Tie Me

He kept his attention on the road and his speed. It was a lot easier to concentrate on his driving with Sara’s wrist cuff in his peripheral view, reminding him to play by the rules, not take chances, and to love her forever.

He drove the length of Seawall Boulevard on his way to the ferry that would take him to Bolivar Peninsula and bypass the traffic nightmare that often surrounded Houston. It was still rather early, so there were only a few people out on the beaches that bordered the wide roadway. He sat at stop lights, watching pedestrians walk their dogs, parents lug beach gear while attempting to corral their children away from the road, and tourists snap pictures of ordinary seagulls. They all seemed to know where they belonged and what they were doing. Must be nice.

He passed hotel after hotel, restaurant after restaurant, and even a small amusement park that was built on a pier extending over the ocean. The Pleasure Pier. He couldn’t even find enough of a sense of humor to develop a joke about that one. He bet Owen would like to go to a place called The Pleasure Pier, but Owen’s preference wouldn’t be family friendly. A tiny smile felt foreign on his Kellen’s face. He needed to get back to Owen. Owen was the one person who only made him happy and never gave him grief. Kellen was lucky to have someone like Owen in his life, and he desperately needed someone to confide in at the moment.

Kellen followed the road signs to the ferry dock and was glad the line was short. He had no idea how long he’d be stuck on the boat with nothing to occupy his mind while it crossed the wide bay bustling with barge traffic. Maybe he’d have time to call Owen. Just a few minutes’ conversation with him was sure to put Kellen in a better frame of mind. He was about to crawl out of his skin.

He waited until the ferry launched from the dock before removing his seatbelt and leaving the car with cellphone in hand to stand along the railing. He turned on his phone and found he had multiple messages in voicemail. All of them were from Owen. Kellen had told him that he was turning his phone off. He wondered if he’d missed out on anything important the night before or if Owen was just bored because he had no one better to bug when Kellen wasn’t on the bus.

Kellen didn’t bother listening to the voicemails, noting that his phone’s battery was low, and dialed Owen’s number.

Owen answered on the second ring. “There you are. I was starting to think you’d been eaten by sharks.”

“Didn’t encounter any sharks. A pig this morning, but no sharks.”

“A pig?”

“I got a speeding ticket.”

“Are you sure?” Owen said. “Wait, is this really Kelly? Adam, did you steal Kelly’s phone again? This has to be a joke.”

Kellen smiled, feeling better already. “I had a lot on my mind when I, uh, left… the woman I… sort of slept with last night.”

There was dead silence on the other end. Kellen tugged the phone from his ear and stared at the screen to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. Still connected.

“Owen? Are you there?”

“You slept with a woman last night. You? Kellen Soaring Eagle Jamison slept with a woman? Were you conscious?”

Kellen chuckled. “Yes, I was a willing participant. But this morning, I sort of just… left. Should I go back? I shouldn’t, should I? Better to cut all ties now, right?”

“I don’t know. Do you like her or was it just a crazy, I-haven’t-been-properly-laid-in-five-years, lust-type thing?”

Kellen blew out his cheeks. “A bit of both, I think. I do like her, but I don’t think I would have slept with her if you’d been there to keep me in check.”

“Fuck,” Owen said. “Do you mean to tell me the only thing I had to do to get you to sleep with a chick was disappear?”

“No,” Kellen said, shaking his head. “There was something special between me and her. I just got freaked out about cheating on Sara and left before she woke up.”

“Then, yes, you should turn around immediately and go back to her, you f**king idiot. You haven’t felt so much as a tickle in your c**k for a woman in over five years, much less anything deeper. The thing with Lindsey can wait.”

“Lindsey?” Kellen said, his eyebrows drawing together. “Who’s Lindsey? Her name is Dawn.”

“Didn’t you get my voicemails? All seven of them?”

“My battery is low, so I haven’t listened to them yet.”

Owen laughed. “Well, dude, we all got a bit of shocking news last night. Lindsey, that pretty little groupie you tied up on Christmas Eve, she showed up after the concert and, you are not going to believe this bro, she’s…”

Kellen waited for him to finish, knowing Owen liked to f**k with him by creating long, pregnant pauses. “She’s what?” No answer. “Owen?”

He looked at his phone and found the screen blank. Dead battery. Damn it. With a huff of frustration, Kellen shoved the phone into his pocket, tugging a bit of blue rope free when he jerked his hand back out.

He clutched the piece of rope in his fist. “Dawn,” he whispered and looked back toward the island. Missing her. Wishing he hadn’t left without saying goodbye.

A large gray body, slick and sleek, crested above the water. His breath caught. He’d never seen a wild dolphin before. Sara would have been over the moon with excitement.

“Sara,” he said under his breath.

Kellen sighed and clutched his forehead in one had.

Dawn. Sara. Lindsey. Women would be the death of him. He tried to avoid them, but his actions didn’t do any good.

The ferry began to slow as it approached the dock at the tip of Bolivar Peninsula. Kellen climbed back in the rental car and contemplated his options. He couldn’t go back to Dawn; she was sure to read something into that. And he was exceedingly curious to find out what was going on with that Lindsey woman. All he remembered about her was that she held a shocking resemblance to Sara, had a pu**y that tasted sweeter than honey, and was really good at sharing. Had she come back to the bus for another orgy? Kellen was not interested. He’d find a hotel to hole up in for the night if that was the case. Besides, the guys were more involved with relationships than they had been six months ago. Surely they didn’t plan to compromise something important for a piece of hot and willing tail.

Kellen decided he’d go straight to the bus. Maybe after he got his head on straight, he’d head back to Galveston to apologize to Dawn for being a cowardly bastard. But that wouldn’t happen tonight. He could only stand so much confusion and heartache in one twenty-four-hour period.