Finding Peace (Breaking Free Series Book 2) Read online

  “About time you got us here. I need a drink to calm down from that. Keep an eye out for Bubba.” Mike orders me as he makes his way to the beer stand. Bubba is a friend of Mike’s from work. He’s bringing his woman, so at least I’ll have someone to talk to. Steph is nice enough, but she enjoys coming to these things, so our conversation is limited. I search the crowd for them as Mike comes back with a drink for himself, nothing for me. “They only sell beer. No fruity, girly drinks. Any sign of them yet?”

  I shake my head no.

  “Alyssa, get out of the mood you’re in. We are here to have fun, not for you to pout the whole time.”

  I want to say to him, that he is the one who put me in this mood. Instead I smile. “I’m going to get something to eat. I think I’m just hungry. You want anything?”

  He tells me no. I guess he’s sticking to his liquid lunch. While I wait for my food, I make a quick stop at the bar area. They may not have “fruity, girly drinks”, but they have Jack Daniels. I need a shot of something strong to calm my nerves. After two shots and a burger, I’m feeling mildly better. Definitely more relaxed.

  When I find Mike, he is walking around looking at all the cars with Bubba. “Hey Bub. Where’s Steph?”

  He gives me a hug. “She didn’t come this time. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”

  Great, just great. I’m stuck being a third wheel. I keep a pace or two behind them as they inspect every engine on every single car. I know people like this, but to me a car is a car. Now, if it was a shoe show, that would be right up my alley.

  The one thing I don’t mind is watching the drag races. At least they have some excitement. Just as we sit down, Mike turns to me. “Why don’t you go get us all some beers, Al? And I want one of those pretzels.”

  Is he serious? We could have stopped on the way up instead of me fighting the crowd to go back. I stick out my hand to him waiting for him to offer some money. Reluctantly, he hands me some.

  An hour, that’s what it takes for me to get the stuff. “Took you long enough.”

  “Mike, if you wanted it faster, you could have gone yourself.” I just glare at him. When the races end, it’s the hottest part of the day. I tell them I’ll be back. I need a serious application of sunblock, which I forgot in the car. I’m not in the mood to be a lobster tomorrow.

  As I walk back, Bubba and Mike are watching the bikini girls washing the cars. The boys don’t see me approaching them. They are a little preoccupied. I hear Mike talking. “Check out the ass on that one… I’d like to take that one for a ride on my stick shift…. Damn, she’s a fine piece….” He’s staring at some girl bending from the waist to wash the wheels of some sports car, shaking her ass to the music.

  Bubba answers him. “I prefer the one with the big tits over there.”

  Mike looks at the girl, biting his finger in his mouth. “Fuck, why did I bring Alyssa? We should have made this a guy’s weekend.”

  Once again, I’m reminded of why I stopped coming to these car shows. I cross my arms over my chest. “Yes, Mike, why did you bring me? I would have been happy to stay home since all you have done is treat me like crap.”

  He turns, finally taking notice of my presence. “Alyssa, come on. You know I wouldn’t do anything. It’s just guys talking. Calm down.”

  I’ve had enough. I’m ready to leave. “Since you really don’t want me getting in the way of your guy’s weekend, I’ll head back to the hotel. Have fun, boys. You two should definitely go talk to those women. I’m sure they’d take you up on your offer to ride your stick shift.” I turn and walk back to my car.

  The hotel is close by. I did the research to find one that would suit me. Mike gets his cars; I get my luxury hotel. At the moment, I am completely frustrated and need an outlet, so I head to the gym. A good run on the treadmill helps calm me down. The pool looks refreshing, so I go for a quick dip and follow it up with a few minutes in the steam room. After I work out my frustrations, I take advantage of the soaker tub in our suite. I end my night getting lost in a paperback. I curl up on the couch in my comfy pajamas, ready to meet my next imaginary boyfriend. One that will want me around. The book I choose is a take on a fairy tale, only the prince is a tattooed bad ass and the girl, the quiet librarian.

  I must have fallen asleep. Mike’s lips on my forehead wake me. “I’m sorry, Al. I didn’t mean anything by what I said before. I don’t need another woman. You’re more than enough for me. Let’s not ruin the weekend. Let me make it up to you.”

  He tries to kiss me, but I pull away. “I’m not in the mood for your apologies, Mike. I think you should go and spend the night with Bubba.”

  “I came here with you. And I intend to stay in the room with you.”

  “Fine, you can sleep on the sofa.”

  The next morning, he wakes me with room service. “I got you breakfast. Am I forgiven yet?”

  “No.”

  We eat in silence.

  “Come on, Alyssa. It was just guy talk. I didn’t want those girls. They don’t hold a candle to you.”

  “Then why did you say what you did?” It makes no sense.

  “It was stupid. Bubba said something, and I felt like I needed to play along.”

  “The next time you feel the need to play along… Just don’t.”

  He acts better on the second day of the car show. He doesn’t drink either. Mike apologizes again. I try to let it go. We drive home the next morning.

  When I get home, I change into my customary t-shirt and running shorts. I start the laundry from the weekend. Just as I am opening the fridge to check to see what I can make for dinner, Bentley shows up.

  “How was your trip?”

  I scrunch my face at him.

  “That good, huh?”

  “If you call watching your boyfriend checking out women, drinking beer, and looking at cars fun. Then it was a blast.”

  He gives me a funny look. “Why would he look at other chicks when you are there?”

  I shrug at him.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m going to make grilled cheese with tomato, want one?”

  He smiles and I take that as a yes.

  “So what did you do this weekend, Bents? Did another girl fall victim to your charms?”

  “No, Aly, no women. I went out with the boys to some bar. Although, one woman did buy all of us a round. What do you girls call them? Cougars, I believe is the term. We did thank them for the free drinks. I mentioned to the boys I was thinking of having everyone over for a barbeque next weekend. It’s been a while since we invited everyone over. What do you think?”

  I think it sounds like a great plan.

  “Perfect. You handle the grilling and alcohol. I’ll take care of the food.”

  After the car show debacle, I need a weekend with my friends. When Mike calls, I tell him about the party, but he declines. We are still going to Bentley’s show the following week. He is cool with that and tells me he is looking forward to it. I’m not, but I figure I’ll cross that bridge later.

  Alyssa

  THERE IS SO MUCH to prepare for the barbeque. Kat and I share a love of cooking, and she comes over early to help me get everything ready. Bentley has the easy part of getting the hamburgers and hotdogs. Kat and I are knee deep in pasta and potato salad. I am using my grandmother’s German potato salad recipe. It’s always the first thing to go at every party I bring it to. Bentley also bribed me to make it, unnecessarily. He came armed with my favorite vanilla scented body wash and lotion. I couldn’t say no.

  “I’ll start the brownies while you finish up.” Kat says to me as I mix in the last of the ingredients.

  “I miss this, Kat. We don’t hang out enough anymore.” Not that it’s her fault. Since she moved out of here and in with Caleb, we don’t see each other as often.

  “Me too, Aly. Time’s just gone so quickly. Why don’t we plan a girl’s weekend away somewhere? Oooh, I know! Remember that resort in Marco Island we went to? We can do that again. Oh my
God, we are so doing that! I’m telling Caleb right now.” She jumps up and down as she calls Caleb. When she hangs up, the smile on her face is even bigger.

  “I guess it’s settled. We are going to Marco Island. Let’s invite Lexi and Jade too. We don’t get enough time alone together.”

  Bentley comes running down the stairs around noon. I am just finishing making a batch of coconut pineapple sangria. It is quite tasty. I may have tasted a small glass or two before Bentley shows up.

  “Starting the party early, are we?” he says as he walks through the door.

  “I had to make sure it tastes good. And it is so freakin’ good. Want to try a sip?”

  He comes over to the counter with his usual swagger, dressed in board shorts and a tank top, ready for the beach. Bentley grabs my hand that’s holding the glass, tilts it to his lips, and takes a sip. “Not bad, but don’t tell the boys I said that.” As he licks his lips, I can’t take my eyes off of his mouth.

  Snap out of it, Aly.

  Bentley sits down at the breakfast bar area and sneaks a bite of potato salad as I put the mixed drinks in the fridge. I turn towards him, “I need to finish getting ready. Is there anything else we need to do first? Everyone is going to be coming soon.”

  “I just need to set up the sound system when Caleb gets here. Then, I think we’re good. Go. Get ready.”

  I head to my room to take a quick shower. I use the body wash Bentley got me. Mike hates the smell, but I love it. Once I dry my body and blow out my hair, I apply my lotion. I put my hair up in a messy bun since we will be at the beach most of the time. With the towel wrapped around me, I grab my new bikini. I usually wear a tankini, but I found this when Lexi and I went shopping the other day. She said it looks amazing on me.

  I look at myself in the mirror. The top doesn’t leave much hidden with the way it is pushing up my breasts, giving a view of my cleavage. The bottoms are cut low, so low I needed to get waxed the other day. A knock at my bedroom door draws me back to the present. Lexi walks in.

  “Damn, Aly. You look hot. Seriously hot. The boys are going to be tenting in their shorts when they see you.”

  “Shut up, Lexi. Thanks for that. I’m going to be checking out everyone’s junk.” I laugh.

  “Seriously, you look great. That bikini was made for you. You need to show yourself off more.”

  “Let’s go. I want you to try the drink I made. Is everyone here?” I throw on my strapless cover-up, and we head out to the living room where Kat and Jade are.

  Lexi greets them. “What up, my bitches? Time to get this party started. I brought some provisions for tonight’s shenanigans.” She opens the fridge, revealing the trays of Jell-O shots. I can only imagine what she has planned. As she closes the door, Hunter walks in.

  They look at each other before turning away. You can feel the electric charge between them. Hunter heads towards the other part of the room, occasionally glancing in Lexi’s direction. Finally, Lexi says, “Screw this!”

  She grabs my hand, pulling me towards where Bentley and Hunter were standing.

  “Hi, Hunt,” I say, feeling a little awkward.

  He kisses the top of my head. “Hey, Hun. Lexi.”

  Why she chooses this moment to confront him, I have no clue.

  “Listen Hunter, this is ridiculous. We’ve been avoiding each other for months. We had sex; it was no big deal.”

  He stares at her, wide-eyed, as she continues. “We were friends before that happened. Can we just move on and be friends again?”

  He breaks out in hysterics. “Shit Lex, I missed you too. You always have a way with words. For the record, it was great sex.”

  She smiles. “Yeah, it was. But it will never happen again, agreed?”

  He leans in and whispers something to her. She blushes. I’ve never seen her blush before. Then she hugs him, and I let out the breath I was holding. Bentley gives me a look that says what the fuck was that about?

  I say in his ear, “I think they just made up.”

  He shrugs.

  The rest of the guys arrive and we head down to the beach with the coolers of food. Since it is not a public beach, Bentley talked to the neighbors telling them what we were doing. He didn’t want to piss anyone off. Everyone was cool as long as we cleaned up everything. The boys carry the grill down while the girls set up blankets to relax in the sun.

  Bentley

  THIS WEEKEND IS EXACTLY what I need. It’s perfect weather for a barbeque. We have everything set up on the beach. Cal and I set up the sound system, grill, and drinks. Just as I crank up the music, the girls set up their towels on the sand. I see Aly out of the corner of my eye starting to take off her cover-up.

  Normally, when we come to the beach, she doesn’t show much, not as much as this anyway. Today, she is wearing the tiniest bikini I have ever seen. It is the same color blue as the Caribbean ocean. The top is cut so low; I’m surprised her tits aren’t popping out. When she bends down to remove her dress, my dick jumps. The globes of her perfectly round ass are hanging out in plain view. I have to resist the urge to tell her to put that little dress back on. How the fuck am I going to keep myself under control when she is dressed like that? Fuck!

  Hunter comes up next to me, handing me a beer. “Like the view much?”

  I see him looking at Lexi in her white bikini. “Did I ever tell you how much I love the beach?”

  We take long sips of our drinks, admiring the sights.

  Before we start cooking, I need to cool off in more ways than one. The Gulf is calling my name. I look at my boys and they know exactly what I am thinking. We each grab a girl, I head directly towards Aly, throw them over our shoulders and run straight into the water. They all scream as we toss them in, then we jump in ourselves.

  Aly looks at me. “You are so going to pay for that.”

  I gesture with my hands as if saying ‘come and get me’. She jumps on my back trying to push me under the water, but doesn’t succeed.

  “I hate you, Bentley.”

  When she slides off, I turn to face her. I place my finger under her chin. “No you don’t, Angel. You love me, and you know it.”

  She looks at me as she sucks in her breath, biting her bottom lip. Thank God I’m waist-deep in the water, because the sight of her doing that has junior ready to pounce. She pushes me in my weakened state, and I fall with a splash in the water.

  When I emerge, she’s laughing at me.

  Alyssa

  THE REAL PARTY BEGINS when we head upstairs. We get the drinks set up on the bar area. Lexi plugs in her playlist on the stereo. While the boys are still at the beach, we have a taste of the drink I made. Jade says, “Aly this is amazing. I need the recipe. It goes down a little too easily.”

  Lexi adds her two cents. “I love when it slides down nice and easy. That’s the best kind… of drink.”

  We are laughing, definitely feeling the day’s sun and drinks kicking in. Dubbing it our ‘inside beach party’, none of us bother to change out of our swimsuits. The song Cowboy is playing on the stereo system. Lexi reaches over to my cowgirl hat that is on the nearby coat rack, putting it on my head. With drinks in our hands, we shake our asses to the sexy sounds of Kid Rock. The boys return just as the dancing turns hot.

  “Damn, that’s hot,” Caleb says as he starts dancing with Kat. She bends down at the waist, grinding against him, as Caleb pretends to smack her ass. I laugh at the sight of them, but secretly I’m jealous.

  Bentley dances his way closer to me, singing along with the words. I have an instant reaction to the sound of his voice. My ears perk up, my body warms, and I get that familiar tingle down below. His body is close to mine, but he never makes contact. Why this turns me on, I don’t know. He’s like the forbidden fruit. He takes my hat off my head placing it on his. It should have been a funny sight, since it is really girly. He, however, makes it look sexy. God, is there anything this man can’t make look good?

  When I look over, Lexi is dancing with Josh. Hu
nter is watching her from the couch. I go to where he’s sitting.

  “No party poopers allowed. Now, dance with me.” I attempt to pull him up, but the man is a six-foot-plus wall of steel. He humors me by standing on his own after I give him my puppy dog eyes.

  Dancing with Hunter is easy. The guy has rhythm; he should since he’s the drummer in Slither. My hands rest on his huge biceps, as he lifts my leg pretending like he’s grinding against me. As Hunter and I dance, Bentley makes his way over with Lexi attached to his hip. I think we are having an informal dance off, or a contest to see who can dance the sexiest. We win when Hunter picks me up and my legs wrap around his waist. I use him like a pole and arch backwards, hands on the floor as I mock grind against him. This was a move I just perfected in my workout class. The boys all wolf whistle at us. Bentley mutters to Hunter. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  As I raise myself back up, and thank the bikini gods that my top stayed in place, Hunter puts me back on the ground. He smiles as he says, “No harm in having good, clean fun.”

  I put my hand on Bentley’s arm. “He’s just mad because we won that showdown.”

  Hunter fist bumps me in triumph.

  Bentley states in my ear, “No, Aly, I’m not mad I lost. I’m pissed you never did that move with me because it was hot.”

  I take a step back, needing to catch my breath. I tell myself it’s just the alcohol making everyone loose lipped.

  Lexi walks backwards as she pulls me away from the boys and starts dancing. “If you think that was hot, wait until you see this.”

  Since Lexi selected the music, she knows what song is next. She winks as Nick Jonas’ voice singing Chains comes through the speakers. I nod my head as she smiles at me. Lexi enjoys putting on a show for guys, and I’m happy to join in. Since we’ve done this a million times together working out, we are comfortable touching each other’s bodies.