Laguna Beach: Lost in Laguna (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Clark stepped outside of the front door just as she pulled away.

  Never to return.

  CHAPTER 3

  Four years ago.

  ISLA RAN FROM THE parking area and across the empty beach toward the water, snatching her cover-up off as Garrett chased her.

  In a pink bikini, she screamed and laughed when she glanced behind her to see that he was right on her heels. She quickened her speed, the hot sand burning the soles of her feet as Garrett left his flip flops behind and took off his shirt.

  She splashed across the shore and dove into the ocean once she could no longer feel the bottom, the rush of cool water swarmed around her.

  She pulled her long brown hair from its ponytail and dove into the water. She smiled as Garrett followed her, reaching for her legs as she swam away.

  When he grabbed her left leg and tickled her foot, she emerged from the water and gasped. She laughed into the air, closing her eyes against the bright sun that beamed down on them in the still crystal clear ocean. Life was perfect when they were together.

  “Okay! Okay,” she said in between hysterical laughing as he continued tickling her. She ran her hands through his wavy brown hair and tugged at it. “You win!”

  Garrett pulled her closer by her thighs and she wrapped them around his waist as he held her chest to chest in the water.

  Breathless, Isla smiled at him, her cheeks reddening at how close they were.

  “Say it,” he said, pressing his lips to hers.

  Isla’s eyes closed as he kissed her. There was something about Garrett Thorne that made her forget her thoughts and words. Maybe it was the hint of a Yorkshire accent or the sexy tattoos that intrigued her. He was completely different from all of the other boys in Laguna Beach.

  Her heart still raced from running but now melted as he let his hands lace into her hair.

  “Say it,” he repeated in a whisper, holding her bottom lip between his teeth as his tongue traced her lip.

  A shiver ran along her naked flesh and up her spine. She could feel his heart beating against hers as she opened her eyes. His olive green eyes peered into hers giving her butterflies.

  Water dripped onto her lashes as she looked at him. “I love you too,” she said, her smile fading. The gravity of that statement slammed into her.

  Isla didn’t say those words often. Her family wasn’t one for displays of affection of any sort, in public or in private, and the love word didn’t belong in their daily vocabulary.

  So, saying it to the handsome young man that she’d been dating exclusively for most of her senior year scared her beyond belief. He scared her, but also made her feel things she’d never thought possible.

  Garrett was different from the guys at her private school or the ones her father kept trying to set her up with. The Maxwell image was more important to her parents than Isla’s heart, and her heart belonged to a man who’s house cost less than her car.

  Isla already knew that she’d give all of her wealth away to be with him.

  He grinned and kissed her again. “Was that so hard?”

  She clung to him, her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she said. “It was.”

  “Why, Isla?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Because love it dangerous,” she said. Her heart was open, more open than it had been since she was a child. She’d been hurt so much by her parents, boys, and the girls at school that she feared what someone as special as Garrett could do.

  “Being in love makes you vulnerable. I don’t want to get hurt. Not by you, or anyone else.”

  Garrett pulled away to face her. “I will never hurt you. You have to believe that.”

  She tilted her head. “How do you know? You’re only nineteen and I’m about to turn eighteen. There are a lot of years ahead of us for you to hurt me.”

  “True. There are also a lot of years ahead for me to love and cherish you.”

  Isla grinned. “You English boys and your poetic words.”

  He chuckled. “Every word I say is true, and I’ll show you.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Isla nodded, and pushed away, swimming back to shore.

  ***

  Present day.

  THE BUSY HIGHWAY LED ISLA away from Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base to the only place she knew to go.

  Laguna Beach.

  Her hometown.

  The fact remained that although this was the place she’d grown up, it was also a harbor for her darkest days. She’d considered picking up her life and settling anywhere else but Laguna, but at that moment, she didn’t want to be alone.

  The memories of Garrett were unbearable without any of the distractions she’d surrounded herself with.

  The quiet road took her down a row of elaborate houses with glass walls that overlooked the beach, and tall palm trees that made the entire neighborhood look like a luxury resort. The smell of the ocean helped perk her up as she pulled her car into the driveway of her best friend, Robin’s beachfront house.

  Isla stepped out of the car, purse in hand, and stood on the white cement. Her eyes closed as she tilted her head back and let the sun warm her face. Her heart was broken, but she would recover. She hoped.

  Even as she thought that she would heal, there was a piece of her that would always be sore, and that was something Clark didn’t understand.

  “Isla,” Robin called from her front door.

  Isla’s eyes opened. As she looked to Robin, she lost her composure and covered her mouth as sobs threatened to break her into two.

  Robin hurried down the driveway in a billowing pink dress. She collected Isla into her arms, kissing her forehead.

  “Sweetheart,” she said, softly as she stroked Isla’s dark brown hair. “Let it out, doll. Let it all out.”

  Isla buried her face into Robin’s and sobbed.

  “Let’s go inside and have a drink,” Robin said, taking Isla’s hand and leading her up to the oceanfront beach house that stood just behind the rocks that led to the shore.

  Isla allowed herself to be led away, not caring one bit who saw her cry as a group of women with strollers watched her from the street.

  Once they were inside, Isla was appreciative of the cool air. It helped clear her mind as she sat down at Robin’s bar in a tall swivel stool. She glanced at the six windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, overlooking the water, and at the kitchen that Robin must have just gotten done.

  Her home used to look more like a vacation rental, but it seemed she invested in some upgrades. Isla didn’t really care what it looked like, she just needed to stay somewhere and get back on her feet.

  “Do you want a drink?”

  Isla shrugged, sniffling. “What do you have?” She took off her sunglasses and wiped her eyes.

  Robin glanced at the clock on her wall next to the fridge. “It’s 4pm. How about a shot of tequila?”

  Isla slapped her hand on the countertop. “That’s my girl,” she said, smiling. “Bring it.”

  She ran her hands through the tangles in her hair and they laughed as Robin took out two shot glasses. She pulled a frosty bottle of Patron from the freezer and poured the clear liquid into their glasses. Isla took hers and lifted it to the sky, tossing her long hair back.

  “To best friends, new beginnings, and the beach.”

  Robin clinked her glass to Isla’s. “I second all of that. Cheers.”

  They drank the tequila. “Another,” Isla said, making a face as she held her glass toward Robin.

  After her second shot, she exhaled and looked Robin straight on. “No more soldiers,” she said.

  She glanced around, seeing that there were babyproofing products stacked against the pantry door. Boxes of baby gates caught Isla’s attention. “Are you pregnant?”

  “No,” Robin said with a laugh. “Annie Johns came for a quick visit. She is looking for a babysitter and I offered to help her out. So, she brought over a bunch of baby proofing stuff.”

  “Your old college roommate? T
hat Annie?”

  Robin nodded, her short blond curls bouncing with enthusiasm. “Yeah. Her kids are absolutely adorable.”

  “I bet. Wow.” Isla scratched her forehead. “I can’t believe he signed up again.” She frowned. “I can’t believe I care so much. He was a jerk.”

  “He was. You don’t need him.”

  Isla shrugged. “I guess. He was a safe choice in a boyfriend.”

  “Was he?”

  Isla pursed her lips. She didn’t have the energy to get into Clark’s faults. She just wanted to forget him.

  “You broke your own rule,” Robin said, opening her fridge and pulling out a plastic bowl. She sat down beside Isla and opened a bag of veggie chips that had been sitting on the counter.

  “I did,” Isla said with a sigh. She dipped her chip in the cool cucumber dip Robin pulled from the fridge. “You’d think I would have learned my lesson. There’s just something about soldiers that always did something to me. But, he at least kept me in check.”

  “Kept you in check? Jesus, Isla. You make it sound like you’re liable to become Harley Quinn if some man doesn’t keep you focused. Come on, girl. You’re stronger than that. I know it.”

  Isla pursed her lips. Robin didn’t understand. Isla had a problem, one that made her look more like a loose cannon than a broken young woman desperate for affection.

  Robin tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in concern as she searched Isla’s. “I think just trying to find someone like Garrett.”

  Isla’s face paled. Her stomach churned and she felt that she might be ill. The memories alone were enough to send her two years back when she’d nearly given up on life. When she’d lost him.

  Garrett Thorne.

  Her first love. Pain shot into her at hearing his name.

  His olive green eyes haunted her dreams. They’d been high school sweethearts, determined to love one another until the day they died. Then, Garrett joined the army, just like his father and grandfather. The day he was deployed, Isla had felt warnings in her stomach. Warnings to Isla were always a form of premonition.

  And she’d been right.

  He never returned to her.

  Isla squeezed her eyes shut. No man had ever come close to making her feel the things Garrett had once introduced her to.

  Robin was right. Isla would give anything to find a man that was half as good as Garrett. After chatting online almost every night for months, he suddenly vanished and wasn’t heard from for two years.

  “Don’t say his name,” Isla said. He was the one part of her heart that would always be sore. Nothing could repair that part that she saved for him. “You’re going to ruin the buzz the tequila is giving me, and I need this buzz, girl.”

  Robin took her hand and Isla tensed. Her blue eyes looked into Isla’s. “Isla, I have something to tell you. I wanted to wait until you arrived so that I could tell you face to face.”

  Isla could tell that whatever it was; it was big. “What?”

  A faint smile came to Robin’s lips as she leaned toward Isla.

  “Garrett Thorne came home yesterday.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Four years ago.

  “I CAN’T WAIT TO MOVE OUT of my parents’ house,” Isla said as she rested her head on Garrett’s chest.

  “I know, baby. It will happen. We’ll get a place of our own one day.”

  Garrett held her hand as they as they watched a movie on the flat-screen TV he’d saved months of pizza delivery tips to afford. That was one of the many things that he loved about her: she never judged him for being poor in a town of wealthy snobs. They weren’t all snobby...there were exceptions like Isla after all.

  “I can get my trust once I turn eighteen, and I’m out of there. My mother is trying to get me to join all of the same clubs and teams that she was in. I am not Chrissy. When is she going to get that?”

  “You don’t have much longer,” Garrett said. “But, you can stay here if you want.”

  “Are you serious? Won’t your mom mind?”

  He shrugged. “My mom likes you. I don’t think she’d care.”

  “Well, that’s a good idea. But my parents would flog me if they ever found out.”

  “Well, you’ve stayed here the past couple of nights already. Just keep telling them that you’re staying with Robin.”

  “Garrett,” Isla called, lifting her head from resting on his chest.

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “I’m tired,” she said, yawning. “Can we go to bed now?”

  A smile came to his lips as she gazed at him from beneath thick dark lashes. Her eyes, they were magical, the blue a shade that made her look like an ethereal being from a fairy tale. He’d sketched her. Many times. And could never capture her essence.

  “Okay,” he said, turning off the TV and reaching a hand to help her from the leather sofa in the basement where he kept all of his art and supplies. This special place was his retreat, a place where he could paint, write, and just reflect on where he was going to take his life.

  Garrett pursed his lips. He knew what his next move would be. He just hadn’t gained the courage to tell Isla yet.

  He was nineteen. It was time to be a man. He could hear his father saying that to him, even though they hadn’t spoken in years. Garrett knew that his father was too ashamed of his actions to face his only son. So, he wasted away in a prison, alone.

  They walked up the steps to the main floor of the house where his mother was already asleep. She knew that Isla was there, and didn’t care that she was staying over. Isla was one of the only girls that his mother actually liked.

  Once they were in his bedroom, he closed and locked the door behind them. The room was dark, and cool, the ceiling fan on full speed just how he liked it. He’d washed the sheets and his blanket in preparation for their sleepover. He wondered if her parents really believed that she was staying with her best friend, Robin.

  She grinned at him, sheepishly as she crossed his room in her shorts, tank top, and slouchy socks that reached to her knees. She climbed into his neat four post bed and took her socks off. Why was he suddenly shy as he watched her pull her hair into a high ponytail?

  He’d dreamed of this moment when they could sleep together for the first time, not because he anticipated being intimate for the first time, but he never felt more at peace than when alone with her.

  “Come on, silly. Aren’t you tired too?”

  Garrett nodded, smiling. He took off his shirt, noting how her eyes lingered on his abs. He’d worked hard on them, for her. He saw how the guys at her school had bodies like they were preparing for their roles in the next 300 movie. He’d always been slim, but had started training at the local boxing gym.

  As he climbed into bed with her, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have one of the most beautiful girls in Laguna Beach fall in love with him. No matter what, as long as she wanted him...he’d never let her go.

  She rested her head on his pillow, facing him, a smile still on her small face.

  He laid down beside her and pulled her closer until their noses touched.

  “Garrett,” Isla whispered. “I have a confession to make.”

  “What is it?”

  He pulled back to see her smile turn into a mischievous grin, her white teeth shining in the moonlight.

  “I lied. I’m not tired,” she said, her hand going to the drawstring at the front of his boxer shorts. “I’m not tired at all.”

  Garrett slid his hand along her waist and under her shirt to smooth the soft skin of her back. He leaned in for a kiss and closed his eyes when her hand slipped into his boxers.

  It didn’t take but one touch for his manhood to awaken. He kissed her neck, sucking her clavicle as she tugged at his boxers.

  “Impatient,” he joked and she giggled.

  “I’ve waited long enough,” she said and pulled her shirt over her head.

  It wasn’t a secret that Isla was promiscuous around town—that she’d slept with a few guys th
at couldn’t keep such things to themselves—but Garrett didn’t care about her past. She was his now and knew that she’d never stray.

  “You saved me,” she said to him once.

  He believed that.

  They saved each other.

  He took off his boxers and she licked her lips at seeing him in the nude. Garrett sucked in a breath, wanting to rip her shorts off, but restraining himself as he pulled them from her thin legs, revealing pink bikini-cut panties.

  Garrett’s eyes flickered up to hers as he leaned over her. Her lips were parted as she watched him take off her panties and kiss her freckled inner thigh. He wrapped his arms under her thighs and pulled her closer. She shuddered beneath his tongue as he lapped at the warm wetness between her legs. Her wetness was sweet, the tiny nub of her clit erect as he licked and sucked it.

  “Dear God,” she moaned, grabbing the pillow and covering her face. “Oh, Garrett,” she said through the pillow, her voice muffled as she writhed on his bed.

  Garrett smiled. Seeing her in pleasure only made him harder. Before long she couldn’t take the intense sensations his eager tongue elicited. She came—hard—against his tongue as he cupped her butt and pressed her core to his mouth.

  He nearly came himself just at the sound of her cries.

  He lifted himself up to face her and covered her mouth with his own, drowning out her moans. “Shhh,” he said with a laugh. “You trying to wake up my mother?”

  She grinned, her chest heaving, her face flushed as she caught her breath. “We’re adults,” she said in between breaths. “What can she say?”

  Garrett laughed again, kissing her plump lips. “She can say that this is still her house.”

  Isla wrapped her arms around his neck, gazing into his eyes. “Okay, baby,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll be quiet.”

  She guided him into her and he closed his eyes, burying his face into the warmth of her neck.

  Nothing felt as good as making love to Isla Maxwell.

  He should have never left her.