Love Surfaced Read online

  He turns away, dismissing me, talking to the others and nodding a hello. Then, just when the tears beg to build because he can disregard me so easily, he breaks from the pack. Walking directly to me, I can’t stop the smile curling on my lips.

  A smirk evident on his face, he confidently strides over to me, stopping a polite space away. “Piper.”

  My name rolling off his tongue confirms it. My heart still belongs to him.

  eleven

  “TANNER,” I MANAGE TO SQUEEZE out in a normal tone.

  He doesn’t ask permission, doesn’t wait a minute before breaking the space between us, his arms wrap tight around me. I nuzzle my head into his chest, my own arms disobeying me, gripping him tight. I inhale the scent of his light-citrus scent cologne. It’s not what I’m used to, which disappoints me. Has he changed. Then, I mentally chastise myself for thinking he’d be the same guy from two years ago.

  When I take a step back, his lips turn down before his eyes move up and down my body in a painfully slow pace. Even though I shouldn’t, I welcome the attention. They always had a way of making me feel sexy, like I was a piece of candy just out of reach from his grasp. Just like that, I’m back to two years ago when our chemistry reached the highest level that neither of us could deny.

  “You look good.”

  He smiles, and I bite my lip.

  “Strike that. You look amazing.”

  My teeth nail down my lip a little harder, and I fear blood will soon ooze out.

  He chuckles. “Glad I can still make you nervous.”

  His amusement is a double-edged sword. I want to join in because he knows so much about me, but then again, I want to slap him for making my willpower weak from him just being him.

  “Congratulations.” I ignore his compliment, wanting this conversation to veer away from looks and feelings. Pleasantries will sure keep my heart in check.

  “I haven’t made the team yet.” He shoves off my comment.

  “Your dad says you’re pretty much a shoo-in.”

  “Well, things can change in a tenth of a second.” He raises his eyebrows.

  I know he’s talking about us, not swimming.

  “You’ll make it.”

  “The last thing I want to talk about is swimming, Piper—unless we are actually in the water, playing a game of Truth or Dare.”

  He winks, and I can barely contain my body’s desire to melt into a puddle. With the mere mention of Truth or Dare brings memories of his hands on me.

  “Um . . .” Mute-stricken, I stand in the one spot, smoothing my dress down, fidgeting with anything that allows my vision to veer away.

  “I’m not going to stand here and pretend that—” He stops.

  I look up when Curtis comes along side of me. I watch Tanner’s expression change from happy and carefree to sad and tense as he notices Curtis’s arm gliding behind my back. He authoritatively grabs my waist, pulling me toward him. Tanner fixates on Curtis’s hand on my hip and then moves up to meet my eyes. This unfaithful feeling comes over me, as though, I’ve somehow cheated on one of them.

  “Hey. Tanner McCain, right?” Curtis releases his grip on me for a second to hold his hand out for Tanner.

  Tanner shakes it and then watches the hand return to rest on my body. “Yeah,” he mindlessly says. Then, he stands a little straighter. “You Piper’s guy?” He nods his head in my direction.

  “Curtis. Curtis Zeker,” he introduces himself.

  “Zeker and Son?” Tanner questions.

  My head flies up with his mention. Why is he familiar with Curtis’s family’s firm?

  “Soon-to-be Zeker and Sons,” Curtis says proudly, emphasizing the S.

  “Oh, congratulations.” Tanner appears unimpressed, nodding his head a few times.

  “I’ll be graduating—”

  “That’s great, man. Sorry, but I gotta catch up with my friends,” he interrupts Curtis’s well-rehearsed spiel. Tanner focuses on me, disregarding Curtis completely. “You’ve gotta great girl here. Don’t blow it. I’ve seen it happen before, and man, does the bastard regret it afterward.”

  Without even a goodbye, he turns around and takes a seat at the table with his friends. He immediately grabs a beer from the bucket in the middle of the table before twisting the cap off with his T-shirt and flicking it into the nearby garbage can. He clicks bottles with his friends, and they all congratulate Brad on his upcoming wedding. Watching Tanner portray an act of indifference brings tightness in my chest from guilt.

  Then, the guilt transforms to anger.

  Why should I feel guilty for dating someone else? He’s the one who destroyed what we built.

  If only my heart would sync with the rationalization in my brain right now . . .

  “So, that’s the infamous Tanner McCain, huh?” Curtis says next to me.

  Unable to tear my focus away from Tanner, I answer, “Yeah.”

  “I’m not impressed,” he sneers.

  My head flies up, ready to defend Tanner, but I stop myself from coming to his defense and ignore Curtis’s comment instead.

  “I’m going to go help my mom.” I step away from him.

  “Are you okay?” He grips my wrist, and the force alarms me.

  Tearing out of his grasp, I cock my head. “I’m fine. Just want to make sure she doesn’t need me.”

  We silently question each other. He appears to be working through a tough math problem, and mine are interrogating what caused him to become angry.

  “Okay.” He cocks his jaw out, not believing a word from my mouth.

  Truth be told, he shouldn’t.

  Evading into the safety of my house, I give a quick wave to Lana and my mom at the counter, getting the buffet ready.

  “Piper, are you okay?” my mom calls out.

  “Yep.” I jog up the stairs to my bedroom, lock my door behind me, and collapse on the bed.

  I fight the tears threatening to break through my cement wall barrier I built after Tanner left. I push back all the emotions wrestling inside of me after seeing Tanner. I need to come to grips with this and find some sort of balance for the next few days. After crawling along the bed, I crouch on the ground by my window and peek out to all the people below me.

  Opening the window a crack, I feel like I’m in high school again when I would spy on Brad and Tanner in the pool. Tanner’s laugher floats up through my open window, and my heart skips a beat. I watch his casual manner of tossing compliments off his shoulders and throwing them back to his friends. The way he handles himself is nothing short of amazing. It’s too bad that there’s a crap load of falsehood behind it. If I didn’t know the true Tanner, I’d assume he was the perfect male like everyone else does. But my heart doesn’t recognize those flaws—or dishonesty is a better way of putting it.

  I lean against my wall, bringing my knees up to my chest, fighting with myself to gain some sort of composure. I got this. Standing up to my feet, I tell myself that I’ll see this through.

  Throw yourself into Curtis, and Tanner will stay away.

  The more he keeps his distance, the easier these days will be.

  With my hand on the doorknob, I inhale a big deep breath right as a hard knock surprises me. In less than one second, my confidence vanishes.

  “Who is it?” I say, my voice shaking.

  “Bea! Open the fucking door.”

  I twist the brass knob, and she strolls in, shaking her head at me.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing,” I lie.

  “Bullshit. Why are you hiding up here?” She plops on my bed until she notices that my window is cracked open.

  I swear under my breath because I forgot to shut it. “I’m not. I needed to put on some lipstick.”

  “Stop lying. Tanner shows up, and you disappear. You’re talking to me,” she says way too loud for my preference.

  I stomp over and shut the window. After it’s secure, I turn to her. “Will you keep your voice down?”

 
“What? Are you afraid that everyone will know you’re still pining away for Tanner? Hate to be the one to break it to you . . . everyone’s aware.” She pushes herself off the bed and walks to the window.

  “Now, who’s sneaking a peek?” I cross my arms over my chest.

  “Your tits are about to pop out. Seriously, since when do you dress so . . . revealing?”

  My head tilts down, and I examine my dress. It’s cute—yellow, tight-fitting across the breasts, cinched at my waist, and then flares out until mid-thigh. Cocking my head, I can see what she’s talking about now. I’m usually a just-above-the-knee kind of girl. “I bought it yesterday. You don’t like it?” I ask defensively.

  “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. It’s just more their style.”

  Her head points to the outside, to Bayli and her friends.

  “Don’t be upset. I get you want him to realize what he gave up, but I think you’re going about it wrong.”

  “I did not get this dress for Tanner,” I say with false conviction.

  Bea stands up and walks toward me. Taking my hands in hers, she fans them out to my sides. “You don’t need to look like a slut to grab his attention. I witnessed the whole sordid unfolding of the two of you out there. He only looked at your face until you backed away from an extremely loving hug, might I add. You should really be happy that Curtis wasn’t out there because everyone felt like they were intruding in your moment.”

  “Bea?” I ask her to remain on task, which is impossible to accomplish sometimes.

  “Yeah, right. So, Tanner likes this.” She drops my hands, and they flop to my sides. She shadows my body, which negates her point that Tanner only wants my mind. Seeing the confused expression splashed across my face, she laughs. “The whole you, Piper. He loves your sweet side, your smart side, your mad side—well, maybe not your angry side too much.” She shakes her head to focus. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure he loves the package you come in, but it’s not what sold him on you. So, take this ridiculous dress off, and be yourself. Once you’re comfortable, I pray it will help the tense atmosphere lingering overhead ever since Tanner walked through the door.” She giggles, going back toward the window. “And I’m mighty pissed I never met this Dylan previously.”

  I laugh. “I knew you liked him.”

  I point my finger at her, and she shakes her head before sneaking another peek.

  “I lust him. Very different. Now, if I could just muster the confidence to say two words to him . . .”

  Her honesty is refreshing, and I’m positive that I’m the only one who ever sees this caring side of her.

  “He’s so sweet. Don’t let his bad-boy facade fool you. Under all those tattoos is a big heart.”

  “Shit. Forget it then. I want the bad boy who is going to sneak me into the corner and finger me until I bite a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.”

  “Bea!”

  “I love getting a rise out of your innocent ways, but seriously, I’m not looking for some sappy clinger.” She sinks to the floor, propping up on her knees while staring outside.

  “Number one, I’m not some innocent virgin coming back from confession. Number two, you need a little sap.”

  I kneel down next to her by the window, and we look out like junior high girls spying on their crushes. I guess we aren’t too far from that analogy.

  “I wish I had a picture to show you. Dylan has definitely changed over the past two years I’ve seen him.”

  Bea’s interest is all on him in this moment. “Yeah, well, training for the Olympics has stepped Tanner up to a whole new level. I’m worried it’s gone to his head a smidge. Just do me a favor, Piper. Make him beg.”

  She never turns her attention to me, and my shoulders slump from her assumption that I’ll forgive him.

  “You don’t have to worry about me falling to my knees,” I say quietly.

  Bea turns to me, taking my now melancholy self into account. “I wish I didn’t, but you can’t help it. If he comes after you, you’ll cave.” When I don’t respond, she places her hand on my shoulder. “I’m not saying it’s good or bad. It’s just the way it is. You love him, and if he loves you, you’ll need to forgive him.”

  I don’t say anything. Instead, I stand up. “I should get back to Curtis.” I open my door to emerge out of the room.

  “Piper,” she pleads.

  But I double-time it down the stairs to get away. She’s right and we both know it.

  But the question is, does Tanner know it?

  By the time I walk through the door, Tanner’s already sitting down with Curtis, Dylan, and our dads. He’s leaned back into his patio chair with an ankle propped up on his knee, taking a long pull from his beer. I nibble on my cheek and walk over to the empty spot between the Tanner and Curtis. Since Dylan is on the other side of Curtis, I have no choice.

  Turning my body, I cross my legs toward Curtis, ignoring my body’s reaction to Tanner’s gaze currently pinned on my back. I’m amazed that, after so many years, I can still sense them on me. The worst part is, I like it—strike that, I love it. I can’t help but enjoy the fact that Tanner is staring in my direction.

  “So, Curtis,” Tanner begins.

  My hands knot in my lap, worried what this conversation is going to bring.

  “When do you take over your daddy’s company?” The disdain in his voice is easily heard.

  Curtis offers his attention, grabbing my hand in the process. He leaves me with no choice but to swivel my chair to face Tanner. Tanner smiles before he notices Curtis’s hand entwined with mine. Raising his vision back to us, he cocks his jaw to the side and swipes his beer from the table.

  “I will be joining him, not taking it over.”

  Everyone quiets, and I concentrate on my leg bouncing up and down under the table.

  Sitting up straighter, Tanner places his bottle down and rests his elbows on either side of his chair. “He doesn’t trust you with it?”

  “Tan,” Dylan interrupts.

  Tanner disregards him with a hand in the air.

  “That’s not it. When my dad retires, it’s ours.” Curtis releases my hand and mimics Tanner’s poised position on the edge of his seat.

  My leg bobs faster.

  “Ours?” Tanner questions.

  I unscrew the cap to my water, guzzling the coolness down my dry throat.

  “My brother and me. We’ll be partners,” Curtis clarifies.

  Tanner chuckles. “Oh, I thought you might be talking about you and Piper.”

  I almost spit out the sip of water I was about to swallow.

  “You okay there, Piper?” Tanner draws his attention back to me.

  I nod, attempting to swallow the water before it lands on the table.

  “How did you two meet anyway?”

  “At a charity event.” Curtis straightens his back, proud of his family’s work with numerous charities.

  “How generous. All dressed up in your tux, and I’m positive Piper was a knockout in some expensive gown.” Tanner’s eyes don’t waver from mine.

  “Well, no. Piper was working the event. She was the coat-check girl.”

  My eyelids fall, and my shoulders slump from his admission.

  “Oh.” Tanner chuckles. “Coat-check girl?”

  He looks at me, and I bite my lip, my nerves frazzled from the complete embarrassment.

  Then, Tanner’s hand covers my knee under the table, stopping it from shaking up and down. With one squeeze of his hand, my knee halts bouncing. I should stop him. Curtis could notice, or worse, he could touch my leg at the same time. The feel of Tanner’s hand on my skin is more than I can bear, and damn, I wish he’d venture further up my leg.

  “How cliché. Rich boy saves worker girl,” Tanner says.

  As good as his hand felt a second ago, it’s like scolding hot water burning my skin.

  “Screw you, Tanner,” I whisper.

  “Damn, Tanner,” Dylan remarks, shaking his head.

  Not wantin
g any of this drama, I stand up, Tanner’s hand falling off my thigh. Resorting to childish behavior, I disappear past the side of the house to come to grips with what he said.

  Truth be told, I’ve always hated the way I met Curtis. When Curtis asked me for my number at the end of the night, I tried to push away the thought that he was slumming it. I mean, it’s not like I was dependent on the job to eat, but I never liked the savior mentality that came with the scenario. Then again, maybe it was Curtis driving it to seem that way. He’s constantly throwing his family’s money into everything we do. He’s treated me like a princess, but sometimes, I feel like he buys me elaborate gifts because he thinks he should, not because he wants to.

  “Piper,” Curtis calls out to me.

  I stop at the side of our garage. “Sorry,” I apologize for running away and deserting him.

  “Hey.” He holds my hands in his. “You never have to apologize. I guess the magazines are wrong. Tanner McCain isn’t some grounded athlete. If you ask me, he’s an ass.”

  I don’t miss the sincerity in his voice, but he hasn’t rebuked the stereotype Tanner classified me in.

  “He’s acting like one, that’s for sure.”

  The shock from Tanner’s words is still shaking me. It was not the Tanner I loved.

  “I need to ask you something.”

  Oh God, here it comes.

  “Should I be worried?”

  He’s so concentrated on me that I’m not sure I can lie. Maybe I should tell him the truth?

  “Worried?” I act nonchalant and confused about his question.

  “There seems to be something between the two of you. Did you guys used to date?”

  Shit, he’s asking me point-blank.

  Squeezing his hands, I’m not sure if I’m trying to reassure him or me. “No. He’s my brother’s best friend. He’s just being protective.” The lie slips too easily from my lips.

  “Okay.” He believes me with no question. Without giving it a second thought, he changes the topic. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. My dad called, and he needs me to come in early tomorrow morning.”