Page 35 of Summer Kisses

"Wrap your legs around me," Brady murmured in my ear, and I gave him a look.

"I can hold onto you easier, and you can enjoy the freedom of being in the water. Trust me."

I sighed because I did trust him. It was me I couldn't trust. But I couldn't tell him that. I hopped so that I could throw my legs around his waist, and his hand landed on my ass, pulling me tight against him. His palm seared through the thin material of my bikini bottoms, and my core nudged against a hard ridge.

Suddenly, I was hot all over, and there was this roar in my ears that had nothing to do with the waves crashing near the shore.

"Isn't that better," he murmured into my ear.

I nodded jerkily, not trusting my voice.

"Now each time a swell lifts us up, feel what it does inside your body. Is your stomach weightless? Do you feel like you're floating, or do you feel like a small toy at the mercy of the ocean?"

His words were a good reminder that he wasn't affected by my proximity, not like I was to him. I could barely concentrate with his hand cradling my ass and my center rubbing against his hardness. But I forced myself to focus on his words and to at least attempt to figure out what he was saying.

When the next swell lifted us with it, I let go, giving into the weightless sensation.

"What did I tell you. It's a cool feeling."

"It is," I agreed, fixated on his full lips and boyish expression. He was enjoying being in the water, and I was calculating how easy it would be for him to slide my bottoms to the side so that his fingers could ease inside.

I felt heavy with desire, my nipples forming hard peeks underneath the material of my top.

"I thought you'd enjoy being in the water, but you're always reading on the beach or hunting for shells."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"I wanted to see if you could enjoy this too. With someone you can trust."

I met his gaze. "I trust you. I always have."

He raised a brow. "With your body and your heart?"

I laughed off his words. "Why would I need to trust you with my heart?"

"Because this situation we've gotten ourselves into is intense. It's a mind fuck. And I don't want either of us to get hurt," he said seriously.

"Don't worry. There's no chance of that." As long as I remembered that he wasn't into me and this attraction was one-sided.

We played in the water, riding the swells for a while. Then we made our way back to the shore and dried off in the sun on the towels. It was the perfect afternoon. And the best part was that I didn't have to leave. There was no reason to go home at the end of the night. We'd talk about what to eat for dinner, prepare it together, clean up, then watch something on TV while cuddling on the couch. It was domestic, and I liked it.

"Is living on the beach everything you imagined?" Brady asked.

"It's even better. It's like being on a permanent vacation. The beach is always there for me to enjoy."

"I missed it when I was in college."

"The good thing is you're never far from a beach, living in Florida." We'd both gone to schools in state, not wanting to travel far from our families.

"There's just something about the island. It gets into your blood, and you can't let it go."

"I have to agree with you on that." I opened my eyes to find Brady leaning on one elbow, his legs stretched out in front of him.

"I've always imagined raising kids on the island, watching them surf the waves or throw a football on the sand."

"You've thought about having kids?" This was something we hadn't talked about.

"It's a vision I get every once in a while, a dark-haired boy asking me to throw him the ball or a little girl who needs me to haul water in her sand bucket." He inclined his head toward the family that was enjoying the beach farther down. They were making frequent trips from the water to their towels, where they were building a large sandcastle and moat.

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