“It’s okay, sweet girl,” I whisper, running my palm slowly, lovingly over her spine. “I got you. You’re safe.”
She buries her face in my neck, shuddering every now and then until the school passes us by. Slowly, she untangles from my arms, and when I place her back into the water, her face has taken on a flaming-red hue.
“I… sorry about that,” she says, tugging on a strand of hair as her eyes drop to the water. “That was kind of embarrassing…”
I pull her in close once more, placing my finger under her chin, drawing her gaze back up to mine. “When I saw my first group of stingrays in the wild, I’m pretty sure I shit myself. Your reaction wasfarbetter.”
Eloise laughs, the sound clear and bright, and I know her moment of unease has passed. She shivers again, and I tug her back in the direction of shore, sparks flowing in every place my skin touches hers. “Come on. I think that was enough ocean excitement for one night.”
As we get out of the water, I can’t help but drag my gaze to Eloise, watching droplets of water roll off her skin and onto the sand below. At that moment, I wish I were that drop of seawater—licking her skin slowly, worshipping every dip and curve of her beautiful body before being tossed to the side.And how wonderful it would be to be discarded by her.
We stop in front of our pile of clothes, and I notice how Eloise’s nose crinkles with distaste as she picks up her sand-covered underwear and jeans.
Without thinking, I hand her my T-shirt. “Here. This will be like a dress on you, and way better than trying to get into jeans while soaking wet.”
“I… I couldn’t.”
“You can.” Before she has time to protest, I pull the shirt over her head. The hem stops mid-thigh on her, loose enough to be a dress, just as I thought. For a moment, I stand there frozen, taking in the enchanting sight of Eloise dressing in my clothes—committing the moment to memory.
Turning from her, I pull on my boxers, but they do nothing to hide my growing erection. As we move toward the row of Australian pines, I notice Eloise’s gaze flitting downward, her eyes shining with appreciation. The knowledge has my pulse racing, every nerve ending on high alert.She likes what she sees.
We hang our remaining clothes on one of the branches of the pines, then take a seat on the warm sands beneath. For a long while, we sit there comfortably in each other’s silence, listening to the waves crash against the shore and staring up at the twinkling gold stars. It goes on for so long, I believe it will never end. But then she speaks.
“I have something to admit,” she whispers, the moonlight highlighting the faint blush rising along her cheeks. “Something I’m not super proud of.”
I turn to her, giving her my full attention. “You can tell me anything, Eloise.”
She looks me dead in the eye, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. “I… may have lightly stalked you on the internet.”
I have to bite my lip to stifle my smile. “Did you, now?”
“I know—I know it was wrong. And I stopped myself before I got to anythingsuperpersonal, but… yeah.” She hangs herhead, swirling her pointer finger absentmindedly in the sand. “If you’re angry, I totally understand.”
This time, I do laugh. Eloise whips her head toward me, surprise illuminated in her bright eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“Eloise… sweet girl. I’m not angry at all. In fact, I’m quite flattered.” I lean in close, loving the little shiver that runs through her at the closeness of my proximity. “Did you see something you liked?”
She smacks me lightly on the arm, matching my grin. “If I did, I wouldn’t tellyou.Your ego is big enough as it is.”
I spread my fingers over my heart, faking a devastated expression. “Your words wound me. They wound me deeply.”
“You’re such a weirdo.”
“Yourweirdo.”
She blushes but doesn’t respond to that comment. Instead, she changes the subject back to her internet sleuthing. “So… How come you never told me you were famous?”
“I’m not. These days, I’m just an alcoholic.”
Eloise chokes. “That’s not funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
For some reason, my all-too-serious demeanor sets her off. A laugh explodes into the air, loud and full and free. Time moves in slow motion as I watch Eloise’s face twist in joy, her eyes creasing at the corners and her lips pulling back to reveal a thin strip of her pink gums.
I realize then that I’ve never seen Eloise smile. Not really. Not fully.
She laughs and laughs, something deep inside her breaking, letting years of repressed emotion seep through the cracks. With nowhere to go and no direction, it pours out of her, filling the air and infecting everything around her.
