That One Summer: A Collection of Steamy Contemporary Romance

Chapter 6

Emma

The sun beat down onmy back and turned my head away from the book in my hand, gazing out over the ocean and to the looming gray clouds in the distance. The weather called for afternoon showers. I hurried out of my room first thing that morning, grabbing an apple and a granola bar and parking myself on the beach to soak up every minute of sun left.

After a fitful night”s sleep, I didn”t have the energy to argue with James and each hour that passed alone in the sand relaxed the nagging fear in the back of my mind that he”d show up, ready to cart me off the island.

I set the book aside, flipping onto my back, closing my eyes, and tipping my face toward the sun, the comfortable heat making me drowsy. A shadow passed over my face and I opened my eyes. I took in the towel and book first, James’ hand wrapped around them. He wore a pair of red board shorts and my eyes traveled up to his exposed chest. The tailored suit had hinted at James”s physique. Not an athlete, but a man who spent a fair amount of time at the gym. He had the faint impression of a six-pack and broad, well-defined shoulders. He wore sunglasses, obscuring his eyes, but the grim line of his lips did plenty to convey his displeasure at finding me on his beach.

”Good morning,” I said, shielding my eyes.

”You”re still here,” he said with a curt nod.

”It”s beautiful out, isn”t it?” I tore my eyes away from his chest and back to his face. ”It”s supposed to rain this afternoon and I wanted to get out before the weather got bad.”

His head jerked up.

Had he been checking me out? No. Absolutely not. I probably lost his attention as soon as I announced I wasn”t leaving. A faint indent formed on his cheek before he gave me a curt nod and walked over to the set of beach chairs just a few feet away. He set the book and towel on the chair, opening the umbrella before sitting down and cracking open the book.

I bit my bottom lip, willing myself to stay quiet. I”d geared up for a fight all morning, but James had sauntered onto the beach as if he”d invited me here. Or at least hadn”t flipped out when he found out I hadn’t scurried off in the night.

”What are you reading?” I asked, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could pull them back in.

He closed the book, glancing at the cover and then in my direction. ”A biography about a football player.”

”Are you reading it for business or pleasure?”

”A bit of both, I guess. A client gave it to me...” He pursed his lips. ”Years ago, probably. I haven”t had the chance to read it.”

I bit back a laugh, pushing up on my elbows and raising an eyebrow. ”Haven”t had the chance?”

The edge of his lips hitched up. ”Yeah, I’ve been busy. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I read a book. What are you reading?”

”Oh, you”re asking me questions now?” I held up the book by my side. ”A thriller I found in the bookcase. The Butcher”s Apprentice.”

”Sounds creepy. I”m more of a slice of life novel reader myself.”

”Didn”t you just admit you haven”t read a book for years?”

The tug on his lips turned into a full-blown grin and he laughed. ”You really need to call me out like that?”

He had a friendly laugh, low and throaty and sincere. The warmth that covered my skin pooled in my stomach.

James was already attractive. Self-deprecating James? Irresistible.

I dipped my head, hoping he wouldn”t notice my cheeks burning. Despite not actively kicking me out of the cabin this morning, I needed to stay wary. He might act friendly now, but his mood might change as fast as the weather.

Only it didn”t. At least not yet.

Instead, he settled into the chair, opening the book on his lap and flipping through the pages. I waited a beat, waiting to hear what he said next, but he kept his focus on the book. I frowned, pushing up off the towel and wiping sand off my legs.

”I”m going for a swim,” I mumbled.

”Keep your bathing suit on,” James quipped, head still in his book. ”If you don”t mind.”

“I”ll try,” I said with a strained smile.

I grabbed the unicorn float and waded in, bracing for the chill of the Atlantic despite the warm temperatures. After dunking my head, I swam deeper, shimmying on top of the float and dropping my head back into the water. The exact way I”d been swimming the day before, only with my bikini on this time.

Progress.

“I’m heading back inside,” James called from the shore. “Need anything?”

“Perfect timing,” I yelled back. “I was just thinking about taking off my swimsuit.”

His expression was unreadable from the ocean, but he turned his back and stalked back to the house without another word.

The waves rose and fell around me in a hypnotic lull. I closed my eyes, letting the late morning sun warm my body and the sound of the ocean fill my ears. Distantly, I wondered if I shouldn”t have tied myself to the dock, but I didn”t plan to spend too much time in the water. The storm would blow in soon enough and I”d have to go inside.

* * *

The floaty lurchedunderneath me and I flailed, saltwater flooding my eyes and filling my lungs. An arm slid around my waist, hauling me back above water and I spluttered water into James”s face.

”Are you insane?” His forest green eyes narrowed as he spat out the words.

”What are you doing?” I asked, all too aware of his body pressed against mine.

”Saving you from drowning.”

My fingertips feathered over his chest and I sucked in a breath, my body flushing with heat and the sensible part of my brain warning me away. The unicorn floaty bobbed in my peripheral vision and I made a break for it, kicking in its direction. Or, more accurately, kicking James in the knee.

”Damn it!” James cried, his arm still in a vise-like grip around my waist. ”Hold still. You”re going to drown us both.”

”I can swim just fine.”

”I hope so. I can”t haul you all the way to the shore.”

I looked beyond him to the shoreline. The distant shoreline. The very distant shoreline.

”Oh no,” I groaned.

”Yeah,” he snorted. ”Oh no.”

His grip on my waist loosened as he pulled the unicorn toward me, hanging onto me until I had it around my waist. ”Alright, Siren, time to go back to shore.”

”Siren?” I asked as I kicked toward the shore.

James kept his hand on the plastic, his fingertips brushing mine as he swam. ”You”ve lured me to the ocean twice now. What else would I call you?”

”Emma, but that would mean actually speaking to me.”

”We talked.” The edge of his lips hitched up. ”As I recall, we had a really pleasant conversation about reading. And then you went off and tried to drown yourself.”

”I wasn”t about to drown. Maybe I just like swimming away from the beach,” I lied, trying not to worry what would have happened if James hadn’t noticed me floating away. ”Or you”re a terrible conversationalist. I”ll let you decide.”

His fingers moved on the floaty, covering my hand. ”I”m not a terrible conversationalist.”

The confidence in his voice made my throat tight. I pulled my hand away. ”Well, you”ll have to excuse me because until now, most of our conversations have been about you trying to force me to leave. And you almost just got your wish. You could have just let me go.”

”Not a chance,” he said, his voice low and rumbly and his lips sliding up. ”My sister would kill me. Now, unless you”re itching to get electrocuted, we need to get out of the water. The storm is practically on top of us.”

I glanced back at the ocean and the dark clouds chasing us to the shore. ”You certainly waited long enough to drag me out of here.”

His cheeks turned red, his eyes darting away. ”I took a long shower. I didn’t check back outside until you were practically at sea.”

We reached the dock and James pulled himself out of the water, arm muscles bulging as he pulled his perfectly muscled body onto the dock. He whipped back his blond hair, water spraying onto the planks, before reaching out a hand for me. I handed over the floaty, but he threw it aside, grabbing my hand and lifting me out of the water.

I stumbled onto the dock, thrown off by his strength and more than a little self-conscious of being manhandled so easily.

”Thanks.” I took a hasty step back, but James gripped my elbow, preventing me from falling back into the ocean.

”Easy,” he crooned, a faint smile on his lips almost irresistible enough to make me forget what a fool I’d been, falling asleep in the ocean. Almost irresistible enough to make me want to lean closer.

I pulled my arm away, keeping my feet under me this time. ”Sorry.”

He frowned before shifting his gaze up. ”We should head inside.”