Page 54 of Hearts on the Line

“You know damn well I can cook, Sloane.”

That cocky tone of his not only makes my cheeks burn, but I swear I can feel my pulse between my legs.

He takes a long sip of his beer, eyes fixed on the water. “I’m hot. I’m going for a swim.” Ethan hands me the bottle, and I look up at him, never breaking eye contact as I take a long sip and set it down in the sand beside me.

I swear I hear him mutter under his breath before he yanks off his shirt and runs straight into the surf, diving headfirst into a cresting wave.

It takes a few seconds before he bursts through the surface.

“What are you doing?” I yell. “Haven’t you seen Jaws?”

“I don’t need to see Jaws to know what’s in the ocean, Sunny. I saw an eighteen-footer off the bow of my boat last week. Jump in.”

“You’re insane!”

“Never knew you to back down from a dare before,” he calls out.

It’s that grin. That cocky, salt-slick grin. Like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. I hesitate, his eyes catching mine as the waves rise and crash between us.

I want this version of Ethan—all bold and happy and reckless—as much as I’ve ever wanted anything.

So I don’t think. I strip down to my bra and underwear, then dive in after him. And when I surface, he’s waiting. Still smiling.

And this time, I don’t look away.

Chapter 18

Sloane

Ethan swoops down and lifts me in his arms.

“Let me go!” I slap my hand against his chest, tossing my head back to laugh as Ethan’s grip tightens. I wiggle my ass against his hips, and I pretend I don’t hear him bite back a groan.

Luckily, another wave swoops in and lifts us up before we collide into one another.

The moon plays this trick, washing over Ethan’s tanned skin, casting him in shadow and silver, and even in the low light, his hazel eyes leave me breathless. I can’t stop staring at his mouth, the way he drags his tongue along his lower lip to wipe away the salt from his swim.

“If you keep staring at my mouth like that, I might think you want to kiss me again.”

I feign shock, swatting water at him, before he chuckles.

We both scramble out the surf, racing one another to see who can get to the rocks first. I fold in half, propping myself up on my knees, still laughing. I don’t know if I’ve stopped smiling.

“You’re crazy,” I say with a grin.

“I can be fun.”

I reach for my shorts, slipping them on, fully aware of his eyes raking down my body. “I remember you being very fun, actually.” I snag my T-shirt next, spinning away from him rather than putting it back on. “Coming, Ethan?”

I hear a mumbled curse under his breath as he follows me back to the apartment. I run a little ahead and spin, waving him on. It’s playful fun, but when I hop up to the bottom step leading to his apartment, the floodlight switches on, and I think I glitch. My brain stops, and all I feel is that familiar flush sweep over me, need pooling between my legs.

He’s so…

“Ethan?” I don’t even hide that I’m staring at his mouth. I can tell he knows by the way he’s looking at me now, then steps up after me.

If there was a line, he just crossed it.

When I turn to head up the stairs, a nervous flutter hits my stomach, because I know I’m not going to stop him.