Tate makes me think of those really blond, tanned California surfers. Like every guy here, including Andrew, Tate sits with his knees bent upward and his arms propped on them at the wrists. And as I’m quietly checking everybody else out, I catch something briefly in the corner of my eye that instantly puts me into territorial mode. The blonde sitting next to Tate’s brother, who I doubt is his girlfriend because they don’t act like they’re together, is watching Andrew with hungry eyes. I don’t just mean the innocent look-but-won’t-touch kind. No, this girl would try to sleep with him the second I walked away.

When she notices me watching her, she looks away and starts talking to the other girl beside her.

I don’t have anything to worry about where Andrew is concerned, but if she disrespected me knowing he’s my fiancé, I would not think twice about kicking her ass.

I wonder if Andrew noticed.

Andrew

I hope Camryn didn’t notice the look that chick was giving me just now. Five seconds alone with that one anywhere out here, and she’d try to get me to fuck her. No way in hell would I ever entertain that, but this bonfire party just got a bit more interesting.

I’d bet my left nut she has slept with Tate and his brother already. Probably not Elias—he seems like the loyal type—but she’d do him, too, if he was up for it.

Shit, she just looked at me again.

I glance over at Camryn to keep from meeting the chick’s gaze and sure enough, Camryn’s got that telling smile on her face. Yeah, she definitely saw it.

I reach out, pick Camryn up, and set her between my legs.

“Don’t worry, baby,” I whisper into her ear, and then I kiss her neck to make sure the chick sees it.

“I’m not worried,” Camryn says, lying back against my chest.

She’s not worried about me, sure, but I can feel the territorial tension coming off her body. Damn, the thought of her throwin’ down on that girl over me… OK, I shouldn’t think about that. Fuck. Too late.

“Those are some wicked fuckin’ tattoos,” Tate points out.

Everyone is eyeing mine and Camryn’s ink now. Camryn lifts away from my chest to give them a better look.

“Yeah, no doubt,” Bray says, enthralled. She crawls across the sand closer toward us. “I’ve been curious about them.”

The blonde chick eyeing me moments ago sneers at Camryn, though Camryn doesn’t notice, as she’s too busy showing the tattoo to Bray.

I use this opportunity to my advantage. “Turn around here, babe, and show them how it fits.” I lift Camryn around on my lap and then lay my back against the sand, bringing her body down on top of mine.

The group watches closely, the blonde chick’s face turning faintly bitter when I look right at her while at the same time pressing my body against Camryn’s. We line up our tattoos to form a seamless picture of Orpheus and Eurydice; my Eurydice wearing a long, flowing see-through white gown pushed against her body by the wind, wisps of flowing fabric blowing behind her as she reaches out her arms to Orpheus inked along Camryn’s ribs. Bray gawks down at the detail, her dark eyes wide with awe. She glances back at Elias and now he looks nervous, as though he’s worried Bray is going to drag him to the closest tattoo parlor after tonight.

“That. Is. Awesome,” Bray says. “Who are they?”

“Orpheus and Eurydice,” I answer. “From the Greek legend.”

“A tragic tale of true love,” Camryn adds.

I squeeze my arms around her.

“Well, nothing seems tragic about the two of you,” Tate says.

I squeeze Camryn even tighter, both of us sharing private thoughts that are better kept to ourselves. I kiss the top of her hair.

Bray leans away, still sitting with her knees in front of her pressed into the sand. “I think it’s beautiful. And I guess it better be because I know that had to hurt like hell.”

“Yeah, it definitely hurt,” Camryn says. “But it was worth every hour of pain.”

Sometime later, Camryn and I have both gone through at least three Coronas each, but she’s the only one of us who shows it. She’s a little buzzed, but just enough that it’s making her more talkative.

“I know!” she says to the black-haired Bray. “I saw them in concert with my best friend, Nat, and they were amazing! Not too many bands who sound almost just like they do on their album.”

“Yeah, that’s the truth,” Bray says and finishes off her beer. “Did you say you’re from North Carolina?”

Camryn lifts her back from my chest and sits Indian style on the sand.

“Yeah, but Andrew and I don’t really live there now.”

“Where do you live?” Tate asks. He takes a long pull from his cigarette and holds the smoke in his lungs while he goes on. “Texas?”

Everyone turns to look at me when I answer, “No, we sort of… travel.”

“Travel?” Bray asks. “What, like driving around in an RV?”

“Not exactly,” Camryn says. “We just have the car.”

The blonde-haired girl who has been eyeing me all night speaks up: “Why do you travel?”

I notice the look in her eye right away, the one where she’s trying her hardest to get my attention, but I ignore it and answer, looking back over at Bray next to us, “We play music together.”

“What, you’re like in a band?” the blonde girl asks.

I look right at her this time. “Sort of,” I say, but that’s all I give her, and I turn my attention back to Bray.

“What kind of music do you play?” Tate’s brother, Caleb, asks. He’s been getting comfortable with the other girl since we got here. They’re probably not together, either, but he’s definitely getting laid tonight.

“Classic rock, blues, and folk rock, stuff like that,” I answer and take a swig of my beer.

“You’ll have to play for us!” Bray says excitedly.

Clearly, she’s about as buzzed as Camryn, and the two of them seem to get along good.

Camryn swings around on the sand to see me, her eyes wide and enthusiastic. “You could. You’ve got the acoustic in the backseat.”

I shake my head. “Nah, I’m not up to it right now.”

“Oh come on, baby, why not?”

There are those puppy-dog eyes and Camryn’s trademark whine, which never fail to make me do whatever she wants. But I play around with it for a moment longer, hoping maybe she’ll give in and say never mind.

Of course, she doesn’t.

“Yeah, man, if you’ve got a guitar with you and know how to play, that’d be awesome,” Tate says.

By now, everyone is looking right at me—even Camryn, who is really the only one of them I’m going to do it for.

Giving in, I get up, head back to the car, and return carrying the guitar. “You’re going to sing with me,” I say to Camryn as I sit back down beside her.

“Nooo! I’m too buzzed!” She kisses me on the mouth and then moves over to sit next to Bray and Elias, I guess to give me some space.

“All right, what do you want me to sing?”

The question was for Camryn, but Tate answers, “Hey, whatever you feel like, man.”

I run a few different songs through my head for a minute and finally choose this one because it’s so short. I mess around with the strings a few times, tune it real quick, and then start to play “Ain’t No Sunshine.” I began not really giving a shit about how good it was, but like always, once I start, I become someone else and put everything I’ve got into it. My eyes stay closed through most of the song, but I can always feel the energy of those around me, whether they’re getting into it or not.

All of them are.

By the second chorus, I lock eyes with Camryn as I strum the strings. She sits in the sand on her knees, her body swaying side to side. The other girls are doing the same, getting into the music heavily. I belt out the last chorus, and that one song is all it takes for me to want to play more. Bray can hardly contain herself, telling me how great it was and being very attentive to Camryn, which makes her all right in my book. Unlike the blonde who has her eyes on me a little more than before.