Page 105 of Against The Tide

“Duh…”

Like Rowan said, Avery had no problem getting into the country club given her membership was under Robert’s name. With his passing, she became the lead holder. Although the news left her a little overwhelmed, Avery fits right into our surroundings.

Old money, elegance and prestige ooze from her in a way I never really noticed before. She’s so down-to-earth that she hides it well away from here. And even though she so obviously belongs in this world, her softness and evident kindness make her completely different to the self-entitled people around us. In a way, it feels like being back in my old life, and I don’t like it.

Nothing about this environment does anything for me, except for Avery. With her long hair all blown out and half of it gathered at the crown, she’s got this stunning ’60s look going on that renders me stupid at every sneaking glance. The natural makeup accentuates her natural glow, and the thick black flick above her eyes makes her already big doe eyes appear brighter and bigger. All that along with the tennis outfit she’s wearing…

Jesus help me.

I can’t concentrate for shit as she and Callie saunter over to the hole Rowan and I have been waiting at for the last half hour. It’s surrounded by trees that make it the perfect spot to ambush Haas. I’m hoping that we get some answers from him today. If there is more to the fact he won’t talk to me, maybe the surprise and the hidden setting will make it easier to get something out of him.

“He’s two holes away,” Callie tells us, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she takes the club Rowan’s holding. Meanwhile, Avery holds the flag as she proceeds to ace the damn putt.

“Still got it!” Callie lifts the club, spinning it so she can blow over the clubhead.

“It’s an easy hole, princess.” Rowan takes the club from her, swatting the outside of her thigh lightly with the grip end.

“Don’t sulk,” she teases him. “You know who has the better aim out of the two of us.”

Avery chuckles as she crouches to retrieve the ball from the hole. The action makes her short skirt lift that little bit too far, offering me an open view of her spandex-covered ass. My hands squeeze at my hips, hard enough that it hurts a little, but not enough to distract my dick or my thoughts from the memories of how her full ass feels in my hands or the way it looks when I fuck her from behind.

“Do you play?” Avery asks, coming to stand in front of me.

Lacing her fingers with mine, she twirls into me so that my arm wraps around her shoulders.

“No. Not really.” Not since I left Boston. Something about her tone tells me that she certainly does, though. “It’s not my kind of sport.”

“He doesn’t consider it a sport.” Rowan putts his ball, just missing the hole.

“It’s more of a pastime, don’t you think?”

“Hmm…” Avery scoffs, pulling out a club from the caddy. “It’s like yoga—just because you’re not spraying your nasty sweat everywhere, it doesn’t mean you’re not working out. Just because you’re not running around, throwing objects at other people, it doesn’t mean it’s not a sport.”

“Refined sport doesn’t typically interest me.”

“Refined sport?” Callie laughs. “God, you sound like such an asshole.”

“It’s about more than just putting your body to work. You know, you have to exercise your mind too.” Avery pauses to study Rowan’s shot. “You should try and stay below the hole. Once you’re above it, it’s so much harder to judge the speed and slope.”

“How do you know so much about it anyway?” Rowan grumbles, taking another shot and completely missing the hole.

“My dad loved golfing. Every Saturday morning we would come here or to the course closer to our house, and we would play for hours. It’s how he and Gerry became friends.”

“Yeah, Dad loved this place and all its history.” Callie grins fondly. “It used to be this politician-only club, but then the membership funds weren’t enough to keep it running, so Strategic Services leased it out and it was used as a training base for espionage and sabotage…all those cool secret intelligence things…”

“And now look at it,” Rowan scoffs. “A rich man’s playground.”

Avery snickers at his remark while she lines up her putt. Every line of her body curves, bends, and elongates with precision and more natural ease than I’ve ever seen on her.

“Fucking ace!” Callie waves the flag in the air before returning it to the hole as she retrieves the ball. “Ha! Guess we’re beating your asses…as always!”

“When did this become a competition?”

Callie looks at me as though I’m a brainless idiot while Rowan retorts, “It’s like you don’t know her at all.”

“Life is one big competition, Doc.”

Avery laughs at Callie’s remark, but it’s cut short when she spins to look behind me. It takes her a second to get herself together.