And that was the most astounding thing for Bea – the tearing down of Cal’s walls by being inside her. Ripped away was the control and polish of the city bar manager, here was the raw, real Scotsman at his most unfiltered, most intimate. And when he tangled her hair in his hands, looked her in the eye and told her on a heaving grunt that he was about to come hard inside her beautiful, swollen pussy, Bea was powerless to do anything but fall to pieces too.
Chapter 36
Bea
Wetsuits finally on, Cal and Bea grabbed their boards and made their way down to the beach. It was still early and save for a few more dog walkers than last night, the beach was again a vast expanse of emptiness.
Bea watched Cal stride towards the water, so strong and confident. She could tell it was his passion. And the man she had spent the night with was passionate about a lot of things: his business, which he put so much effort into, his family, who she could tell he cared deeply about just by the way he was with Cara, his staff, and treating others fairly. Not to mention surfing and herself. The way he made sure that she came first showed he could put himself before others. And now he wanted to spend his time sharing his beloved waves with her. It was a delight having Cal revealed to her minute by minute. Bea watched in wonder as he threw himself under an incoming crasher, then rose again, hair slick with seawater. He was so damned sexy.
‘It’s fresh!’ Bea remarked as she waded into the water to hip level.
‘It’s not the warmest, but once you’re in and moving around you acclimatise, and all you have to worry about is where your next hit is coming from.’
Bea thought this sounded like her experience with Cal so far. Where was her next hit coming from? She plunged under the water too, then came up gasping in quick breaths. ‘Oh! Scottish water is co-o-old!’
Cal grinned. ‘Yep. Do you need me to show you what to do? Or have you done this all before? We never quite got to the bottom of that, and I think you might be about to show me up.’
‘You know.’ Bea shot Cal an indecipherable look. ‘I’ll give this one a go on my own.’ She jumped on her board and paddled, ducking under and embracing the rush each time an exhilarating Scottish wave came crashing over her head.
She could surf. Boy, could she surf. Cal stared open jawed from his board as Bea rode the previous wave and he waited for the next one to come in. She cut a magnificent figure out there on the powerful blue. He could imagine a photo of her surfing a wave at dusk, those beautiful curves silhouetted against the teal and grey backdrop. He would hang something like that on his wall. Have it as a screensaver on his phone.What the…?He was losing it for this woman. She was invading his mind, his body, his everything. And unlike the Cal he knew, he wasn’t trying to fight it at all.
The swell of the next wave surged up and Cal swung his board round and paddled. Soon, the wave was peaking under him and he was jumping up and riding it into the shore to meet Bea who was getting ready to paddle back out to do it all again.
‘I had an inkling,’ he said when they were both hip deep in water again. ‘Looks like I was right. You can surf. And you’re bloody good.’
Bea laughed, spilling over with sea air and exhilaration. ‘I never quite got round to telling you that I grew up in California. Learned when I was a kid. I love it.’
Cal shook his head in amazement. Could this woman be any more perfect? He wanted to bring her into an embrace, reach round and pull down the zip of her wetsuit, fall into the water with the waves roaring above them as they devoured each other’s bodies in the surf. But he knew that could never happen. Amongst other reasons, Scottish water was barely warm enough to surf in; nobody would be stupid enough attempt to have sex in it. A kiss, however, was a different thing.
‘You were sensational out there,’ he said. ‘I’m really impressed.’ Holding onto his board, he brought her to him and kissed her, a salty yet warm kiss made of layers of desire and a new understanding. Bea kissed him back with equal energy, the softness and heat of her mouth countered by the cold of the water surrounding them.
Cal opened his eyes and met her head on. Those sapphire eyes were sparkling under wet lashes, her face was make-up free, fresh and flawless. She was a natural beauty and a natural soul who belonged in the ocean as much as she belonged behind a bar. And she was with him. It felt good – to know that for the next few weeks Bea was his woman to kiss, make love to and marvel at. But at the back of Cal’s mind a question was niggling at him.How on earth am I going to let her go and meet someone else quite this amazing? There can’t possibly be another package like this out there.
Bea adored the exhilaration of the morning surf. It was some time since she’d been on a board and she had no idea how easily her muscle memory would kick in. Hence, she hadn’t wanted to tell Cal that she could surf. But it all came back as easily as riding a bike and she was entirely at home in the Scottish water, not even noticing the chill of the waves after a while. Another place she was at home was in Cal’s presence. She’d admit it was a bit of a bonus surprising him with her surfing abilities, seeing him so bright with joy that she shared his love for the ocean. And even more of a rush when he pulled her to him in the surf and kissed her hotly. She was pretty sure she was the luckiest girl in the world at that moment in time.
As Cal kissed her, Bea kept one hand on her surfboard and ran the other through his wet hair, trying hard to savour every sensation. This wasn’t going to last for long. Soon she would have to go home, and she wanted to appreciate the short time with this wonderful man. But the more Bea focused on enjoying the moment, the more something niggled that she couldn’t ignore. Just as the waves tried to pull away Bea’s board, something was tugging at her heart. Something Cal-shaped. Could she ride the wave she and he had said they would ride together? Could she make it to shore, enjoying the energy under her as she went, feeling the rhythm of the ocean below her feet and taking in the surroundings? Or was she going to wobble, fall and get pulled under by the current? She wasn’t sure, but with this beautiful man’s lips on her own, in their own island of warmth while the waters rushed around them, she was helpless to say no.
Chapter 37
Bea
Cal and Bea surfed for another hour or so, until they came to an unspoken agreement that they were starving and needed to grab an early lunch.
‘Hungry work, eh?’ Cal was making sandwiches at the kitchen table, his wetsuit pulled down to reveal his perfectly sculpted abdominals and surfer’s arms. Bea was sitting on the other side of the table with a big bath towel wrapped around her.
‘Mmm,’ she said, making no efforts to hide what she was humming in appreciation of.
Cal laughed, recognising her thoughts. ‘You’re insatiable, woman. Can’t a man make some sandwiches without being ogled at?’
‘I’m afraid if you will make sandwiches dressed like that and looking like you do, then you’re going to get ogled.’ Bea took a bite of the large salad bloomer Cal had passed to her.
‘Well, maybe I need to put my t-shirt on then.’ Cal spoke in his usual deadpan style, but laced with irony. ‘So I can concentrate on sandwich making withoutfeeling objectified.’ Bea could see he was trying and failing to keep a straight face.
‘I don’t think there’s any need to go that far,’ she countered. ‘In fact, I think a large part of how good this sandwich tastes is because you made it with your top off.’
‘You do? Hmm, maybe there is something in that. Maybe I should serve drinks like this too.’
‘Hmm, no.’ Bea shook her head. ‘This view is only for me.’
