AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We burst back up, Kathryn sputtering and swatting at my chest in faux indignation, her eyes dancing with humor despite her efforts to glare. “You jerk!”
I can’t help but chuckle at her exaggerated outrage as we stand chest to chest in the gentle shallow waves. “My sincerest apologies, darling. How can I ever make it up to you?”
In response, a wicked grin curves her lips. “That’s it, now you’re really asking for it!”
Before I can react, she twists slightly and launches forward, her soft curves pressed against me as she attempts to dunk me underwater. The feel of her hands grasping my shoulders has my pulse kicking into overdrive.
I latch onto Wilder instinctively for support, but the asshole ducks out of reach with a hoot of laughter, forcing Emrys to bear the brunt of our combined weight. We all collapse in a tangle of flailing limbs and unrestrained laughter.
I end up caging Kathryn beneath the water’s surface, my arms braced on either side of her. Droplets cling alluringly to her long dark lashes and her drenched sundress clings distractingly to every sensuous curve.
Desire surges as we stare at one another, smiles slipping away. “Kathryn...” I find myself murmuring, leaning in helplessly like a moth to her flame.
Our lips just barely meet in a brief, addicting graze before her father’s teasing bellow reaches us from the shoreline. “No canoodling during the tournament! Hustle up, you’ve got a sandcastle competition to win!”
Kathryn jerks back sharply, cheeks endearingly pink as she bites her plump lower lip. Our charged moment doused as quickly as it began. “Last one to shore has to build the moat!” She calls out impishly as she scuttles out from underneath me and splashes her way up the beach with a siren’s grace.
I watch her go, desire and frustration warring within me.
But the temptation to toss restraint aside and kiss her more thoroughly right here grows stronger by the second.
This captivating woman is surely going to be my undoing.
Rushing to catch up, I make sure to stick close by Kathryn’s side as Wilder and Emrys close in around us. The rest of the Sharpe family clan is standing around in groups of four or fives as we all wait for direction.
“Alright gang, we’ve only got one hour before the judging begins,” Roger announces cheerfully once we’ve gathered by the allotted sand plot. “First place winners gets to make the last place losers do their bidding for an entire day, so I hope you all picked good teams!”
A truly wicked grin curves Kathryn’s lips as her captivating gaze locks with mine. “Hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty, boys.”
The image her words inspire has my throat going dry and I don’t hear whatever the other two replied. Does she have any idea the effect she has on me? I clear my throat, trying valiantly to remember this is just a harmless family game, not a racy double entendre.
“I look forward to working closely with you, Kathryn,” I reply as evenly as I can manage.
She arches one delicate brow, a teasing smile playing about her rosebud lips. “Oh, I just bet you do.”
This woman will surely be the death of me, I muse as we begin gathering tools and plotting our masterpiece castle, but what a way to go. Even with clingy pie residue coating my skin and sand grinding in my ridiculous chicken suit, I can’t remember a time I felt more carefree and alive.
“Quit making eyes and grab the flags, Romeo,” Wilder heckles good-naturedly, snapping me back to the task at hand. “We’ve got a castle to construct if we don’t want to end up as someone’s indentured servants.”
Roger overhears this as he passes by and lets out a hearty guffaw. “Good luck with that, son. When it comes to the Sharpes, wicked schemes are our forte.” His eyes crinkle affectionately at his daughter in a way that makes something pang unexpectedly in my chest.
“Guess we better up our game then,” I reply lightly, even as my mind spins. For the first time, I find myself craving something I haven’t for a long time–a family.
With a start, I realize that’s exactly what Kathryn makes me feel–like I belong. Could it truly be that simple?
A gentle hand on my forearm jolts me from my dangerous musings. Kathryn's eyes search my face, a slight furrow to her brow. “Everything okay?”
I settle into her gentle touch, allowing the warmth of her touch to ground me as I shoot her a small smile. “Right as rain. Now, let’s build a castle fit for our queen.”
The answering smile she gifts me rivals the radiance of the sun overhead. In that moment, nothing else matters but making sure it stays right there on her lovely face.
“Here, here!” Wilder shouts as we all get down to business, but I’m impossibly distracted.
This woman has breached my defenses with ease and awakened longings I thought were better left buried. I should be troubled by how quickly she's slipped beneath my skin. Instead, I'm anticipating wherever this unexpected adventure takes us next.
Chapter 17
The sun beams down as we get to work on our masterpiece sandcastle, its rays seeming to shine a bit brighter now that my somber mood has lifted. There's something utterly carefree about digging my toes into the soft sand alongside Wyatt, Wilder, and Emrys, that puts a grin on my face and wings on my heart.
