Page 76 of Hexed
I swallow harshly, becausefuck—I want to kiss her so badly. But I know I can’t. I’ve already made an ass of myself enough tonight, so I give a curt nod and playfully shove her back before leaning down and removing my shoes and then my socks. I roll up the bottom of my pants for good measure too.
“There, you happy now?” I throw my arms out to the sides.
I don’t tell her how awful the sand feels on my bare feet. Or how I’m dreading the feel of the water against my skin. Or how I’m like a kid in a candy store just at the thought of spending more time with her.
She grins widely at me and slips off her shoes too.
A splash of icy water hits my toes and makes me suck in a sharp breath. I grit my teeth to keep from jumping. The water is shockingly cold for how warm it is outside.
Venesa must see my reaction because she throws her head back, a loud sultry laugh booming from her chest. The way her neck is elongated, her hair flowing down her back, and the sun setting behind her makes her look like anactualsiren come to shore, tempting even the most loyal of men.
I’m fuckinggonewhile I watch her.
The world could light itself on fire behind us, and I don’t think I’d care.
Suddenly, she doubles over, her arm covering her stomach and her face contorting. Panic permeates through me, and I rush closer.
“Are you okay?”
Her hand drops into the water, and then she stands up andthrowsit at me.
The salty liquid hits my cheeks, and my lungs constrict. I run a hand down my face and point a finger at her. “Now you’ve fucked up.”
“Oh, yeah?” She spins around like a twirling ballerina. “Story of my life.”
I shake my head, droplets of water dripping from the strands of my hair. “You shouldn’t want to fuck up with me.”
“Well.” She pauses. “That’s okay because you’re gonna have to catch me first.”
She doesn’t give me a chance to reply before she takes off, running down the shore like I’m chasing her.
There’s a single moment where I consider how ridiculous this is, how juvenile, but it’s gone in the next second, because if she’s giving me a chance to grab her, to hold her in my arms for even a moment, I’m not going to let that opportunity pass me by.
So I do.
Chase her, I mean.
I reach her quickly, because she’s not really a fast runner, or maybe she’s going slow on purpose, and the thought of that—of herwantingme to catch her—pumps adrenaline through me faster. And then my hands are out and gripping her hips, my body buzzing like a thousand firecrackers are exploding beneath my skin.
My palms anchor her to me, and then I’m picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, her screams making me laugh as I lock my arm around the backs of her thighs to hold her in place.
I march us down to the ocean, my chest feeling light and my mind feeling high as her fists bang against my back and her delectable body squirms against me.
“Let me down, you giantasshole!” she yells, but she’s giggling in between each word, and it makes my chest feel fucking weird. Lighter, maybe.
“If you insist.”
I toss her into the water, my cheeks aching from my smile splitting them in two.
When she emerges, my laughter fades.
She’s a goddess, her wet clothes clinging to her curves, her shirt so thin that it’salmostsee-through. If I look hard enough, I swear I can see the shadows of her nipples through the drenched fabric. Pieces of her hair stick to her face, and her eyes are wild like a hurricane as she saunters toward me.
My mouth drops open, becausefuck.
When she reaches me, she shoves me in the chest, and I fall back onto the sand, another chuckle breaking free. My stomach cramps like I just did a hundred sit-ups, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun or the last time I’ve felt so airy, I could float away.
I don’t know if I’veeverfelt like this.
