“Yeah,” Silas says. “I’m not doing that. I haven’t forgotten the time he drove my bike into the garage and bent the front tire.”
I laugh. “Good call.”
Winston runs up to Silas, his soaked fur dripping saltwater onto the sand as he plops the ball at his feet.
Silas bends down to pick it up, and I let my eyes roam over him, lingering on his perfect ass in his dirty work jeans before moving up the line of his body. His frayed black T-shirt clings to all the right places on his muscular back and shoulders, and his arms are still streaked with dirt from work.
But as I reach his face, my pulse picks up, and the butterflies come alive. The warm golden glow from the setting sun spills over him, highlighting his features in a way that makes it impossible to look away. His smile is soft and easy as he watches Winston, and he just looks… content.
I haven’t seen too much of him this week since he’s been busy harvesting, and his days have been long and brutal. But every evening, we end up here on the beach as the sun sets, and everything feels like it’s slowing down just for us. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Silas turns to face me. “I have something for you.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
He nods, and his gaze slides past me. “It’s in the lighthouse.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Is it… your dick?”
His face twists as he looks back at me. “Why would my dick be in the lighthouse?”
“Well, no,” I sigh. “I mean, are you going to give me your dick in the lighthouse?” And my heart thumps a little harder at that thought.
Silas just rolls his eyes with a huff and a half smile.
Then he takes off running.
“Race ya!” he calls over his shoulder.
Oh, fuck no.
I take off after him, digging my feet into the deep sand as I push forward to catch him, and Winston barks as he launches out of the water to chase after us.
I push harder, gaining on him with each step. He glances over his shoulder and picks up speed… But I do too.
We’re shoulder to shoulder as we near the lighthouse, both of us running as hard as we can in the sand and onto the stone path. But we both reach out and touch the lighthouse door at the same time.
He smiles at me, and I drop my hand, opening my mouth to tell him he cheated, when he yanks the door open and bolts inside.
Fucker.
His footsteps echo up through the tower as Winston squeezes past me and races after him, and I take the steps two at a time, ready to make him pay for that.
When I near the top, he smugly smiles down at me as I climb the last few steps, and Winston sits proudly at his feet.
“That doesn’t count.” I point at him and narrow my eyes. “The race is only to the door.”
Silas nods thoughtfully. “So… you’re ok with it being a tie?”
The competition flares to life inside me at the thought of that. But it quickly fades as my gaze roams over his face and I take him in.
The space is flooded with the last light of the day; warm gold and soft orange spilling through the windows that surround us, wrapping around him and catching his hair, his cheekbones, his hazel eyes, and his beautiful smile, reminding me I already won where it really matters.
I step into him, sliding my arms around his waist as I press a kiss to his nose. “Yes. As long as I’m by your side, I’m more than ok.”
His hands slide up my back to pull me closer, and his mouth finds mine in a soft, slow kiss. Everything about this moment is unhurried, easy, and comfortable, as we just hold each other in the soft evening glow and let everything outside this space slip away.
Silas then releases me and steps back, turning towards the bin that holds our past. He lifts the lid, reaches in, and pulls out a piece of paper.
