Page 56 of Catch a Wave
I smile and place my hand on her shoulder from where I’m standing behind her in the hallway, intending to give it a reassuring squeeze. But she’s warm and soft, and my feelings for her are all pinging off at a high frequency. My defenses are down. I’m half-asleep. That’s the only excuse I can find for what I do next.
I brush Mavs’ hair back from her shoulder, then I lean down and place a soft kiss on the skin between her neck and her sleep tank.
“Oh.” She gasps.
My throat tightens and my heartbeat quickens. I’m a runaway freight train. Before I do something even more recklessthan kissing her on the shoulder, I turn and head back to my room.
“Goodnight, Mavs.”
“Goodnight, Bodhi.”
With my door nearly closed behind me, I turn and glance out into the hallway. Our eyes catch. We stare at one another, silently asking unanswered questions until I shut the door and return to bed.
I toss and turn the rest of the night, the memory of Mavs’ skin on my lips, and thoughts as to what I’m going to do now, haunting me until dawn.
I’m bleary-eyed,standing in front of the coffee machine with a thousand conflicting emotions and thoughts still bombarding me the next morning. Shaka scratched to be let out of Mavs’ room when he heard me passing by. I warily opened her door and he came bolting out. After taking him into the yard to do his business, the two of us took parallel spots in the kitchen, waiting for my morning dose of caffeine to finish brewing. He’s a better pet than I imagined he’d be. Maybe he’s just thankful for this second chance at living a life he might have had before. We probably make quite a picture: a man and his dog side-by-side waiting for the coffee to brew.
“What’s going on with you two?” Kai’s voice surprises me.
I turn to see him standing at the kitchen entryway, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Me and Shaka? Nothing.” My voice is scratchy from lack of sleep. “Waiting for my first cup of coffee.”
“You and Kala. Didn’t sound like nothing from my vantage point. I heard a commotion last night. And I don’t even want toknow what all that was about. I’ve been meaning to ask you all week. She’s at the beach with you every morning. The glances you give one another are heavy with something I’ve seen before.”
Is Kai right? I know I’ve been sitting on a powder keg full of feelings for Mavs. I don’t know where she stands, and my biggest concern is not pushing her or taking advantage of her vulnerability. Would I like a second chance? I’d give just about anything to be with her again—to give us our shot at forever. Am I going to take that risk when she’s coming off such a massive lifequake? No. I’m not.
My mind flashes to the moment when I kissed her shoulder last night.
Not my brightest hour. Maybe she’ll have been so drowsy and out of it that she won’t remember it happened.
“You always saw things that weren’t there.” I look Kai in the eyes.
“I saw things that were there. Before you did, if you recall. And I warned you off. And then you broke her heart.”
Wow.
If my face shows the impact of his words, he’s going to know that was a straight shot to my heart. Not that I didn’t earn it.
“Sorry,” Kai backpedals. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Kai’s lips pull in and his brows raise into a furrow.
“Really. I’m sorry. I just get so protective when it comes to her. I guess my need to see her come out of this with some semblance of hope and purpose makes me twice the overbearing brother I’ve ever been. That comment was uncalled for.”
“Not completely. But, trust me, I didn’t want to hurt her then. It kills me to think of what she went through after the breakup. And I’d never hurt her now. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Kai studies me. I turn and pour my coffee. Shaka sits on the floor looking between the two of us. His ears are tucked back just the slightest and his brows are raised.
Kai surprises me by bending down and ruffling Shaka under the chin and saying, “You’re a good boy.”
When he stands, he looks me in the eyes and says, “I hope you’re right.”
I don’t head out to surf like I usually would. I probably should, but something in me wants to be here when Mavs wakes up—to get a read on where we stand after our awkward middle of the night rendezvous. Shaka and I sit on the couch while I sip coffee and sort through the myriad of thoughts rolling through my head. The contest. Mavs. Kai.
I’ve been settling for a certain kind of life. It’s a good life, but I’m still settling. It’s like taking the bronze and walking away. You still got a prize, just not the gold. And I always went for the gold before my accident.
Ever since I witnessed Mavs take that drop over the falls at Mavericks, I’ve been off center. A strange sense of restlessness has taken hold of me.
