Page 22 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

We were tracking down a stranger on the beach, and it should have felt tense and frightening, but I couldn’t help smiling about how comical it must have looked for the five of us, bunched together, with barely an inch of space between us as we traipsed across the deep sand.

A dark figure stood up from behind a cluster of rocks, and we all froze in our tracks. He was massively built … and annoyingly familiar. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.

“Wait,” Ella said. “Is that who I think it is? It has to be. I’ve never seen a shoulder span like it.”

Our voices carried over to where Dex was standing. He straightened and pointed his flashlight beam our direction. He chuckled. “I think I’ve just discovered the prettiest five-headed sea creature that ever walked the beach.”

“May I ask what you’re doing down here?” I asked.

“I sure seem to have to explain myself to you a lot.” His gaze landed on me, and I shuffled my feet in the deep sand. I hated that he was constantly knocking me off balance. “Is this a private beach?”

“Nope,” Ella supplied unhelpfully.

I moved closer, and my tightly-knit entourage followed. “People don’t normally lurk around down here after dark.”

He had this tilted grin that always made me want to—want to do something, I just didn’t know what. He used it like a weapon, a charismatic weapon. “Seems to me all of you are down here on the beach after dark.”

“That’s ‘cuz we live right up there in the cottage,” Layla chirped.

We all looked at her, but my glare was strongest of all.

“What? It’s true. We’re having macaroni and cheese for dinner. Would you like to join us?”

Apparently, my big sister glare had lost some of its power, because Layla decided to just forge ahead with her silliness.

I doubled down on the glare and added a lifted brow. “I’m sure he has other places to?—”

“Macaroni and cheese sounds great,” he said. “If you have enough.”

“I made plenty,” Isla said.

“We’re just up the hill,” Ella said. “I was telling my sisters about how brave you were this afternoon in the café.” My four sisters steered Dex up to the cottage, leaving me behind in the sand, stunned about how the last few minutes had unfolded.

Ava was the first to notice that I wasn’t in the huddle. She turned, ran back to me and wrapped her arm around mine. “No exaggeration. That man is a treat to look at.” She tugged to move my feet forward. “Did I detect something between you two?” she asked.

“The only thing between us is distance and not nearly enough of it. He’s irritating and cocky and obviously he’s up to something. He’s trouble.”

“If you don’t mind me saying—sounds like just your type.” Ava squeezed my arm.

“That was teenage Aria. I’ve turned my attention to much more sensible men now.” I shook my head. “And before you bring up my terrible Paul era, please—well, please don’t. I only just finished paying off that non-wedding.”

The others were well ahead, with Dex leading the way with his flashlight. Layla was telling him the story about all of us getting stung by a particularly ambitious jellyfish on the same morning.

“He’s really good looking,” Ava said.

“Yep, I see that. But—but—” I blew out an exasperated gasp.

“But what?”

“Nothing. It’ll just be nice to see the backside of him.”

Ava shined her flashlight up ahead. “I’m seeing that backside right now and well, you’re right.”

“Ugh … you know what I mean.”

Ava laughed. “I’m just teasing.” She stopped and looked at me. “This guy—he’s—well, let’s just say I’m not used to seeing my big sister, my confident, stoic guardian, so flustered.”

I pulled the collar of my coat closer around my neck. “Not flustered. Just irritated.”

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