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“I’m sorry,” Ashlyn whispered gently.
“For what?”
“For not trusting you. You’re a gentleman, and I don’t think you would hurt me.”
“Never intentionally,” Brandon replied. “But I’m not perfect. Ashlyn, I. . .you’re a very sweet girl.”
Now, a few more tears escaped from Ashlyn’s eyes. She squeezed Brandon in her arms to tell him that his words were just what she needed to hear. She finally pulled back, and Brandon quickly made busy wiping away the last trace of tears.
“Now,” he said, “let’s enjoy this evening.”
Ashlyn smiled and took Brandon’s hand. They started walking down the beach, and Ashlyn was doing more thinking than talking. Was Brandon the kind of guy that she would be with forever? A giddy part of her heart said he was. There was still a small corner of fear, though, that was telling her she should hold back.
“What are you thinking about?” Brandon asked.
“I was just thinking that I never met a guy like you before. It’s like you’re genuine, not just a fake guy.”
“That’s me,” Brandon smiled. “Genuine skin on this body. You won’t find no imitation.”
Ashlyn smiled at his sarcastic answer. As she smiled at him, she remembered their kiss. She had already blubbered like a baby in front of him. What else was she afraid of? “Why did you apologize for kissing me?”
Brandon was silent for a few minutes as though carefully considering his answer. Finally, he spoke. “You’re the kind of girl I could get lost with.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re strong, not afraid to be who you are, but that doesn’t keep you from being a woman too, emotional when that’s who you are. I guess you just used the word I mean. You’re genuine too.”
Ashlyn felt the farthest a person could possibly be from genuine. If Brandon knew 100% of the thoughts that passed through her brain, he might not use the same word. Ashlyn squeezed Brandon’s hand. “But you don’t have to apologize for kissing me. I. . .well, I really liked it.”
Brandon smiled a full smile, showing his teeth. It made Ashlyn feel happy for being honest with him. “I’m glad to hear that, did you know? I just don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. Some girls, well, I don’t know. I usually take my time getting to know someone, but then there are some people that are on a super-fast route to I don’t know where. That’s why it surprised me when I seemed to lose control of myself. You’re something else.”
Ashlyn’s breathing was coming quickly. She wondered if Brandon felt as attracted to her as she felt to him. She took a quick glance over at Brandon. He was wearing a muscle shirt and swim shorts, ready for the ocean at any time. His arms were strong, and Ashlyn’s eyes wandered to his stomach area. She wondered if he had abs and what it would feel like to run her fingers over them.
“You’re so honest,” Ashlyn replied bluntly, trying not to let herself be distracted by his body. “In truth, I usually move very slowly, but I really didn’t mind out kiss last night.”
Brandon smiled at Ashlyn. “Good, because I didn’t mind either. Sometimes, with a person, things just click. That’s exactly what happened with us, at least that’s what I thought.”
“I know,” Ashlyn replied. “I don’t know if my job will ever take me back this way, or if it does, if you will still be here. I guess that makes me cautious.”
“Look,” Brandon replied softly. “I can’t make any promises for the future. You know that I don’t have anything planned out. But I do want to enjoy each and every day that you’re here. I want to get to know you better, and then, I guess we’ll make decisions when the time comes.”
Ashlyn nodded, her heart swept away by the idea. Brandon hadn’t said as much, but she took his words to mean that he might be interested in a relationship with her past the short time she would be staying on the beach. But she completely agreed with everything he said. She wanted to learn as much about him as she could.
When they reached the turtle nest, there were no turtles hatching. The same ranger was sitting in a chair next to the hole, and he greeted them. They stayed maybe half an hour before deciding to walk back. As they reached the house where Ashlyn was staying, Ashlyn asked Brandon if he wanted to walk to the turtle nest with her the next night.
“I want to see those turtles hatch,” Brandon replied. “I’m going to walk out to every night to see if there is any action. And I think you would be a good companion.” Ashlyn glowed at Brandon’s words, and they shared a kiss before she went inside. This kiss was not any shorter than the last one, but when they pulled away, Brandon felt no need to apologize.
Chapter Seven
Ashlyn went out with Brandon three nights in a row, looking for turtles each day. They never saw the turtles, but Ashlyn enjoyed getting to know Brandon more and more. The beach was surprisingly quiet during the night, only a couple here or there, and Ashlyn loved her private time with Brayden.
When it came to Ashlyn’s off day, she had hoped to spend the whole day with Brandon, but he didn’t show up until his regular after-dinner time. He only had one more day as an extra, and Ashlyn would miss seeing him on the set.
“The moon is already starting to wane,” Brandon commented as they took yet another hand-in-hand walk down the beach. “If the turtles don’t come out in the next few days, then I wonder if they are going to come out at all.”
“Do you mean that the turtles can just die in their little eggs?”
Brandon nodded. “Any number of things could happen. Maybe the mom buried them too deep, and the little turtles can’t quite dig out. Maybe they simply weren’t fertilized.” Ashlyn nodded, trying to understand the process. But the truth was that she couldn’t think about anything else except Brandon. She had been excited to see the turtles the first night that they had gone out, but then night after night of disappointment caused her to feel like she might never see them. What she did look forward to was the kiss that Brandon always gave her before he left her at the foot of the stairs. Ashlyn’s stomach fluttered. She wanted more than a kiss. She wanted to know Brandon completely.
