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I looked at my watch. “Thinking so.”
“Um, yeah. Sure.”
My heartbeat ticked higher. “Perfect. Bring a swimsuit.”
I hung up the phone before she could ask too many questions, and I climbed into my side-by-side. I tore through the fields toward my house.
Today was going to change everything.
Van Buren StatePark was a secluded, hidden gem on the shores of Lake Michigan. Not attached to any of the local tourist towns, the park’s beach was a quiet reprieve during the bustling tourist season.
Standing with my back to the water, I waited.
Then, through a clearing in the trees, I watched her walk down the gravel path from the parking lot and come into view.
With her hand shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun, she scanned the beachfront. My heart rolled in my chest, and my gut clenched.
She was stunning.
The mid-August sun bounced off her blonde hair, creating a halo and framing her face. Though they were in shadow, I knew her warm caramel eyes were sharp and assessing as she looked down the sandy beach.
When those eyes landed on me, her face split into a grin, and I had to swallow. Sylvie’s hand moved into a tentative wave, and I lifted my own in greeting. I watched her as she slipped off her flip-flops and held them in one hand to navigate through the sand. Her long legs were bare, and I traveled the length of them, stopping at a small pair of bike shorts. A loose-fitting tank top only hinted at the bikini top she wore beneath it.
My gut clenched in anticipation of seeing Sylvie in nothing but a bathing suit.
She stopped in front of me, tipping her face up to meet my eyes. “Hi.”
She sounded as nervous as I felt.
“Hey.” We stood for a fraction of a second, staring at each other. I fought the urge to touch her—reach over and pull her into a hug. I stuffed my hands in my pockets instead.
Finally her eyes flicked down to the paddleboard at my feet and whipped back up in my direction. “Seriously?”
I suppressed a smile. “Have you ever tried it?”
I watched the muscles work in her neck as she swallowed and shook her head.
“If you want to give it a try, I’ll help you. It’s a lot of fun and a great workout.”
Sylvie exhaled as she scanned the beach. I knew she was being careful, looking around to see if there was anyone who might rat us out for meeting. Being a weekday, only a small handful of families dotted the secluded beach. Massive sand dunes hid the water from the trees behind them, creating a quiet alcove.
Her eyes moved over the families and small groups of people enjoying the quiet beach. “I don’t recognize anyone here.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” I flashed her a mischievous grin.
She looked around; then a smile bloomed on her face. “It is pretty nice.”
I gestured toward my board. “What do you say? Want to give it a try?”
She nodded, and I could see the giddiness building in her expression. I loved that she was excited to try this with me—that I could show her a small piece of myself that I kept hidden from almost everyone else.
As I reached behind to grab my collar and pull my T-shirt off, her eyes tracked down my chest and abs. I fought the urge to beat my chest like a caveman at her approval. Sylvie slowly peeled her shorts down her long legs and gathered the hem of her tank top in her hands.
I cleared my throat and pretended to organize the board and paddle. I lifted the small waterproof backpack out of the sand. “You can throw those in here if you’d like.”
Carefully, Sylvie folded her clothes and stuffed them in my bag. Beneath that oversize tank top Sylvie wore a sporty blue bikini that was nearly the same shade as the water. My gaze snagged at the base of her neck, where her heartbeat hammered through the thin skin there. Her delicate collarbone was irresistibly sexy—something I was sure I had never thought about any other woman before.
It was damn difficult to maintain respectable eye contact when the woman I had been fantasizing about for weeks was standing in front of me wearing nothing but a bikini. I cleared my throat, stuffing my T-shirt into the bag with her clothing.
