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She waves away my words. “Don’t even think like that.” Then she lets out a big yawn. “Gosh, I’m exhausted. Is it okay if I hang back here while you go out with Theo?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re faking.”
“I swear I’m not. I’m really beat.” She smiles. “But I also do think it will be better if it’s just the two of you. I’ll only end up being the third wheel.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You saw the way he was looking at you, didn’t you? He’s clearly interested in you. And you areclearlyattracted to him. You could barely even speak.”
“All the more reason for you to be there!” I protest.
Aimee laughs. “You’ll be okay, Linds. Go on. Enjoy yourself for once.”
And so, thanks to my best friend’s stubborn belief that it’s somehow the best thing for all of us, I find myself walking back over to the beach on my own. It’s an even more beautiful sight now that the sun is setting—the sky is flooded with rich pinks and oranges—but my enjoyment of the view keeps getting tangled up with my nerves.
And then I see him. He’s standing beneath an outdoor shower a few feet away from the lifeguard tower. He’s wearing his red lifeguard shorts, but the way my body reacts, you would think he’s wearing nothing at all. Water from the shower head is falling over him, and that weird slow-motion thing starts happening again.
My mouth is dry. My palms are sweaty. My ability to think clearly disappears.
I can’t do this. He turns me into a complete mess. I need to turn around and get out of here before I make an utter fool of myself.
But the idea of standing him up doesn’t sit well with me, either. And so I keep walking toward him, my mind swirling as I desperately try to come up with a reasonable excuse about why I’m unable to hang out with him.
Why can’t I think of any excuses? Come on, brain. This shouldn’t be so hard.
Theo turns off the outdoor shower and shakes the water from his hair. As he’s reaching for a towel, he notices me and his whole face lights up.
“Hi Lindsey!” he calls out cheerfully, throwing the towel over his shoulder as he comes toward me. Water droplets are streaming down his chest, tracing over his sculpted muscles. With the sunset spread out behind him, he practically glows.
“Hi,” I squeak out.
“How’s it going?” His smile fades a little as his eyebrows dip together with concern. “Hey, where’s your friend? Is she okay?”
I nod. “She’s just tired. She’s hanging out at the rental.”
He looks instantly relieved.
“Look, Theo, I?—”
“You lookreallypretty, by the way,” he says, before guilt flashes over his face. “Wow. I’m so sorry. I interrupted you. What were you saying?”
His compliment rings in my ears, once again rendering me incapable of thinking straight. “Um…”
He waits patiently for me to go on, but I can no longer form the words.
“It’s okay if you forgot,” he says, grinning. “That happens to me all the time. Are you hungry? Do you want to get some food?”
Despite myself, I feel my head nodding.
“Great,” Theo says, and gestures with his chin toward the street. “I’ll take you to one of my favorite places.”
He takes a few steps forward, and my eyes drop to his bare chest.I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but God do I want to lick him.“Um…do you need to change first?”
Theo halts, looks down at his present lack of shirt, and laughs. “Oh. Yeah. Good call.”
While Theo goes inside the lifeguard tower to change, I give myself a silent pep talk. I remind myself that I’m a grown woman, that I am capable of having a normal conversation with an extremely hot man, and that whatever inappropriate thoughts pop into my head in the meantime are just thoughts, nothing more. I’m perfectly capable of keeping them under control.
But as Theo comes jogging out wearing a t-shirt that clings to his muscular arms and a pair of shorts that hang even better on his hips than his lifeguard shorts did, I know it’s going to be one hell of a challenge.
