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  Bigfoot Beach

  First Digital Edition

  Copyright © 2015 by Kristopher Rufty

  Cover Art © 2015

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Bigfoot Beach

  Kristopher Rufty

  For my son and daughter, your boundless imaginations inspire my own.

  Prologue

  They’d only been walking for fifteen minutes and Ethan was ready to wrap up this late night beach stroll. With a crisp wind coming from the ocean, it felt as if someone was dumping invisible buckets of ice water on his bare back.

  Mackenzie, walking beside him and smiling, had a slight bounce in her gait. The cool night didn’t seem to bother her, so he’d pretend to be fine as well, ignoring the stiffening of his skin as goosebumps rose.

  “Such a gorgeous night, huh?” she said, gazing at the softly lapping waves to their right.

  Ethan tried to see what she was talking about. All he could distinguish were oily black crashes that fizzed like spilled soda across his feet. Maybe at sunset it would have been gorgeous. Right now, it was a waste of time, unless she’d brought him out here to screw around.

  Fat chance.

  She hadn’t even hinted of being interested in him in that way and he’d spent almost the whole day with her. Maybe now she would. Why else would she have asked him to come along?

  Might just want to walk and didn’t want to be alone.

  Knowing his luck, Ethan figured that was probably it.

  “Yes,” he lied. “My favorite kind of night.”

  Mackenzie’s arm brushed his. She had moved closer to him, so much so that whenever their arms swayed, they bumped.

  She wouldn’t do that unless she wanted me to put my arm around her.

  He gave it a try and was surprised to feel her snuggling closer.

  Smiling, Mackenzie leaned her head on his shoulder. Her body radiated the scent of suntan lotion from a full day of being caked in it. Her curly hair was even bigger and springier from the salty air. Her skin looked painted in butter, except for the pale triangles over her breasts and the wedge at the crotch and rump from her bikini.

  Still hesitant of trying anything, he figured it might be best to wait until he knew without any doubt she wouldn’t reject him. She was still teetering on the friendship ledge, but if it looked like she was going to slip, he would catch her by shoving his tongue in her mouth.

  Just play it cool.

  “I’ve always loved the beach,” she said. “And night swims are the best.”

  “Night swims?”

  “Yes! Don’t you just love swimming at night?”

  “Uh…” Maybe in a swimming pool, he did, even the lake. Not the ocean. Although he was starting college in the fall, he was in no way an expert in oceanography. But he’d learned plenty from his parents and the Jaws series.

  You never swim close to the piers and you definitely don’t swim at night. Sharks feed at night.

  He was about to share this information with Mackenzie, but it slipped away from him when she pulled his arm down, gripped his hand.

  “Yes,” he lied again. “Night swims are the best!”

  “Yay!” She jumped up and down, her breasts bouncing behind the hardly existent top. “I knew you were my kind of guy!”

  “I am?”

  She squeezed his hand. “You’re surprised?”

  “Well…” He shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, honestly.”

  “I bet so. You totally weren’t picking up any of my signals today.”

  If her signals were the complete avoidance of him most of the day, then he completely missed it. He’d quickly become privy to Glen’s matchmaking attempts before they’d even left for the beach yesterday. Glen, his best friend since freshman year, had invited him to his dad’s beach house. Ethan had politely declined the offer, not wanting to be the third wheel to Glen and Jackie’s weeklong bone-fest. After Glen’s pleading hadn’t worked, he’d finally fessed up and told the truth. Jackie was bringing her cousin, Mackenzie, and they thought Ethan would be the perfect guy for her.

  Ethan wasn’t looking for flings. Even with school coming, he wanted a girlfriend. Jackie told him Mackenzie was going to be attending college in their hometown, the same college Ethan would be attending. And she would be staying with Jackie until she could afford her own place. Such an idea had enthralled Ethan. A girl with her own place. The possibilities were unlimited. Finally, he’d agreed to go.

  Since arriving late yesterday, Mackenzie had barely acknowledged he was on this trip. Their longest exchange was during dinner tonight at Krispy Krust Pizza. She’d started talking about her detestation for Quentin Tarantino movies, and he’d quickly jumped on that rant with her.

  He’d thought a bond was formed, but he wasn’t willing to put any wagers on it.

  But now…?

  Have to see how things go.

  “I guess I’m not good at noticing signals, signs, hints…”

  “So, I have to be pretty blunt then?” she asked.

  “With me, yeah.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t want you to miss what I’m trying to say.”

  “The best way to ensure that doesn’t happen is by saying what you’re trying to say.”

  Laughing, Mackenzie stopped walking. She raised his hand to her mouth. “How’s this?” She formed her lips around the tip of his finger, gently pulling it into her mouth. Then she slowly bobbed her head, flicking the underside of his finger with her tongue.

  Ethan felt stirring behind the netting of his swimming trunks. He didn’t have the room to expand down there, nor did he want to move so he could adjust. He liked this too much.

  After several long seconds of sucking, Mackenzie pulled her head back, unveiling a slobber-drenched finger, and lowered his hand. In the blue hue of the moonlight, he could see the teasing expression on her face—the arched eyebrow, the smirking.

  Knowing there was no need for anymore hints, he reached behind her head, slipping his fingers into its curly thickness. He pulled her to him and kissed her. She raised a leg around his, running her foot down the back of his calf. He slid his hand behind her thigh, and squeezed. The skin under his fingers was slick and smooth, almost too slippery to hold.

  Then his hands invaded her. Groping and pawing, there wasn’t a section of her exposed skin he didn’t touch. She felt so slick, so warm. His hands glided across her.

  “Um…” Mackenzie tried to talk through the kisses.

  “Yeah…?”

  Their lips wouldn’t stop smacking.

  “Slow down,” she said.

  “Wha…?”

  “Slow down. Not so fast.”

  Ethan stopped kissing her and looked down. He found one of his hands had snuck under the padding of her bikini top and was cupping a breast. His thumb was frozen on her rigid nipple. The other hand was down the back of her bottoms, gripping a buttock.

  “Whoa,” he said, carefully removing his hands. “I am so sorry….”

  Mackenzie laughed softly. “It’s okay.”

  “I didn’t even mean to…” He shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. I feel
like an ass.”

  “It’s fine.” She stepped back, adjusting her top so it covered the pale mound of exposed breast, the dark dot of her nipple. “We have all week for that. I don’t want to ruin anything by moving too fast.”

  “My God, me either. I just sort of went there.”

  “I saw that.”

  “Force of habit, I guess.”

  As soon as the words had left his mouth, he regretted having said them.

  “Habit?” she said.

  “Not that I mean…well…what I’m saying is…” Sweating, he had no clue how to fix this.

  Mackenzie smiled, but gone was the cute playfulness, the eagerness. “I know what you meant.”

  Ethan’s arms dropped by his sides. He sighed.

  No you don’t. I don’t even know what I mean.

  “Still up for that swim?” she asked.

  “No thanks…”

  “What? Why not?”

  “I’ve done enough damage tonight. Think I’ll head back to the house and let you enjoy your night.”

  “Are you sulking?”

  “Sulk…?”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “Sorry. Are you pouting?”

  “No!” As he crossed his arms and turned away from her, he realized that was exactly what he was doing.

  Mackenzie laughed behind him. “You’re so damn cute.”

  Glancing back at her from over his shoulder, he raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think the dark is just playing tricks on your eyes.”

  “Maybe. Still, you’re cute.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  “Well, thank you, kind sir.” She spun around on the sand, putting her back to him.

  “What are you doing?”

  Walking toward the sloshing blackness, she glanced back. “Getting in the water.”

  “Don’t you think…it’s a little dangerous?”

  “What?”

  “You know. Sharks.”

  “Oh please. There aren’t any sharks here. Area’s too populated for that.”

  That’s a load of bull…

  As he looked around and confirmed there was no population other than two in the area at the moment, he heard the splashes of waves being trampled. He looked at the ocean. Mackenzie vanished in the murky water up to her knees. Once it reached her hips, she put her hands together in front of her and dived.

  Damn.

  A few seconds later, the dim smudge of Mackenzie’s head thrashed to the surface. Screaming, she slapped at the water. “It’s got me!”

  “Oh, shit!”

  Ethan ran for the water as Mackenzie’s wails carried on in agonizing descants. He kicked off his sandals before his feet met the water. “What’s wrong?!”

  “It huurrrrrts!”

  I knew it! I fucking knew it!

  A shark. He knew they fed at night. It wasn’t something he’d fabricated in his mind. He’d learned it. From where, he couldn’t remember.

  The water was cold as it wrapped around his shins. The ocean climbed his body, and he quickly overcame its chilly shock. Then he launched himself forward, knifing through the water, paddling wildly as Mackenzie started to sink. His arms broke the water, whirled, then slapped down again. Stinging splashes hit his eyes.

  Finally he reached Mackenzie. Head barely above the water, she moaned. He hugged his arms around her waist. As he started to pull, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. He felt her tongue fighting its way into his mouth.

  “Wait…” he said.

  She was all over him, kissing, groping, squeezing. He tried to pull away from her hold. He couldn’t. His feet found purchase in the soft sand, and he stood up straight. The water dropped down to his chest, making little drippy sounds as more cascaded down his shoulders and chest.

  He felt Mackenzie’s legs wrap around his waist, her crotch pushing tightly against his.

  A trick.

  Mackenzie’s smile poked through the darkness in a block of white. “My hero.”

  “What the hell, Mackenzie?”

  “If that didn’t get you in the water…”

  “That wasn’t funny. I thought you were in trouble.”

  “I could’ve been, and you still rushed out here to save me.”

  “Dammit!”

  “Don’t get angry. You showed me that you’re brave enough to fight a shark for me. That takes a certain kind of man, in my opinion.”

  Ethan wanted to be mad, but several things kept him from successfully pulling it off. For one, Mackenzie’s wet body was pressed against his. All that separated them from each other were his thin trunks and the wispy material of her bikini. Another reason was she was too damn cute and charming to stay mad at. “Oh yeah?”

  “Big time. My man came to save me.” She shook her head.

  Her man.

  He liked how that sounded. But at the back of his mind, there was doubt that Mackenzie was emotionally stable where it mattered. Before he could say anything else, she was kissing him again. Her hands released their grip from his neck. They delved into the water. He felt her fingers pushing at the elastic band of his trunks. Finally, she shoved them down, unleashing his penis. It bobbed in the water, stiff and ready.

  Now would be the time a jellyfish would swim by.

  Ethan stopped that thought. That was something he didn’t need, paranoid thoughts ruining this moment.

  Mackenzie’s hands moved away from his trunks. He could feel them bumping his stomach as she rose slightly, digging at something. She pulled to the side. Wondering what she was doing, it made sense when she lowered back down, impaling herself. She’d pulled her bikini bottoms to the side, out of the way. The lower she came, the higher he pushed into her.

  Mackenzie leaned her head back, moaning. “Damn. So much for waiting.”

  “We suck.”

  Laughing, Mackenzie raised her head. “Yep—oh shit!” She tensed up. He felt the heat in her skin wash away with the gentle ocean waves.

  “Wha…what’s wrong?”

  “Someone’s watching us,” she said in a harsh whisper.

  Ethan laughed. He didn’t attempt to lower his voice. “Nice try.” He attempted to thrust, but the constrictive grip of her thighs prevented him from moving.

  “Seriously,” she said. She wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were focused over his left shoulder, wide and scared in the moonlight.

  “Look,” he said, “if you don’t want to do anything, we don’t have to.”

  “I’m not playing a goddamn joke on you. Look!” She slapped the back of his neck.

  Trying not to show her how bad the smack had stung, he turned his body, moving her with him so he could look. At first, he didn’t notice anything wrong. He could see the pale slopes of the dunes in the distance, the weeds sticking through like shady noodles. The moon washed the area in a dim smolder, making the darks even darker, and the sand like white flaky carpet. Once his eyes adjusted to the change in light, he began to make out a shape at the shoreline. A big shape. Looked like he was wearing heavy tattered clothes. Long hair fluttered in the breeze.

  “See him?” Mackenzie asked.

  “Yeah…”

  “Who do you think it is? Think it’s a cop?”

  “Doubt it. Looks like a bum.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “How he’s dressed.”

  “You can see that far in the dark?”

  “Well…no, not really. I mean, he’s wearing way too much heavy clothing to be someone out on a stroll.”

  “Then why’s he just standing there?”

  “Probably heard you screaming earlier.”

  “Me and my stupid ideas.”

  “What happened to me being the hero?”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  Ethan tried not to let that comment bother him, but it did. “Anyway, don’t worry. I doubt he can see us.”

  “The hell you say. It’s not that dark out her
e. I bet he can see plenty.”

  Ethan supposed she was right. Where the moon was positioned behind the man, it darkened him into a black cutout, but threw a glowing curtain of ripples onto the water. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Make him leave.”

  “I’m kind of…” He gave his hips a little thrust. “In the middle of something.”

  Mackenzie tensed at his prodding. Her fingers dug into his back. “As much as I like you being in the middle of something, I am not comfortable putting on a show.”

  Ethan heaved a sigh. “Me either.”

  “So make him leave.”

  “All right.” He started to pull out, but stopped when Mackenzie squeezed him. “What?”

  “Don’t leave me out here!”

  “Well, dammit, Mackenzie, you’re not giving me very many options.”

  “Hey, asshole!”

  Ethan flinched at her sudden shout. For a moment he thought it’d been directed at him, but realized it was meant for their spectator. Looking back to the shoreline, he saw the large head tilt slightly.

  “He heard you,” said Ethan.

  “How could he not?”

  Ethan cleared his throat, and smiled nervously. “You can go on now, sir. We were just fooling around, you know. No one’s in any trouble.”

  The man continued to stand there.

  “What’s his fucking deal?” Mackenzie asked.

  “I don’t know…” Ethan couldn’t ignore the twinge of fear in his stomach. He felt himself starting to withdraw from Mackenzie, shrinking. “Maybe we should leave.”

  “Good idea. We can take a shower when we get back to the house.”

  “Together?”

  Mackenzie gave him a little pinch on the arm. “You know it.”

  That perked his spirits a tad, though not much. He pulled away from Mackenzie, reached into the water, and tugged his trunks up. Mackenzie stooped in the water to her chin, shoulders swaying as she worked to fix her briefs.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  She nodded once. “Ready.”

  Something brushed Ethan’s hand. He gritted his teeth to hold in the scream. When he felt Mackenzie’s fingers slipping between his, he relaxed.

  Would’ve looked like an idiot.