Page 29 of Every Heartbeat After

Tess spins around, but she can’t fix her face into irritation fast enough to hide the fact that for a moment, I made her laugh. “Mama always said they’d spit me back out. Too bony.” She flaps her arms for emphasis.

“I’ll bet she did.”

Never mind that the last word I’d use to describe Tess isbony.She’s all softness. From the curve of her hips to her ample breasts, which are on mouthwatering display in a blue string bikini. I’m mesmerized by every inch of her, right down to the sexy swell of her lower belly that makes me want to grovel at her fucking feet.

She tilts her head and, as though I’ve spoken these thoughts aloud, blushes crimson.

She’s the first to break eye contact, dropping her gaze to the water swirling around her hips. “You know, you’re failing miserably at keeping your distance.”

That’s because I don’t want to.I clear my throat and lock my hands together behind my head. “What? How was I supposed to know that blob floating in the ocean was you? I just thought I’d impart my ample knowledge of shark behaviors on this random passerby, in case they didn’t know. What kind of asshole would I be if I didn’t and you got eaten because of it?”

“Ah, yes, if you hadn’t mansplained marine life to me, I’d be screwed,” she deadpans.

I arch a brow. “I noticed you’re still in the water.”

“How astute.” She half-heartedly splashes in my direction, though she’s too far out to even come close to hitting me. “I prefer the sharks’ company to yours.”

“You know I can also eat you, right? If that’s what you’re interested in.” The words are out before I can second-guess them. For a moment the air between us is fully charged. I’m bracing, and also kicking myself internally, when she holds out what I’m expecting to be a middle finger.

Instead it’s a thumb, which she turns straight down. “Booooooo!”

Nervous laughter whooshes out of me. Then it grows, changes, until it’s a full-on guffaw. Because she’s referencing our first day together, and that can’t be anything but a very good sign.

Finally she begins wading toward me. Just as she’s about to step out of the worst of it, a particularly strong wave hits her backside, and she’s vaulted forward. I rush to catch her. My shoes are immediately soaked. She falls into my arms, and we stumble back, my moment of attempted heroism going south at the same time our bodies do.

We hit the sand in a tangle of limbs, but I’ve managed to take the brunt of the fall, with her landing on my chest. Our gazes meet, and her surprised gasp turns into a wrinkled nose and a tap on my forehead. “You stink, you know that?”

“Yeah, well, I just ran for the last hour.” I make no move to get up, even as another wave blankets the sand we’re lying on. For however long she’s willing to remain like this, I’ll be here, savoring every place where our bodies meet. “What’s your excuse?”

She smells like her signature coconut sunscreen and the sea. I bet if I kissed her, she’d taste like sugar. Which means I’m lying through my damn teeth, and by the look on her face, she knows it.

“You are insufferable,” she says, but there’s no bite.

“And yet”—I release my hold on her long enough to gesture to our entwined bodies—“you’re here.”

Her green eyes narrow, and before I can lift a hand to protect myself, she’s dropping a handful of sand right onto my face. A knee nearly connects with my balls as she pushes to her feet. By the time I scramble upright, she’s halfway to the stairs.

So I jog after her.

Hopeless. I’m so damn hopeless when it comes to her. “What do you have planned for the day?”

“Nothing,” she tosses over her shoulder. “Just going where the wind takes me.”

I shudder internally. That sounds like my worst nightmare. I catch up to her, grab her hand, and spin her toward me. Sand coats her skin, and I’m overwhelmed with the desire to bathe her. To wash all the evidence of my bungled rescue attempt from her gorgeous skin.

I swallow hard, and she notices. Her gaze darts to my throat and lingers. Is she breathing faster? Or am I?

We both glance at our joined hands, but neither moves to separate them.

“Spend the day with me,” I offer. “Let me make this whole thing up to you.”

“Let you make up for the fact that you crashed my vacation… by further crashing my vacation?” She glances up, amusement sparking in her gaze. Her face is open this morning. Less guarded. I try to savor it as much as possible while it lasts.

I shrug. “Pretty much.”

She shakes her head and laughs, which feels like progress. “Did you seriously not have anything better to do than go on a trip with a stranger?”

One light squeeze of her hand and that laughter dies on the breeze. “You’re not exactly a stranger, Tess.”

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