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“Find yourself.”
“Honestly?” Pain shone in her eyes as she gave me a weak smile. “I’m not sure.”
CHAPTER11
DAYNA
“Come on,let’s walk across the beach,” I said, needing to stop Aiden from looking at me like that.
He was so different from Josh. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but he was just… more. He had the kind of eyes that pierced you, made you melt with the intensity in his gaze, leaving your heart fluttering wildly in your chest. Even when utter crap was spewing out of his mouth, his eyes were captivating.
It wasn’t any wonder he had hordes of girls falling over themselves at Lakeshore U. Aiden had that charm about him. The cocky bad boy that girls wanted to tame. But there was something wild in his gaze. Something I knew would never be conquered.
He followed me as I took off toward the water’s edge. I bent down to slip off my sandals and dig my feet into the sand, loving how the fine grains felt against my skin.
“Want to go skinny dipping?” His words danced over my shoulder, making a shudder roll down my spine as he stepped up behind me.
“I think Carson would have something to say about that.”
“Don’t you ever just want to live in the moment? Say to hell with the rules and people’s expectations of what you should do?”
I looked up at him, our mouths so close that if I leaned up a fraction, I’d be kissing him.
Kissing him.
God, that wasn’t supposed to sound so appealing, yet I couldn’t think about anything else.
“Freckles?” he breathed, and I swallowed, forcing myself to take a step away—to put some distance between us. Aiden chuckled, “Do I make you nervous?”
“A little.”
“That’s cute.”
“Cute?” I groaned. “You make me sound like a thirteen-year-old girl with braids and a retainer.”
His eyes dropped down my body and back up again. “Trust me, that is not what I’m thinking right now.”
“What are you thinking?” I asked, a little breathless. Because the way he looked at me… no one had ever looked at me like that before.
Not even Josh.
Especiallynot Josh.
“Nothing good.” The words tumbled through me.
“Kiss me,” I blurted out.
“Dayna…” His eyes shuttered. When they opened again, all the heat was gone from them. “You know we can’t.”
“Can’t?” I stepped closer, craning my neck to look at him. “Or won’t? I’m notthatdrunk if that’s what you’re worried about. And I won’t run off and tell Carson. But I need… I need to know what it feels like.” His brows pinched, and I added, “I need to know what it feels like to live in the moment.”
Because I realized now that I never allowed myself to truly let go. Josh was safe. He was exactly what I needed at the time when we’d first met. But he didn’t push me out of my comfort zone. He let me remain there. Even when it came to sex, he let me standstill. Sure, he occasionally tried to take things further, but something always felt wrong about it.
Maybe because he was wrong for me.
God, I was so confused.
But Carson had said something to me—he’d said that Josh wasn’t the kind of guy he pictured me with. He didn’t like small-town life or follow hockey or enjoy lazy days at the beach. He liked order and routine and everything in its set place.
