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Before I can answer, he grins again and nods toward the beach. “It’s a perfect night. The water is calm, there’s barely a breeze. So, what do you say, Sierra? You down for this?”
Of course I’m down to spend the evening with Grayson.
There’s a boyish hope in his eyes that hits me square in my chest again, and I wonder if it will always be like this. How can Grayson Ford get me to do just about anything? I feel like putty in his hands.
“I’m down. Give me a minute.” I leave him at my door, heading to my bedroom to change into a clean top and shorts and pull my hair into a ponytail. I throw a sweatshirt on and return to my door, where Grayson is still waiting.
“Ready,” I say, slipping into slides and following him outside.
“I’ll grab your board,” he says, jogging over to my garage, where my paddleboard is leaning against the wall. He tucks it under his strong arm like it weighs nothing, smiling like he’s just won a bet. And I am a goner. Going out with him tonight alone is a very bad idea, but that doesn’t stop me from following him out to the front yard.
Grayson picks up his own board from where he’s left it on the grass, and I notice him cast a quick glance towards Tucker and Holden’s house. Following his gaze, I blow out a sigh of relief when I see that both of their cars are missing from the driveway. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that if they were around to see Grayson and I together, it would only be a matter of time before my brother would hear about it. And I am definitely not ready to deal with Jake.
I blink, forcing away all thoughts of my brother. Grayson is busy shoving his flip-flops into his backpack and I take the opportunity to ogle his insanely perfect biceps, the fine blond arm hair against his tan skin, the way his T-shirt stretches over the broad muscles of his back.
“I can take off my shirt if you’d like?” he asks with a smirk on his face. “I like it when your eyes are on me.”
I’m so busted, but the funny thing is I don’t even care. “Maybe I like looking at you, Gray.”
“We can skip this whole paddleboarding thing,” he says, throwing a thumb towards his house. “And we can watch Netflix and chill.”
A laugh bursts from my lips. “You never fail to amaze me.”
“You like me, sunshine, admit it. The sooner you accept it, the quicker we can have a repeat of that kiss you can’t stop thinking about.”
“Sunshine?”
“What? You don’t like it?”
“That’s not what I said. I’m just curious why you call me that.”
“You’re like sunshine, Sierra. You make me feel all warm, and I want you on my skin all damn day.”
Ohmygod.“You are too much.”
“And you’re obsessed with mytoo much.”
We both laugh, and I feel butterflies flutter in my stomach.
Grayson casts his eyes towards the beach, tucking his board under his arm. “So, are we doing this?” he asks with a smile, and it’s then that I realize that I haven’t taken my eyes off him.
TWELVE
MY CONSCIENCE HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.
Grayson
The sky is ablaze in pinks and blues as we walk down to the beach with our paddleboards. We stop where the sand meets the ocean, both of us taking a moment to look out at the water and breathe in the salt air. I take in this view every single day, but it never gets old. I doubt it ever will. And being here with Sierra only makes it better.
We’re the only ones here—not all that surprising, seeing as it’s 9 p.m. The beach emptied out a while ago, and I couldn’t be happier that Sierra and I have this stretch of sand to ourselves.
We set down our boards and I take off my backpack and drop it in the sand. The further we get from the porch lights of Haven Harbor, the quieter it feels. We’re met with a gentle, cool breeze as we sink our feet deeper into the sand.
Sierra lifts her sweatshirt over her head and stuffs it in her bag, then looks back out to sea, a smile playing across her lips. I take her in. Her hair is starting to curl around her face thanks to the salty air. She’s wearing a white sports bra and a pair of running shorts—it’s not the bathing suit that I was secretly hoping for, but she looks beautiful, her tanned, smooth skin glowing golden in the sun.
“You ready?” I ask before she can catch me staring. I’m anxious to get out there with her.
“Let’s do this.”
