Page 89 of The Moon & His Tides
Only, in my dreamiest fantasies, Sebastian wouldn’t just be a mate; he’d be something like a… boyfriend.
Lord, that sounded trite to say as a grown man.
But it also sent a secret thrill trilling through my heart.
“Sound good?” he prompted me as he walked up to a surf shack at the edge of the sand.
“Perfect,” I agreed, unleashing the grin I’d been holding back so he could see just how much the whole idea meant to me.
“Bene,” Sebastian said as we walked into the store. “Because I’m thoroughly looking forward to seeing you knocked on your ass.”
I was still laughing when a tall, slender girl with a thicket of blonde hair bounded over to Sebastian the moment we entered the shop. She was all elbows and knees poking out of an oversized vintage Dior tee and rolled-up boxer shorts.
“Seb,” she called even though she was currently throwing her arms around his neck to give him an exuberant hug. “It took you long enough.”
He chuckled, ducking her under the chin in a brotherly way. “I had to get the old man out of bed. Be happy we made it here at all.”
The girl turned her smile on me, and I was shocked by its vibrancy. She had eyes the colour of concord grapes surrounded by a thick golden fringe of lashes. Crinkled with mirth, I thought they might have been the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen, second only to Sebastian’s. She was just a kid with a gangly body and a face with features she still had to grow into, but years in the industry had taught me that she’d be a great beauty one day.
“Hi,” she said, bouncing lightly on her heels as she stuck out a long-fingered hand for me to shake. “We’ve kinda met before, but not really. I’m Linnea Kai.”
Miranda Hildebrand’s daughter, I thought, but didn’t say.
My own experiences had taught me that not everyone enjoyed being linked to their parents.
“Pleasure to meet you,” I said instead, gripping her warm palm. “I’m Adam.”
Her wide grin stretched wider. “Hi, Adam. Are you ready to surf?”
I shot a disgruntled look at Sebastian. “Well, I was until Sebastian told me he’d be laughing his arse off every time I fell off my board.”
Linnea threw her head back and laughed, a throaty, frothy sound that made me grin. “Oh, he’s just deflecting. You were in the RAF, and I’ve seen you horseback ride in movies. I bet you’ll take to it easily. It’s this big oaf”—she jerked her thumb at Sebastian, who mock glowered at her—“who I predict will swallow his fair share of ocean water.”
I couldn’t be sure if it was her age, clearly younger even than Seb, or because I had a whole day in front of me without posturing or posing or responsibility, but I felt like a teenager myself again.
“Is that right? Maybe we should place a bet on it, hmm?” I suggested, arching my brows at Seb. “Best surfer as declared by Linnea at the end of the day wins.”
“Wins what?” he countered immediately, crossing his arms in a way that made his biceps bulge, testing the limits of his grey tee.
“A favor.”
His brows rose too, and he took a slight step forward, crowding me slightly. “A favor?”
There was only a slight insinuation in his tone, but I matched it with my own slightly throaty, “Yeah.”
“Ananythingfavor?” he pushed because that was who Sebastian was.
He pushed me to test my limits but never to exceed them. It was funny that he could be so like Savannah in that way yet so different. He respected my boundaries and the landmines that littered my history that were so easily triggered today. Instead of pushing me forcibly beyond them, he held my hand and led me through them.
So even though it scared me to think about handing over control to anyone, I sucked in a deep breath and looked down my nose at him as if he’d insulted me. “Of course.”
“Deal,” he said instantly, taking my hand in a fierce grip before pointing at Linnea who was watching us with catlike intensity. “You stand as our witness.”
“And very willing judge,” she added, clapping her hands together. “Now, let’s get you boys outfitted properly and get out there while there’s still daylight.”
Fuck,it was cold.
Even with a wetsuit, the Atlantic was frigid, and my feet were numb as they dangled in the water. We’d been at it for two hours already and even though I was fitter than most men, exhaustion had settled into muscles I didn’t even know I had. Surfing looked so bloody easy when a professional did it, but it was challenging.
