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She began looking everywhere but at me. It was obvious I was making her nervous. It was new to me to see her this way, though. Because when we first met she was anything but nervous, and when I cornered her in the elevator and claimed her lips, she was far from nervous then, too. Although, knowing that I could have this affect on her made me feel good actually, made me feel like she still wanted me and our attraction to one another hadn’t diminished.
She pulled her bag closer to her body, as if using it as a shield. “I’m here with my sister for her bachelorette party. I should probably get going,” she said, looking away, almost like she was hoping said sister would come and save the day.
I nodded, smirking. “Sure, sure.”
Then she looked around and found my board, pointing to it. “And you,” she said, “probably have to get back to work.”
I furrowed my brows, wondering if I had any say in the matter. I knew I didn’t, though. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“I wouldn’t want to keep you from that.” But even as she was saying the words, her eyes were still intent on mine. It was just like it was years ago—we couldn’t break eye contact if we wanted to.
She backed up and practically sunk into a hole in the sand.
My hand went out to grab her, but she shook it off. “I’m fine,” she lied. “I meant to do that.”
Why did I doubt that?
Then she clapped her hand over her phone and smiled. “Well, surf’s up,” she said and then immediately started walking away.
Surf’s up? Yeah, she was definitely nervous. I chuckled and called back, “See you around.”
She didn’t turn around, only waved her hand back at me, ignoring my words.
Chapter Eight
Gemma
Surf’s up? What was I thinking?
I cringed at how awkward I was as I fixed the beach towel underneath me and sighed. I was an adult for crying out loud, I should’ve been able to string together words to form a coherent sentence, especially in front of a man who had seen me naked many, many times.
I grabbed the sunblock out of my bag and squirted some on my hand, trying to will the memory away. Sunblock now had my full attention. That was right, I was only thinking about my skin protection. Because thinking about how I practically just made a complete fool of myself in front of a man I once spent day and night thinking about was not something I wanted to think about any longer.
Even with my sunglasses on, I found myself squinting. It was late in the afternoon, but the sun wasn’t done with us just yet. Questioning whether this was a good idea, I sat up, my arms looped around my knees. I should’ve been with Soph and the girls, but sitting at a bar wasn’t exactly the best way to spend our time, either. This was a beach resort we’d come to, after all.
I looked out onto the water and watched parents taking their children in, getting them used to it before having them walk further into the water. An older couple was holding hands, walking on the sand. The man stopped momentarily, though, to kiss his wife on the cheek before they continued taking their stroll.
I liked to people-watch. Observing what other people did and how they acted always entertained me. Not everyone was predictable and it was interesting to see what they did next, how they reacted to certain situations.
I decided to close my eyes for a moment, though, and enjoy myself before going in search of the girls. But I couldn’t seem to keep my thoughts off Lance and seeing him again. He looked good, really good. But I knew I couldn’t have those thoughts, not now. We’d ended things for a reason and I did not come here with any intention of seeing him again—it was best I remembered that.
But his voice, I mused. It was deep, but also like velvet. I could listen to it all day long. I forgot how much I loved listening to him.
And it wasn’t just that. He was strong, too. His biceps were, well, the definition of perfection. No different than his twelve-pack, something I’d only heard of, never seen, before him. I raked my bottom lip through my teeth at the memory. Oh, how I wanted to run my hands through his dirty blond hair again while he stared at me with those beautiful brown eyes that were like pools of chocolate.
Knowing this train of thought was no good, I quickly opened my eyes and got up. I had to get off this beach. Obviously the sun was making me delusional. I needed to find my sister and her friends, the whole reason for this trip.
I dusted off my butt to get the sand off and picked up the towel, shaking it off, and rolling it back up in my bag. I could also use some water, and food. Yes, that explained it. Maybe I was having heat stroke or something.
I started walking back to the resort. But all the while I couldn’t seem to get Lance out of my head.
And the way I made a complete fool of myself.
What was I thinking?
Chapter Nine
Lance
