Page 46 of Nerdelicious
“Sorry.” I shudder and release him. “I hate not knowing what’s underneath me. Especially when it’s slimy.” I slide to the ground, the flimsy material of my cheap swimsuit the only thing between our bodies. Despite the breeze chilling my wet skin, a wave of heat rushes through me.
I jerk away, marching over to my towel and wrapping it around my middle, sitting on the sand.
Beast stalks back into the water, deep enough for the water to hit him in the chest. The quicker to be away from me, most likely.
Grace chases after him. “Throw me in!”
He doesn’t react at first, not until she attacks him from behind, looping her skinny arms around his neck. Beast retaliates by picking Grace up and tossing her into deeper water. They do this for long enough that my arms start to ache just from watching, but Beast remains indefatigable.
After a while of lazing around on the beach, Annabel says she “forgot something” in the tent and Jude goes with her.
Totally code for sexy times.
Reese is stretched out on her towel, reading. Fitz naps next to her, lying on his back with his head close to hers, his hand on her thigh like he has to be touching her somewhere, even in sleep.
After a while, Grace returns and Beast swims down the shoreline away from our group. She wraps her towel around her and sits next to me, running her hands through the sand.
“Where’s Beast going?” I ask.
“For a swim. He won’t go far.”
I shade my eyes to pick him out amid the sparkling water. He cuts through the small waves easily. “I can’t believe he isn’t tired after throwing you around for the past twenty minutes.”
“He is a beast.” She smirks. “Hey, that was really funny when you freaked out about the plant.” She cracks up, nudging me with her elbow.
“Yep. Hilarious.”
Beast disappears around a curve in the shoreline. I frown. “He probably shouldn’t go too far. What if he cramps?”
“Stop worrying, he’s fine. He’s a good swimmer. Besides, he’ll be back in less than five minutes. He always keeps an eye on me. Like I’ll disappear with the slightest puff of wind.”
“It’s because he loves you.”
“I know. I’m lucky. Beast will never leave me.”
I lie back on my towel and Grace proceeds to bury my toes in sand.
She isn’t wrong. Beast might be overly protective of Grace, and she might squawk and complain about it, but it’s obvious she loves him, and his care. And the fact that he is as reliable as the sun rising every morning. He’ll never leave her, never pursue any dreams of his own outside of Blue Falls, not while Grace is here. Despite the heat of the sun on my face, I have to hug myself to ward off a sudden chill.
We stay on the beach until the late afternoon and then head back to start on dinner before the sun dips behind the mountains.
It’s exactly like I would have pictured a campout in the movies or something—minus the whole serial killer with a hockey mask thing. We roast hot dogs over the fire and make s’mores afterward. Jude tells stories about men with hooks for hands and ghosts living in the woods, but only succeeds in making everyone laugh.
When the fire has nearly died and the moon is high in the sky, the couples file off to their tents, followed shortly by Grace. Beast and I smother the fire and pack away the remnants of food and then say good night.
But once I’m lying in my tent with the lantern off, snuggled into the sleeping bag, I can’t sleep.
Everything is comfortable. I have a nice pad under me. There aren’t any rocks or twigs digging into my back. It’s nice and cool now that it’s dark. It’s quiet, except for the chirp of bugs, which should be soothing, but my mind won’t shut off.
I’m reliving the day, mostly the moments with Beast. His hands on my legs, how he carried me when I was too freaked out to really appreciate it. His eyes enigmatic in the firelight while Jude told his stories.
Mostly, I think about how none of that matters because I’m not staying in Blue Falls. I’m going home as soon as I find a job.
The small tent is suddenly stifling. Fresh air sounds good. Maybe I can check out the stars. I bet they’re even better here than on the roof at Granny’s.
I wiggle out of the bag and take the lantern. Outside the tent, the trees block most of the sky, revealing only a hint of the starry night above. I’ll have to go down to the beach. I grab my towel from my tent and head to the path, stepping as quietly as possible so I don’t disturb the others, increasing my pace once I reach the path.
The moon casts a glow on the beach ahead. Excited, I pick up the pace. The water is a sheet of black, reflecting the moon above. Before exiting the trees, I click off the lantern to appreciate the sky more fully. But movement in my periphery makes me jerk. On the beach, a large form looms dark against the light sand.
