Prologue

Jenica

Last summer…

Reaching into the case of beer on the rock doubling as a bar, I grab a can and blow on the top. There's nothing worse than warm cheap beer but deciding it's better than nothing, I pop the top and take a sip. Yup, as expected. Tastes like pool water. Nasty.

It's not like Travis and I couldn't have swiped some of the good stuff from the store. But if we had, it would've taken an extra shift to make up the cost, and neither of us wants that. Between working there and our extra summer jobs at the boardwalk, we're already burning the candle at both ends, and taking without paying wasn't an option.

If there was one thing my parents instilled in each of us Miller kids from an early age, it was this—you want something, you work for it. The world owes you nothing. So, despite my mischievous nature as a kid, no matter how badly I wanted a pack of Pop Rocks or a box of Runts, I would ignore the little voice inside my head that said ‘take it' because doing so would literally be biting the hand that fed me.

When it came to having fun with my bestie, however, I'd gladly work an extra shift if it meant I could treat Ellery when I could. It was the least I could do given her generous heart and I'd already made up for the bottle of Popov and six pack of Zima I'd swiped to bring to her house that first weekend this summer.

Taking another sip of my shitty beer, I turn when I hear Caleb call out my brother's name. Travis enters the cave to applause with a case of beer under each arm.

Making his way over to me, he sets both down on the rock and smiles. "What's good, sis?"

"Not the beer," I quip, "that's for sure."

He rolls his eyes and opens the cases, handing out a can to those who come over for a new one.

"Why didn't you let someone else grab the beer for once?" I shake my head. "You're too nice."

My brother worked way too hard for a guy his age. At twenty-one he should be having the time of his life. Not that the smile on his face right now would indicate he wasn't. He knew how to work hard and live it up, just like our two older brothers, Cole and Danny.

When it came to me, however, their little sister, and only girl among the four of us, that balance of work hard/play hard came with another layer—big dreams. I wasn't going to live and die in Cherry Cove like every generation before me. I was going to get out of here and have a life that wasn't about our family's store or this town, but one of bright lights and big cities, filled with buildings that I designed.

I'd been saving for years in support of that dream. Stashing away every cent I could spare in the piggy bank Nana gave me on my sixth birthday. While that dream changed a couple of years ago, I was not deterred.

Just as the ethos of hard work was instilled in me at an early age, so too, was perseverance. When your dreams are dashed, you pick up the pieces. You do not wallow. You do not sulk. You move on, with your head held high. I would get to college and no one was going to stop me.

"Hey," Travis nudges my shoulder. "It's cool. They'll get it next time. Besides, it was a rough day and everyone could use another round."

He rips open the case and grabs a can, popping the top and taking a sip while checking out the scene around us. It looked like so many other summer nights over the years. Kids we'd known since birth, chilling in the cave that was for locals only.

He's right. Today was a hard day. Hanging up missing persons fliers for a girl I'd known since she was born was pretty brutal.

"How's he doing?" I look at my brother's best friend Caleb. He's smiling, but it's a mask. I know because we all wore one when life kicked us down.

When you're born in a place like Cherry Cove, anything can be used against you, including your emotions, so it is best to keep them close to the vest. When you felt like crawling into a hole, that's when you put your mask on and smiled like a bitch.

"Not good," he admits. "We just plastered his little sister's face over every wall in town. He's numb I think."

Caleb's sister shouldn't be missing. Something should have been done when the first girl Chrissy disappeared. But of course then, no one could be bothered and it didn't take a genius to know why. Elmhurst, the rich suburb that ran the county, had every government official in their pocket from the County Sheriff to the Governor. It was they who determined what cases were worthy, and a missing girl from these parts just didn't make the cut.

Four more girls had gone missing since and nothing had been done. It was as if their lives didn't matter and it was infuriating. I hoped whatever bastard was doing this got what was coming to them.

"I'll tell you what, though. If it was you…" Travis shakes his head and looks down into his beer. "I'd turn this state upside down."

"Aw…" I nudge his shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "You like me?"

He looks up and grins. "I gave you extra time on the Gravitron the other day, didn't I?"

"That you did," I smile.

"Like I said," he slings one arm across my shoulder, "I got your back, little sis."

As we stand there bobbing our heads in time to the music blaring out of a boombox a few feet away, drinking our shitty beer like we're sipping champagne in paradise, I can't help but think this was a pretty good way to end a hard day.

"Hey," he taps my shoulder. "Can you get a ride home tonight? I have plans and want to make sure you get home okay."

"And those plans would be?" I turn, curious.

His eyes shift from me to the other side of the room, landing on a petite girl with mousy brown hair. "Oh, God," I groan when I see the way he's eyeing his ex-girlfriend, Cherie. "Please don't tell me you two are back together."

"No," he grins. "We're just friends."

I look at her in disgust, shaking my head. "Uh huh."

Travis' ex is the worst. She royally fucked up his senior year of high school when she broke up with him a week before prom. It wasn't the first time she'd messed with his head. She'd been doing it for years, and I wished he would find someone else.

"Hey…" He drops his hand and lifts his beer, taking a sip. "I don't say anything about those musician dudes you date. And trust me, I could say a mouthful."

He flicks my nose, just like he used to do when we were kids, and I give him a playful scowl. "Well, one, I don't date," I air quote. "And two, I seem to recall you swore to me and everyone else who would listen, that you would never date Cherie Anderson again, even if you were paid. So why, on God's green earth, would you go there again?"

He looks over at her, grin getting wider. "Do you really want to know?"

When the way he's looking at her makes his answer obvious, I pretend to gag. "Gross, no."

"It's not gross if you do it right," he turns back to me and laughs.

I hold up a hand, not wanting to hear anything my brother has to say about sex. I'm well aware of what it feels like. I'd been having sex since I was fifteen. I just don't want to hear about my brother having sex with Cherie the skank.

"Just be careful," I warn. "Don't knock her up and give her a chance to leave you with a kid that Momma and Daddy will have to raise."

"Amen to that." He taps his can against mine. "So," he says when the song changes. "Are you ready for DCC in the fall?"

I may no longer be heading to my first choice of college when summer is over, but I was still going after my dream. I was just doing it differently. Sometimes life throws you lemons and you have to make a little lemonade. Then again, I'd had my share of lemonade over the years and wouldn't mind a new drink.

I wish I were heading to college with Ellery. She may think her plans for Yale are on hold until she figures out who is behind the smear campaign against her father, but I know she'll figure it out before summer is over. My best friend is determined, and will get the answers she's looking for, no matter what those assholes from Elmhurst were up to. And they were up to something, I could feel it in my gut.

That's why I told Cruz where Ellery had gone this weekend. I didn't trust Royce Richardson further than I could throw him. He gave me the creeps, just like his father whenever he came into the store. I felt better knowing Cruz was headed to Elmhurst to keep an eye on her.

"Alright, sis." Travis pulls me in for a hug and kisses me on the top of the head. "Be good, and make sure you get a ride home."

"Will do." I lift my chin in acknowledgement as he takes a sip of his two dollar beer, then flashes me a million dollar smile before heading over to a group of his friends.

Seeing that as my cue to leave, I finish the rest of my beer, set the empty can down on the rock, and turn to find a ride. When I do, I smack right into someone.

"Hey," I snarl, "give a girl some space, huh?"

"It's alright, Sparky," Cruz's best friend Jake stares down at me with a lopsided grin. "I don't bite." He's wearing a Hawaiian shirt that's unbuttoned, and his tan, ripped chest is on full display. "That is," he leans in, "unless you want me to."

"You wish," I scoff, with a roll of my eyes.

He laughs and takes a sip of his beer. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Home." I straighten. "I have to work in the morning and reached my limit for shitty beer."

"Ah." He laughs. "I get it."

"Funny," I cross my arms. "Didn't take you for someone who hates any kind of beer."

"Ha, ha," he grins. "I was talking about work."

I cross my arms and pop out my hip. "You've worked before?"

"Shit yes."

"Where?" I ask snidely. "Grade school paper route?"

"No," he runs a hand over his head. "I'm talking about baseball."

"That's not a job," I laugh.

"The hell it's not," he laughs back. "But since you seem to be keeping score, yes, I have had a real job as well."

"Let me guess." I look him up and down, noting how his buzz cut and tan skin make him look like a cast member on Baywatch . "Lifeguard?"

His lip hitches, which I take as a yes, and I can't help but shake my head. God, does his confidence know no limits? "You know, they say guys with big egos are compensating for small personalities."

He drops his head back and laughs. "Is that right?"

"Mm-hmm," I smirk.

"Well, my personality is as big as I am."

"Is that so?"

"Haven't had a complaint yet." He flashes me that sexy grin of his and lifts his beer, taking a sip.

I don't know how he stacks up in the dick department, but Jake's a big guy, that's for sure. At six foot two, maybe three, he's built like Jose Canseco, and with sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes and a jaw that could cut glass, he's what most girls call hot.

For this girl, however, he wasn't my type. I wasn't into athletes. Didn't matter I used to be one. I was attracted to guys with a rock n' roll vibe. Like Pearl Jam's front man, Eddie Vetter. Now that was sex on a stick.

"Why are you always so…"

"Charming?" he asks with a wink.

"Annoying," I counter.

Jake is always in a good mood, which grates my nerves. I like a guy with more angst and fire. Though, I suppose if there was anyone I had to be stuck with, there were worse people in the world than Jake Chambers.

"Now come on Sparky." He sets his beer down on the rock and gives me a sly smile. "We had fun today, didn't we?"

While on one hand, the reason we spent the day canvassing the boardwalk had sucked, spending time with Jake hadn't been all that bad. He asked questions about Cherry Cove and listened as I rambled on and on about the town and its history. He even insisted on buying food when my stomach started growling.

"Shit." He stops me just as I am about to answer. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

The way he's looking at me reminds me of a puppy that's just been scolded. "It's fine," I wave off the apology. "I know what you meant."

I'd gotten to know Jake some over the past few weeks, thanks to Ellery and Cruz always going off into the shadows when they ran into each other on the boardwalk, and I knew what he meant. He actually did make today bearable when it could have been awful.

Jake was surprisingly easy to be around. While yes, he was confident, his good guy nature wasn't an act. Case and point—on Fourth of July he saw me puking my guts out in the boardwalk parking lot after the snotty society dinner I'd gone to with Ellery and rushed over to hold my hair back. If he hadn't been there, I'd have blown chunks all over myself.

He stayed with me until I could stand without shaking, then bought me a 7-Up and crackers from the convenience store across the street before driving me home. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me, which is why it didn't surprise me when he offered to hang up fliers with us today.

"You know," Jake says when the song playing on the boombox changes from "Highway to Hell" to Tesla's "Love Song." The slowed down tempo shifts the energy in the cave, with one group laughing as they hold up Bic lighters. "Back home there's a quarry I used to hang out at in high school. The rocks were spray painted and letters written on the walls of the old foreman's shed. This place reminds me of it. Has a vibe that's cool and creepy. Kind of like…"

" Lost Boys ?" I ask.

"Exactly," he smiles. "That day Cruz brought us here, I thought that very thing."

"Does it scare you, Hot Shot?"

He cocks his head and smirks at the name I gave him weeks ago when I refused to call him Iceman as he insisted everyone did back at school. "Not on your life, Sparky."

He holds my gaze for a moment and when my cheeks flush with heat, I clear my throat and look around. "How do you think things are going with Cruz and Ellery?"

"Fighting," he laughs. "Or fucking. Probably both."

I can't help but laugh having thought the same thing earlier. "They're clearly not over one another."

"Clearly," he agrees.

We're both quiet for a moment, and when I turn my attention back to him, find him staring at me. "So what do you think, Sparky, is tonight the night?"

"Who knows," I shrug. "They're—"

"Not for them," he leans in, breath tickling my lips. "For us."

"Us?" I repeat.

He nods.

"There is no us."

He reaches up and brushes an errant strand of hair from my face. "Keep telling yourself that."

I wish I had another beer in my hand—shitty or not—because my throat has suddenly dried up.

"What?" he asks with a grin when I remain silent. "No witty come back?"

"No," I swallow, trying to ease the tightness. "Well, actually, yeah, one. Shut up."

"Shut up," he laughs. "What are we, ten?"

I shake my head and look away, but when he slips his hand into mine and our palms meet, I whip my head back around. "What the hell are you—"

"Let's get some air," he smiles. "You're looking flushed."

He drags me through the cave, over to the crack in the wall that leads to the beach, and when we slip through and our feet hit the sand, he lets go of my hand. "Better?"

"Not really." The air is thick, and clings to my arms. It feels like a storm's coming.

"Hang on." Placing both of his hands on my hips, he starts walking me backward.

I look down as my feet kick up sand. "What are you…"

"Trust me," he says with easy confidence.

Moving my feet in time with his, I let him guide me until I feel rock against my back. Feeling the stone cold against my skin, my eyes whip up as goosebumps shoot down my arms.

"Granite," he loosens his hold of my hips, but doesn't let go completely. "It may feel like a swamp out here, but it's as cool as a cucumber."

"Because it conducts heat in a different way," I nod knowingly.

"Igneous rocks," he grins. "You know your geology."

"I know a lot of things."

"Oh yeah?" he taunts. "You a science girl?"

"I am a science and math girl. Struggle with Shakespeare, though."

He smiles and the skin at the corners of his eyes folds gently. "We'll leave that to Cruz and Ellery then, hmm?"

I can't help but smile. "Sounds like a plan."

We stand there for a moment, quiet, then he leans in, eyes softening. "So, do you want to tell me why you spaced out back there?"

"Tired," I shrug. "And crappy beer."

"Come on," he grins. "We both know you were checking me out."

"Checking you…what?" I can't help but laugh. "I was not."

"Yes you were," his smile widens. "You had the same look on your face back there that I did that day I saw you standing on this very beach in that bikini."

"What bikini?" I shake my head. Is he talking about the suit I borrowed from Ellery the day we came here with those jerks from Elmhurst?

"The blue one," he grins. "With ties on the hips and a bow at the neck. I don't know where you got it," his eyes search mine, "but it was meant for you."

Yup, he's talking about the day Ellery and I came here with those Elmhurst dicks to put her plan in motion. I'd gone to her place after working a shift at the store and forgot my suit. Having plenty to spare, she tossed me a few to try on, and her old blue two-piece was the one that fit best. She spilled out of the top now, while I barely filled it. I can't believe Jake remembers it.

"That was weeks ago," I look at him in disbelief.

"Yeah," he grins, "and it's been in my mind ever since."

"What are you, a detective?" I ask lamely.

"No," he laughs. "But my dad is, and he taught me how to remember every detail because you never know when the smallest one will matter. Although, you're not a small detail, Sparky. Far from it."

I can't help but roll my eyes.

"What?" he asks innocently.

"Be honest, Hot Shot. You remember the socialites and silicone that day. Not me."

"Oh yeah?" he challenges.

"Yeah."

"Cutoffs," he says matter of fact.

I look at him confused. "What?"

"They were acid washed, and a cropped white top, with a flannel tied around your waist and maroon Doc Martens."

"What's that?" I cross my arms. "Your girlfriend's shopping list?"

"No," he bites back a laugh. "I don't have a girlfriend. It's what you were wearing the night of the party. You know…when you ripped me a new asshole?"

Wait…what? First the bikini and now my outfit the night of the party?

"You had your hair in a ponytail," he continues, "and a choker pulled tight around your neck. And fishnets."

"You remember that?" I ask in disbelief.

"I told you," he leans in. "You're hard to forget. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the moment we met."

My eyes search his, wondering if he's trying to fuck with me. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Afraid I don't," he laughs.

"Give me a break, Hot Shot. You're trying to make a move, and I'll save you the effort. Don't because it's not going to work. I'm not the kind of girl that is going to fall at your feet because of some line. And my Doc's…they're oxblood. Not maroon."

He shakes his head slowly, that little grin of his growing. "Maroon, oxblood, you're missing the point."

"And what point would that be?" I ask, ignoring the buzz in my chest.

"The point of me noticing you. The point," he leans in, "of you noticing me, too."

"Look," I straighten. "I wasn't checking you out. Your shirt is unbuttoned and you're ten feet tall. Anyone is going to stare at your chest when it's eye-level. Don't read into it."

"But you're not everyone," he squeezes my hips gently. "And I'm not reading into anything."

"Man," I shake my head. "Are you always this—"

"Determined?"

"Impossible."

His eyes lock on mine, growing serious. "Come on, Sparky. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Then give in."

"Give in?" I repeat.

"Yeah, give in and kiss me."

"What?" I laugh. "No."

"Why not?"

"Why would I kiss you?"

"Because you want to."

"No, I don't."

"Fine." The seriousness in his eyes shifts to a dark heat that warms my insides. "Then kiss me because I want you to."

I stare back at him, eyes darting back and forth. "Why do you want to kiss me?"

"I've been dying to kiss you since you told me where to go and how to get there. No girl has ever put me in my place like that."

"So what," I shake my head in disbelief, "you're a glutton for punishment?"

"Maybe," he shrugs. "Or maybe I want to see if that mouth of yours is as hot as the snark that comes out of it."

"Good God," I huff. "Does the crap you're spewing work on all the girls?"

"Not sure," he says with honest candor. "Never said to any girl the things I've just said to you."

He's determined, I'll give him that. But so am I. Maybe I should kiss him and make him regret it so he never asks again. "If I kiss you, will you never ask me to again?"

"Sparky," he sighs.

"I mean it," I hold my ground. "If I kiss you right here, right now, you can never ask me to kiss you again. Got it?"

There's a beat of silence, then he exhales. "Fine."

"Do you mean it?"

He crosses his chest and holds up his index and middle finger. "Scout's honor."

"How do I know you were a Scout?"

"Only one way to find out."

I flick my eyes to his hand, then back again. "One more thing."

"Yes…."

"This stays between us. Don't tell Ellery, or Cruz, or your buddies. And especially my brother. You don't say a word to anyone. Got it?"

He brings his hand to my neck, and cups it. "You like secrets, Sparky?"

"Only when they're mine."

He leans in, thumb stroking my jaw ever so gently, and when our lips meet, it sends a rush of heat straight through me; like an electrical current, looking for an outlet. His mouth moves over mine and his tongue reaches for mine, stroking it languidly, with a strong, seductive curl. He'd a good kisser. Really good. In fact this kiss is better than any kiss I've ever had. It's the kind you feel in your toes, knees, everywhere .

He angles my head to kiss me deeper and I bring one hand to his chest while grabbing his side with the other. I may be into the lithe sex appeal of rockstars, but shit, Jake's body is hard as hell. My hand travels over the planes of his chest and it reminds me of ripples left behind in the sand when a wave recedes. Every inch of him is sculpted to perfection; the rows of his six pack, tight and defined.

The space between us grows warmer, as the cool rock against my skin sends a chill through me. It reminds me of that day in AP Physics, senior year, when we tested what happens when the difference between hot and cold becomes too great and it breaks down, creating a rapid discharge. That's what this feels like—lightning.

"Fuck Sparky," he murmurs. "You taste like a dream."

And you taste like hope I think, but I don't.

I don't want the kiss to end but remembering why I agreed to kiss him in the first place, I suck his lower lip between my teeth, and bite down. He moans in my mouth as my teeth puncture the skin, but he doesn't pull back. In fact, he wraps his other arm around my waist, and presses me against the rock, fusing our bodies.

Shit, he doesn't hate it. In fact, he likes it. I didn't scare him away but reeled him in closer. I should stop. I should pull back and end things right now. But the thing about electricity…it needs an outlet. That charge between hot and cold needs to be released, and what's happening right now is fire and ice.

Releasing his lip from my teeth, I pull back and look up. His eyes are hooded and full of heat. "Tell anyone about this and I go from being a dream to your worst nightmare."

Bringing his hand back to my neck, he runs his thumb across my lower lip and grins. "I made you a promise and I plan to keep it."

I don't know if it's the way he's looking at me or his words, but without thinking, I grab his shirt, twist it in my hand, and pull his mouth back down to mine.

We kiss again and again, not stopping at two, three, or even ten. Not even when thunder clouds rumble over the ocean do our lips part. It's only when a drop of rain falls and lightning flashes in the distance do we and it's then I know I'm in trouble. Not because I gave in, but because I know I will again. Kisses like this beg to be repeated.