Blackout (20 page)

Sam orders more drinks, and the boys continue to get drunk. Looks like I’ll be driving. They pound the next round. Drinking hasn’t even phased Sam or Dare, but Graham takes a breath and leans into me.

Sam misses his shot but leaves a nearly impossible shot for Graham, who in turn misses but gives Dare an opportunity to clean house. He downs the whiskey before taking his next pool shot.

The other players have completely stopped now and watch us. Even a few of the dancers have come by to see the game. The onlookers make my hands sweat, so I wipe them off on my skirt. After studying the table, Dare squeezes past me, his groin sliding along my ass. It’s so intimate my breath stalls in my throat, and I catch him doing the same.

“Better not let your boyfriend hear you moan like that,” he says only to me.

I glance at Graham who’s busy talking to Sam. Good. He didn’t see.

Dare shoots five balls in but doesn’t leave me an easy shot. It’s a combo to the side pocket. My daddy could make this easy. I tap the pocket.

“That’s impossible,” Jackson and Randy say.

I take a deep breath, a bead of perspiration trickling down my forehead, aim, and shoot. The ball has just enough momentum to tip the last solid ball into the corner while the cue ball sits on the edge of the pocket. One slight bump would set it into the hole.

Graham whoops and kisses me deeply. I taste the whiskey. “That’s my girl.” His breath reeks of alcohol, and he’s weaving a bit.

Dare looks like he’s about to chew off Graham’s head.

“Hey there, Graham,” a pretty girl says.

He smiles back while Dare leans down into my ear before my last shot. “Your boyfriend’s drunk.”

“Thanks to you,” I say, pushing him out of the way. “Stand back. I have a shot to make.”

My last shot isn’t too hard. “Eight ball to the far corner.” I line up the shot and sink it.

Dare smiles and snorts out a laugh, handing me a twenty. Graham grabs my waist and gives me another deep kiss, and this lights another fire under Dare’s ass because he reaches for the back of Graham’s shirt collar.

Sam stops him. “Let it lie, little bro.”

Dare has ordered more beers. I don’t want to cause him any problems, and he does need to race in the morning.

I turn to Graham. “Why don’t we go to another bar?”

He snakes his arms around me. “It’s good for him to see what he’ll never have again, especially after what he did to you.” The liquor is talking.

“Dare never touched me.”

“What do you mean? He was convicted.”

Dare is watching us, setting me on edge. “It’s not true. Sometimes the cops are in too big a hurry for a conviction, and I’m trying to clear his name.” And keep my sanity.

Graham smiles, leans down, and kisses me. “Wow. That’s quite the undertaking. I’m even more impressed.” He pulls me toward him. “How about we take a walk on the beach?”

That’ll lead to more kissing and should help me forget about Dare, though Graham’s or the Tuckers’ drinking does not impress me. “Sure.”

Dare slams his empty beer bottle down on a table. His eyes narrow, and he looks as if he’s about to have a meltdown.

Sam nudges Dare. “You should stay and give us a chance to win back our losses.”

I wave at them. “I’ll take your money another time.”

I hurry Graham out of the bar, not bothering to glance back at Dare. Outside, the warm, salty air envelops me. Graham leads me to the sand where we kick off our shoes to walk on the toasty sand. It’s a moonless night, but stars twinkle between thin wisps of clouds.

The sandpipers and sanderlings skitter out of our way and avoid the ebbing tide, poking at the sand for food. As the waves roll onto shore, I close my eyes to listen and smell the clean air.

Graham wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. His warm breath slips along my neck. I know I could like him. It just needs time.

We continue walking in the sand dipping our toes into the ocean as it laps at our feet. The sand and cool water squish between my toes. I love the way it feels.

“You won’t move back to Paris, will you?” Graham asks. He stops for a minute to steady himself. “I haven’t drank that much in a while.”

“I want to be an international lawyer, but I love the Outer Banks.” I always have.

“Would you consider other law if the right guy wanted you to stay?” It’s a serious question for our second date, but he’s at least four years older than me and probably looking for a more permanent relationship.

“I could for the right guy,” I say, peering up at him. Faces at night always look ghoulish, even Graham’s handsome mug, so I don’t look too close.

We only encounter one other couple taking advantage of the beautiful night. We’re a long stretch down the beach before he halts and kisses me, dipping his tongue into my mouth. He’s a good kisser, and I do like him.

The beach empties, and the only sounds are the waves crashing into shore and our heavy breathing as he pulls me down onto the sand. He pulls off his shirt, and for a moment, I’m wondering if he’s intending on having sex. My body tenses until he balls the shirt up to rest my head on.

I relax wiggling my butt into the cool sand. His kiss deepens and intensifies. My hand splays across his back. He’s solid muscle like Dare, and there he is again, interfering with my date.

My eyes close to inhale his masculine scent drenched in alcohol and mixed with the sea breeze. When I open them, my gaze lands on the dunes and sea oats rustling in the breeze. The shadow of a man stands in the midst of them.

At first, anger swirls in my mind. Dare must’ve followed us, but then the shadow man skulks closer onto the sand. The way he watches us creeps along my spine and marches through the hair on my arms.

Miles tells me to listen to my intuition that is screaming this man isn’t Dare but a physical threat. From his paunch, I know it’s not Dare.

Terror seizes my throat, and the black spots rein my vision. No. Don’t let this happen. Not now.

The whine of machinery fills my ears. The burn of a cigarette gags me, but before I black out I notice this guy isn’t smoking. He stands motionless, facing in our direction until the dread sucks me under.

When I come to, Graham is shaking me. “Are you all right?”

I sit up and search the dunes, but the man is gone. “There was a man standing in the dunes over there.” Cold chills dig into my body.

He studies the tall grasses, but the man is gone.

“You’re shivering.” He pulls me into a tight embrace where he rubs my shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you back.”

Graham helps me up to carry me.

“I can walk,” I say, struggling to get down.

“Okay, okay.” He holds my hand, and after a long a moment, he says, “Is someone looking into your blackouts?”

“I’m seeing Miles Grant, and he works with a neurologist named Sue Li in Raleigh.”

“She’s the best. My dad’s worked with her. Don’t really know Miles. He’s new in town.” Graham stops. “If there’s something I can do, please let me.”

“Make it so I don’t feel embarrassed when I black out.”

He slings an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t be. You’ll get better. Have faith.”

“I’ve had ten years of treatment. I don’t know if I’m curable.” Other than if I face what happened to me.

Graham staggers.

“You shouldn’t drive,” I say.

“I don’t want to leave my car in that field all night.” He pulls out his cell to call his younger sister. “Could you take a taxi out here and drive us back? Good.”

He kisses my hair and takes me to his car where a taxi is waiting with his sister. “Other than Dare, who would follow you?”

“I don’t know, but it’s wasn’t him. This guy is a little overweight.” What if he’s waiting for me at home? My shoulder muscles work into tight knots.

“Thanks, sis,” Graham says to a pretty girl getting out of the taxi. He sits in the cramped backseat of his Lotus with me.

“You don’t usually drink,” his sister says, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Don’t tell me Teal makes you nervous? That would be a first.”

“A little.” He grins at me. “You’re right, sis. I’ll pay for this in the morning.” He rubs his temple, like a headache is coming on.

When we arrive at my house, I spot Dare’s truck parked on the sand between Kami’s house and mine.

I turn toward Graham to give him a kiss. “Thank you for everything tonight. I had a good time, minus the creepy guy,” I say, trying not to sound too rushed.

“I’ve got to run up to my grandmother’s this weekend. It’s her birthday. Would you like to go?”

I see his sister smile through the rearview mirror.

One eye glances at Dare’s truck. What is he doing here? “Thanks, but I made plans with Kami tomorrow, and I have to work.”

“Let me walk you to the door,” Graham offers.

“That’s okay. I don’t want to disturb my grandmother. She goes to bed early. Watch me walk to the door?”

“No problem.” He gets out, opens my door, and helps me out.

I try hard not to glance again at the truck. I wave at Graham before I slip inside and disengage the alarm. It has voice recognition for my family to activate and deactivate it and make it easier for Lulu.

After Graham and his sister drive away, a knock comes at the door. Through the peephole, I see Dare leaning against a column on the front porch. I open the door and wave my hand over my nose because he stinks of beer and whiskey.

“What?” he says, snickering. “Your boyfriend wouldn’t walk you to the door?”

“Why are you here?” I ask warily.

“I came by to check on your house,” he says in that deep-throated growl that causes my stomach to turn inside out. “Make sure you’re okay.”

I wish I could say no, but I’ve dreaded coming home after the daisies were left on my pillow.

“I could go.” He spins around to leave, but I grab his shirt. He totters backward. “I knew you’d want me to stay.” His cocky half grin works its way under my skin.

“You can sleep in the guest room. You shouldn’t have even driven here,” I scold.

“I didn’t. Randy and Jackson dropped me and the truck off. For a moment, I thought I’d have to sleep in it.”

“You’re drunk.”

“You are absolutely right, but in the morning, I’ll be stone-cold sober.” He’s carrying an overnight bag.

“Aren’t your overconfident?”

“A guy never knows where he might end up sleeping.” His shoulders drop. “Look, Teal. I really did come here to make sure you were okay.”

“This way,” I say, going to the spare room on the beach side.

He doesn’t follow me. “You got an alarm. That’s good.”

“On the beach tonight, I thought I saw someone following me again.” Just from mentioning it, my pulse picks up its pace.

“While you were probably making out with Graham?” Sour grapes bite his words. Why does he care?

His hand rests at the small of my back, burning a hole there. He checks all the doors and windows, stopping briefly to look at the starlit sky and the waves slapping the beach.

“Nice crib. Your grandmother up?”

“No, she’s asleep.”

“I’ll be quiet then.” He tiptoes into her room to check the windows.

When he gets to my room, he stops to examine it. He cocks his head before walking into the closet and then the cedar storage closet in the back I left open. “Is this your mom’s stuff?”

I lean against the outer door. “Yeah. Daddy must’ve kept it.”

“Why didn’t she take all her belongings?”

“That question has been disturbing me. I don’t know. Maybe she only took a couple bags to France.”

“What did she take?”

Why the twenty questions when he thinks she’s dead? I shrug. “I have no idea. I don’t remember her.”

“Not at all?” His gaze wanders the length of me, and I feel my body heat and my stomach work into a knot. “That seems weird. My older brother Sam remembers her, quite vividly.”

“Why?” How would he know her?

“I don’t know.” Dare brushes past me. His body wash mingles with the musk of a man.

Why am I attracted to him while I feel lukewarm toward Graham? I’ll have to work on that. He’s attainable and working toward his goals. “You think she’s dead.”

“I’ve always thought that.” Dare’s hand rests on my shoulder. Sparks catch fire and work their way down my thighs. He hesitates as if he wants to say more. “It’s like you have your own personal funnel cloud hanging over your head, Teal, but this isn’t good for either of us. We both saw things, and your stalker would probably like to permanently silence us both.”

He’s right. I rub my shoulders to fend off the disturbing facts.

While I study his lips, masculine yet sensual, I unintentionally lick my bottom lip and tug on it with my teeth. His breath catches, and for a moment he leans down toward me then abruptly stops. Disappointment fills me all the way up to my trembling bottom lip.

Dare walks out to the couch. “Teal, if you hear anything, call the cops. Don’t mess around with this.” His deep voice is dead serious.

I grab a pillow and blanket from the linen closet.

Out in the living room, he tugs off his shirt and crawls onto the couch, pulling Lulu’s afghan across his half naked body.

My body almost puddles to the floor, just staring at him. I’ve seen Henri naked a few times, but Dare’s body is powerful and lean beauty.

I wet my lips, thinking of his on mine, his body pressed against me. My breathing quickens, and my heart beats so loud that it thrums in my ears. I want to be taken like Shannon was outside in the afternoon sun, her head thrown back, screaming out her desire.

I hand him the pillow and another blanket. Through the holes of the afghan, the treasure trail of silky hair leading to his shaft catches my eyes. I look away.

“Thanks.” He props himself up on one elbow. “Why do you girls go with guys like him?”

Because Graham wants a future. “Why did you sleep with Graham’s girlfriend?”

He bites on his lower lip as if in thought. It’s hard to focus with him so near, so vulnerable, so partially clothed. “I want what he has.”

“His girl? Is that what I am? Just some girl?”

“No. You could never be just some girl, Teal.” His eyes shine with warmth toward me, and my stomach does a little flip. “I want a degree, to be somebody.”