“Okay,” he said, giving me exactly what I wanted.
I jumped to my feet and thought about taking his hand but figured that wouldn’t go over too well right now. We walked in slow, measured steps to the lapping water. The closer we got, the louder it became. Flynn covered his ears with his hands.
“It’s too loud,” he yelled, though he didn’t need to. I could hear him just fine.
We kept walking until we reached where the water met the sand. Flynn hadn’t dropped his hands and Murphy was running circles around us in his excitement. I wanted to get closer but I knew this was as far as Flynn would be willing to go.
A wave broke on the shore and water surged toward us, washing our feet. Flynn made a face but didn’t retreat.
“It’s cold,” he said.
I nodded. He was right. The ocean was really cold. But it was awesome.
“I’m going to walk closer. You can stay here. You’ll still be able to see me,” I promised.
Flynn clung to my hand. “Don’t go far. Promise,” he demanded.
“I promise,” lifting his hand and kissing the back softly.
I jogged to the water. I rolled up my jeans and waded in up to my shins. Murphy was barking at me from beside Flynn who looked ready to run away.
I knew I should go back to him. But I couldn’t make myself. Not yet. A large wave crashed and I squealed as the water rushed forward, soaking the bottom of my pants.
I was laughing hysterically by the time I pulled myself away from the ocean and returned to Flynn’s side.
“You’re laughing,” he observed, watching my face.
“I am. That was fun,” I said, unrolling my pants.
“You’re happy,” he replied, his own smile reaching up to touch his eyes.
“Yep. And so are you,” I said, pointing to his grinning face.
He laughed, an awkward sound.
“I am. You make me happy,” he said. He reached out and cupped his hand behind my neck, shocking the hell out of me.
He yanked me forward with enough force to make me stumble. I laughed again.
“What are you doing, Flynn?” I asked him; my heart thudded almost painfully in my chest. I had never seen this side of Flynn. He had never tried to take control of our physical interactions. That had always been left up to me.
But he was taking control now.
And it was hot.
He didn’t give me a chance to say anything else. He smashed his mouth to mine with a bruising clash of teeth. I pulled back slightly. “A little softer, Flynn. I don’t want either of us breaking a tooth.”
Not surprisingly, he didn’t pick up on my teasing, but he listened to my suggestion. His lips were gentle when they returned to mine and he kissed me with a passion that made my toes curl.
The wind picked up and swept my hair in our face and Flynn batted it away but he never stopped kissing me. His hand continued to hold my face while the other came up to wrap around me.
This was real. This was perfect.
This was absolutely right.
Flynn pulled away abruptly, his mouth tender and swollen. “I want to walk on the beach. Will you come with me?” he asked and my mind was still trying to play catch up from being overrun by my raging hormones.
“Uh, sure,” I said, blinking in confusion.
