Still hanging onto my back, which I like far too much, she smacks my shoulder lightheartedly and says, “No fun. You’re too strong. I can’t take you down.”
“Yes, but…” I pause and grin. “I can take us both down.”
Just as she’s saying, “What does that mea—” I lurch forward into an incoming wave, submerging us both.
We come up laughing, and she finally—and sadly for me—slides off my back.
“Well, that was fun,” she declares as she once again smooths her hair back.
“It was,” I agree. “Are you ready to head back to the beach and just chill for a while?”
“That sounds perfect,” she says.
You know what?
It does.
But what’s even more perfect is this fun morning I’m spending with Miss Willa Avery.
Yeah, that is the real perfection.
We return to our loungers on the beach, where we dry off with our towels and then reapply more sunscreen. I skip asking Shane to do my back this time, though, since I’ll be lying on it.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. The real reason is that his hands felt far too good on me earlier.
I also enjoyed playing with him in the water. Every time he touched me, even to toss me into a wave, I felt all warm and tingly. That’s why I hopped onto his back at one point. I wanted so badly to wrap my legs around him in some kind of a way.
I think he liked it too. In fact, I’m starting to believe he likes me in the same way I like him. And it’s not just as “friends.” I see something in his dark green eyes. Something akin to lust.
But I want to tread carefully. We’ve only known each other for a day. It’s way too soon to get crazy. If we give in to this lust, that’s all it will ever be.
Plus, it may ruin our chances of a true friendship.
So, flirting and fun is okay, and a crush is fine, too, but there will be no acting on it.
There, I made myself a rule.
Now I just have to keep it.
After we tire of hanging out on the beach, we head back up to the house around two. Though we go our separate ways so we can shower and change into regular clothes, we decide to meet back up in the kitchen to have a light snack.
Some of the prepackaged foods that are stocked in the refrigerator include shrimp ceviche, hummus, and a tzatziki spread. They all look so good, and we figured it’s best to eat those items while they’re fresh. I also noticed pita in the bread box, so we’re all set.
After I’m showered and dressed in white shorts and a peach top, I make my way to the kitchen. I hear Shane opening the refrigerator as I’m walking down the short hall.
“Hey,” I say as I step into the room. “Do you want me to grab the plates?”
“Sure,” he says, hand on the top of the open fridge door. He then asks, “Are you okay with soda to drink? There’s Coke and Diet Coke in here.”
I walk over to the cabinets and reach for two plates. “I’ll have Diet Coke, please.”
When I turn around, I catch Shane checking me out. Dude was definitely looking at my legs and ass.
I totally do not mind.
He’s looking pretty good himself. He has on brown cargo shorts and a tight black tee that shows off his toned upper bod.
Yeah, okay, I stare for a few seconds too.
