Page 115 of I Wanna Text You Up

“No it’snot.”

“You’re telling meyou’redraggingmeto the beach for achange?”

“What? I’m starting to likeit.”

I grin. “Hey, I’m not arguinghere.”

We make our way down the dusk-lit path. Before we hit the sand, we take our shoes off and Caleb rolls up the bottoms of his jeans. Then he leads me over to what we’ve sort of deemed our spot and doesn’t stop until we’re standing at the water’sedge.

He wraps his arms around me from behind, pulling me close, and we stare out at the vast ocean as the rays of day settle into night, letting the water lap at our bare feet. The stars shine above, the moon reflecting off the water in a picturesque scene. It’s quiet and comfortable and the simplest, most romantic gesture of mylife.

“I could get used to this,” he says into the darkness. “You, me, nights on thebeach.”

My heart thunders at the thought of spending days, weeks, even years with Caleb outhere.

“Going out to romantic seaside dinners…roasting s’mores on thebeach.”

I can see ittoo.

“Spending all the time in the world out here…naked. Lots of naked time on thebeach.”

A laugh bursts out of me and I spin around in his arms. “You totally just ruined that moment. Also, being naked on the beach doesnotsound appealing. Sand would get in all your no-no spots, and no one likesthat.”

“What the hell are you doing? Lying spread eagle face down in the sand or some shit? We’d lay a blanket down.Geez.”

I pat his chest twice and walk farther into the water. “I love how you’re planning our beach sexcapades right now. Never gonnahappen.”

He prowls toward me. “You don’t thinkso?’

“Nope.”

“You’re telling me if I stripped naked right now then slowly peeled away that”—he bites his knuckles and takes another step closer—“sexy as sin sundress from your body, you wouldn’t get down and dirty withme?”

My chest heaves as the image of Caleb doing just that washes over me. I have to squeeze my thighs together to create even an ounce of the friction my body is craving rightnow.

“No,” Ilie.

“Uh huh.” Another step. “And what if you wereall wetandhadto get naked? What aboutthen?”

I already am wet.“No.”

“Yousure?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly he swoops me into his arms, my legs automatically going around his waist for safety, and dashes into the shallow part of the sea. I’m half enthralled, half scared I’m going tofall.

He brings his lips to my ear. “I’ll say it again: yousure?”

“I swear, if you drop me into this water, Caleb Mills, you’re going back to school with the bluest balls in the history of blue balls, and you’re going down withme.”

He gives me a wide grin then pretends to lose his grip on me, and I let out a loud yelp, climbing farther up hisbody.

“Caleb!”

“Zoe!”

“Put medown.”

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