I needed to run. My body was buzzing with adrenaline and the only way I knew how to burn it off was to pound the sand until my legs gave out. I changed into running gear and headed down to the beach without telling anyone where I was going. Cody would figure it out. He always did.
The morning air was cool against my face as my feet hit the packed sand near the water’s edge. I fell into a rhythm quickly, my breathing evening out as I pushed myself harder than I probably should have. My mind replayed the meeting. Judd’s face turning that alarming shade of purple whether from anger or the treadmill was anyone’s guess. The other investors’ expressions. The moment I’d drawn a line in the sand and dared them to cross it.
I’d just torched a significant chunk of my professional reputation. The penalty alone was going to leave a mark on my quarterly earnings. Dad was going to have questions. Cody would probably tell me I was an idiot and then laugh at me because I’d gone soft over a girl.
Except it wasn’t just about a girl. It was about doing the right thing. My parents would support my choice. They would prefer I keep my principles. Not everything was for sale. That’s a lesson they taught all of us. We were wealthy, but we weren’t dicks.
I pushed harder, my legs burning as I picked up speed. I jogged around some slower joggers and beachcombers. I didn’t miss a couple muttered insults. It was going to take a long time for me to clean up my reputation.
I was maybe two miles into my run when I spotted them. A cluster of tiny humans on the beach, all lined up on surfboards in the sand. They were in various stages of what I could only describe as organized chaos. One kid was lying flat on his board like he was taking a nap. Another was standing but facing the wrong direction. A third was attempting some kind of dance move.
And there she was, moving between them with the patience of a saint.
Summer. My beautiful girl.
She was wearing a high-neck rash guard and board shorts, her hair pulled back in a braid that hung down between her shoulder blades. Even from a distance, I could see the definition in her strong body as she demonstrated the proper pop-up technique. She looked strong as hell. Capable. Completely in her element.
I slowed my pace, then stopped altogether, my hands on my hips as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn’t look away. She was crouched beside one of the smaller kids, adjusting his hand placement on the board. She said something that made himlaugh, and I saw his little face light up with pride when he tried the movement again and got it right.
She straightened up and scanned the group. That’s when she saw me standing there like a creep watching her work. To my relief, she smiled and waved. The morning meeting faded from my memory and it was all her. My Summer. Better than the sun and the beach.
I waved back, grinning like an idiot.
Summer’s smile washed over me like a cool wave on a hot day. It was confirmation that I’d made the right call. Whatever shitstorm Judd Mathers wanted to bring down on my head, I could handle it. I’d burned bridges professionally, potentially damaged relationships with other investors, and basically declared war on a man who didn’t know how to lose gracefully.
And it was all worth it.
“I’ve got thirty minutes left,” she said as I got closer.
It was an invitation. One I wasn’t about to reject. “I’ll wait,” I said.
She grinned and turned her attention back to the kids. I would wait for a week.
CHAPTER 27
SUMMER
Ihurried down to the water once the last parent had collected their kid. I felt like there was electricity sparking against my nerve endings whenever Colt was around. I hated that feeling because I loved it so much. Yes, he would be leaving eventually, but he was here now. I was going tocarpe diemall over his sexy ass.
He was standing at the edge of the surf, and just as I got close enough to call out to him, he reached back and pulled his shirt over his head in one smooth motion.
“Oh, come on,” I said, stopping a few feet away with my hands on my hips. “That timing is absolutely on purpose.”
He turned to face me with that devastating grin, the shirt dangling from one hand. “What? This?” He flexed his abs deliberately, the muscles rippling in a way that should be illegal. “Just going for a dip. Completely innocent.”
I tried not to stare. I failed spectacularly when my gaze dropped to the adonis belt that had my stomach fluttering. “You’re the worst.”
“I’m really not.” He tossed the shirt onto the dry sand and started walking backward into the water, never taking his eyes off me. “Coming in? You look like you might need to cool down.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re so rude.”
He shrugged and then flexed his biceps. Of course, I looked.
“My eyes are up here,” Colt teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Show off.”
I followed him into the water. I stopped when it hit my waist, but he kept going deeper. Then he disappeared under the surface completely. I watched the spot where he’d gone under, counting the seconds until he came back up about ten feet away, his hands smoothing his hair back from his face in one long stroke.
