Three

Jon walked further down the beach to where the mystery woman was still sitting quietly. Her blond hair was whipping out behind her, her eyes still firmly fixated on the ocean in front of her. The slight darkness of the night was settling in, but even as a silhouetted figure Jon could see she was gorgeous. God I’m crazy to be out here doing this.

“Ah, excuse me m’am” he said quietly over the still night, just him and the sound of the waves still crashing on the sand in front of them.

She remained still and Jon could see her eyes were closed so he leant over and tapped her on the shoulder to have the shock of her bolting upwards and screaming, he jumped a mile back and held his hands up “I’m so sorry, shit...” then he saw the ear bud dangling from one side of her head, she hadn’t been able to hear him! “I didn’t see you were playing music, I’m so sorry I snuck up on you” he said apologetically, he glanced briefly back to the beach house where he could see movement on his deck, no doubt they would be having a field day over this. He could just see it all now.

Lily stood startled, her heart hammered loudly against her chest as she took in her assailed attacker, “Good God that gave me a fright” she said holding her hand to her chest. Simon and Garfunkel had made her drift away to a place where she needed to be and in doing so had lost all consciousness of anything around her.

Jon managed a chuckle “I’m so sorry, seriously I didn’t see the earphones” he said honestly. His eyes travelled down her sculpted body, the lemon sarong wrapped tight around her waist showing off her flat stomach, the black bikini top thwt holding in her fully rounded breasts was littered with waves of blond hair that sprinkled across her shoulders. Jon bit his lip trying to stay on her eyes which in the twilight he couldn’t tell what color they were.

Lily studied him carefully, just above the impending night sky she could make out his shaggy blond hair that framed his masculine jaw line. Skinny legs led up to a better framed body. Not bad.

“Well you weren’t to know” she said off handily “Was there something I can help you with?” she asked wondering what he was doing out here.

“Well I just wondered if you were ok out here, it’s getting dark, and you’re a woman, alone… on the beach” he stuttered out. Good fuck? What was he seventeen again? He couldn’t even string together a decent pick up line.

Lily rolled her eyes, he probably genuinely was a nice guy but the attempt at god knows what that came out of his mouth annoyed her. “Thank you Captain Obvious” she ran her hand through her hair and huffed “I’m just fine really no need to come out with the white knight routine” she snapped a little more than she intended.

Jon was taken aback, she was a fireball and who obviously did not appreciate being disturbed. “Well as long as you’re ok, I’m just in the house up there if you needed anything” he offered he went to walk off but stopped and turned “Jon, the name’s Jon” he said softly waiting to see if she would respond but the ice still evident in her gaze told him that wasn’t about to happen.

Lily almost gave her admission giving him her name but she stopped herself “Thank you Jon, but I am doing just peachy”. She sat back down in the sand and couldn’t help but watch him saunter away, almost defeated. She’d been a right bitch to him but she had been taken so off guard and been out of social situations for so long now, she’d forgotten how to talk to a man if it wasn’t about business. Good one Lily.

Richie, David and Tico watched as Jon came back alone “SHOT DOWN!” Richie laughed high-fiving David with laughter “Couldn’t get her here huh?” Richie teased.

Jon flipped him his middle finger “Fuck you man, I gave her a fright, she was listening to music, so she was pissed, I don’t think she’s going to come back with either one of us” he predicted.

Richie rubbed his hands together “We’ll see about that one, besides, you haven’t shaved or showered so you look ugly as fuck, me however she won’t be able to resist that Sambora charm” he said getting ready to climb the steps down to the beach.

Jon scratched his chin the reminder of his less than perfect grooming regime of late rubbing against the pads of his fingers. He shook his head “She was pissed man, he’ll come back alone” Jon said to Tico and David.

“She was pretty though wasn’t she? And the fact that she didn’t fall all over you has only made her more attractive hasn’t it?” Tico asked knowing how Jon’s mind too often worked with women.

“No, she was just rude” Jon tried to convince them but Tico was right, she wasn’t only insanely attractive from what he could tell, she was someone that didn’t take shit and wasn’t overwhelmed with who he was, if she even could gather than in the light.

Richie bounced up the beach where she’d sat back down, she looked like she was starting to pack up her bag. Perfect.

He walked slowly making sure to make a sound so she wasn’t startled, when she turned back at him he grinned “Now what’s a pretty young thing doing all the way out here alone, you should be inside with us, having fun, who knows where that may lead to Darlin” he smoothed flashing her an even bigger Sambora smile, one of his specialities.

Lily looked up startled at the tall man with dark features, he was tall alright had dark brown hair just about to his shoulders and was broad chested. She raised a thin brow in his direction.

“What in god’s name? I don’t think so” she chuckled. The tone in which he spoke told her that this was how he operated, a smooth talker. She knew the type. She stood from her towel. “And then what, you’re going to take me back and make passionate loooove to me all night long right stud?” she drawled.

Richie stood gob smacked “Um, well Darlin I was hoping that you would come back to the beach house for a drink with me and my friends, seems a shame to put such a nice summers night to waste” he said shifting his feet in the sand.

She turned back and looked behind his shoulder to see a beach house in the distance, it was a private part of the beach with only a couple of houses around, one including her fathers. “You're with the other guy, Jon?” she asked him figuring he must have been from the nearby house.

“Yeah, I’m Richie Darlin, pleased to meet you” he held his hand out to her, but she didn’t offer hers back, she crossed her arms the glint of the over sized ring on her right hand catching Richie’s eye. She stood still eyeing him up and down calculating in her mind what to do next. Okay, he was good looking but in a more non obvious way than his blond friend.

She twisted her lips before responding digging her heels into the sand, “Why don’t you go back to your little house and tell your little friend that I’m not interested and can’t a girl just enjoy the beach without being harassed?” she asked. She knew his type, always smooth with the ladies she had no doubt, probably a nice guy as well but she just wasn’t interested.

Richie backed away, clearly she wasn’t happy about being interrupted. “Okay, but if you change your mind”

“I won’t” she snapped “Now please leave, I was just about to” she said resuming her position sitting down.

Richie nodded and left her to it, holy shit she was a hellcat, damn pretty looking one at that. He walked up to the beach house where the guys were waiting, Jon’s grin spread wider when he approached.

“Told you she was a fire cracker didn’t I?” Jon said proudly, secretly glad that Richie couldn’t charm her either, if anyone charmed her, Jon found himself wanting it to be him. Something about her, her cool exterior he knew had to be just a front, he was all too capable of that himself, so he would rise to the challenge to crack it. Oh yes he would.

Richie let out a long whistle “You don’t fuck with her, she’s a bombshell, but fuck me if she’d rip my balls off with one false move” he joked quickly glancing back out there.

David stood up “You two are pathetic, I bet you used corny ass lines on her and she shot you down, she obviously has some class, watch and learn boys, watch and learn” David said descending the stairs. Determined to show them that the Joker still had it, he headed off.

“You can’t be serious?” Jon asked him, “she’ll eat you alive man” he warned but David was already making inroads in the sand towards the still mystery woman.