Page 26 of Love By The Falls

Her giggling is adorable, and her hair tickles my chest. “Are we planning to spend the day in bed?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

She laughs. “Me, too.”

My hands run up and down her back and along the curves of her cheeks. She shivers and goosebumps form along her soft skin.

She turns her head toward the patio doors. “The sun seems strong today. I bet the water at the beach looks beautiful in this light.”

“Mmm,” I say, but I’m distracted by the two dimples at her lower back.

“At some point, I need to walk on that beach. I can’t go back home without putting my feet in the sand.”

“Mmm,” I say again, dipping my thumbs in the indents. “Wait. What? You haven’t been to the beach yet?”

“No. I stayed by the pool the first day and then yesterday was the Off-road Adventure. I haven’t had a chance yet.”

My fingers pause. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. Why would I lie about that?”

I’ve no idea why this bothers me. My dick is still hard and I should just leave it alone, but I can’t.

I throw the sheet off and stand up from the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“To the beach. Come on, there’s a great spot I want to show you.”

She narrows her eyes, but slowly gets up. “I should take a shower.”

“Put on your swimsuit. We’ll wash up in the ocean.”

“That feels very Medieval—but, I like it,” she laughs and grabs her swimsuit. “What about you? Do you want to stop by your room to get yours?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“Okay.”

I rush upstairs, like a schoolboy, and put on my swimming trunks. As I throw on a clean shirt and stare at myself in the mirror, I don’t recognize the giddy smile on my face. Shit.

When did that happen?

I return to the room in less than five minutes, but Charlotte is ready and wearing a red bathing suit and a sheer black cover-up. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she says with a smile.

I reach for her hand, and we walk along the cobblestone pathway toward the beach. Several people are lounging underneath palapas, others are in the water. Instead of walking toward them, I turn to the left. “The place is further this way.”

Charlotte is staring at the water. Her face is serene, but there’s something in her eyes that makes me wonder if it’s the first time she’s seen the ocean.

The pathway at this point ends and there’s just sand up ahead and some bushes on either side.

“It’s not much further from here.” Her flip-flops kick up sand, so she bends down to take them off. She stops for a moment and wiggles her toes. All I see is her red toenail polish peeking from beneath the white sand.

“Ah, this is so soft and warm,” she gushes.

I’m tempted to join her, so I take off my running shoes and socks. “That is nice.” I stare at her as she stares down at her toes and I get this strange feeling inside me. I can’t explain it. So, I simply move on. “Come on.”

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