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“So much fun.” His grin was wolfish.
She gave up and swam back to shore then. He’d already seen her naked, so it wasn’t like he was seeing anything new. Surfacing at the bank, she found him beside her.
“I’m getting out now. Go away.”
“I’ve been giving some thought to your animosity toward me.”
“There is no animosity,” Faith lied. “I treat everyone the same. It’s part of my charm.”
“Now, we both know that’s a lie, so I’ve concluded you’re still angry with me because I walked away without a word eleven years ago?”
He was wearing a long-sleeved deep-blue rash top with the sleeves pushed up, showing her the tattoos on one arm. His Lakers cap was pulled down low, and his face was all kinds of handsome, his cheeks tinged with color from the cold air. The man looked like a rugged outdoorsy type with the mountains at his back. Disturbing, Faith thought. But not to her.
“No, I’m not angry with you at all. In fact, you don’t usually cross my mind unless you’re standing in front of me wearing that crappy hat. What happened between us in the past is a distant memory.”
“Or sitting, as the case may be.” He smiled at her. “And that’s good you’re not still carrying a grudge because I walked away from you after we’d—”
She cut off his words. “Look, you know I’ve got no clothes on, so stop the BS and go away so I can get out.”
The smile on his face was one of genuine enjoyment. Not big like the Talon lead singer’s, nothing flashy, but that small tilt of his lips told her he loved having the upper hand over her.
She loved his voice; deep and gravelly, it always sent shivers down her spine when she heard it. She’d never tell him or anyone else that, of course. But Talon was her favorite group. Ryan wasn’t showy; he moved well, but it was his voice that always held her captive when he sang. When she saw him on TV, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“It’s not my fault you’re naked again, Faith. You can’t be angry with me for that.”
“I’m not angry with you.” She sighed.
“So, you just act this way with everyone?”
“I am getting cold here, so go away… please.”
He gave her a steady look, and then using the paddle he maneuvered himself away without another word. She had nothing to feel guilty about, but as she pulled herself out and dried off with the small towel she carried, she felt it.
Once she was dressed and her shoes were laced up, Faith began the jog back into town. Heading along the road, she kept her pace even and tried not to think about Ryan.
He was possibly only here for a few more days; she could, and would, play nice.
The thud of feet told her she was not alone.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she acknowledged him. “Where’s your kayak?”
“Back there. It doesn’t go so well on land, and Newman is heading out soon, so he said to leave it on the bank for him.”
Faith didn’t comment further, and they ran in silence, him adjusting his big strides to her smaller ones.
“Getting back to my earlier question. Why are you angry with me?”
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? Can we just move on? I was really annoyed with you for upsetting Hope.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Faith gritted her teeth to stop from speaking again. He was deliberately trying to annoy her, which according to Noah was an easy thing to do. “How’s Syd?” she asked.
