Rhythm in Blue by tfc Parks Page B

alone. He found a tree nearby and sat in the shade.
    She wanted it , he reasoned. She had come on to him . He was only human, after all. He imagined what Devon would say if he knew, and his warning echoed in Rick’s ears. He dreaded the look of disappointment Devon might bestow on him if he learned of the transgression. Rick always looked up to Devon and sought his approval. Letting him down was a constant concern.
    And Erin…she looked up to him . How far would he fall in her esteem if she knew what he had done? After she had been hurt at such a tender age? Rick opened the bottle of water he still held and poured some over his face, and then drank until the bottle was empty. No one knows , no one ever has to know .
    But he knew, and from that, there was no escape. And Shelby knew. She would never think of him the same, after he left her there, betrayed and alone.
    The memory of her touch returned, chasing away his remorse. His pulse raced again as his mind replayed the scene of Shelby pushing his shorts below his hips. When she dared to return his caresses, he allowed his fingers to tickle and play in the growing wetness between her legs. As the memory returned, so did his erection. He unzipped his shorts and eased his hand inside, far from civilization, in the shade of the tree. He remembered the taste of her, the feel of her hands on his skin, the electricity of her lips. Shelby’s breath had quickened as he laid her back on the bed and gently spread her legs, but this time, under the tree, he didn’t stop when he saw the flash of fear in her eyes. He didn’t leave her lying on the bed, legs still spread – no, this time he whispered, “I’ll be gentle,” and he made love to her.
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    “What’s wrong?” Devon asked, again.
    He asked all day the previous day as well, and each time, Rick answered, “Nothing’s wrong, stop asking me that.” Rick had come to terms, as much as possible, with what happened between Shelby and himself, but the cloud that followed him around the bay that horrible day was a constant companion, trailing him mercilessly. The fact that he hadn’t followed his lust all the way did little to alleviate his guilt.
    “Well, something’s going on with you, I can tell.”
    Devon wouldn’t stop staring at him, so Rick assured him it was nothing more than sadness at leaving Erin. “Who knows when I’ll see her again, it could be years.”
    “Are you sure it’s Erin you’re worried about leaving? It seems to me there’s more to it than that.”
    “Of course it is, and I know what you’re referring to. That’s not it,” he said, trying to look resentful.
    They were at the Islander for their final night, and it wasn’t just Rick with a heavy heart. Even Randy was missing the bounce and pep that was his norm. Erin played a dice game with Keith, leaving Kostas to man the bar by himself. She couldn’t look at Rick it seemed, without becoming weepy, so she chose to ignore him instead.
    They spent the afternoon at the port cafe, where the friends they made over the last six weeks stopped by to wish them continued success and safe travels. Morgan sat with them at the cafe, constantly bemoaning the sense of loss their departure would cast upon the island. Larry and Judy stopped for a coffee and invited them to dinner, but Rick politely declined, saying they had plans (thankfully) with Erin and Kostas. Devon asked after Shelby, and Judy shook her head, informing them, that once again, Shelby was grounded.
    Rick hadn’t seen her since the terrible incident at her house, and the thought of leaving the island without an opportunity to clear the air between them had been eating at him since he left her. It wasn’t as if he knew what he would say, anyway. There didn’t seem to be any words to heal the pain he inflicted. Certainly, their relationship, given all the new emotions Rick experienced as a result, deserved a longer life, he thought. He had hoped the bond they formed