Page 68 of Ride the Wave

‘No.’

A muscle in his jaw twitches. I don’t say anything further. I don’t need to; he can guess. For a moment, he looks irritated. Disappointed.Jealous. Tingles run down my spine at the very thought of it.I want him. I’m not going to pretend to myself like I don’t, because come on. He’s so fucking hot, but also fun and cute and thoughtful. The way he carried me up the beach, the way he looked at me when we had our almost-kiss moment…

He’s so gorgeous, he makes my brain malfunction.

But even if he felt the same way, nothing can happen. I know that. He surely knows that. So, here we are, standing in silence, tense and begrudging. The energy in the air between us is sparking and crackling.

‘I’ll let you get home then,’ he mutters eventually.

I nod, sliding myself past him to begin my agonisingly slow walk to the door.

‘Fuck’s sake, this is painful to watch,’ Leo huffs behind me, before I suddenly feel his hands around my waist again, propping my arm over his shoulders and hoisting me up so that I can lean my weight on him. ‘I’m driving you home.’

‘The apartment is down the road!’

‘At this rate, that will take you weeks.’

‘You don’t need to fuss, Leo.’

‘Yes, I do,’ he states so matter-of-factly, it shuts me right up.

He helps me into the truck and we sit in silence for the two-minute drive. When I steal a glance at him, his mouth is set in a hard line. He pulls up to my building, turns off the engine and jumps out to rush round and get the door, lifting me down and leading me to the door of the building.

‘Thank you,’ I begin, fishing out my keys, ‘but you don’t need—’

‘I’m taking you up to the flat,’ he says gruffly, not even looking at me.

And I don’t argue with that either. At first, he lets me lean on him as I attempt the stairs, but then he gets impatient and before I know it, I’m up in his arms again being carried all the way up to my floor. I clutch my hands round his neck a little tighter than is necessary.

When he lowers me down in front of my door, I open my mouth to thank him, but he cuts in before I can say a word.

‘Have fun tonight,’ he says, refusing to look me in the eye.

He’s spun round and rushed down the stairs before I can evenconsidersaying out loud what I’d like to say. Which is that I’d like to cancel on José tonight.

And against all better judgement, I’d like to invite Leo inside.

18

This date should be perfect.

I’m in a really lovely restaurant, one of the most expensive in the Algarve, sitting at a table with the most handsome man in the room. He’s in a tailored suit and polished shoes; I’m in a black, halterneck, fitted dress and, against Marina’s advice, heels. I’ve got a very padded plaster on the ball of my foot, so putting my weight on it is really not that bad. José is charming, stylish and intelligent. He’s currently telling me about the location of his most recent building project which isn’t too far from here, a location that has huge advantages because… uh… well, I’m actually not sure why, because I haven’t been entirely listening.

I keep thinking about how strong Leo’s arms were when he lifted me earlier.

No hint of struggling or straining with my weight, he scooped me right up.

And I fit so snugly, there against his chest.

Like I was made for him.

‘…and that’s one of its most appealing prospects,’ José is saying proudly, as I automatically nod along, ‘that it’s easily accessible whilst also being close to shops, bars, restaurants, tourist attractions, family activities. There’s a relaxed vibe to the town, too…’

You know what else I like about Leo?

How his whole face lights up when he laughs. He was so guarded around me at first, determined to keep me at arm’s length, but over the course of two weeks, I’ve whittled him down and now I know that when he finds something funny, his expression completely transforms. His eyes gleam, his grin broadens and he gets those gorgeous little crinkles around his mouth. It sounds strange, but I think those moments are the highlights of this trip.

The moments when Leo Silva has forgotten himself with me and properly laughed.

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