Page 15 of Try Me

Pearl chuckled. Declan might be afraid of a little blood, but she wasn’t.

“Wasn’t my leg with a hole in it,” she said.

“You’re amazing.”

“It looked worse than it was,” she said.

“When someone gives you a compliment, you’re supposed to say thank you.”

Pearl smiled and said thank you, feeling incredibly guilty about her reasons for inviting Declan on the trip.

“We’re missing good surf,” Oscar said, heading back to the van.

Declan’s eyes gleamed. “I can’t wait to see what you do on the waves,” he said, getting to his feet to follow Oscar.

Pearl watched Declan’s back as he walked away. She tried not to stare, but she couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was from every angle. His well-worn jeans hugged him in all the right places, and his T-shirt hugged the lean muscles of his back.

Trapezius. Latissimus Dorsi. Erector Spinae.

Pearl recited the muscles of the back, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn’t afford to get distracted by a man, even one as perfect as Declan.

He turned around and looked at her, eyebrows raised in question. “You coming or what?” he asked.

Pearl tossed him a smile, hoping it looked more nonchalant than she felt. Now was her chance to show Declan what she could do. She wasn’t going to blow it.

“Coming,” she said, hurrying to join him.

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