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“Ready?” I asked.
She nodded slowly. “But I just realized I forgot to have my mom help me with sunscreen.” She bit her lip like she knew it drove me crazy. “Do you think Kenzie would mind rubbing some on me?”
I extended my hand.
“What?” she asked.
“I can do it.”
She gave me a look. “Are you sure?”
I rolled my eyes. “You act like I don’t have younger siblings or live on a beach. It’s no big deal.” Especially because I liked the idea of touching her back far more than I cared to admit.
She finally passed me the bottle, and I squeezed some on my hand before resting the bottle on the hood of Xander’s truck.
I ran my hands over her back, mapping every freckle, every divot of her skin and muscle. The lotion warmed under my touch, gliding easily over her back.
She pulled her straps to the side, baring her shoulders, and now I was the one biting my lip. I needed to cool down.
I took deep breaths, but that was a terrible idea because I just got a strong whiff of my favorite scents—honey ginger and sunscreen. I looked away as I finished applying the sunscreen and used what was left over on my cheeks.
April stuffed the bottle back in her bag and frowned. “I’m sorry that took so long.”
I followed her gaze, realizing everyone was already getting in the water. That was my bad. Maybe I took longer than I needed.
“Xander!” I yelled. “Toss some waters on shore!”
He saluted me, then reached into the cooler, throwing a couple waters back for us. They landed on the slow-flowing riverbank.
“Thanks!” I called with a smile. Secretly, I’d wanted them to take off anyway. I wanted to know more about April. Maybe if she really did have a bad personality, I’d be able to get this strange fixation out of my system. Or if she had a good personality under all her rough edges, I could finally follow this feeling that wouldn’t go away.
Last week at the beach, it had been magnetic—I was unable to pull away from her once I got so close. I didn’t like being out of control like that. When you spend so much time on the water, you learn your limits. When to push harder and when to back down.
But this girl was stronger than the biggest wave, and I was seconds from going under.
Thirty
April
Diego nodded toward the water.All of his friends had already gone around the first river bend, disappearing into a copse of trees. “Ready?”
I glanced toward the truck again, not completely sure. “We’re coming back here, right?”
“Yeah, we have to.”
“Great.” I set my bag in the back of the truck and untied the wrap around my waist. I could feel Diego’s eyes on my legs, and my cheeks felt warm again as I remembered the way his solid chest had felt pressed against my back.
He seemed so comfortable around me, but my nerves were on fire from a simple touch.
When I walked back to the riverbank, he looked like a Greek god, stepping into the water with the tubes at his hips. The gentle stream folded around his calves and continued, unperturbed by his presence.
I tested the water with my toes—cool but not too cold—and followed him in until we were waist deep. Standing this close to him reminded me of the last time we were in the water. How he’d tugged on my leash and reminded me he was there for me.
I had the same feeling now, like it was just the two of us, even though his friends were only a hundred yards or so ahead.
“I’ll hold your tube while you get on,” he offered.
I thanked him, sliding into the tube and resting my shoulders back against it. He sloshed onto his own and then said, “Hook your leg on mine so we can stick together?”
