AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fuck, that is insane!” Dawson chuckles and I’m surprised at just how breathtaking it is. God, why does everything these men do cause a visual reaction in me. It's a laugh. Everyone laughs. It's a normal response. Yet, I am near hypnotised. I shake my head, quickly fixing my helmet.
“Wait until I take you guys down the beach.” I smile knowing exactly what I have in store for them.
“Fuck yeah, let's go!” Nicky hoots.
We all jump back onto our bikes and take off down the trailer track. The feel of the salty air hits my skin and my excitement intensifies. It's low tide as we come out onto the beach. I turn off to the left and head north. I take a quick look behind me as the guys all come out on the beach after me. Their heads swivel, taking in the beauty of the beach. I curse myself at not being able to see the looks on their faces. Right now my helmets a hindrance; one I’m done dealing with.
My bike stays steady under my grip as I take one hand off the handle, quickly loosening the straps under my chin with one hand before sliding it off my head. Thankfully, I remembered to tie my hair back before putting my helmet on, so only a few strands get caught in the wind. I thread my arm through my helmet before returning my hand back to the handle bar. I glance over my shoulder to check on the guys. Dacre isn’t too far behind me but I notice his head frantically shaking side to side as if to say no.
I yell, “It's okay” even though I know he most likely didn’t hear me. I give him another reassuring smile before turning back around. My thighs tighten around the bike and I grip the handlebars tighter. Dropping the clutch, my front wheel pops up and I easily keep control of the bike before letting it come back down. I’ve ended up on my ass one too many times trying this exact stunt, so I thank whoever is watching over me that I didn't crash.
The front wheel slaps back down on the ground and I tighten my hand on the throttle; soaring up the beach. I don’t bother waiting for the guys, knowing they will be able to see me no matter how far I get up the beach.
I slow down as we come up to freshwater creek. Because it's a weekday, we have the entire beach to ourselves. I pull up on one of the hard flat spots near the makeshift round-a-bout the four-wheel drives have made. I kick the stand down before swinging off the bike. I stretch out my body, sliding my bag from my shoulders and letting it drop it into the sand, not giving it too much mind. My helmet follows closely behind. No matter how many times I’ve come to this exact spot, I could never get sick of it. It's like my own little slice of paradise. The sand dunes stand tall, eventually forming into a cliff that follows the short distance down the beach, eventually curving around the headland. The creek curves along the dunes and I spot the few man made tracks leading to the top. While the creek isn’t deep enough to dive into, it's the perfect depth to sit around with a couple of drinks and a cheeseboard. I get lost in the sight around me. No matter how many times I have seen this exact view, I never fail to fully appreciate my little slice of heaven.
A minute passes before I hear the rumble of bikes come up behind me. I pay them no mind though as I continue looking around, noticing how the creek has already shifted directions after a week of tide shifts. I startle as a strong hand grips my waist and spins me around.
“What the fuck, Scarlett?” Dacre growls, anger darkening his eyes. I pull in a sharp breath, not expecting that kind of look to be directed at me. I look around at the other guys to try and gauge what’s caused such an intense reaction but I’m met with matching expressions.
“Don’t you dare take off your helmet when you are on the back of that thing, do you understand me?!” Dacre shouts. “You could've fallen off with that fucking stunt you pulled and then what? We would have had to have witnessed you snap your neck or fucking die?” His face begins to redden with his absolute ferocity.
“I’m sorry.” I cower, lowering my head.
Dacre’s tight grip moves up my body, his hands coming up to cup my face as he slowly lifts it. Some of the unfiltered ire has been restrained, but in its place is fear.
“You scared the shit out of me Scarlett.” The guys all make sounds of agreement. “We lost someone really special to us when we were kids. The thought of you being hurt makes me feel physically sick.”
“I’m truly sorry Dacre. If I’d have known, I never would have done anything like that.” I say feeling guilty for the panic I caused them. Especially knowing what it's like to lose someone important to me, even if I can’t remember them.
The fight drains out of Dacre, his body sagging in relief. Seeing the look in his eyes as they trail over my one more time like he desperately needs to know that I am actually alright, I step into him throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him in tight. The thought of the amount of heartbreak this guy has obviously dealt with breaks my heart and I can’t stop myself from comforting him. Even though we haven’t even known each other for twenty-four hours, sometimes people just walk into your life and it's just natural. Like they have always been there. Being this way with them just feels right, in a way that I can’t even begin to explain.
I pull away from Dacre even though his hands linger on me, like he needs the reassurance. I twine my fingers with his hoping the contact will help him. I smile at him, nodding in encouragement. He squeezes my hand tighter.
“Well, I’d like to introduce you guys to my favourite place on earth; Five Rocks.” I smile, turning to face the view again; the guys following suit.
“Five Rocks? Why’d they call it that.” Pike questions.
“Well, this side is called Nine Mile beach. There is another track we could have taken that would have taken us down to Five Rocks but that stretch of beach isn’t very big. The Army owns a heap of land up north for their training exercises, so they’ve closed off a heap of the beach.” The guys nod along so I continue. “But the name Five Rocks quite literally came from the five massive rocks sitting out in the water. You can go fishing off them during low tide. My friends and I normally bring the cars up with our spearfishing gear and head off the rocks.”
“I guess that’s how you were able to hold your breath for so long last night?” Pike asks, a knowing smile on his face.
I laugh, thinking of my little bout of insanity last night. “Yeah,” I nod, “But I’m only a beginner. Honestly, I’m not too keen on going too deep unlike the guys do. Sharks and crocs are enough of a deterrent for me.” I shiver. I see Sonny give a knowing shiver as well.
“There’s a look out up there,” I point towards the hill further up the beach. “where I’ll take you guys a little later. You can see the five rocks from up there.”
That particular view has forever been ingrained in my head. From the moment Benny’s Dad brought us up here, I became obsessed. Every time Benny would tell me he was heading up here, I always invited myself. After a while, his family just knew I was a permanent tag along. The minute I got my licence, I drove up here with a bunch of friends for the weekend.
“Is that a house up on the hill?” Dawson asks, pointing at a roof peeking through the trees.
“Yeah, there’s a little town up there called Stockyard Point. The locals are some of the best people I have ever met. Noah’s parents own one of the houses and rent it out. Makes it super convenient to come up here overnight.”
“What a life.” Dacre says, looking around at the little slice of paradice. I smile, agreeing with him.
“This is called Freshwater creek. It's not very deep but it is perfect to hang out in on hot days.” Just to prove how good it actually is, I take off my shirt and shorts, throwing them over my bike so they don’t get covered in sand.
I run down to the water and turn back around to five dumbfounded expressions. My bikini, fuck. I blush slightly, cursing myself about the fact I just gave them a recreation of the Pamela Anderson beach run. I really don’t help my case. I push off my utter senselessness and fake innocence instead. “You guys coming? I promise there are no big scary animals just waiting to jump and maul you.” I tease Nicky.
That seems to shake him out of his stupor. “Do you need a lesson on why you shouldn’t be teasing me, baby girl?” That gorgeous accent of his purring. PURRING. I will myself to not become a puddle right here in the middle of the creek.
