The deal. I wonder what he means by that but do not pry. “How long have you two been together?”
“Since December,” he replies with a lazy smile. “She’s basically a saint for putting up with me.”
Miles laughs. “That’s putting it lightly. Margot should get a trophy.”
“Ha ha, very funny, dickhead.” Dex throws his towel at him and scrambles to stand. “Shit, that reminds me—we have a date to FaceTime this morning, so I have to hustle.”
The remaining guys begin standing, too, brushing nature off their legs and limbs and collecting their things.
“What about you, Lucy?” Elijah wants to know. “You married or somethin’?”
I shake my head the same way I always do when someone asks this question—it’s a question I get a lot, actually. “Nope. No boyfriend. No husband—just me.” I shrug. “Hey. You don’t have to look shocked. People survive without being in a relationship with someone.”
Elijah grins. “Yeah, but it’s surprising someone hasn’t snatched you up.”
I roll my eyes. “Or maybe I’m too busy being awesome.”
Miles has the nerve to snicker, twirling his black water bottle. “That, or you’re dodging idiots like us.”
Idiots like them? Hardly. A girl would consider herself lucky to be involved with any one of these guys—I mean, granted, they’re a tad pervy but not terrible. Stable jobs, up at dawn? Most of them seem like a good catch.
A soft breeze rustles through my hair, and I close my eyes, letting it cool my flushed cheeks. I open them to the sound of laughter carrying over the boats gently bumping against a nearby pier, and the sound of water lapping against the rocks.
The morning sun glints off the hood of the guys’ truck, and the scent of pine and earth lingers in the air, fresh and clean. Miles slings a towel over his shoulder, no doubt making a wisecrack that has them all doubling over as he tosses their gear into the bed of the truck. Elijahloudly calls shotgun, leaping onto the step with the kind of energy that only comes from a post-yoga high.
I stretch my arms overhead, the warm ache in my muscles a reminder of how long we stayed on the beach, breathing in the fresh air.
In.
Out.
In.
Out . . .
The rhythm of it calms me, but my mind refuses to stay still. I tilt my head back, letting the sun kiss my skin, and flirt with the idea of dating someone who lives in another state entirely—not that anyone is asking me to.
Not yet, anyway.
But that’s how it always starts, isn’t it?
Someone you can’t stop thinking about, conversations that last long past midnight, and suddenly you’re trying to convince yourself that distance is just a number.
Harris lives so far away. Arizona. Seriously? It’s such a far cry from where I am now, and it’s not the physical miles that weigh me down—it’s everything those miles represent. Time zones. Missed calls. Moments I’ll never be a part of.
Could I do it?
Could I be the girl who spends her Friday nights curled up with her phone instead of with him? Could I handle waking up to texts instead of lazy morning kisses? And what if those texts start feeling like a substitute for something I really want but can’t have?
I sigh, rolling my shoulders as seagulls call overhead.
It’s not like Harris has promised me anything, but the way he looks at me ... it’s enough to make me wonder if he’s thinking about it too.
“We’ve had orgasms but haven’t had sex sex. Yet. Relax,” I mutter under my breath, half laughing at myself.
We’ve only just met.
But meeting him doesn’t feel new. It feels familiar in a way that shouldn’t be possible. Like he skipped the awkward introductions and walked straight into the places that make me vulnerable.
