AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Since his other arm was carrying the towels, she held on tight, thinking to help him with her weight.
“You can relax the death grip,” he said. “I’ve got you. You weigh, like, nothing.”
“Sorry.” She eased up and let herself enjoy the ride. His waist narrow, his shoulders broad, she felt the solid muscles in his back working and wondered how he felt about her soft front flattened against him.
Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she put her chin in the crook of his neck so she could watch where they were going. He smelled like soap and man and she wanted to bottle the scent to take home with her.
Driftwood logs and curlicue tree limbs lined the short silt path until they reached the wide expanse of pale sand. The open beauty seemed otherworldly, like the backdrop to a one-of-a-kind painting. Up ahead, two giant rocks loomed in the water like creatures from another planet. Light danced off them, yellow kaleidoscopic swirls drawing a delighted smile from her.
“Is that common here?” She lifted her chin toward the rocks.
“The rocks? Not really. The one on the right is Lady Face, named because the protrusions resemble a forehead, deep-set eyes, and a nose.”
She bounced a little. “Oh, I can see that. And the other one? It looks like a spire.”
“Yeah, centuries of waves have carved it to look like that. It doesn’t have a name.”
“That’s sad.”
“I don’t think it minds.”
Sophie rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her and slid her gaze down the beach. A handful of seagulls squawked and coasted along the shoreline. A woman wearing a big floppy hat, her white pants rolled up to her knees, strolled away from them at the water’s edge.
A slight breeze rippled the back of Sophie’s shirt just as Zane stopped where the sand turned hard and tossed the towels behind him. She relaxed her hold and he let her down.
“Thanks for the lift,” she said, bending her leg with the sore knee back and forth.
“Anytime.”
He was such a good fibber. She knew he’d only done it to be considerate. Which was very nice, but for a guy who was endlessly on display, she wondered what was for show and what wasn’t, even with no one watching. Muscle memory and all that.
“You ready to get your feet wet?” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
She nodded and kicked off her flip-flops. She loved that he wasn’t planning to rush her into the water full steam ahead.
He toed off his black flip-flops and pulled his T-shirt over his head. That left him in a pair of yellow board shorts that hung low on his trim waist. Her eyes went to those sexy indentations at his hips that disappeared under the trunks. She had no idea what they were called but they overwhelmed her. Not to mention his golden glow and incredibly hot abs. Muscled chest. Nice neck. Tan, strong arms. He took her hand and towed her down to the water.
They waded into the surf with care. The first wave that approached froze her ankles and shivers raced across her shoulder blades and down her arms. When the water foamed away, she looked down at her feet, lifting her toes to see the imprint welled in the wet sand.
After the fourth wave, she let go of Zane’s hand and backed up to slide her shorts off and lift her shirt over her head. She wore the same modest black one-piece she’d worn for their surf lesson, but a thrill sped through her at Zane’s undisguised perusal.
He reclaimed her hand and they moved deeper into the water. Each step they took started with her. She giggled when the waves reached her waist. “This is the best day ever.”
“I’m glad,” he said, almost knocking her off-balance with his unerring smile.
“I want to go as far as Lady Face so I can touch her.”
“I’m stoked you want to do that. You’ll have to swim some, since we won’t be able to touch the bottom, but the surf is pretty mellow today, so it should be easy.”
“You’re looking at Lake Myrtle’s water-treading champion.”
The corners of Zane’s eyes crinkled. “Oh yeah?”
“Two years in a row. My mom and dad took me to the lake every summer growing up. We met my cousins there and rented a cabin for a week. Over the Fourth of July there were always lots of games and competitions for kids.”
“Sounds nice.” He let go of her hand, the sea at her shoulders, but stayed close.
“It was.” She used her arms and kicked her feet to keep afloat now. Those weeks at the lake were the only times she felt somewhat accepted growing up. Her cousin Emma—popular, pretty, and outspoken—saw to it. “I had my first…” She pressed her lips together. She really needed to stop talking, but around Zane she couldn’t help herself. Something about him made her comfortable and willing to open up.
