Read Online Dark Blue (South Island PD Book 1) by Ranae Rose - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ranae Rose
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her first until it’d already been done. She hadn’t said anything.
She’d been privileged and driven in ways he’d never been. As much as he’d lusted after her, he’d never seriously considered trying to drag her down to his level. While he’d been breaking his back beneath the summer sun on construction sites throughout the Lowcountry, she’d been a university student on break from the studies that would secure her a solid future. She’d worked her ass off at school, maintaining a near perfect GPA, and her summers at home had been her only real breaks.
Even in his early twenties, he’d seen the disparity between them, the difference in the paths they’d been traveling. They’d both grown up on the island, just a few streets apart, but that had been where their similarities had ended.
Their differences hadn’t mattered much when it came to hanging out at the local beaches and piers with other young South Islanders, and that was where he’d gotten to know her.
They’d swam together, eaten together and soaked up endless rays of sun. Usually in a group of friends and acquaintances they’d made in high school, but occasionally they’d gone for a short walk or swim alone. He’d relished those times like something stolen, something precious.
He hadn’t planned on reaching for anything more, on asking for anything other than the pleasure of watching her laugh and relax on the beach, totally oblivious to what a fucking bombshell she’d been in her bikini.
Then there’d been the party that summer night before she’d left the island for her final year of college. It’d been informal, a gathering of a couple dozen friends in honor of Belle and a couple other kids she’d graduated high school with. He couldn’t remember the names of those girls, but he remembered every other detail of that night.
They’d had a couple drinks at a seaside bar before hitting the beach, goofing around in the nighttime surf and chasing ghost crabs with flashlights. At some point, he and Belle had wandered under the pier together and the chemistry between them had finally combusted – he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her.
It’d been a combination of things that’d pushed him over the edge: moonlight. Her laughter. The sweet summer air. And most of all, knowing that she was leaving the next day and that he might not see her again.
She’d been about to start her senior year, which meant no more coming home for the summer, no more living with her parents when school was out. She’d talked about her plans to look for a job after graduation, and he’d been keenly aware that with her intelligence and drive, she’d find one – one that probably wouldn’t be anywhere near South Island.
He hadn’t planned on indulging in anything more than that kiss, but once they’d started neither of them had been able to stop. After what’d felt like an eternity of making out beneath the pier, she’d asked him to take her to his place.
After he’d recovered from his shock, he’d taken her to his apartment. There, he’d kept her to himself for hours, living out his most visceral fantasies – twice – before taking her home.
The encounter had left him stunned for weeks. Stunned that it had happened at all, and stunned that she’d trusted him to be her first. He’d ached for more, but she’d left town for the start of the fall semester the next day.
He’d stayed behind, working construction, and although the shock faded somewhat, his desire for her had become a constant, silent companion. It’d dogged him throughout the years, around the island and through the police academy, riding with him on every call, haunting him every night. Belle had become a fantasy, a summertime mirage he saw sometimes when he was in the shower or in bed with the blinds drawn and the AC cranked up.
It was crazy how he’d held onto the memory of her, how his desire had never truly faded and had come roaring back like a solar flare when
She’d been privileged and driven in ways he’d never been. As much as he’d lusted after her, he’d never seriously considered trying to drag her down to his level. While he’d been breaking his back beneath the summer sun on construction sites throughout the Lowcountry, she’d been a university student on break from the studies that would secure her a solid future. She’d worked her ass off at school, maintaining a near perfect GPA, and her summers at home had been her only real breaks.
Even in his early twenties, he’d seen the disparity between them, the difference in the paths they’d been traveling. They’d both grown up on the island, just a few streets apart, but that had been where their similarities had ended.
Their differences hadn’t mattered much when it came to hanging out at the local beaches and piers with other young South Islanders, and that was where he’d gotten to know her.
They’d swam together, eaten together and soaked up endless rays of sun. Usually in a group of friends and acquaintances they’d made in high school, but occasionally they’d gone for a short walk or swim alone. He’d relished those times like something stolen, something precious.
He hadn’t planned on reaching for anything more, on asking for anything other than the pleasure of watching her laugh and relax on the beach, totally oblivious to what a fucking bombshell she’d been in her bikini.
Then there’d been the party that summer night before she’d left the island for her final year of college. It’d been informal, a gathering of a couple dozen friends in honor of Belle and a couple other kids she’d graduated high school with. He couldn’t remember the names of those girls, but he remembered every other detail of that night.
They’d had a couple drinks at a seaside bar before hitting the beach, goofing around in the nighttime surf and chasing ghost crabs with flashlights. At some point, he and Belle had wandered under the pier together and the chemistry between them had finally combusted – he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her.
It’d been a combination of things that’d pushed him over the edge: moonlight. Her laughter. The sweet summer air. And most of all, knowing that she was leaving the next day and that he might not see her again.
She’d been about to start her senior year, which meant no more coming home for the summer, no more living with her parents when school was out. She’d talked about her plans to look for a job after graduation, and he’d been keenly aware that with her intelligence and drive, she’d find one – one that probably wouldn’t be anywhere near South Island.
He hadn’t planned on indulging in anything more than that kiss, but once they’d started neither of them had been able to stop. After what’d felt like an eternity of making out beneath the pier, she’d asked him to take her to his place.
After he’d recovered from his shock, he’d taken her to his apartment. There, he’d kept her to himself for hours, living out his most visceral fantasies – twice – before taking her home.
The encounter had left him stunned for weeks. Stunned that it had happened at all, and stunned that she’d trusted him to be her first. He’d ached for more, but she’d left town for the start of the fall semester the next day.
He’d stayed behind, working construction, and although the shock faded somewhat, his desire for her had become a constant, silent companion. It’d dogged him throughout the years, around the island and through the police academy, riding with him on every call, haunting him every night. Belle had become a fantasy, a summertime mirage he saw sometimes when he was in the shower or in bed with the blinds drawn and the AC cranked up.
It was crazy how he’d held onto the memory of her, how his desire had never truly faded and had come roaring back like a solar flare when
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