“Since when did I nominate you as my protector?” I jerked away.

He glared. “You didn’t. But I’m sure it’s what Brady would have wanted. After all, I’ve been protecting both of you for years now. And now he comes into the picture?”

I tried to pull away, but Sam’s grip tightened. “What would Brady think, Lyss?”

“I have to go.” I threw the bucket down and ran into the aquarium. I wasn’t sure why I was running toward Demetri, but I was frantic.

Chapter Ten

Demetri

So, I officially looked like some creepy stalker. Really, it was a first for me. I mean, I liked Alyssa, but not enough to actually stalk her every waking move. She must think I’m a total and complete lunatic. I wouldn’t blame her if she burned my numbers tonight in a trash can and cast a spell over the fire to render me unconscious.

I tapped the pamphlet against my leg as I walked slowly around the darkened aquarium. It wasn’t very impressive for being the one tourist attraction. In fact, it was quite small. But the seals were kind of cool, and they did let you touch a lot of the animals.

The five-year-old inside of me was pumping his fist in the air when they said it was okay to touch the octopus.

I sighed and walked by the miniature sharks, or whatever the heck they were called. My thoughts took me back to meeting the guy Alyssa had been with. Was he a boyfriend? Maybe I read her all wrong. She didn’t seem to appreciate his protective stance.

But even I had to admit he was some serious competition in the looks department. Obviously I needed to be lifting more and stop being so lazy after work.

“Demetri?” I heard my name, and then a body ran into me so fast I nearly fell into the glass aquarium, to release the tiny shark to feed on every human in its wake.

“Lyssa? What’s wrong?”

Her face was flushed, her nostrils flared. Was she crying?

I leaned in closer. She backed up as if scared. “I, uh, I’m scared of sharks.”

“It’s in a glass cage.” I pointed out.

“You nearly broke it.”

“Because you ran into me.”

“Do you want to hang out or not?” she huffed.

What. The. Hell.

Something was up. But at least counseling had taught me one thing: when girls were upset, you didn’t make things worse by forcing them to talk about it, and then you didn’t try to fix everything and give them a slap on the back when they were done.

So I nodded my head and grabbed her hand. She didn’t pull away. Thrilled that she actually let me hold her hand, I led her out of the aquarium straight by Sam, who looked like he was getting ready to sic Sally on me.

I was never one for drama with other dudes.

Maybe it was because I always won, except when it came to my brother. Hence the need for drugs in the first place. I wonder what that said about my personality? Rejection leads me down a path of destruction? Awesome. At any rate, my motto had always been that when women someday take over the world, I’m going to need all the testosterone on my side that I can get. It was never wise to make enemies with those who’d protect your manhood when a girl wanted to take a machete to you.

“So where to?” I asked once we were out in the warm salty air.

Alyssa looked down the boardwalk. “Wanna go for a swim?”

“Do you have wetsuits?” Last year I tried to get Nat to swim with me in the ocean and nearly froze my toes off. She thought it was hilarious. I wanted to die and was pretty sure my voice, as well as other parts of my body, didn’t return to normal for hours.

“Yup, follow me.” She led me down a few steps, then walked into a surf shop. “I need an extra large and an extra small.”

“The extra large is for me.” I winked at the lady behind the desk. She blushed.

Alyssa hit me. “Pretty sure that’s obvious, Dem.”

“Aw.” I tilted my head to the side. “I have a nickname too!”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it kind of sounds like damn, which means to go hell. I thought it fit.”

God, she was beautiful when she was feisty. “You care.”

“I don’t care.”

“Admit it, you kind of do.”

Our argument was interrupted by the sales lady. I insisted on paying for the rentals.

Alyssa pointed out the dressing rooms, and I ran in to change.

Extra large was not large enough.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Who did they make these things for? Fifth graders?

I cleared my throat a few times and tried to give the boys some room. Hopefully, I’d still be able to reproduce after this little adventure.

I felt myself flush when I emerged from the dressing room.

Alyssa had put her hair back and looked like a goddess. Trying not to kiss her today was probably going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done. Even harder than giving up drugs. Hell, she was like a drug. I just wanted to be around her all the time.

“Ready?” She bit her lip and crossed her arms. Her eyes scanned me with amusement. “A little tight?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Let’s go.” I put my arm around her and led her out of the store.

**** The water was just as cold as I remembered, but it was at least eighty-five out, so at least the air was warm.

“You ever use a skimboard before?” Alyssa called out to me.

“No, but I surf. I think I’ll be okay.”

She shrugged.

I was not okay.

I fell on my ass at least twenty times while she skimmed by me like a pro.

“It’s the wet suit!” I shouted as I fell for the hundredth time.

“Sure it is!” She called to me as she yet again completed another perfect skim across the waves.

I gave up and lay down against the sand, letting the cold water run over me. Maybe if I pretended to need CPR she would have pity.

“What are you doing?” Her body cast a shadow over me, stealing my warmth.

“I’m cold. Hungry. I suck. Take me home,” I whined, though I would rather lie here all day with her than go home.

“You’re cold because you’re sitting there like a beached whale. You’re tired because you keep falling, and you’re hungry because we skipped lunch.”

“I like your deduction skills.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I like that you know how to use a word like deduction.”

I propped myself up on my elbows. “I did graduate from high school, you know.”

She patted my hand. Awesome.

“So you want to quit? I mean, you were the one that was banging down my door early this morning begging me to be your friend…”

“I didn’t beg. Rock stars never beg.”

“You must be really lonely if you want me for company.”

Alyssa blushed and looked away licking her dry lips.

“I’ve been watching you.”

Shit. That came out wrong.

Her horrified glance told me I needed to make it better and fast. “I’ve seen you a few times around town and, honestly, ever since you yelled at me, I kinda realized something about myself.”

“Oh yeah?”

I nodded. “I like being yelled at. I like being held accountable. I thought, you know, since you have magic taffy powers, you could probably handle all my shit just as good as anyone.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m not so sure about that.” Without hesitation she jumped to her feet and attempted to dust the wet sand from her body. “Look, maybe this was a bad idea. I mean, can’t you just pay people to be your friends?”

“Do normal people do that?” I asked, incredulous.

She grinned, nearly blinding me with the way her face lit up.

“No, not normal, but you aren’t really normal.”

“I prefer abnormally awesome.”

“Okay, abnormally awesome person I can’t get rid of…

What’s the verdict? We going to quit and walk away friendless, or are you going to get your ass in the water and make me proud?”

I hung my head and cursed. “I’m not a quitter, but you need to at least show me how to do this. I feel like a four-year-old watching an Olympian.”

“Deal.” She held out her hand to help me up.

The next hour went way better than the first. I was actually starting to get the hang of it when a huge wave rolled in. I missed it and jumped off the board. Alyssa was facing me, a huge grin on her face. The tide had started to come in, so the water was up past her waist. Either she didn’t see the giant wave heading for her, or she was going to go for it. At my alarmed look she must have known something was up; she turned around just in time for the wave to crash onto her.

I tried running toward her, but the wave crashed on top of me. I spit out the sea water and swam to where I thought I saw her fall. My eyes burned as I dove into the water. I saw a flicker of something dark. I reached out and touched it. The wetsuit.

With a curse, I pulled her to the surface. She wasn’t moving.

I knew we were close to rocks, but not that close.

My muscles burned as I swam for a few feet then carried her to the shore and put her onto the sand.

“Alyssa?” Frantic, I put my head against her chest listening for any sort of breathing. No sound.

I unzipped her wetsuit and began CPR, breathing into her mouth. I was so freaked out I wasn’t even counting the compressions, just singing the stupid song they taught everyone to sing when learning First Aid.

“Come on, baby, come on.” I breathed in to her mouth again.

A large red gash was bleeding from the top of her head. I needed to get help.

Just as I was getting ready to jump up and attack an old man who just happened by. She coughed up water.

I dropped to my knees next to her and rubbed her back as she coughed the sea water near my legs. Her lips were turning blue. I pulled her into my lap and pulled down the rest of her wet suit and covered her with the towel we’d brought out. I knew she was probably just in her bra and underwear, but she needed heat. It was warm outside, but Oregon water was frigid.

My skin sizzled as it made contact with hers. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and began running my hands fast over her arms.

“You scared the hell out of me.” My voice wavered.

“Sorry.” She croaked. “I didn’t see the wave.”

“No shit.”

She laughed and looked up at me. “I promise it wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Plan?” I didn’t like that her teeth were still chattering.

“To drown so you’d give me CPR.”

“Oh, right.” I tucked her head under my chin. “Actually, you kind of stole my plan.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Maybe I’ll let you save me tomorrow.” My hands froze on her arms as the reality of what I just said hit me. Was that what I was doing? Using her to save myself? No. I wasn’t using her, but I wanted her. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted another girl.

It had been year since I’d felt even close to this way about someone. The last time I did feel this way, she betrayed me and then died.

Talk about a poor track record.