Page 53 of After You Returned

The door to the surf shack opens and Miles steps out. The women immediately flock to him. He scans the area until his gaze meets mine. He smiles before approaching me.

He kisses my forehead. “Are you okay?”

I scowl at him. “Why wouldn’t I be okay? Because you’re a cheater?”

He chuckles. “I’m not a cheater because you lost.”

“The anchor just happened to lower every time I was on approach.”

“As much as it pains me to admit this, I did not have any control over the anchor.”

I groan. “You’ve tried to control the anchor in the past, haven’t you?”

“The owners ofThe Drunken Anchor Lanesare mean. They keep everything under lock and key. And they put pictures of me and my brothers up everywhere to warn their workers about the Raider brothers as if we’re wanted criminals.”

“You probably deserved it.”

He frowns. “It’s not my fault, I accidentally broke the pinsetter. Zane’s the one who threw two balls at the same time. I was merely trying to make sure everything reset properly.”

“And maybe screw Zane’s score at the same time.”

He shrugs. “It’s my moral imperative as his older brother to screw with him as much as possible.”

“Good to know some things never change.”

“Miles,” a woman approaches while hollering his name, “are we starting the lesson soon?” She presses her breasts against his arm as she voices her question.

Miles steps away without bothering to check out her cleavage. “Pick out a board. We’ll start soon.”

She bats her eyelashes at him. “Will you help me pick one out?”

“They’re all the same.” He shackles my wrist. “Come on. I want you next to me.”

I tug on my wrist but he holds on tight. “Miles, let me go.”

He draws me closer to whisper in my ear. “Please don’t abandon me alone with her. It’s the second time this week Tiffany has taken this course. She’s a maneater.”

I giggle. “Are you afraid of a woman?”

He glares at me. “Are you afraid of sharks?”

“Not fair. Sharks are literally maneaters. They have sharp teeth and those beady eyes.” I shiver.

“One day I’ll get you out in the surf zone and you are going to love it.”

I snort. “And one day the doctor will prescribe the correct medicine to cure you of those delusions.”

He smiles and those blue eyes twinkle. “My Blaze can do anything she wants to.”

His Blaze?A shiver rolls down my spine at the idea of being his again. But it’s an illusion. Miles is not to be trusted.

“Too bad, I don’t want to surf.”

“You’ll change your mind.” He tweaks my nose. Before I can respond, he whips off his t-shirt and I forget how to use words.

Miles has always had the sexiest upper body of any man I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot, considering I live on a popular tourist island where men think walking around without a shirt is attractive. It’s not. Unless your name is Miles.

His shoulders are broad and strong. You wouldn’t know he has a weak shoulder due to an injury to his rotator cuff. His chest is muscular but not overly defined like those men who live in the gym. No, Miles’s muscles are bred from his love of surfing.