AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In that moment, when he looks at me, I know that whatever is between us isn’t as simple as it should be.
He’s like the fire in front of us.
If I get too close to him, I’ll get burned, but I can’t seem to stay away.
10
SALVATORE
Brielle lounges on a chair beneath the sun, a book in her hand and her bikini top untied as she lays on her stomach. I stand on the deck above, watching her as the waves crash against the shore.
Something between us feels different. When she woke up this morning, she didn’t say much to me. Normally, as soon as she sees me, she starts talking about anything and everything that comes to her mind.
I watch as she flips the page, grinning at something she’s reading. Her hair shines in the sun and she looks like she’s having the time of her life doing nothing on the beach.
Though I thought that coming to the beach was a bad idea, spending time with her yesterday changed my mind. She seems to become a more relaxed person the second her feet hit the sand.
“You’re staring,” she says, holding her bikini top to her chest as she props herself up a little higher to look at me. “That’s just asking for trouble. I hope you know that.”
I grin and shake my head. “It’s cute how you think that you’re trouble. I’ve seen kittens more vicious than you. Hell, I think a leaf might be able to do more damage than you.”
She holds up her middle finger, laughing as she turns her attention back to her book. I watch her for a few more minutes, unable to wipe the smile from my face before I head back inside.
Allowing myself to get close to her is yet another mistake I’m making. I should be keeping my distance and preparing to leave her when Brennan gets back.
Instead, I sat beside a fire with her last night and started spilling family secrets.
And then she told me that she gave a shit about me.
I don’t want her to care about me. I want her to keep her distance since apparently I’m not strong enough to do so when it comes to her.
What I want and what’s going to happen are two very different things. I know what I’m like and how persistent she is. Keeping any sort of distance is starting to seem like it’s an impossible task.
As soon as we get back home, I’m going to focus on staying away from her. I’ll protect her if it comes to that but everything else is off the table.
I head to my room and get changed into my swim trunks, taking a deep breath before I head back outside. Since we’re staying on a beautiful beach, I may as well enjoy myself.
Although, I don’t know if that is going to be possible while keeping my distance from Brielle. Staying away from her is an impossible task.
“You know, you get this look in your eyes when you’re lost in your own little world,” Brielle says as she glances up at me again. “Whatever you’re freaking out about, don’t. We’re here on the beach. This is the perfect place to unwind and relax.”
“I don’t know that there’s going to be much unwinding and relaxing with you around.”
She shrugs. “Your loss. I thought that coming out here and hanging out would be a great time. Clearly, you live to watch me take a hundred pictures of the same thing from slightly different angles.”
“I don’t condone the sneaking around to take pictures of illegal things,” I say as I walk down the steps to join her on the sand. “But I’m going for a swim. Try not to die before I get back.”
“Well damn, how did you already guess my plan? I was waiting for you to get into that ocean before telling the horrible people after me that they can come out of hiding and kill me now.”
I roll my eyes. “Really, Brielle? Could you go maybe five minutes without giving me a shit ton of sass?”
The corner of her mouth twitches as she shakes her head slowly. My heart races as I look at her. If this is staying away from her and keeping her at a distance, then I am doing a horrible job.
“I’m going for a swim. Stay alive until I get back.”
She gives me a thumbs up before sticking her nose back into her book. I watch her for a moment longer before jogging down the beach and into the water.
The cold waves are a shock to the system. I dive beneath the water, swimming under the crest of a wave and coming up on the other side. I slick my hair back from my face and glance back at the beach to see Brielle on her back. She’s propped up on her forearms, her top back on and her gaze glued to me.
