does he want to talk about?” she asks. “And why did you invite them?”
“Well, I was going to tell him about you and me, and I didn’t invite them. Mark misread a text.”
Her eyes search mine, then her shoulders relax.
“I believe you, but what about us were you going to talk to him about?”
I slide my arms around her waist and pull her close. “Well, I mean if you haven’t noticed, we sort of have this thing going on. This pretty amazing thing.”
I lean forward to kiss her, but the look in her eyes make me pause. For the first time on this trip, I can’t read her.
As if she feels it too, she shakes her head quicky. “Yeah, right. We should talk about that later.” She folds her arms in front of her, looking off to something over my shoulder. “I just … I wish things were easier.”
“I know what you mean. Things are just … different now. I miss when it was easy, too.”
“Yeah. It stresses me out a little.”
That’s it. A lot was just tossed on her plate today, and she needs to relax.
“Well, if it’s just stress you need relieved …”
“Oh my god, you did not just say that.” Kass slaps my chest, but she’s grinning.
“If it gets you to smile like that, then yeah, I did just say that, and I’ll come up with a dozen more cheesy lines.”
“You would.” She rolls her eyes, and I tug her body into mine with a slight growl.
The moment her lips touch mine, everything around us disappears. I forget the part where none of our friends know about us, and my best friend, who is still in love with Kass, is sitting out there too. And any of them could catch us.
It’s just me and Kass in a beautiful, perfect moment.
I break the kiss and glance around us. Maybe if we step back just a couple steps, no one will see us. I tug Kass with me. Now we are hidden enough in this nook that anyone passing by won’t know we are here.
I spin with Kass in my arms and press her against the wall.
“What are you doing?” she whispers against my lips.
I kiss her hard before I ask, “How quiet can you be?”
“Depends on what you … holy shit.” Her voice rises, and with one of my hands bunching her dress at her waist, I use my other to cover her mouth.
“I can stop,” I say, inching my hand down between her legs, “or you can try to be quiet. Option A or B?” I ask.
“B,” she answers in a breath as I move my hand.
I capture her mouth once more as I slide her swim bottoms to the side. With my free hand, I move to unbuckle my pants, but Kass shoves my hand out of the way.
“You’re not the only one who gets to play,” she whispers as her hand slides into my jeans and grips me.
“Fu,” is all I get out before Kass kisses me.
Her lips move fast, her tongue diving into my mouth over and over as she pumps her hand up and down. With another stroke, I glide one finger inside her and then two—just the way she likes it. She breaks the kiss, dropping her head back and revealing the perfect creamy skin of her neck to me. My lips cling to it like a magnet as I kiss her from just below her ear down to her collarbone.
God, she tastes so fucking sweet. Like honey and cinnamon. I could lick her all day long and it would never grow old.
Her breathing picks up and her hand begins to slow.
I pull myself from the restraints of my boxers, quickly slide on a condom, hoist her up against the wall, and settle myself between her legs.
Steadily, Kass’s legs inch higher and higher as I press into her.
Anyone could catch us. The rush sends me pumping my hips faster.
God, she feels like heaven. If this were my last moment on earth, it’d be worth it.
“Winston,” she breathes into my ear before biting it.
I pull back to drive us insane before I slam back into her. A small squeal passes over her lips. She hugs me tighter with her legs, so I repeat the motions.
“You’re amazing,” I say, picking up my pace and kissing her neck.
“Oh my god,” she whispers in my ear. “I’m coming.”
Her words are all I need before my own release follows right behind her.
“You are …” My words stall when we both hear footsteps and freeze.
“I’m here now, with Kass. I know, it’ll work out. I’ll mend things before I get back.”
Mark.
“I do. Yes.”
Who is he talking to?
“I’ll fix this. I promise. No, I’m not letting her go. I won’t. I have to fix this.”
Shit.
Mark.
After a couple minutes pass and I don’t hear him anymore, I set Kass on her feet, tuck myself back into my shorts, and adjust my shirt. “Who do you think he was talking to?”
“That’s the question you want to ask right now? Considering how close and intimate we were in that exact moment; I don’t think we should be talking about my ex-boyfriend.” Kass pulls her cover-up down and fixes her swimsuit.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
I stare at her, not sure what to say, because now all I can think about is who he was talking to.
“Ugh. Fine. I don’t know who he was talking to, but I have a good feeling he was talking about me.”
I nod. “We need to tell him.”
“Not yet.” Her words come out quickly just before she kisses me. “I don’t want to cause a scene at my brother’s wedding, and I think if we tell him, it will. It can wait till we get back. Till then, I think we should keep our hands to ourselves when we are in public.”
The idea instantly makes my heart ache, but she has a good point.
“You’re right. I don’t want to do that to your brother. Not when his wedding is just days away.”
“Thank you.”
“But you know it’ll be hard to not touch you.”
“Just save it for the bedroom. Think of all the buildup we will have by the end of the day.”
“It’ll be a lot.”
With one more kiss, we peek around the corner to see the coast is clear.
“Let’s go upstairs and freshen up.”
I fall into step with Kass.
“I know this is not what was planned for today, but no matter what happens, I do have a surprise for you tonight. So, whenever you start to feel overwhelmed or ready to bail, just remember that this turn of events isn’t going to deter me from making it happen.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“Well, now, if I told you, that would defeat the point of it being a surprise, right?”
“Ugh, this day is just … weird. I don’t even know what to make of it.”
“Ignoring what I said and what just happened, tell me, how are you feeling, really?”
“Annoyed.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah. I already texted my dad to ask him to meet me after lunch. I need to know what he was thinking.”
“Honestly, I don’t think he was trying to do anything wrong. He just wanted you to have time with your friends.”
“Still, he knows Mark and I aren’t together.”
I’m about to ask her if they know why yet. I get the feeling they don’t, but Tripp jogs up to us. I drop my hand from her back, but I’m not sure if I did it in time.
“We’re all headed to the beach. Is everything good with your brother?”
“Yes. We just need to run up to our room really quickly.”
I move to follow Kass to the elevators, but Tripp catches my arms.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure.”
My gaze meets Kass’s. “I’ll catch up.”
“Okay.” She hesitates for a split second but turns before it looks too obvious how worried she is.
“What’s up?” I ask as soon as the elevator doors close. “Oh, and thanks for the fucking heads up. A phone call of ‘hey, we’re on our way to Mexico’ would have been nice.”
“I tried, but it went straight to voicemail. Same with Kass’s phone.”
Damn. Maybe turning our phones off wasn’t the smartest idea.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Trust me, when Mark said you invited everyone, I knew something was up, and Lennox and I weren’t about to let him show up alone.” Tripp laughs awkwardly, and his gaze flicks to the elevators where Kass was just standing. “That’s actually not what I wanted to talk to you about, though.”
Yikes. He’s going to ask about my feelings for Lennox.
“Are we cool? I mean, with the whole Lennox thing. We haven’t had a lot of time to talk, and now that we’re engaged, I just—you’re one of my best friends, and I want you in our life. We want you in our life, and we … why are you smiling like that?”
I slap him on the shoulder and pull him in for a hug. “We are more than good. I’m thrilled for you two. When you know, you know, and Lennox is great, but I wasn’t the guy for her and that’s okay. I want to be a part of your lives, too.”
My words have never been more honest.
He laughs nervously again. “I kind of thought you might say that after … ugh, fuck, okay, is there something going on with you and Kass?”
What the—?
“What?”
“Just now you had your hand on her back. The only girl I’ve done that with was Lennox, and it was because I couldn’t keep my hands off her, and then Kass just said our room, which made me think that maybe you two were sharing a room, and then I immediately thought about—”
“Stop. You’re rambling.”
He rubs his neck.
“So, is there something going on?”
My hesitation is all the confirmation he needs.
“Dude, have you told Mark? He’s going to flip his shit. Do you think this is smart?”
“It’s complicated and it’s different. Kass and I, we are just…” I can’t even finish my sentence, so I shrug.
“Fuck, dude. Your grin says it all. I know that grin. Fuck. This is... Wow.”
“All those full sentences you just made would make the university proud.”
He slugs my arm.
“Fine. You’re on your own now. I’d just make sure you tell him before he figures it out himself.”
“I know.”
“Good. So, I’ll see you outside?”
“Yep.”
I turn for the elevator as he heads out the main doors.
Tripp’s right. I better tell Mark before he finds out another way.
* * *
Kass
The last thing I want to do today is hang out with Mark. I was having a wonderful time when it was just me and Winston and my family.
Now, here we go.
I kick off my sandals and lie in the lounger next to Lennox. I’m just dumping out a little bit of room sand when she speaks up.
“Do you think Winston hates me?”
Diving right in, is she?
