While It Lasts (Sea Breeze #3)(2)

Love, Josh





Eighteen months later…





Chapter One


Cage



“Thanks for giving me a ride,” I said, reaching for my duffle bag holding my entire summer wardrobe.

“I did it for Low,” Marcus Hardy reminded me for the second time. My best friend was a chick— a smoking hot chick. Marcus, her fiancé, was an elitist ass at times but I dealt with him; had to if I wanted to keep Low in my life. All that mattered was that he understood that Low walked on f*cking water. As long as he kept that in mind and treated her as such, I could live with the prick.

“I never questioned that,” I replied with a smirk, pulling the straps of my bag up on my shoulder. Turning my attention from Marcus, I looked at the large white and tan farmhouse in front of me. It was surrounded by miles and miles of green grass and a helluva lot of cows— my purgatory for the entire summer. Glancing back at Marcus I nodded and started to close the door. I knew he was ready to get back to Sea Breeze where Low was waiting on him. No one wanted to be stuck in this f*cking cow town.

“Cage. Wait,” Marcus called out before I could completely close the truck door. Slowly, I opened it back up and arched an eyebrow in question. What else could Marcus want with me? He’d barely spoken to me on the hour ride up here.

“Don’t screw this up, okay. Stay sober. Don’t drive a car until you get your license back and try not to piss off your coach’s brother. Your future is riding on this summer and you’re upsetting Low. I don’t want her worried about you. Think about someone other than yourself for a change.” Well hell, I’d just got a parental lecture from Marcus f*cking Hardy. Wasn’t that sweet?

“I know what happens if I screw things up, Marcus. Thanks for the reminder though.” I let the sarcasm drip from my voice.

Marcus frowned and started to say something more before just shaking his head and putting his truck in reverse. Conversation over. Good. The guy should learn to mind his own damn business.



I slammed the door and turned my attention back to the house while Marcus’s tires spun out of the gravel drive. Guess I’d better go meet my warden for the rest of the summer and get this party started. All I had to do was make this guy happy. I’d take care of his cows and do manual labor for two and a half months then my coach wouldn’t kick my ass off the baseball team. The DUI, he’d had to bail me out of jail for, would be forgotten and my baseball scholarship would remain intact. I only had three problems with this plan: 1. No girls.

2. I hated manual labor 3. No girls.

Other than that this wasn’t all that bad. I’d get Sundays off. I’d just have to get my fill of sexy little sorority girls in tiny bikinis on Sundays. I reached the front door of the house. The wrap around porch was pretty damn nice. I wasn’t into the farm thing but this place wasn’t half—bad. I bet the bedrooms were a nice size.

“You must be the fella Wilson hired for the summer.” A guy in a pair of faded jeans and some worn—looking badass boots started up the steps of the porch. He was smiling like he was really glad to see me. Must be the guy’s son. I’d be shoveling hay and cow shit all summer instead of him. Bet he liked me a lot.

“Yeah,” I replied, “Cage York. Coach Mack sent me.”

The guy grinned and nodded, sticking both his hands in his front pockets. All he needed was a damn piece of straw hanging out of his mouth to look like every stereotypical country boy.

“Ah, that’s right. I heard about you. DUI. Man, that sucks. ‘Specially since Wilson is a damn slave driver. My brother and I worked many a summer for him through high school. I swear you’ll never drink and drive again.”

Guess he wasn’t the old man’s kid after all. Nodding, I turned to knock on the door.

“Wilson ain’t back from the stockyard yet. He’ll be here in ‘bout an hour.”

The guy held out his hand, “I’m Jeremy Beasley by the way. I reckon we’ll see enough of each other over the summer seeing as I’m the next-door neighbor. And well, then there is Eva,” he stopped and his eyes shifted from me to the door. I started to ask him who Eva was when I followed his gaze to find the light at the end of the tunnel standing in the doorway.

Long brown hair that curled loosely was draped over one bare shoulder. The clearest blue eyes I’d ever seen, framed by thick long black eyelashes and red full lips, completed the perfect masterpiece of her face. My gaze slowly traveled south to take in smooth tanned skin that was barely covered by a bikini top and a pair of tiny shorts that hung on her narrow hips. Then legs. Legs for miles and miles until two small bare feet with red toenails finished the f*cking ridiculously perfect package in front of me. Damn. Maybe I should have come out to the country more often. I didn’t realize they grew girls like this out here.

“Eva, you aren’t ready yet? I thought we were going to make the six—thirty show,” Jeremy said from behind me. Ah, hell no. Surely not. This goddess was with that guy? I brought my eyes back up to her face to find her blue eyes staring directly at me. They really were the bluest damn eyes I’d ever seen.

“Who are you?” The icy tone to her voice confused me.

“Down, girl. Play nice, Eva. This is the guy your daddy has helping him this summer.” Her eye flashed something that looked like disgust. Really? I’d seen that look in a girl’s eyes before but never before I’d used her then tossed her. Interesting.