Chasing Elliott - Published

Chapter 05

ELLIOTT STEVENS

We pulled into the parking lot of the beach nearby and noticed only a few parked cars still lingering. It had already grown plenty dark outside, but we saw the familiar glow of a bonfire a few yards away. Climbing out of the vehicle, the three of us made our way towards the beach but I stopped in the grass and took off my shoes before walking into the sand.

Kara wasted no time in running toward the water, kicking off her shoes as she went. I chuckled as I watched her stumble before finally stepping into the chilling waves, following behind her to grab her heels. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turned to see Benjamin and I followed his eyes out to where Kara stood, her arms out to her sides as she stared up at the stars.

"So, what exactly was that back at the restaurant?" I asked, breaking the silence as I turned to face him and rested a hand on my hip.

"Look, he'd kill me if he knew I was telling you this, but Cooper went to that party tonight to meet you and potentially ask you out because he wants a relationship and I told him all the great things about you that Kara told me." I couldn't help but smile softly at that as I looked back out at her standing knee deep in the water. "If you're not going to be able to commit, can you let him down gently? He tends to get wrapped up in others rather easily, so the sooner you can tell him you don't want that, the better."

"I respect that you're trying to look out for your friend, but I've only just met the guy. That aside though, I'm not the type to string someone along. I've always made it very clear to the guys I see what my intentions are. Now whether or not they listen to what I say is another story," I told him, thinking back on Marcus. "If he asks me out, I'll be honest with him because that's the type of girl I am. I already have one boy I'm having trouble letting go of, I don't need to risk adding another to that list."

"So, you're not then," Benjamin stated as he took his eyes off Kara for the first time to look at me directly. "You're not ready for a serious commitment?"

I sighed, ignoring his question as I folded my arms in front of my chest. Shaking my head to try and clear any thoughts or chances of second guessing out of my mind, I made my way toward Kara who was now watching us from the water. I stripped out of my still stained jeans and set them down with our shoes before walking in.

The cold water nipped at my skin, but I didn't mind as I decided against my better judgement and dove in. Coming back up for air, I turned around as I pushed my wet hair off my face and watched Cooper approach Benjamin. Benjamin already had his shirt off and was working on his jeans when I saw them exchange a couple words. Suddenly, Cooper stripped off his clothes and my breath hitched in my throat.

He had a defined six pack that I could see clearly from here, even in the dark, and I noticed what looked to be a half sleeve on the bottom half of his left arm. To say he was my type looks wise was a massive understatement. Too bad he's looking for a relationship, I thought to myself as the boys came running toward the water. I'm sure he'd be great in bed.

Kara and I both squealed as they jumped in, effectively soaking us. Kara still stood closer to the shore, hating the feel of clothes on wet skin, while the water was just under my breasts. Cooper's hair was sticking slightly to his face as he wadded over to me with a smile and a devious look in his eye. When he stopped right in front of me, I brought a hand up and pushed his hair out of his face as I shook my head.

Cooper smiled softly down at me, and I pulled my hand back as my cheeks flushed slightly. I tore my gaze away from him, embarrassed, and caught Kara grinning devilishly in my direction. I rolled my eyes and began to make my way out of the water, passing Benjamin as I did so. Once the water was at my knees and I reached Kara, I heard a low, breathy whistle from behind me and turned to see Benjamin laughing as Cooper's eyes were locked on my ass.