Safe Without You by H. Ward Read Free Book Online Page B

where the brothers were staying so that they could get dressed.  They then took her to dinner where they drank more.  Clearly they had some practice drinking, Amber thought, as she leaned against Tomás, his arm around her waist.  And clearly she was trying to avoid any self-examination. 
                  A short distance away from the bungalow, Amber shooed them away, “I don’t want to wake up Cal, especially if he’s not feeling well,” she explained.  “Don’t misjudge him,” she said softly, “He’s not always in a bad mood.  He has a lot of things on his mind.”
                  “Sure,” Denes said, “See you tomorrow,” and he turned and walked away discreetly, leaving his older brother alone with Amber.
                  “What about his sister?  How is her mood?” Tomás asked as he pulled Amber to him.  She could feel Tomás’ burgeoning erection straining against the light cotton of his pants.  He began nibbling at her neck and then whispered in her ear, “We could have some fun down on the beach.”
                  Amber hiccupped, “Not like this.”  She made it seem as if her drunken state was her excuse, “If I’m going to have fun, I need to be a little more sober.”
                  Tomás didn’t push, “Okay.  There will be time, I think, to have fun.”  He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.  “Where should we meet tomorrow?”
                  “At the coffee bar, around 10.  It’s the one painted green, right on the beach.”  Amber hiccupped again.  “Excuse me,” she said, covering her mouth with a hand.
                  Tomás laughed, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  He kissed her once, hard on the mouth, then turned and left.
                  Amber shuffled the short distance to the bungalow, but when she tried the door, she found it locked.  She leaned her face against the door, listening for any sound as she tapped lightly.  There wasn’t any answer, and then she knocked harder.  When Cal still didn’t answer, she pounded at the door as hard as she could, kicking it with one foot.
                  “Damn it Cal, let me in,” she yelled.  “Let me in right now.”  Still there wasn’t any answer.  She slumped down to the ground, her back against the door and her head resting on her arms across her knees.  A few more minutes passed, and then she heard the faint sound of the tumblers in the lock clicking as the doorknob was turned.  She scrambled to her feet, drunken tears running down her face. 
                  When Cal opened the door she threw her arms around his neck and said over and over, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
                  Cal stood there impassively, “You need to grow up, that shit can’t stand.”
                  “I didn’t fuck him, I swear, I only drank and had dinner with the both of them.  I promise I didn’t fuck him.”
                  Untangling her arms from around his neck, Cal simply turned around and got back in bed.  Amber sat on the other side of the bed, and scuffed off her flip-flops as she tried to unknot her sarong.  She couldn’t make her fingers work quite right and in frustration, she finally just ripped the cloth to get it off.  She pulled off her bathing suit, and brushed at the sand clinging under her breasts.  “I’m sorry Cal, I started having all these crazy thoughts.  I don’t know why I did that.”
                  Cal sighed and turned over, giving her his back, “Then maybe you better figure it out, Amber McShane, because I’m not going to share you with Euro-boy.”
                  When Amber woke up the next morning, Cal was gone.  Most of his stuff was missing too, but there was a note on the dresser, “I’ll be back in two days.  If you’re still here, I’ll be very happy to see you.  And