Page 114 of Tourist Trap

"Just know if you win, I'll let you do whatever you want to me tonight."

His eyes widen along with his grin. "Anything?"

"Anything," I confirm. He drops his head to my shoulder, and I let out a laugh at his dramatics.

"Jesus, Claire," he groans into my neck.

"You want to take my ass, baby, it's yours." His breathing goes a bit ragged, and he tugs my hips to his, where I can feel how much he likes that idea. "Not now, though," I whisper, then step back.

"Fuck, now we can't leave for a few minutes," he grumbles, readjusting his hardening cock in his shorts, and I smile.

"Keep that in mind, just in case you lose motivation."

"I don't think that's going to be an issue," he says. "I'm suddenly very fucking motivated."

"Good." I put the cap on my lipstick and throw a lip gloss into my bag before turning back to him. "Ready to go when you are."

When we approach where the beach games are set up, I see some familiar faces that have me stopping in my tracks.

"Is that…" I turn and look up to Miles, who is smiling wide. "What did you do?" I ask, turning to him, mystupideyes watering, and he's grinning now.

"I called up Nate, wanted to see if they'd want to spend the day on the shore."

"I love you so much, I could kiss you," I say.

"Go, Aunt Claire!" Sophie shouts before I can, and I move quickly down the boards and onto the sand, where I grab my niece and spin her around. When I set her down, she starts jumping up and down like a maniac.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" I ask with a watery smile. I hug my brother first, then Jules, who is right next to him, before moving on to my sisters. Mom waves from where she's arguing with Dad about how he's putting in the umbrella, and I smile at the sight.

I wonder if that's how Miles and I will be in thirty years, me bossing him around, him doing whatever he deems will keep me happy because he can't care to have me any other way. When I look at him, seeing him setting my beach bag next to my lifeguard chair and shaking Margo to make sure she's full, I know the answer is yes.

God, it shouldn't be legal to bethishappy. Really, it shouldn’t.

"Miles called us, told us you're helping out, and he had a team going," Sutton says, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"I hear he's going to kick that asshole's ass," my dad says, looking around for who I assume is Paul. We found out yesterday when the teams were posted that Paul would be on Team Surf, something that made me more angry than it did Miles.

"He's throwing his hissy fit," Miles had said when I told him I wanted to go find his brother and break his leg so he couldn't compete. "Let him."

Like father, like daughter, if I'm being honest.

"That's the goal," Miles says, moving over to my dad to shake his hand.

My dad pulls him into a backslapping hug, and I fight more emotions that are on the verge. It's like once I fell in love and felt safe in that, all of my emotions were even more prominent, and the thin wall I was hiding behind is completely demolished now that I feel fulfilled in all aspects of my life.

"Hello, Claire," Brad says, walking over with a Team Surf shirt on. It's ill-fitting, and his team stands behind him, looking unhappy to be here, except for Paul, who looks unnecessarily smug. "Shouldn't you be working?"

I give him a smile, then look at my watch, followed by the competition area.

"I didn't know I had to be on before anything started."

His jaw goes tight.

"You work for me, so I don't appreciate you fraternizing with the?—"

Helen steps over to us with a dark look on her face, though I have no idea where she came from.

"Actually, Claire works for the Seaside Point Recreation Department, not you, Mr. Baker," she says firmly, then turns to me. "And you're not even on the clock yet, Claire. Enjoy your morning."

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