I gently brushed it and felt her shift closer to me. Her hand found mine and she held on as if for support.Snap.
Jesus. That scent was driving me crazy. I felt dizzy. What’s happening to me?I put my forehead against her nape and squeezed her waist again, trying to control my breathing. My heart was racing like crazy.Snap.
Suddenly, I remembered we were in the damn photo booth. I shifted, angling myself behind Hazel’s shoulder, trying to look like I was paying attention to the camera. But then she turned her head, just slightly, and her eyes met mine.
That blue. I got caught in it all over again. A sea everywhere I looked. And she was my life raft.Snap.
“Let me check first.” Norah stepped out, but we kept looking at each other. Hazel had this sincere look on her face, lips barely parted. I’ve seen it before. It was lust. But it didn’t matter. Because I wasn’t going to touch her. Except I already had.
“Damn it, Luke. We can’t see you in the pictures. Let’s try again,” Norah yelled from outside. Once we did another series of shots, Hazel left my lap, and the emptiness was immediate. I squeezed my fists and opened them again as if releasing the tension. Classic Darcy.
When I stepped out, Hazel was already ahead with the others, checking the photos. I took a deep breath and ranmy fingers through my hair as Norah approached, smiled, and slipped something into my pocket.
“Figured you’d want this.”
She rejoined the group before I could say a word. I pulled out the item, which turned out to be the first round of photos. In most of them, you can see only half of my face. In one, Hazel’s eyes were closed, but not a blink. Like she had purposefully closed them.
Like she wassavoringsomething.
Another caught her smile, those adorable dimples lighting up her cheeks. And the last one, our eyes locked, lost in each other. I grazed the photo with my thumb and smiled. I looked up, and Norah turned as she walked, flashing a knowing smile at me. And this time, I wasn’t annoyed or throwing angry looks at her.
I was concerned.
16
Hazel
We were at the beach surfing. The sun was blazing hot, but the water was perfect. Dipping into the cold ocean cleared my head. Something I desperately needed after the photo booth.
Oh God,the photo booth.
Luke’s strong hands and his breath on my neck played on repeat in my mind. For a moment, I forgot his friends just inches away, I forgot the world. Damn, I forgot my own name. I wanted his hands to roam beyond just my waist.
Yes, there was attraction, of course, there was. It was Luke. He could get any girl he wanted. He was sexy and charming.
There’s also no chance he could commit to anyone.I tried to drill this into my head.He’s just flirting, looking for fun. Don’t be an idiot.
I lay on the beach in my wetsuit, sand sticking to me as the sun warmed my skin. I stared at the sky and felt the stress of the last month slowly fading. Ethan, Logan, and Luke were still in the water. Norah chatted with Summer, rubbing sunscreen on her.
Out of nowhere, a glass appeared in front of me. I looked up to see Alex smiling warmly. “Figured you’re an Aperol girl,” he said, handing the other glass to Ava. “And one for you, my love.”
“Going back in?” Ava asked me, shifting to make room for Alex as he sat beside her and kissed her palm.
I looked at the surfers. Ethan kept wiping out repeatedly, but his grin said he didn’t care. Luke and Logan laughed, shoving each other off their boards.
“I’m not sure. Choking on salty ocean water is tempting, but I think I’ll take a breather. Don’t want to overwhelm you all with my incredible skills. I’m humble like that.”
“Oh, you’re not so bad,” Alex said. “Ava wouldn’t even touch the water the first time we went on a trip.”
“It was too salty,” she defensively blurted out, and Alex smiled at her. Loving all her insecurities and flaws away. Telling her they didn’t matter.
“Luke’s pretty good at this,” I said, watching him move with the waves, strong and controlled.
“He’s had plenty of practice. We’ve traveled a lot. Although he used to go alone when we were in college,” Alex said. I gave him a curious look, urging him to continue. “You’ve probably heard about his parents,” Alex hinted. I nodded.
“It came up.”
“Well, it was worse when we were younger. He started traveling to escape, picked a lot of surfing spots. Mostly South America.” I looked at Luke surfing the horizon and mentally hugged him.
