Chapter Two
Killian
Sunrise means a brand-new day, new starts, a brand-new chance.
Feeling the sun on my face, the cool seawater on my skin, I am in my happy place. No one is on the beach for a few hours, save a few others here for the same reason I am. Tossing my board in the water, I climb on top to paddle out toward the early morning waves.
The skies warm up with pinks and purples as I reach the first break. Sitting in the line-up, waiting for a wave, I look out over the water and the beach beyond. It’s beautiful here in Sunset Springs. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. Besides being on the water, it’s a wicked little town.
Growing up here meant lots of summers on the water, lots of dealing with tourists, and plenty of time wanting to get out of here. It’s a small town, the type where you think you know everything about everyone. Gossip spreads fast, so even if you miss something, you hear about it eventually.
“Oy, some good waves coming in today,” Brody shouts over the slow crashing waves, jerking his head at the swells cresting behind us.
Waving a hang ten at him, I paddle towards the waves as they curl over us. Being inside the wall of water while riding a rave is unreal. It is unlike anything else I have ever done. It is a close second to good sex.
Climbing on my board, I steady myself as the first wave builds and I guide the long neon board over the barrel. I am connected to the earth, to the ocean, and to the skies when I am on a board. I smell the salty water, the earthy kelp, and the slowly warming air as the sun rises overhead.
Riding the wave until it dies out, I know I am in for a good day. Paddling back with Brody, my best friend since we were in kindergarten, I ask about today’s classes. We teach surfing to tourists who come here for the summer. It’s a good gig that pays well and lets us spend a lot of time on the water.
“Oh yeah, brah, we’ve got five on board. Two repeats from last week. That mom and daughter duo who totally want to bang us. Two other dudes after those betties and another single later.”
“Good, good. What did I say about hooking up with clients?”
“Did you say something about that?” Brody cocks his head as he asks, a shit-eating smirk on his face.
Shaking my head at him, I sigh. I have most definitely said something about sleeping with clients. We have a legitimate business. He could screw up if he bangs the wrong woman. Besides, most of these women will be here for a few days or weeks at most. Why bother hooking up with someone who has no plans to stay in Sunset Springs?
That might be the draw for him, I suppose. Hook up without the fear of facing them later. That has never been my vibe. Not that I have ever had a serious relationship, I can compare to his hookups. Dating was always fun, loose, but I want the strings. To be tied to someone I can build something with.
Call me old-fashioned, I suppose. I want to date someone, to find out what they’re into, what they’re passionate about. Finding someone to spend a night or two with is easy. There are plenty of chances for it here in Sunset Springs. I do not judge Brody or anyone who does it. It is just not for me. I want to spend a weekend with someone; I want to wake up with someone and go to bed with them beside me.
Guess I just want more than something that comes easily.
“Oy, I know when not to take what is being offered, brah.”
“Oh, do you mean like that redhead betty from Texas?”
Tossing his head back, he barks out a laugh. That redhead would not leave him alone last summer. He wound up pretending he was dating my sister to get her to leave him alone. No one messes with my sister Brenna, so it worked, but she warned him not to do something so stupid again.
Chuckling with him as he recalls that craziness, I shake my head. He will grow up someday, I suppose. It won’t be today, I can tell. Glancing out towards the beach, I consider our schedule for today. Summer has just started so soon we will have dozens of clients a day. We’re hoping another good summer will set us up to open a surf shop that will keep us open year-round.
Just as I get lost in dreams about the shop, I spot something bright on the shoreline. Bright purple watercolor on a banging body with curves for days holds my gaze. Wanting a better look, I paddle closer to the shore. Jesus, those thick, powerful thighs and that round ass are insane.
“Jesus, do you see that?” I mutter to Brody before thinking better of calling his attention to her. No way does he need to look at her. Why I think that of a woman I just saw for the first time, I have no idea. We dig the same sort of babes through and this one, this one, is going to be all mine .
Paddling faster as she wades into the water, my heart rate kickS up. Not because of the paddling, but because of how she plays in the water, splashing it on herself. Why is it so erotic? Why am I getting hard in my wetsuit as I watch her laugh and frolic in the ocean?
Hundreds of beautiful women come to the shore during the summer in Sunset Springs. They come to get tan, to get drunk, or to get laid. Most of them never get in the water or wonder about the creatures that call it home. Sitting on my board watching her fall back in the water, laughing at herself as she sinks beneath the crystal-clear waters, I am laughing along with her.
My board surges forward as a huge wave crashes down on me, knocking me off the board. Coming up sputtering, I see the telltale swirls in the water of the undertow rippling towards shore. I think only of the woman in the pretty purple suit frolicking in the water. Letting my board float towards Brody, I dive into the water, heading towards her.
“Brody,” I shout back even as I cut through the waves, “Go get Dixon, tell him to wait for me. I need to get to her!”
Brody does not hesitate. Diving into the waves, he heads for shore as I head towards the pier. Each time I surface, I look for that purple suit. Each time I do not see it, another twist of panic hits my chest. By the time I get to where I saw her splashing a few moments ago, I dive under the water.
Seeing purple, I kick my feet and push as hard as I can. I get to her, scooping her up as she twists away from the powerful undertow. I hook my arms around her torso and launch us up to the surface. It might be one of the most difficult swims of my life. I do not stop kicking. I will not give up.
Getting to the shore, I am all but dragging her with me. Lying her down, I gaze down at her for a moment, something twisting in my chest. I am afraid I was too late. Too distracted by how pretty she was. I was wrong about that, anyway. This woman is not pretty, she is...stunning.
“Hey, baby, I need you to breathe for me,” I whisper, placing my hands on her chest.
Going to work on compressions, I check her pulse and listen for her breathing. My movements grow panicked when I hear nothing. Feel nothing. Just as I am about to lose it and ask where the hell Dixon, the lifeguard, is, she sputters and turns to her side. Grasping her gently, I rub her back as she coughs up water and drags gasping breaths of air into her lungs.
“There she is,” I whisper gently as she falls back onto the sand.
Staring up at me with the prettiest violet eyes I have ever seen, she smiles. For a moment, the crashing waves, the shouts of onlookers, the entire world fades away. It is silly, of course. Not the time or place for it. But it is there as I stare back at her and I cannot ignore it.
“Hi. I... I swear I know how to swim,” she sputters, cheeks flushing pink as her breath saws out of her roughly.
“I believe you do, babe. Do not move,” I tell her softly, pressing her down on the sand. “They want to check on you. Can you do that? Lie still while Dixon here does his job.”
“Yes. Who is Dixon?” She murmurs, staring up at me with eyes full of trust I am not sure I deserve.
“A lifeguard. Best on the beach,” I tell her as he comes to kneel beside me. Reaching out, he checks her for wounds or broken ribs from the CPR. I ignore how his hands on her make me uncomfortable. It’s silly, of course. He is the best on the beach and will be sure she is alright.
“Did you...did you save me?” Her voice calls to me, her hand reaching up to touch my face.
Rocked by the emotion that hits me as she stares up at me with those big eyes, her touch burning my skin, I nod. My chest twists up again as I take her hand, intending to set it aside so I can get out of the way. Her eyes flare with panic as her hand curls around my neck, tugging me closer.
“Don’t leave me. Please....I am scared.”
“I won’t leave your side. I am going to the hospital with you,” I announce, shooting Dixon a glare as he frowns.
Smiling, she nods as he checks her over, mentioning contusions and a possible concussion. I move out of his way, but she won’t let me get too far. Not that I want to. Sitting there holding her hand, brushing her wet hair back from her face, I am on edge but doing my best to hide it.
“Do I have to go to a hospital? “
“Yes, babe, you do,” I answer before he can. “Need to get that pretty head checked out, yeah? I promise to stay with you every minute.”
Nodding at me, she beams a huge smile that wraps itself tight around my heart. It’s still thundering in my chest as she sits up, pressing herself close to me. I bend, scooping her up, waving off the stretcher. Striding towards the waiting ambulance, I smile down at her as she stares up at me with soft eyes.
“Told me who the lifeguard is. Who is the life saver?”
My heart triple times in my chest as she bites her lip, eyes searching my face. Jesus, she is something. Holding her, feeling her close, how she clings to me in need, it’s unlike anything I have felt before. I figure she feels it, too. This electric buzz between us. It is so palpable I figure anyone who comes near us must feel it too.
“Killian. I was surfing, and I saw you...then you were gone after a rip tide. I dove under to find you.”
“You saved me,” she whispers, her hand cupping the side of my face so I can’t ignore the look shimmering in her eyes. “My surfer boy hero. I could have...I might have died. I came here to change my life, not end it,” her voice trails off as she shakes her head, as if embarrassed by what her words might reveal.
“Not on my watch, babe. I prefer surfer man , though.”
Those bright, almost purple eyes of hers fly to mine. I smile, lifting a shoulder as if to say “ don’t you worry about that ” because that is just what I mean. Whatever she came here for, I think I might want to be part of it. It might be the trauma of the moment talking. It might be adrenaline and fear. Or it could just be that buzz between us that is so heavy, so thick, it fills the entire ambulance as I at last settle her on the stretcher.
“Killian. It suits you, with those green eyes. You Irish surfer boy?”
Chuckling, I nod my head because it’s hard to miss. I might be blond after all my hours under the sun, but I come from a big, loud, very proud Irish family. My sister got the ginger hair and temper. I got the impish spirit and love of mother nature.
“I am, indeed. What about you? Never told me who I saved.”
Flushing a pink that just makes her even more adorable, her eyes go big again. “Oh, my word! Kiera. Killian,” her voice lowers as she takes my hands, bringing them to her face. It is an intimate gesture, but it does not feel wrong, even sat here in the back of an ambulance after her near-death adventures. “How does someone ever thank someone else for saving their life? I mean...it all went down so fast if you were not there....”
Neither of us seems comfortable with her finishing that sentence. “I am glad I was there. Glad I was checking out the hot girl playing in the surf,” I add, grinning as her pretty eyes snap to mine.
“What...I mean, what does that mean?”
“Babe, I was in the right place at the exact right time because I was watching you play in the water. It was fucking adorable, and I was just about to come to ask if I could play too. Then the riptide came.”
All at once, she seems to shrink back from me. I hate it. Grasping her little hands in mine, loving how they both fit inside mine, I lower my head. Catching her gaze, I gently cup her jaw, not letting her break the gaze. As we sit there locked in a moment, I am pained to see tears well in her eyes.
“Don’t make fun,” she whispers brokenly. “I came here to...to...”
“To do just what you were doing. I am not making fun. I would never laugh at someone loving the water the way you were. Being on the water is spiritual for some of us. It is supposed to be fun. It should be silliness and playful. I was truly, honestly, on my way to join you.”
Kiera flushes again and I do what I wanted to do earlier. Reaching out, I brush my fingers over it, smiling at how silky her skin is, how warm from the sun, from her blush. It deepens beneath my touch. I am filled with thoughts of where else she might turn pink for me, how silky the skin between her thighs or the underside of her breasts might be.
Suddenly I want to be alone with her. I want a chance to find it all out. How soft she might feel against me, skin to skin, if her mouth is as sweet as it looks. I wonder what sounds she will make when I am inside her, if she will cling to me when she comes for me. I lower my head, willing the thoughts to stop, to slow down, to give me a minute to breathe.
“We’re here,” the paramedic speaks up, the doors slamming open and the cart she is on being tugged towards the doors.
“Wait. Wait, I am coming with her,” I tell anyone who will listen.
“He saved me.” Kiera mumbles. “He saved me. I need him with me,” before they yank her away from me as they roll her through the doors of emergency.
Cursing, I rush after her, but they won’t let me in. Even when I tell them I am her boyfriend. I figure a white lie can’t hurt if it is one I plan to make true. Still, they refuse, so I take a seat to wait for any updates. I am going to be here when they release her, or I will find her room.
If I want to make that white lie the truth, I figure keeping my first promise is a good start.