Sand, Surf and Sunnie Read online

  “Here. Toilet paper.” He dropped a packet of twenty rolls at her feet. “Might need to store half of them in the linen cupboard.”

  “Ya think?” Sunnie straightened up and turned towards him. “Why the sudden domestic proficiency?”

  Z shrugged. “You’ve always done more than your share. It’s time we chipped in.”

  “I’ve never complained about it.”

  “I know, but it’s going to stop anyway.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it was pointed out, not too kindly, that we take advantage of you. I didn’t like the way that made me feel.” He reached over and ran his fingertip down her cheek. “No one should ever take advantage of you, Sunshine.”

  Sunnie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She wanted to know who was talking about them and exactly what had been said, but Rand interrupted by yelling down the hall.

  “Pizza’s here.”

  The beauty of living three doors down from a pizza shop was super-fast delivery service. They headed back to the kitchen where the pizzas were waiting. The smell of fresh-baked dough, rich tomato, and spicy meat filled the air, making her mouth water.

  “I’m starving.” She lifted the lid on the first box and pulled out a slice. Cheese stretched in an ever-thinning line from the remaining pie as she raised the piece to her mouth. Flavor exploded on her tongue as she sank her teeth in. “Mmm…Yummy.”

  “One thing I’ve always loved about you, Sunnie—you’re not afraid to eat and enjoy it.” Z grabbed a slice and devoured half of it in one bite.

  “Are we going to eat in here or do we want to take it in the living room and see what’s on the TV?” Rand didn’t bother waiting for an answer. He picked up the two boxes and headed out of the room.

  “Guess I missed making that decision.” Sunnie smiled. “I’ll grab paper towels.”

  “I’ll get the beers.” Z shoveled the rest of his slice into his mouth and pulled open the fridge.

  “Only two beers,” Rand called out. “Sunnie’s had enough already.”

  “Hey! I’m not drunk.”

  “No. And you’re not going to be either,” Rand yelled from the other room.

  Sighing, Sunnie grabbed the roll of towel and trudged in Rand’s wake, devouring her pizza as she went.

  “Cheer up.” Z caught up and bumped her elbow with his. “I’ll let you have most of mine if you promise not to tell the fun police.”

  “I heard that and you just volunteered to hold her hair out of the toilet bowl.”

  Z laughed. “It won’t come to that.”

  “You said that last time she drank.”

  Sunnie dropped the paper roll on the table beside the pizza and broke off another slice. “I’m perfectly capable of knowing my limits and stopping when I reach them.”

  “And you said that last time Z talked you into a drink.” Rand reached out and curled his fingers around her wrist. “Sit and eat. We’ll worry about your beer intake later.”

  She let him pull her down beside him. “So what’s on the television?”

  “Don’t know.” Z picked up the remote and began flicking channels as he sat on the floor. “Yell if you see anything good.”

  Several minutes later and a second run through of the evening’s viewing proved there were slim pickings for a Friday night.

  “Do we have any decent movies that we haven’t watched a billion times?” Rand asked.

  “Actually I picked up some new ones at the supermarket.” Z pushed up from the floor. “I’ll get one.”

  “Which one?” Sunnie asked. “Hey, and bring me back a beer.”

  Z returned and passed her a beer along with a movie case before walking over and slipping a disc into the player.

  “Footloose?” She showed the cover picture to Rand. “The original with Kevin Bacon.”

  “What? No Dirty Dancing?” Rand smirked.

  Z turned to look at them. “You wanna watch that instead? I got it too.”

  Sunnie and Rand sat in stunned silence for a second before they simultaneously burst into laughter. She laughed so much her sides hurt, and when she glanced up at Z the look on his face only made her laugh harder.

  “I’m glad you both find my movie choices amusing. At least we know you’ll have a good time.” He turned back and fiddled with the machine. “Okay, we’re set.”

  “We’re really going to watch Footloose?” Rand asked.

  “Hell yeah, it’s a great movie.” Z came over and sat next to Sunnie.

  “Jesus, were we even born when it came out?” Rand asked.

  “I remember watching it at a slumber party in my early teens and it was old then.” Sunnie smiled at the memory. That night had been a revelation. The girl whose house they were sleeping at had three older siblings and they’d discovered some interesting magazines, clothes, and sex toys during the hours after dark.

  “What has that silly grin on your face?” Z asked.

  “I’m just reminiscing about the first time I watched this.”

  “Nuh-uh, that smile is more than a fond movie memory.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not telling you.” She reached for the remote and pushed Play, switching the volume up at the same time.

  “Fine. I don’t want to know anyway.” Z crossed his arms and exaggerated a pout.

  Sunnie laughed. “You’re a clown sometimes, you know that?”

  “Knock it off you two. I’m trying to watch the movie,” Rand said.

  “Jeez, man, it’s just the trailers. Gimme that.” Z snatched the controller from Sunnie’s hand. “Fast-forward this shit.”

  “Hey, I like watching those.” Sunnie tried to grab the remote, but Z raised his arm up and back, out of reach.

  Sunnie twisted toward him and with one hand on his thigh, braced her weight to lean across him, but no matter how far she stretched she couldn’t get to the controller. For a few moments they jostled against each other and by the time she gave up the effort they were both breathing hard. She sagged against him and something dug into her stomach. A hard bulge pressed into her belly and she was certain Z wasn’t wearing a belt buckle. Board shorts didn’t need belts.

  Drawing in a breath, she brought her gaze over to meet Z’s. Rand had gone perfectly still beside them and at some point Z must have paused the movie, leaving the only sound in the room their labored breathing. Sunnie met Z’s emotion-filled stare with confusion. She couldn’t be sure what she read wasn’t her own feelings reflected back, or wishful thinking. Her gaze dropped to his lips and the urge to kiss him streaked through her.

  Shocked by her own desire, she carefully lifted herself off his lap and sat back, her gaze rising to meet Z’s again. For what seemed like hours but could only be seconds, they stared at each other. It seemed as though time froze and, if the strident ring of a phone hadn’t broken the awkward silence, they may have remained that way forever.

  “Gotta get that.” Z stood as though his pants suddenly caught fire. “It’ll be work.”

  He strode from the room in much the same way Rand had earlier in the evening. What the hell just happened? If she were a fanciful person at all, Sunnie might believe she’d stepped into an alternate universe. One where her two best friends weren’t off-limits and the attraction she’d fought against for years was returned.

  Chapter Two

  Rand watched Sunnie struggle to comprehend what had happened between her and Z. He’d been fairly sure she’d noticed his own arousal earlier, but she didn’t bring it up so neither did he. Now though, they were all going to have to deal with the electricity currently arcing between them.

  Years ago he and Z had made a pact—Sunshine Michaels was off limits. It had always struck him as funny that they’d been zapped by the sun at the exact same moment. He could recall the afternoon as though it had happened only hours ago.

  It was the end of year school picnic and the girls were all stretched out on towels baking their oil-slicked limbs under the harsh summer sun. Except Sunnie. She was right in
the middle of the football game the boys had started. Unconcerned with her near-naked state, she’d flung herself into one tackle after another until she got her hands on the ball. Taking off on those mile-long legs, she’d dodged and weaved between players. When she broke clear of their defense line, he and Z had been the only two fast enough to catch her.

  Sand kicked up behind her and in spite of the clingy, shifting grains beneath his feet Rand caught up, but as he reached out to grab her she darted to the side. If it wasn’t for Z being a step behind him she’d have been clear. Instead, the three of them collided in a bone-crunching impact that took them to the ground in a tangled heap. Sunnie ended up pinned beneath them and for the first time in his life Rand discovered one of his best friends was a girl.

  A stacked girl.

  He’d looked at Z and found the same discovery swirling in his friend’s eyes. At that point Sunnie started a yelling match that had them both scrambling to their feet, but the damage was done. Neither of them ever looked at her the same way again. And regardless of their newly discovered mutual desire, they managed to not only remain friends with each other, but strengthen the friendship between all three of them. Through university, boyfriends, girlfriends, shitty jobs, great jobs, you name it, they’d experienced it all and stuck together.

  For years they’d kept their true feelings for Sunnie hidden. Until now. In the space of a few hours something had shifted, some indefinable atom of the world had moved and Rand hadn’t a clue what or how. All he knew was it started when she arrived home early from another bad date.

  “Your date.”

  “What?” Sunnie turned to face him. “My date?”

  “What was wrong with him?”

  “Um…nothing a crowbar wouldn’t fix.”

  “A crowbar?” What the hell was she talking about?

  “To pry the third wheel off.”

  “Huh?” Rand shook his head. “Could you not speak in riddles?”

  Sunnie took a deep breath, one that raised her chest and pushed her breasts out. He couldn’t stop his gaze from dipping to the deep cleavage her tight dress gave her, but her whole body appeared to deflate as she let the breath go and leaned back against the couch, her eyelids lowering.

  “He brought someone with him.”

  “What?” Rand’s hands clenched into fists and anger churned his gut. “He two-timed you on your date?”

  “No, apparently it was supposed to be a three-person date.”

  “What the fuck?” Was she saying what he thought? “He brought a friend with him?” Rand knew he wasn’t getting it. At least he hoped he wasn’t getting it.

  “Not a friend.”

  “Sunshine, you’re not being clear. Did he bring someone with him or not?”

  “Yeah.” Her throat work as she swallowed. “His wife.”

  Dumbfounded, Rand sat staring at Sunnie’s profile. Her eyes were closed and her lips were drawn down at the end. Before he could form a coherent thought, never mind speak, she turned her head and opened her eyes.

  “Why do I always attract the rotten ones?”

  Rand’s heart ached. “Aw, Sunshine, attracting rotten ones isn’t your problem. It’s more that you attract all types, but you don’t seem to notice the ones that aren’t aggressive in their pursuit. How many times did this guy ask you out before you agreed?”

  “At least once a week for the last few months.”

  “And why did you finally agree to go out with him?”

  Sunnie ducked her head, her neck and cheeks flushing pink. “To shut him up.”

  “Thought so.” Rand placed two fingers under her chin and nudged her head back so she had to look at him. “You’re not picking these guys, Sunnie. You’re giving in to the ones that won’t take no for an answer. The fact they won’t accept no should tell you something.”

  “So it’s not me, it’s them?”

  Her hopeful look made Rand want to pull her close and agree, but he couldn’t deceive her. “No, Sunshine, it is you. You need to open your eyes and look at what’s around you. There are so many decent guys that would jump at the chance to be with you.”

  “Really?”

  Rand could no more stop his hand from cupping her cheek than he could stop breathing. The action was involuntary, one that felt so natural and so right that the next move was to lean in and kiss her slightly parted lips. He brushed Sunnie’s mouth with his. Pressed against that soft, warm flesh with growing eagerness and took them both onto shaky ground. The world shifted—a single jolt that rocked Rand to his toes and delivered a breath-stealing fist to his gut.

  He pulled back, his eyes opening slowly. When had they closed? Sunnie blinked, confusion and desire swirling in the depths of her baby blues. Emotions Rand understood all too well. That kiss, nothing more than a brush of lips, had exploded in a way he never imagined. The desire he’d held tight rein of all his adult life had gotten a taste of forbidden fruit. How was he supposed to deny himself now?

  “Rand?”

  His name tripped off her lips on a soft breath, and warm air flowed over his face. He shuddered. The teasing caress along with her sultry voice stirred his lust further, pumped hot blood through his veins and into his groin. He’d never heard her speak in that tone before. Never dreamed he would. Knowing he’d been the one to make her breathless with such a simple kiss had Rand wondering what he could do with a full seduction. Would her breath hitch when he stroked her skin? Catch when he pressed his erection against her?

  She searched his eyes, but he couldn’t find the words to reassure her. Wasn’t sure they existed. Not now. Nothing could return them to the way they were before that kiss. Their gazes remained locked, their mouths a few inches apart, and Rand wanted to move in and plant his lips on hers again. He needed to put distance between them or that’s exactly what would happen. Leaning back, he moved a few inches away, managed to give his cock a little room in his pants as well as widen the gap separating their bodies.

  “Why…?” She brought her hand up and covered her lips with trembling fingers. “You kissed me. Like you wanted to.”

  Rand laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised, Sunshine. I want to do a hell of a lot more than kiss you.”

  “R-really?”

  Her disbelief made him laugh harder. “Shit, Sunnie, you have no idea how much.”

  She studied him a moment before glancing over her shoulder at the door where he could hear Z in the other room talking on the phone. Her gaze returned to meet Rand’s. “What about Zeke?”

  “Oh I’m pretty sure he’d give his left nut to go well beyond a kiss.”

  “Who’s giving up a nut and to whom?” Z asked as he rejoined them.

  “You are, for more than a kiss with Sunnie.” Rand watched Sunnie’s cheeks turn a deeper red.

  “No shit, Sherlock. She can have both, and any other body part she’s interested in for that matter.” Z sat on the other side of Sunnie, sandwiching her between them.

  An image of Sunnie, wedged between him and Z, flickered across Rand’s mind. He dragged in a deep breath. Where the image came from he didn’t know, but he liked every delicious second of it. He’d watched numerous porn movies in his life but never imagined Sunnie, Z and himself in the starring roles. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted it with a bone-deep urgency he struggled to control. Maybe that would be the solution to all their problems—a way around the pact.

  “What are you thinking, Rand?” Z eyed him from the other end of the couch.

  “How well the three of us fit together.” He swallowed hard, took a breath, and went for it. “How well that would translate to sex.”

  Beer sprayed from Sunnie’s mouth. “Sex?” She broke into a fit of coughing.

  “Oh man.” Z thumped Sunnie’s back, a grin spreading on his face. “Didn’t see that one coming. I’m flattered, man. Didn’t know you thought of me in that way. But I have to admit, I’m intrigued.”

  “You are?” Sunnie squeaked as she tried to catch her breath.


  “Relax, Sunshine, we’re not going to pounce on you.” Rand rubbed his hand up and down her spine. “It’s not like either of us hasn’t thought about having sex with you before now.”

  “Ha-ha, as if.” Her gaze switched between them.

  “Every damn day since our high school end of year picnic,” Z said.

  Rand nodded. “Yep, best and worst day of my life.”

  “Yeah, I’m with you on that, man.”

  “What?” Sunnie jumped up and turned to face them. “You’re not making any sense. What has this got to do with high school?”

  “We’ve both wanted to get in your pants since then.” Rand shrugged, hoping his blunt confession wouldn’t send her running for the hills.

  “But you never said anything.” She began to pace. “Either of you.” More pacing. “Ever.”

  “We made a pact not to,” Z said.

  Sunnie stopped and spun around, hands on her hips. “What? A pact? Jesus, is this one of those male bonding thingies?”

  Rand cracked up. “You say that like you’re chewing on dirt.”

  “Besides, it was nothing so elaborate. We discussed it at the time, and decided we valued our friendship more than having sex with you.”

  She looked at Z. “I’m surprised either of you were mature enough to come up with that idea.”

  “Hey!” Rand went to stand but she stopped him with a hard stare and a pointed finger.

  “I remember what hound dogs you both were in high school and at university. Anything in a skirt was fair game.”

  “Defense mechanism.” Z’s cryptic comment had them both turning to look at him.

  “What?”

  “Huh?”

  “When you can’t have what you want, surround yourself with what you can. And you know as well as we do that every one of those women were more than happy to be on the receiving end of attention from either one of us.” Z reached out and grabbed Sunnie’s wrist. “Don’t turn the conversation away from what Rand brought up.”