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Authors: Anne Conley
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built nicely with strong shoulders and long limbs. He wasn't as tall or broad as Rafe and his hair was lighter. But Brad had a nice smile, which he was using on the group of girls she watched him flirt with.
Making a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, she didn't immediately notice when someone sat on the log next to her.
"Do you need another drink?" She looked over to see Rafe sitting there, half his face alight with flames from the bonfire, casting interesting shadows on the other half.
She shook her head and looked back over at Brad. His eyes followed hers.
"Is something wrong?"
She shook her head again, and stretched out her legs in front of her, scooting down onto the sand to lean her back against the log. "No. He's just playing games with me, and I'm irritated."
She could hear the ever-present smile in his voice. "Why is he playing games?"
Grace turned her face towards Rafe, who had scooted down too. He was sitting next to her so she didn't have to crane her neck. Remembering his leg against hers at the dinner table earlier, her belly did a little flip.
"He doesn't like you, much."
"Really?" His tone was innocent, but Grace thought she heard a note of triumph there, as well. His green eyes flashed, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Turning her face back towards the fire, she said, "He's jealous of you living with us. He'd rather us have a nice, quiet, female roommate."
"Ah…I can't say I blame him."
"Why? Are you going to try to put the moves on us?"
His smile turned mischievous, but he didn't say anything. Grace watched Brad, and saw him look over the fire at her. Seeing her with Rafe, he turned to the girl next to him, and whispered something in her ear. Grace saw her giggle, and wrap an arm around Brad's bicep. She snorted to herself. Brad was putting the moves on that girl, and she suddenly wished something would happen with Rafe, right here. But that would be playing along with Brad, playing right into his own petty fears.
"Aren't you bothered?"
She shrugged. "Not as much as I should be, I suppose. But I'm honestly not."
His voice lowered, so she could barely hear him. "You want to get back at him?"
She looked at Rafe, and there was desire in his eyes, magnified by the shadow play from the fire.
"No. I don't play that way."
"No flirting with other guys because he's flirting with girls? At a party he came to with you?"
"No. I don't do that. If I wanted someone else, I would break up with him and be with the other person. There's no need to cheat."
"What if he cheats?"
She shrugged. "Same thing, I guess. We break up. I don't play those games."
"What if you loved him?"
Rafe's smile was contagious. This wasn't really a smiley conversation, but his ever present grin was there, splitting his face, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"But, I don't. So there's no issue. He knows that."
They sat in silence for a little while, before he broke it. "So, tell me about Grace. Are you going to lifeguard forever?"
She leaned back, welcoming the change in conversation. "No, I'm working on a degree in marine anthropology. But I can't afford school full-time all year. I'm taking a break for the summer, to work and save up."
"Marine anthropology? What do you do with that sort of degree?"
"Not sure. Write papers, teach, lifeguard?" She laughed.
"So you like it?" He seemed genuinely interested.
"The studies are fascinating. There's something so basic and predictable about man's ego when it comes to Mother Nature."
"So, no treasure hunting on the open-sea?"
"Maybe, but I'm more interested in ship-wrecks. Of course, there's not a lot of money out there for people looking to study sunken ships."
She watched Brad fill up his cup once again with beer, and stumble back into the crowd of girls. He put his arm around the shoulders of the one that had stroked his bicep earlier, and leaned toward her ear
Making a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, she didn't immediately notice when someone sat on the log next to her.
"Do you need another drink?" She looked over to see Rafe sitting there, half his face alight with flames from the bonfire, casting interesting shadows on the other half.
She shook her head and looked back over at Brad. His eyes followed hers.
"Is something wrong?"
She shook her head again, and stretched out her legs in front of her, scooting down onto the sand to lean her back against the log. "No. He's just playing games with me, and I'm irritated."
She could hear the ever-present smile in his voice. "Why is he playing games?"
Grace turned her face towards Rafe, who had scooted down too. He was sitting next to her so she didn't have to crane her neck. Remembering his leg against hers at the dinner table earlier, her belly did a little flip.
"He doesn't like you, much."
"Really?" His tone was innocent, but Grace thought she heard a note of triumph there, as well. His green eyes flashed, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Turning her face back towards the fire, she said, "He's jealous of you living with us. He'd rather us have a nice, quiet, female roommate."
"Ah…I can't say I blame him."
"Why? Are you going to try to put the moves on us?"
His smile turned mischievous, but he didn't say anything. Grace watched Brad, and saw him look over the fire at her. Seeing her with Rafe, he turned to the girl next to him, and whispered something in her ear. Grace saw her giggle, and wrap an arm around Brad's bicep. She snorted to herself. Brad was putting the moves on that girl, and she suddenly wished something would happen with Rafe, right here. But that would be playing along with Brad, playing right into his own petty fears.
"Aren't you bothered?"
She shrugged. "Not as much as I should be, I suppose. But I'm honestly not."
His voice lowered, so she could barely hear him. "You want to get back at him?"
She looked at Rafe, and there was desire in his eyes, magnified by the shadow play from the fire.
"No. I don't play that way."
"No flirting with other guys because he's flirting with girls? At a party he came to with you?"
"No. I don't do that. If I wanted someone else, I would break up with him and be with the other person. There's no need to cheat."
"What if he cheats?"
She shrugged. "Same thing, I guess. We break up. I don't play those games."
"What if you loved him?"
Rafe's smile was contagious. This wasn't really a smiley conversation, but his ever present grin was there, splitting his face, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"But, I don't. So there's no issue. He knows that."
They sat in silence for a little while, before he broke it. "So, tell me about Grace. Are you going to lifeguard forever?"
She leaned back, welcoming the change in conversation. "No, I'm working on a degree in marine anthropology. But I can't afford school full-time all year. I'm taking a break for the summer, to work and save up."
"Marine anthropology? What do you do with that sort of degree?"
"Not sure. Write papers, teach, lifeguard?" She laughed.
"So you like it?" He seemed genuinely interested.
"The studies are fascinating. There's something so basic and predictable about man's ego when it comes to Mother Nature."
"So, no treasure hunting on the open-sea?"
"Maybe, but I'm more interested in ship-wrecks. Of course, there's not a lot of money out there for people looking to study sunken ships."
She watched Brad fill up his cup once again with beer, and stumble back into the crowd of girls. He put his arm around the shoulders of the one that had stroked his bicep earlier, and leaned toward her ear
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