AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Me too.’ Will’s stomach grumbled loudly.
Cleo laughed. ‘And hungry. Let’s get dished up.’
Lovemaking was a whole other form of exercise, Cleo thought. The poor man was starving.
Will sat at the table and Cleo joined him, six pancakes for him, two for her, topped with syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice.
‘These are delicious,’ Will said, tucking in. ‘Can’t recall the last time I had pancakes.’
‘Thanks,’ Cleo said, glowing inside.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ Will said, ‘maybe it’s time for your first surf lesson.’ Will glanced across the table at Cleo with a wicked grin. ‘It’s a perfect day for it.’
Cleo looked out the window to see the sun shining down on her back courtyard, a few rainbow lorikeets nibbling on a grevillea growing at the edge of the garden, and a couple of magpies fighting over some crumbs on the ground. She took a deep breath. It was a perfect day, but for surfing – for her? She now regretted having agreed in a weak moment on the weekend, when Will had brought up the subject. ‘Do I have to?’
Will laid down his fork and leant both arms on the table. ‘Of course you don’t have to, but I’d really like it if you did. It’s something I love to do. It gives me so much pleasure. I want to share it with you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, if you try. If you don’t, I’ll be disappointed, but promise never to mention it again.’
‘Okay,’ Cleo agreed, still in the afterglow of Will’s lovemaking. Surely it couldn’t be so bad?
*
Will had left after breakfast, citing the need to go home to shower, change and fetch the van ready for the day, leaving Cleo filled with misgivings and tempted to renege on her promise. But she sighed, knowing she could neither break her promise to Will nor shatter Ailsa and Hannah’s faith in her.
Standing in front of the mirror, Cleo grimaced at the image she presented, wearing the neck to thigh outfit purchased the day before fromSassy’s, and remembering the amusement on her fellow book club member’s face when she walked in. She twisted this way and that, wondering if it made her backside look fat, then sighed. It was too late to do anything about it now, and Hannah had been delighted to hear she’d changed her mind, telling her mother it was high time she got over her fear.
Throwing a loose shirt over the black lycra garment, she stowed a towel in her backpack along with a bottle of water and her sunscreen, popped on a hat and set off to meet Will at the beach as arranged.
Will was waiting by his van looking every inch the surfer in a tatty pair of board shorts and the inevitable tee-shirt bearing the surf school logo.
‘Hey, Cleo, you made it.’
Did he realise how she very nearly didn’t?
Cleo looked at the board Will was taking out of the van. It looked enormous. She turned her eyes to the ocean. The waves looked enormous, too.Was it too late to change her mind?
‘We’re lucky it’s pretty calm today. Should be a good introduction for you.’
Cleo took another deep breath.
At first, it was pretty straightforward as Will demonstrated how to lie and stand on the board, though she felt a bit silly trying to paddle and rising into position while still on the sand. It was when they moved into the water everything became more challenging.
‘There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be right here with you,’ Will said, pulling off his tee-shirt and dropping it on the sand.
Cleo’s breath caught at the sight of him, his tanned naked chest sending quivers up and down her spine.Why hadn’t she realised he’d have to strip off as part of the lesson? She was nervous enough without having to be exposed to this. But she couldn’t help remembering how it had felt to be in his arms, pressed against his naked chest.
‘Ready?’
Cleo swallowed and dismissed the image in her head. ‘I think so.’ She followed Will into the ocean, the waves lapping at her feet as they moved into deeper water.
*
‘How was it?’
‘Good.’ Cleo had enjoyed the experience more than she expected, but now they were leaving the water, she was acutely conscious she was scantily clad, and Will was naked from the waist up, his skin glistening with water. He was carrying his surfboard under his arm, while Cleo awkwardly carried hers in both hands.
Suddenly, when they had almost reached the beach, he stopped and whispered, ‘Don’t look now, but there’s someone coming down the beach towards us.’
‘What…’
