Breaking Shaun (5 page)

The last thing I needed was for Asia to think I wanted her man.

“Drinks are over there in the cooler, and the burgers are almost done,” Asia told Nick.

He was scanning the group of people by the pool. It seemed like he was looking for someone in particular. “Can we crash in a spare room if we get wasted?” he asked, looking back at Asia with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Asia laughed. “Of course.”

“Good. Then, where’s the tequila?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I laughed at my cousin. It was Sunday, for heaven’s sake. I was just about to remind him of that fact when something caught my eye. In the middle of the railing surrounding the deck, I saw a small wooden gate swing open, and then a surfboard pushed through it. Holding the surfboard was Mr. Green Eyes.

Shaun.

My breath stopped, and my heart started thumping in my chest. He was soaking wet, and just like Marcus, he was wearing only a pair of loose-fitting boardshorts. His were white though, which only accentuated his incredibly tanned and flawless skin. His brown hair was hanging down around his face, and pieces of it were falling over his eyes as he focused on closing the gate behind him. He had a giant Celtic cross tattoo covering his entire back, and the muscles under it flexed as he moved.

Oh good Lord.

Still standing beside me, Nick elbowed me in the ribs, and I hastily averted my gaze to the pool, refusing to acknowledge Nick’s or Mr. Green Eye’s existence. I could hear Nick laughing, but luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention to us.

“I’m going to the cooler to get a drink. You want one?” I asked Nick without looking at him.

“Sure.”

I quickly walked to the other side of the pool toward the big white cooler like it was the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

The surf was pretty good today, but I was starving. That doughnut I’d had for breakfast wasn’t nearly enough to prepare me for an afternoon in the ocean. My stomach growled as I smelled the burgers on the grill while I made my way toward the corner of Asia and Marcus’s back deck. After leaning my board against it, I tried to dust the wet sand off my hands, but it was pointless. I would just have to wait until I dried off.

Marcus came over to me with an extra beer in his hand. “There’s a good break today.” He lifted his chin toward the waves and handed me a Corona.

“Yeah, but I’m fuckin’ starving. When will those burgers be done?”

“I think they’re done now.” He looked over his shoulder toward the grill.

Dre and Slim were there, manning the burgers and hot dogs.

“Have you met Nick’s cousin?” Marcus asked.

I took a swig from my beer. His eyebrow was raised, and he was smirking at me. I narrowed my eyes. I knew that look.
He’s definitely up to something.

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

At least, I hoped I hadn’t. The last thing I needed was some chick from my past coming to haunt me when I was trying to relax and have a good time.

Marcus shrugged and cocked his head to the side, motioning behind him. “She’s over there by the cooler.”

I looked over his shoulder, and that was when I saw her—again. Her long auburn hair was covering her face as she bent over, searching for a drink in the cooler, but I knew it was her. Her sexy legs were glistening in the sun. Her ass sticking up in the air, wrapped tight in little black shorts, had me turned-on in seconds.

Damn, she’s hot.

“No, we haven’t met…yet,” I told Marcus as I continued staring at the woman’s ass.

Marcus chuckled beside me, obviously recognizing my hungry stare.

I glanced at him with a grin. “What are you laughin’ at?” I took another swig from my beer.

“I thought this shit was gettin’ old.” He cocked his eyebrow at me.

“Yeah, well, you know how I love a challenge.”

After finally deciding on Coronas for Nick and me, I stood up, eager to go inside and search for a lime. Okay, well, I was eager to go inside to get away from Shaun, but the lime would make for a good excuse. When I straightened and turned toward the house, however, my path was blocked by a tan, toned, and amazingly sexy chest.

Shit.

“Are you following me?”

My eyes narrowed as they shot up to meet green ones.
Cocky bastard.
Maybe staying away from Mr. Green Eyes— I meant Shaun, would be easier than I’d thought. His arrogance was a little ridiculous and annoying.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I shot back as I tried to step around him and toward the house.

He got in my way, and I glared at him.

“Don’t pretend you don’t want me to fuck you. I can see it in those beautiful eyes of yours. You’ve wondered what it would be like, haven’t you?” he asked with a devious grin. Then, he leaned in closer and whispered, “Trust me, baby, you’d love it.”

Is this guy serious?

I was frustrated—not only because this guy had to be the biggest, most arrogant asshole of the century, but also because my fucking body was reacting to him in ways I didn’t want it to. He was already taking my control, and I didn’t like it.

I knew the best way to get men to leave me alone, especially men who thought they were God’s gift to women. I just had to attack their precious egos.

“No! I don’t know how many times I have to say it! I will
not
have sex with you!” I shouted loud enough for everyone around the pool to hear.

All conversation stopped, and I felt people’s eyes on us. I glanced over Shaun’s shoulder to see Asia and Marcus cracking up while Nick was shaking his head at me.

Leaning in toward Shaun’s ear I whispered, “No thanks,
baby.”

When I looked back at him, he was smiling.

Hold on. What?

Yep, he was smiling at me. So, I smiled back with a big, fake how-do-you-like-that smile before I brushed past him and walked toward the glass doors leading into the house.

Asia was still laughing.

Marcus stopped chuckling long enough to warn me, “You know he just wants you more now, right?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I handed Nick his Corona before going into the house.

That bitch is hot.
There was something about her, and it was more than just the fact that she was playing hard to get. Her eyes were crazy gorgeous, and her body…
goddamn, her body is fuckin’ stacked.
She had curves for days and a perfectly round ass. It was nice to finally meet a woman who could keep me on my toes. She was holdin’ her own and throwin’ my shit right back in my face, and I fuckin’ loved it.

When I finally stopped staring at her ass, I realized all my friends were watching me. Marcus was over by the glass doors, laughing his ass off.

“What are you motherfuckers lookin’ at?” I asked the people standing around me.

No one answered. They just turned away and tried to pretend like they weren’t just staring—well, except for Asia and Marcus.

I made my way over to the grill to get a burger.

“What the fuck was that about?” Dre asked me as he stood in front of the grill with a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a spatula in his hand.

I shrugged. “Who knows?” I muttered before taking another swig of my beer.

Slim came to stand next to me as he chimed in, “Who was that?”

“That was Nick’s cousin, Natalie.”

We all turned our heads to see Asia standing there with a smug grin.

Natalie.

“Well, shit. If she ain’t givin’ it up for Shaun, I guess that means I’ll have to step in,” Dre announced as he flipped a burger.

“Back the fuck up, Dre,” I growled. I finished off my Corona and tossed the bottle into the trash.

Slim snorted, and I could see Asia smiling next to me. Dre just grinned and took a drag from his cigarette.

“Who’s the douche bag now?” Slim asked Asia, nudging her with his elbow.

My eyes shot to his, and I glared at him. He stopped laughing and backed away slowly before turning around. I could still hear Asia snickering next to me, but I chose to ignore her.

This Natalie chick was already making me look like an ass, and I’d just met her. The funny thing was, I didn’t really give a shit what I looked like. I wanted to know what
she
looked like—naked and under me. I wanted to know what her lips tasted like. I wanted to know what it felt like to be inside her, how her face looked when she came.