Just For The Summer.

A Chasing Carolina Novella.

Danielle Jamie Wright.

In every girls life; there's a boy she'll never forget and a summer where it all began.

-Unknown.

"HURRY YOUR b.u.t.tS UP! I want to get down to the beach," Tamara, one of my sorority sisters, yells before slamming the pa.s.senger side door. She stomps up the wooden stairs to the deck of the beach house we're renting for the entire month of July, with her suitcase in one hand and her makeup bag in the other.

We just drove over seven hours from Athens, where we all attend the University of Georgia together and are proud members of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. What should've been a five hour drive turned into seven thanks to a car full of girls who all had to stop a million times to pee and get iced coffees-hence all the peeing!

Tamara, Nikki, and Becca are my sorority sisters, and have been my best friends since freshman year. We're four of the most different girls you'll ever meet, and somehow, our quirkiness drew us to one another, and now we're inseparable.

"Thank G.o.d that storm coming in changed course; now we can spend the rest of the day on the beach. My a.s.s is numb from sitting in that d.a.m.n car. I need to frolic around on the beach and look for some hotties to party with tonight," Becca says as she sets her suitcases on the ground beside the SUV.

She packed her entire room, I think. I just grabbed bikinis, shorts, tanks, sundresses, and a few pairs of jeans and hoodies for windy nights. She has an entire suitcase just for stilettos! Who wears heels at the beach? The only heels I packed are some wedged sandals. I plan on living in flip-flops or being barefooted the entire month.

We've saved up for this trip since we got back from Daytona in April. We're renting this beach house for just the four of us. I have a feeling the summer of 2010 is going to be the best summer of our lives. Becca and I are the only single ones here. Tamara and Nikki are both very much in love with their meathead boyfriends, and have been complaining about being away from them. The guys are in a fraternity together, and they all took a trip to Cancun.

I told them before they graduate, settle down, and start popping out mini football players they need to have a real girls-only getaway. We're only nineteen, for crying out loud. We're too young to be tied down to boys. I dumped my loser boyfriend four months ago. While we were all in Daytona together for spring break, the a.s.shole slept with some chick he met at a wet t-shirt contest one of the local dive bars held.

I learned quickly college boys only care about one thing, and that is s.e.x. They may claim to love you and have eyes for only one girl, but let's be honest-is it really logical to believe a twenty-year-old college guy is going to be monogamous?

All my friends rallied around me and helped calm me down. When I walked into my hotel room Evan and I were sharing with Tamara and her boyfriend Reggie and found Evan having s.e.x with the bottle blonde from the bar, I flipped. I felt as if I was a football player running full-force at the sc.u.mbag and the s.k.a.n.k he was with.

The look of shock on his face was priceless. He jumped up, wrapping the comforter around himself as he tried to come up with an excuse or reason he was cheating on me with a chick he only knew for about an hour. I didn't want to hear it. I stomped up to him and smacked him straight across his lying, cheating face. Then, I turned to the girl who was just banging my boyfriend and told her I hoped she enjoyed his pencil d.i.c.k, because he was all hers now.

I was fuming as Tamara, Becca, and Nikki dragged me out of the room. Every inch of me was screaming to claw his eyes out. Looking back, I'm glad they pulled me out of that hotel room, because more than likely, I would've ended up sitting in jail for a.s.sault.

We changed rooms, of course, because who wants to sleep in the bed their boyfriend had just f.u.c.ked some s.l.u.t in? Then we spent the remainder of spring break partying it up and having the best week of our lives. Being two years away from legally buying my own drinks means nothing when you're a girl. Guys are more than willing to buy you drinks, whether they are twenty-one and up, or just have a really convincing fake ID.

I don't think I've bought myself a drink the last four months we've been going out. Nikki's brother loaded up my car with beer, a few bottles of Malibu Rum-my personal favorite, because I can make a million different drinks with it-and a few bottles of Grey Goose Vodka.

This summer is going to be nothing but fun in the sun!

As soon as we finish unloading the car, I'm making myself a drink and going to tan on the beach. I love having the beach right at our doorstep. By the time we head back to Athens, I'm going to be rocking the best beach tan, which should last well into fall.

"Is that everything?" Nikki asks, slamming the back pa.s.senger door.

"The only thing left is the boxes of alcohol." I drape my beach tote over my shoulder, grab my two suitcases, and wheel them towards the house, with Nikki not far behind me.

The second we step into the beach house, the energy is explosive. Tamara already has the stereo on in the living room blasting Ke$ha's Blah Blah Blah and all the windows open, letting the salty sea breeze blow into the house. We found a rental with three bedrooms-two with full size beds, and one with two twin beds. We decided on the car ride over that Becca would get one of the rooms by herself, because she is the world's biggest slob. That girl...I don't think she's used a closet in her whole life. Her entire wardrobe is always on the floor.

Tamara and Nikki offered to take the twin beds and give me the other private room, since my parents paid the deposit on the beach house for us. No one in their right mind would rent out their gorgeous beach house to four nineteen-year-olds, so Mom and Dad set it up for us.

"You girlies hurry up and get your swimsuits on. I'll run down to the car and grab the alcohol so we can officially kick off our summer vacation!" Becca shouts over the music, flashing us all a devilish grin before pushing open the screen door and hurrying down to my car.

Her father gave her a credit card for emergencies', and for Becca, that would equal bail money. She has been known to get a little too drunk at campus parties and lose her clothes. She's been in trouble with the campus police more than a dozen times over the last two years.

In record time, all of us are changed and back in the kitchen, playing bartender as we get to work mixing our drinks. With a red solo cup in one hand, and a beach tote and folding chair in the other, we trudge down towards the water.

It's gorgeous out today, with a little cloud coverage, so the sun isn't continuously beating down on us. There's a warm, salty breeze rolling off of the water that instantly helps me relax. There's just something about the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves rolling up to the sh.o.r.e that just sets a peaceful calm over me.

We all open up our lawn chairs and plop down in them just at the sh.o.r.eline so we can dip our toes in the water and sip on our c.o.c.ktails. I'm drinking a Malibu Bay Breeze; it's one of my absolute favorite drinks. Anything with pineapple in it, I'll drink. I added blended ice instead of cubed, which is perfect for a hot and humid day like today.

Luckily for us, the beach is semi-private where our place is, with only people who live here or are renting a beach house allowed to use it. It's way unlike when we stayed in Daytona at a condo on the main beach, where a thousand bodies crammed together on the sand.

We spend the entire afternoon down by the water soaking up the sun and enjoying doing absolutely nothing after being trapped in a car for seven very long hours. Only after our stomachs begin to rumble do we pull ourselves away. It's almost six-thirty at night, so we decide to head up to the house, shower, and go out somewhere for dinner.

Four girls getting ready is not a speedy process. After almost an hour and a half, we're finally dressed and ready to explore Myrtle Beach.

Just as we're making our way down the tall deck stairs that lead down to the driveway, we spot a group of guys climbing out of a speedboat that is now parked at a dock in front of the house next door.

"d.a.m.n. Why am I not single?" I hear Nikki mumble as we all gawk at the three guys, who are wearing nothing but board shorts and flip-flops. They all have sungla.s.ses on and beers inside koozies in their hands as they make their way up the beach towards the two-story house to the right of ours.

I glance at their driveway and notice a yellow Suzuki crotch rocket and two other vehicles, a jacked up red Silverado, and a black Mustang convertible.

"Well, we're single and definitely ready to mingle, right, Ashlynn?" Becca hints, elbowing me and giving me a cheeky grin. I just shake my head and let out a soft chuckle.

They are definitely easy on the eyes. All three of them are very nicely toned and tan. If I had to guess, I'd say they're all around our age. The idea of partying with them makes this summer getaway look even better.

"They're all hot. Do you think they had some type of interview process, Only good-looking dudes allowed in this bromance'? I definitely wouldn't kick any of them out of my bed," I say, laughing as I press the b.u.t.ton on my keys, unlocking the doors of my Explorer.

Just as we get about halfway down the stairs, the group of guys, who are laughing at something tall, tanned, and extremely good-looking just said, spot us four dorks staring at them. I think we all need a bib to catch the drool that's dribbling down our chins right now.

They all flash us mega-watt smiles that sparkle in the slowly setting sunlight. This time of year, it stays daylight out until almost nine-thirty at night, so we have one more hour until the sky turns dark and the board walk of Myrtle Beach lights up.

We all squeal and scurry down the stairs to my car just as the guys raise their hands and give us a small wave. "Welcome to Myrtle Beach, ladies!" the guy with shorter dark hair shouts across to us. The other two just wave and keep smiling. Just that alone has short circuited our brains.

Waving back at them, we quickly climb into my car, and I waste no time starting it up.

"Holy s.h.i.t, they are hot!" Tamara says, staring straight ahead at the area the guys were just standing before they disappeared into their house. It's as if she believes if she keeps staring, they'll magically reappear. Just as the thought pops into my head-BAM!-out comes all three sun-kissed Greek G.o.ds onto the large wraparound deck with platters in their hands as they head over to a grill.

"Hurry up and start moving the d.a.m.n car, Ashlynn, before they think we're weirdoes sitting in a car just staring at them," Nikki snaps at me from the back seat.

I shift the car into reverse to back out of our driveway, but before I can move my foot off of the brake, my eyes lock with the gorgeous man with ocean blue eyes and dirty blonde hair standing at the grill. The color of his eyes pop against his tanned skin, and for a moment, I get lost in them before Tamara slaps me on the arm and brings me out of my trance.

"Ashlynn, start driving before I end up settling for cannibalism. I'm freaking starving!"

MY PHONE BLASTING WATER by Brad Paisley beside my head wakes me and instantly I curse at it and whoever the f.u.c.k is calling me so early in the fricking morning.

Blinking, I try to clear my blurry vision and smack my hand around my nightstand in an attempt to find my phone without having to move too much.

"h.e.l.lo," I croak out, my voice rough and hoa.r.s.e.

"Chase! It's already after eleven in the morning. Get your a.s.s out of bed, f.u.c.ker. We're ready to go out on the boat."

Rolling onto my back, I stretch and let out a loud groan. I can't believe I slept until eleven. That's what I get for staying out until four in the morning.

"Why the h.e.l.l are you calling me? Do your legs and arms not f.u.c.king work?" I ask Vance, my best friend and roommate for the summer.

"Parker and I are chilling on the deck, watching the babes from next door. They are looking hot as ever. They're standing down in the water right now picking up seash.e.l.ls or something. It's hard to tell from way back here. Drag your sorry a.s.s out of bed and get out here. Maybe we can convince them to go out on the boat with us.

I hear him laugh into the phone at something Parker says in the background. I am tired as s.h.i.t and p.i.s.sed off he woke me up, interrupting the hot a.s.s dream I was just having about blondie next door. That girl is smokin'. I already warned both of my boys to keep their hands off that one. There are three other chicks staying at the beach house next to ours they can go after, but the cute blonde is all mine.

The idea of getting her in nothing but a bikini on my boat is enough motivation to get me out of bed. "I'll be right down. I'm going to jump in the shower real quick." Hanging up, I climb out of bed and head into the bathroom.

As soon as I finish showering, I throw on a pair of board shorts and flip-flops before heading downstairs. I eat a microwavable breakfast sandwich, and then brush my teeth before heading outside to join my boys.

"Finally. We already loaded the cooler up with beer. Do you want me to text the girls we partied with last night, or try and get the girls from next door to go out with us?" Vance asks as he stands up from the patio chair and glances over the railing towards our neighbors, who are now sunbathing on beach towels.

My eyes immediately lock onto the gorgeous blonde. One thing I am a sucker for is a pretty blonde with a nice rack and a beautiful smile. She is all of that and then some.

We saw them yesterday tanning on the beach when we were tossing the football around before we went out tubing, and I noticed her watching me more than a few times. We said h.e.l.lo to them once again while they laid out all oiled up in barely-there bikinis. I loved how her cheeks blushed when I gave her a grin. She was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and reading a book when we approached them. I didn't hide the fact I was staring at her t.i.ts the entire time either.

Now, sliding my fingers through my damp hair, I head towards the stairs. "Let's see if they're down for hanging with us before we text those other chicks."

I grab a cooler and quickly bound down the stairs towards the beach, while Parker and Vance follow right behind me with the second cooler and a bag of snacks for the boat. We work up quite the appet.i.te wakeboarding.

As we approach the girls, they stop mid-conversation and gawk up at us. I find it adorable how shy they get around us. We're not blind, and we are slightly conceited. We know we're hot, and find it entertaining when girls get all fl.u.s.tered around us.

"Hey, ladies. My boys and I are off to spend the afternoon on my boat to do some tubing and wakeboarding. Would y'all want to join us?" I ask while holding the cooler in my arms, keeping my eyes solely focused on blondie.

They all glance at one another, silently asking what they should do. There hasn't been a girl yet who's turned down the chance to spend the afternoon with Chase Kenzington, and I doubt that streak will be broken today.

I swear they hold out on answering just to torture us.

"Come on, ladies. You can tan just as easily on Chase's boat as you could here on the beach. Plus, who doesn't like tubing?" Parker asks flirtatiously.

I don't beg. Never have. Never will. So if these chicks say no, I'll have the three girls from the boardwalk last night here in no time and ready to party.

Shrugging, I adjust the cooler and give the girls my best melt-your-bikini-bottoms-right-the-h.e.l.l-off smile. "If y'all have other plans, that's cool. Maybe next-" My words get cut off when the brunette with the short haircut lying beside blondie interrupts me.

"We'll go. We planned on exploring Myrtle Beach today, but we can just do it later. Right, girls?" she asks, glancing around at the other three while standing and brushing the sand from her legs.

"Sure. Y'all look nice enough, but if we end up chopped up and fed to the fishes, you can't say I didn't warn you," Blondie says, giving me a sly grin, and then looking at her friends as she shakes her towel off and stuffs it back into her bag.

I let out a low chuckle. Did she really just say she thinks we could be serial killers?

Wow.

Vance bursts out laughing beside me. "Y'all are crazy. Believe me-we're not psycho serial killers. You're in safe hands."

Blondie folds her arms across her chest, making her b.o.o.bs practically beg to be groped. I have to think of dead puppies to avoid my board shorts from turning into a f.u.c.king tent in front of everyone.

"That's what I imagine all crazy killers say before they lure girls away with them." She burst out laughing before saying between giggles, "I'm just kidding. I'm only bustin' your b.a.l.l.s. Do we need to bring anything?"

Feeling the urge to be close to her, feel her, and breathe her sweet, fruity scent that's tickling my senses as the warm ocean breeze blows past us, I shove the cooler into Vance's hands and take the bag of snacks from him. He lets out a loud groan and glares at me.

Holding the bag up with one hand, I wave it in front of her as I drape my free arm over her shoulder. "We have enough food and drinks for everyone. The only thing y'all need to bring is yourselves."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Blondie's little brunette friend asks as she runs around and hooks her arm through Parker's. She gives him the biggest smile as he leads her towards my boat, the rest of us following.

It dawns on me as we're loading the boat up that we probably should introduce ourselves.

"I'm Chase, which by now I think you've figured out thanks to my friends," I say, reaching my hand out and shaking the girls' hands.

One by one, they shake my hand and tell me their names. The bubbly brunette is Becca, the tall one with curves in all the right places, black curly hair, and milk chocolate skin is Tamara, the quiet one who's about the same height and size as blondie, with hair just a shade darker than hers is Nikki, and finally, the gorgeous one whose face has been burned into my subconscious is Ashlynn.

Even her name is hot.

"So how old are you ladies? We want to make sure we're not going to be spending the day with a boatful of jail bait," I ask, folding my arms across my chest and sliding my gaze over the four of them.

They all glance at each other before Ashlynn answers, "We're all nineteen. We just finished our soph.o.m.ore year at the University of Georgia."

All four girls raise their arms in the air and cheer, "Go dawgs!" before giggling and staring back up at us. I a.s.sume it's because they're waiting for us to tell them how old we are.

"I'm twenty-two and just graduated from the University of North Carolina. Go Tar Heels," I say sarcastically as my lips curl up in the corners at the look of amus.e.m.e.nt in their eyes.

"Ladies, remember my name, because I bet by the end of the day one of you will be screaming it. I'm Parker; I'm twenty-one and unfortunately, I have one more year of college left. All of us are proud Tar Heels," he says, sliding in beside Becca and eyeing Vance and me.

He is seriously the biggest idiot I know. I just shake my head and chuckle at his brazenness before sitting down and starting the boat.

"Wow, Parker. Seriously? That cliche of a line? I expected more from a guy as hot as you," Becca tells him, leaning against his arm and tracing her fingers down his chest.

He flashes a s.h.i.t-eating grin down at her before sprawling his arms out along the leather seats. "Darlin', with looks like this, I can make any cliche sound like an original."

Vance, grabbing a can of beer and popping it open, takes a drink before sitting down on the seat across from mine. "Don't mind Parker. I think he ate one too many paint chips when he was a kid." He gives the girls a slight wave. "By the way, I'm Vance. I'm the only normal one between these two goofb.a.l.l.s. I'm twenty-two also, and I just graduated right alongside my boy Chase here in May."

The girls all grab waters and get situated at the front of the boat, lying out to tan. I can't complain about the view. Four drop-dead-gorgeous girls tanning in sc.r.a.ps of fabric is exactly how I like spending my day, but my eyes are only focused on one of them. Ashlynn looks downright sinful in her tiny black and neon animal print bikini. Her bottoms barely cover her, and I have to fight the urge to smack her tight round a.s.s that is lying in front of me, just taunting me with every pa.s.sing second.

After an hour of driving the boat for Parker and Vance to take turns wakeboarding, Parker offers to steer the boat so I can get out on the water. The girls said they want to go tubing, but not until they've gotten hot enough from sunbathing.

I, for one, can't wait to see Ashlynn drenched in salt water, with droplets teasing their way down that body of hers.

Zipping up my life vest, I grab my board and sit on the back of the boat to strap my feet in. The girls have all shifted, so they're now facing the back of the boat, watching as I get ready to drop myself into the water.

I don't know why, but I'm nervous as s.h.i.t about Ashlynn watching me wakeboard. I jump into the water and grip the handle that's tied to the back of my boat and signal Parker, letting him know I'm ready.

Within seconds, he's hauling a.s.s across the water and I'm flying over the waves coming from the back of the boat. The entire time, I keep my eyes locked with Ashlynn's. I can't stop smiling as she cheers from the boat every time I do a flip in the air.

After twenty minutes, my arms are sore and I'm in need of a beer, so I slide my hand across my throat, signaling for Parker to stop the boat.