Chapter 18
This surfing lesson did not end the way I intended.
Hazel
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter as I make my way through the sand to Miles’s surf shack.
I can’t believe I have to take a surfing lesson because I lost at bowling. Which wasn’t my fault. Lane seven is cursed. If we had any other lane, I would have won no problem.
When I reach the shack, a crowd has already gathered. A crowd of women wearing the tiniest bikinis in existence. I frown down at my swimming outfit – a pair of surf shorts and a t-shirt that doubles as a swimming top. I’m frumpy and old compared to these bronze-skinned, blonde women.
The door to the surf shack opens and Miles steps out. The women immediately flock to him. He scans the area until his gaze meets mine. He smiles before approaching me.
He kisses my forehead. “Are you okay?”
I scowl at him. “Why wouldn’t I be okay? Because you’re a cheater?”
He chuckles. “I’m not a cheater because you lost.”
“The anchor just happened to lower every time I was on approach.”
“As much as it pains me to admit this, I did not have any control over the anchor.”
I groan. “You’ve tried to control the anchor in the past, haven’t you?”
“The owners of The Drunken Anchor Lanes are mean. They keep everything under lock and key. And they put pictures of me and my brothers up everywhere to warn their workers about the Raider brothers as if we’re wanted criminals.”
“You probably deserved it.”
He frowns. “It’s not my fault, I accidentally broke the pinsetter. Zane’s the one who threw two balls at the same time. I was merely trying to make sure everything reset properly.”
“And maybe screw Zane’s score at the same time.”
He shrugs. “It’s my moral imperative as his older brother to screw with him as much as possible.”
“Good to know some things never change.”
“Miles,” a woman approaches while hollering his name, “are we starting the lesson soon?” She presses her breasts against his arm as she voices her question.
Miles steps away without bothering to check out her cleavage. “Pick out a board. We’ll start soon.”
She bats her eyelashes at him. “Will you help me pick one out?”
“They’re all the same.” He shackles my wrist. “Come on. I want you next to me.”
I tug on my wrist but he holds on tight. “Miles, let me go.”
He draws me closer to whisper in my ear. “Please don’t abandon me alone with her. It’s the second time this week Tiffany has taken this course. She’s a maneater.”
I giggle. “Are you afraid of a woman?”
He glares at me. “Are you afraid of sharks?”
“Not fair. Sharks are literally maneaters. They have sharp teeth and those beady eyes.” I shiver.
“One day I’ll get you out in the surf zone and you are going to love it.”
I snort. “And one day the doctor will prescribe the correct medicine to cure you of those delusions.”
He smiles and those blue eyes twinkle. “My Blaze can do anything she wants to.”
His Blaze? A shiver rolls down my spine at the idea of being his again. But it’s an illusion. Miles is not to be trusted.
“Too bad, I don’t want to surf.”
“You’ll change your mind.” He tweaks my nose. Before I can respond, he whips off his t-shirt and I forget how to use words.
Miles has always had the sexiest upper body of any man I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot, considering I live on a popular tourist island where men think walking around without a shirt is attractive. It’s not. Unless your name is Miles.
His shoulders are broad and strong. You wouldn’t know he has a weak shoulder due to an injury to his rotator cuff. His chest is muscular but not overly defined like those men who live in the gym. No, Miles’s muscles are bred from his love of surfing.
And then there are his abs. Those ridges I love to touch and lick. I love to feel them move beneath my hands when I touch him. The way they harden when he gets excited.
“What’s wrong?” Miles asks and I drag my eyes up his body to his face. “Mermaid got your tongue?”
I flick my hair over my shoulder. “Isn’t this what I’m supposed to do at one of your famous surfing lessons? Objectify you, surfer boy, and hope you’ll choose me as the favored one?”
His eyes darken before he steps closer. “I will always choose you, Blaze. Each and every time. Until I’m old and gray and don’t remember which end of the surfing board enters the water first.”
Welp. My teasing backfired. Miles is supposed to be bantering with me. Not making my panties damp.
“Miles!” another woman yells. “We’re ready.”
Miles eyes flash with annoyance before he blinks and it’s gone. “We’ll get started in one minute, Brittany.”
I glance over my shoulder to discover Brittany is another blonde wearing a tiny bikini.
“Do those bikinis hold up in the surf?”
Miles grimaces. “You’re cruel.”
I blink and widen my eyes to feign innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You’re the only woman I want to see lose her bikini.”
“Not wearing a bikini.”
He squeezes my hip. “Still the sexiest woman here.”
He claps his hands to get everyone’s attention.
Once the women quiet down, he begins with a safety briefing.
I should probably pay attention – sharks and currents are no joke – but who in their right mind can pay attention when Miles is strutting around without a shirt on in front of them? I’m not that strong.
“Are there any questions?” he asks once he’s finished.
Tiffany throws her hand in the air and jumps up and down. Uh oh. Her bikini top is barely holding on. But Miles doesn’t pay her top any attention. He gazes off in the distance.
“Is it true wax for surfboards is called sex wax?”
“Sex Wax is a brand. Any more questions?” When Tiffany jumps up and down again, he ignores her. “Any questions on the safety briefing?”
“Okay. Moving on. We’ll practice paddling and the ‘pop-up’ technique for standing on dry land before moving to the water to catch small, broken waves close to shore.”
“Can’t we go out further?” Brittany asks.
“Not today. Today’s a beginner class. If you want to go out further, you can join an advanced class.”
“But all of us have done the beginner class already this week.”
Miles motions to me. “Hazel hasn’t.”
“Can’t she wait on the shore or something?”
He growls. “Hazel isn’t waiting on the shore. She waits for no one.”
“Whatever.”
When no one else speaks up, Miles proceeds to run us through a bunch of exercises for paddling and popping up. It’s not long before he’s telling us to pick up our boards and get into the water.
The other women shriek as they rush into the water to play in the waves. I’m less excited about this part. I carry my board into the water until I’m waist deep. I sit on the board and dangle my legs in the water.
“You should be laying down on your board,” Miles says as he joins me.
I wag my finger at him. “Only if I want to catch a wave.”
“Which is the entire purpose of a surfing class.”
“I agreed to attend a surfing class if I lost at bowling – which I didn’t, since you cheated – I didn’t agree to actually surf.”
“There’s nothing to compare to the feeling of standing on your board racing a wave.”
“I’m good.” I motion to the tiny bikini brigade. “Don’t you want to go help the other students?”
“Nope. I want to stay right here with you.”
“But they’ll write you a bad review.”
He snorts. “They’ll write me a bad review anyway unless I flirt with them.”
My stomach sours. This is what Miles’s life is. Flirting with pretty college students. Probably taking one home more often than I care to know about. This is why I can’t give him a chance. I can’t trust him.
Except he hasn’t responded to any of their flirting today. He’s kept his attention focused on me.
“Hey!” Miles squeezes my thigh to bring me closer. “Where did you go?”
I scan the horizon. “Pretty sure I haven’t gone anywhere since I refuse to go any deeper into the water.”
He glides his hand up and down my thigh. I nearly moan at the feel of his hand on me. His hands are big and strong. And yet gentle enough to bring me pleasure.
“Blaze, where did you go in your head?”
I sigh and give in. I might as well tell him. Maybe then he’ll understand why us dating is such a bad idea. “Thinking about all the college students you’ve flirted with in the past.”
“I’m not going to deny flirting with women in the past. It would be an insult to your intelligence. But I’m not a player. I’m not Zane. I don’t have sex with every woman I flirt with.” He clears his throat. “In fact, I haven’t had sex with any other woman for over a year.”
My mouth drops open. “Over a year?”
His cheeks darken. “No woman has interested me.”
“Except me?”
His gaze lifts to meet mine. “Always you, Blaze.”
“Miles!” Tiffany screams and Miles grunts. “I better go help her. You okay here on your own?”
“I can literally touch the sand with my toes.”
He squeezes my thigh before rushing off to help Tiffany.
As I watch, I notice how he avoids touching her and moves out of the way every time she tries to touch him. He wasn’t lying. He’s not interested in another woman. Not even when he could easily touch her in the name of ‘teaching’.
Silly sirens in the sea. I’m going to give in to him, aren’t I? I’m going to give Miles a second chance.
It’ll be fine. He won’t break my heart. He’s going to screw things up soon enough anyway. A few dates won’t hurt. It’ll be a bit of fun. Nothing more. Certainly nothing serious.