Page 61 of The Surfer

21

RIPLEY

Before he pushesme into the wave, Cove leans over the surfboard right up to my face and gives me a long kiss. Our tongues meet, my mouth openly inviting him in. And then he pulls back. And there’s a reason why he does so. I peek up to see the incoming wave behind him heading straight for us. He knew it was coming.

Cove winks at me, his masculine, unending confidence shining in his bright blue eyes.

Curse this gorgeous man and his grip over my fluttering heart.

“Good luck,” he says, pushing me, and the board, directly into the path of the wall of blue water.

I’m pulled by the wave, skimming along the crest of the water towards the shore. As the board begins to scarily tilt forward, I angle my hands below my chest and push myself up just as Cove has taught me a million times on the sand. My feet find anchor on top of the board, and then, as the board clips along the surface of the wave, I’m standing up.

I’m on top of the surfboard speeding down the wave.

I’m surfing.

I whoop and yell in joy, hearing Cove’s cries of encouragement and celebration far behind me. I’m making him proud. He’s taught me all that I know about surfing, me standing up yet again is as much his victory as mine.

I owe this all to him, my handsome surfer.

I face away from my unbearably sexy surfing teacher and towards the shore, soaring towards it at a super-fast pace on top of the wave, the longest time I’ve spent standing on the board. I’m all focus. Determination. I’m going to make it to the shore this time without falling off.

So, this is surfing. Not just standing up, but proper full-on Kelly-Slater-in-Hawaii surfing.

It feels more like flying.

No wonder most of Australia is addicted to this sport all day long. No wonder why Aussies spent their whole lives at the beach just doing this over and over. In and out of the waves.

This is intoxicating, this is addictive.

This is the best feeling in the world.

Just what Cove likes to tell me. I gotta admit, it’s true.

I end up at the shoreline still balancing on top of the surfboard. I’ve made it without falling off, a massive victory. Cove has really taught me well, especially when you can see how far I’ve come in just a few weeks from someone who didn’t even know how to hold a surfboard to someone who’s actually standing on one longer than five seconds.

My sexy surfing teacher is by my side in moments. He’s swum up back to the beach, his powerful arms making long strides in the water to catch up to me in time for me to hop off the board and stroll back on the beach.

He grabs me in his arms and lifts me off the sand, twirling me around in the air, his smile shining brightly in the afternoon sun. I know I’ve made him so proud. After the year he’s had, I’m happy to make him happy.

That adorable smile of hismelts my soul every time.

“You did it,” he says, lifting me higher so that I feel like I can touch the clear sky, a sky as blue as Cove’s eyes.

“We did it together,” I scream, excited, in reply.

I really don’t believe it. He’s done this. We’ve done this.

Cove brings me back down to his level and I feel his thick biceps push into me as he holds me close to his body. His eyes burn deep in me. “I am so proud of you, American girl.”

I boop his perfect nose in delight. “I had a pretty good teacher,” I reply.

Cove bites his full lip. “And will you say you’ve had a pretty… sexy teacher?” Oh, he wants me, I can tell.

Also, he’s got a raging hard-on. That helps.

Pretty naughty of him when we’re on our secret beach, alone. Who knows what can happen?