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Carter, Haven, and Derek followed her down the steps to the sand. Carter enjoyed the feel of the warm sand between his toes as they strolled out toward the crashing waves. They passed groups of people lounging on chairs and soaking up the hot afternoon sun. Two small boys built sandcastles, while a couple of older children flew kites shaped like dragons in the sky.
Darcy stopped near the water. “How’s this spot?”
“This works.” Haven took the blanket from her and began to spread it out. Then she pointed to Derek. “Don’t just stand there. Put up the umbrella.”
Derek eyed her with feigned annoyance. “So bossy.”
Carter put the cooler down and helped Derek set up the umbrella. When he turned toward Darcy, he did a double take when he realized she had already removed her cover-up. She rubbed sunscreen over her legs, arms, chest, and abdomen. His mouth dried as his eyes raked over her curves.
She pulled her braid over one shoulder and held up the bottle of sunscreen. “Havey, could you put some lotion on my back?”
Her best friend glanced over at Darcy and Carter before shaking her head and pulling a tube of lotion out of her bag. “Sorry, but I need to put lotion on myself. Why don’t you ask Carter?”
Darcy hesitated and gave Carter a sheepish look. “Would you help me?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
She turned around, and he poured a copious amount of sunblock onto his hand. Then he moved his hand over her back, rubbing it in and enjoying the feel of her soft skin. He took his time, doing his best to prolong it. When he finished, he handed her the bottle.
“Thanks,” she said before pointing the bottle at him. “Would you like me to rub it on your back too?”
He nodded a yes, then reached behind his neck, pulled off his shirt, and dropped it onto the blanket. When he turned around, he was surprised to find her staring at him. He peered down and hoped she wouldn’t notice the dimpled scar beside his belly button. He would bear that scar for the rest of his life due to the tube he’d endured during his year spent on peritoneal dialysis. Thankfully, his swim trunks covered the larger scar farther down on his abdomen from his transplant.
When she continued to study him, he swallowed. “Is something wrong?”
“No, of course not.” Darcy moved to stand behind him and began rubbing the lotion onto his back. He glanced over at Haven and found her grinning at Darcy. As Darcy’s hands moved over his skin, his mouth turned to cotton and his body came to life. Passion rippled through him—down each limb, all the way to his fingers and toes.
Darcy slathered more lotion on his shoulders and down his biceps before handing him the bottle. “You might want to put some on your chest and legs before we swim.”
“Good idea.” He quickly finished applying the lotion, and when he peeked over at Darcy, she was staring out at the ocean. Had she liked what she’d seen? He felt like a teenager again, all awkward limbs and body, hoping the pretty girl at the pool thought he was cute. Carter thought hard and couldn’t remember the last time he was in a swimsuit like this out in the open. Not since his surgery. It felt good—scary, but good.
Haven took Derek’s arm and towed him in the direction of the water. “Let’s swim!”
“Are you ready?” Carter asked Darcy.
She ran past him. “Race you!”
They bolted into the water, both of them hooting as they rushed out past where the waves crashed.
Darcy splashed him and laughed as he splashed her back. She dove under the water and then popped back up beside him. Happiness overtook him as he smiled at her.
She floated on her back, and when he yanked her leg, they crashed into each other. Laughing, she grabbed him, and they held on to each other longer than they needed to, hugging in the water. Carter stared into her eyes, and his pulse rocketed.
As they bobbed in the water together, he looked out toward her parents’ enormous beach house. His spirit languished at the sight of it. He could never give Darcy the kind of life her family had given her—but he also couldn’t deny that he was falling in love.
Chapter16
Happiness fizzed inside Darcy later that evening while she sat beside Carter on her parents’ deck. The aroma of steak and roasted corn on the cob lingered in the air.
She smiled at Carter while he talked about car projects with Dad and Derek. She had relished every moment they had spent at the beach earlier that day—playing in the waves, resting on a blanket, and watching kids build sandcastles while the colorful sails of the boats fluttered in the distance.
Although she had been attracted to Carter since the moment she’d met him in the parking lot, she’d marveled at his gorgeous broad shoulders, muscular biceps, wide chest, and sculpted thighs. Heat shimmied up her spine as she recalled the feeling of his warm, strong hands massaging the sunscreen into her back and then holding her close in the water.
But she wasn’t only attracted to him. She knew she was falling for him hard and fast. Really fast. That truth of it sent a mixture of excitement and fear skittering through her.
When she realized she’d been staring at his profile, Darcy blinked and tried in vain to stop the blush that was seeping into her cheeks. She glanced across the table at Haven, who watched her with an amused smirk spreading on her pretty face. Darcy examined her hands in her lap and hoped her blush would dissipate.
“So, Haven,” Mom began, “you always have the funniest stories about your students. What have they been up to lately?”
