I gritted my teeth as I did, feeling guilty for taking so long to deliver the package. Florida aside, I really meant to take it. I even removed it from my car and put in the back of Riley’s truck, behind the seats, so as soon as we returned from Florida I’d hop in my car and drive it north. Maybe I’d even talk Riley into coming along.
A seagull cawed somewhere nearby agreeing with me.
Regardless, I couldn’t do anything about it while on the beach in Florida. I’d have to deliver the box and then pick my friend up a souvenir from Maine to make up for taking so long. I bet the diner still sold enormous bottles of maple syrup—the best in the entire United States. One of those bottles would surely win her forgiveness.
The beach was private, and I looked around at a few other beachgoers. They looked like upstanding citizens, so I left my phone in the bag and stood, taking a step off the blanket and letting my feet adjust to the hot sand again.
Riley leaned back, enjoying himself as his swim trunks displayed the V of his hips. If I wasn’t careful, I’d stand there all day and stare at it.
“I’ll race you there,” I said and then pushed off, sending sand flying against Riley’s stomach from my departure. The tiny grains were hot and my feet burned, forcing me to run faster, which helped put distance between us.
I was just at the edge of the water when the sand turned a dark brown from the wetness of the waves. Relief was only inches away when Riley caught up to me, wrapping me up from behind and flipping me off my feet before carrying me into the water.
He splashed through the waves, causing beads of cool water to hit my back. The water might have been warmer than in Pelican Bay, but against my sizzling skin, it hit like small icicles.
“Riley, don’t,” I laughed and then screamed, trying to hit his shoulder so he’d back out of the water slowly.
But that wasn’t the Riley Jefferson way.
As soon as the waves hit his upper thighs, he gave me one big grin, leaned over, and then unceremoniously dropped me into the chilly water. The liquid closed around me like little pinpricks of ice jabbing into my skin.
I kicked my feet and spun my arms, racing to get to the surface and back to the warm sun I now missed incredibly. I broke the surface and spat water, using my hand to wipe it away for my face as I sputtered.
Once my feet were underneath me, Riley’s arms circled my body. With a jerk, he brought his lips to mine. He tasted of summer sun and sand, like coconut lip balm you wanted to rub on your lips and keep there all day as it made mine tingle.
We stood there in the water with the waves crashing against our legs as I kissed Riley as hard as he kissed me. It was like we spent no time apart, yet we were both adults now. The earth moved, or it was only the waves as they buckled against us, trying to take us under with them? Either way, I had only one word to describe the moment.
Wow.
9
RILEY
“How much longer do I have to enjoy this?” Cassandra asked and then lay back on the towel so her arms stretched out, getting as much sun as possible against her smooth pale skin.
There wasn’t much of the oversized towel left besides a little space in the corner. I positioned myself there to see her all at one time. “We need to leave in two hours to make it to the airport on time.”
Cassandra flopped over with an undignified huff. “I have a better plan.”
Certain parts of me twitched at the thoughts of what her better plan might be. If she told me to take her back to the condo and lavish her for the next week, I’d be game. “What’s that, babe?”
“Just leave me here.”
I laughed and rubbed in the small line of sunscreen along her back in slow delicate circles. I already put it on once before, but one couldn’t be too safe with the sun’s UV rays. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to touch Cass.
“Your mom might miss you.” I lost my mother at a young age. Family is everything once you realize you’ve taken them for granted and no longer have them. I didn’t want that for her.
If I understood one thing in the world, it was to appreciate your mother, even if she drove you absolutely insane. You only get one and you didn’t realize how much you’ll miss her until she’s gone.
Cassandra flipped her head to the side to look at me and smiled. “I highly doubt that. She hasn’t stopped to see me, even though she heard I’m in town.”
She said it with a smile, but she had tiny lines etched around her eyes. It made her more beautiful than when I saw her the last time. She was still the most gorgeous woman on the planet, but her experience made her even more stunning.
However, in my distraction of staring at her, I’d forgotten she did not have a great relationship with her mother. Still, the woman had given birth to her, and it a disappointment the two of them could not find common ground.
They’d always had a rocky foundation and I knew Cassandra didn’t particularly like her mother, but I hoped they’d grown past it over the years. Distance sometimes offered that. I never realized how bad it apparently was between the two.
“How is your dad? Is he doing okay without your mom?” she asked, switching the topic.
