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Still—the sight of Cady’s sunburnt shoulders makes me grimace with guilt that I should have gone easier on her this morning.
Not that she complained about anything.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not a dude, and yes, I’m well aware of the colour of my skin,” she says dryly, looking for a kettle.
“Does it hurt?” I ask.
“More than wiping out from the wave, less than the jellyfish sting,” she says with a rueful grin.
“You’re really getting pounded this weekend,” Nick says slyly. “In more ways than one.”
“Dude,” I cry, but Cady’s lips don’t even twitch.
“You must have heard the thunder from the storm,” she says, straight-faced.
“That was no thunder.”
“Jeez, enough! Where’s Dex?” I ask. “Maybe he can control you.”
“Many have tried, but there is no controlling me,” Nick shouts as he takes his coffee and plate of eggs out to the balcony. “He went for a walk on the beach. I’m gonna grab some chairs for us down there, so eat up boys and girls, and let’s go sit in the sun. Not you,” he throws over his shoulder at Cady. “You, little miss, will be shaded at all times today.”
“Duly noted,” she says with a surprised smile. I doubt she’s used to being given orders.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as the door slides shut behind Nick.
“Starving. I only had a little snack in the night and that wasn’t nearly enough.”
“Little?” I clutch my chest, and she laughs.
She’s so pretty when she laughs. She’s pretty all the time, but to see her laugh is to get a glimpse of the woman behind the money, who she might be if she lived a different life.
I’m proud that I get to see it.
So proud, that I take the moment and wrap my arms around her.
Cady stiffens in the hug. “You don’t hug either?” I ask warily.
“No, I hug.” She relaxes a fraction, but not enough. “I just—I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You can expect it,” I tell her. “You can expect hugs, and kisses, and lots more. Whatever you want.”
Cady tips her head to look up at me. “I’m not sure what I can have.”
“You can have whatever you want.”
“I don’t know what I’m capable of,” she confesses.
“We can figure that out,” I suggest, trying to sound cool, but well aware Cady can feel the pounding of my heart. “If it’s something you want.”
“I don’t want to hurt you…”
“Cady, you walking away from whatever this could be is going to hurt. Giving it a try? That might be the easiest thing you’ve ever done.” I press my lips against her forehead. “No pressure. Never pressure.”
“I know.” Her eyes look troubled.
“Let’s just have a good day,” I tell her. “We’ll go sit at the beach and you can start that book you’re threatening to read, and I can slather you in sunscreen every five minutes, which I’m sure will excite you enough to drag me back up here for more vigorous sex, so much vigorous sex, and with so much vigour that Nick will hear us from the beach and be insanely jealous.”
“You want to make your best friend jealous?”
