‘Shall we swim?’ he asked, peeling the T-shirt from his broad shoulders before throwing it down onto the blanket.
‘Is it safe?’ asked Bea, looking at the water.
‘There’s only one way to find out.’ Nolan was up on his feet and began running towards the rocks, then he started to climb.
Feeling slightly panicked, Bea stood up and walked to the water’s edge. Her heart was pounding. ‘What are you doing? It might be dangerous. It might not be deep enough. You could hit your head on something.’
‘It’s okay, the water is clear!’ he bellowed, before gliding through the air straight into the cobalt blue water.
Splash.
Nolan surfaced immediately and took Bea’s breath away. His tousled hair was now slicked back as he swam gently towards her. ‘This water is refreshing,’ he shouted.
‘That means cold!’ she replied, laughing.
‘Maybe just a little, but it’s so liberating,’ he said, scooping water up in his hands and attempting to splash her. She squealed and jumped backwards. Nolan waded out of the deeper water, his shoulders broad, his skin glistening. Bea couldn’t take her eyes off him.
‘Are you coming in? Once you get in, it’s not that cold.’ He sat down in the shallow water and splashed the water over his chest.
Bea was hesitant. She wanted to get into the water, let herself go and have fun, but though she’d felt super confident earlier, now she was slightly nervous at the thought of someone seeing her in a swimsuit. She’d always lacked body confidence and here she was in a situation with a handsome stranger who didn’t have an ounce of excess fat on his body. She was suddenly beginning to regret the late night cream cakes on the night shift and the early morning cinnamon swirls. Nolan was now swimming a little further out. When he stood up, the water was up to his middle.
He shouted, ‘What’s keeping you?’ before diving under the water.
Bea took her chance and quickly peeled off her shorts. It was glorious to feel the sun on her skin. She began to walk slowly into the water, the rocky ground underneath her feet soon turning to sand.
‘It’s freezing!’ Lifting her arms up in the air, she gasped as the cold water touched her stomach. She counted to three; it was now or never. Quickly submerging her shoulders, she began to swim towards Nolan. An unexpectedly forceful wave splashed her in the face, leaving her spluttering. Her hair was soaked and she pushed her wet fringe out of her eyes.
Nolan was by her side immediately. ‘You okay?’
‘I think I’ll be washing my hair tonight!’
Like it was the most natural thing in the world, Nolan hooked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her with such tenderness, causing her stomach to somersault numerous times. The intensity between them was getting hotter than the afternoon sun. Was it wrong to feel these feelings so soon after ending a relationship? Right in that moment, all she could think about was kissing him, and he was looking at her in a way that suggested he wanted the same. There was an attraction, lust, and even if Nolan had a girl in every bay he visited, it didn’t matter. He was making her feel special, like she was the only girl in the world, and that was a feeling she hadn’t had in such a long time.
Taking both of her hands, he pulled her towards him then spun around and encouraged her to climb on his back. With her arms wrapped around his neck and feeling her bare skin next to his, every inch of her tingled with desire. He waded further in the water towards the rocks, then gently turned around and lowered her onto one of them. He pointed to a rock pool and almost immediately Bea spotted a starfish. ‘Look how beautiful that is,’ she said as she studied it. With its spiny skin and pincer-like organs and suckers, it crept slowly along the bottom of the rock pool. She soon realised that Nolan wasn’t looking in the same direction.
‘Red suits you,’ he said, his eyes not leaving hers.
‘Thank you,’ she replied. Bea thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest at any second.
Nolan never took his eyes off her as he grabbed her waist, gently lifting her down from the rock. With the perfect backdrop and the sun beating down on their bodies, Bea took a chance. She leaned in slowly, hoping that Nolan would lower his lips to hers, and that’s exactly what happened. His kiss was soft, leaving Bea wanting more.
‘I wasn’t expecting that,’ she said, smiling at him.
‘You so were,’ he replied, grinning.
Bea pinched her thumb and forefinger together. ‘Maybe a little. I had hope.’
‘I hope I haven’t overstepped the mark, what with everything that’s going on in your life.’
‘You haven’t overstepped the mark. I’m living for the moment and enjoying every single second.’
‘As long as you’re sure?’
‘Very. We’re adults.’ Bea had never done anything like this before. She felt all grown-up and in charge of her life. If she wanted to kiss an utterly gorgeous man that she’d just met, then why couldn’t she? It felt good, her whole body erupting in goosebumps at his touch. ‘It’s just a shame you’re going to sail out of my life almost as soon as you’ve arrived.’
‘Unfortunately, that is the case. I’m here to discover anything possible about Patsy and see whether she’s still alive, then I’ll be off on my next adventure.’
Hearing those words, Bea felt her mood slump slightly. But Nolan was just being completely honest. He hadn’t given her any false hope that that kiss was anything more than a kiss.
