Chapter 22 #2
If, at the end of our five dates, I was going to have to walk away from Hallie, then fine. I’d walk away. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be greedy for every single second that she would be willing to give me.
“I wouldn’t want to dance with anyone else.” I placed our drinks on a passing waiter’s tray before guiding Hallie to a spot in the sand where we wouldn’t be bothered by drunken people enjoying their last day of the holiday weekend.
An upbeat love song blared from the speakers.
I watched Hallie, usually so controlled, let loose; her normally stiff posture relaxed, and a genuine smile spread across her face.
With her eyes squeezed shut, she ran her hands through her tangled hair, the strands catching on her fingertips, then raised her arms, her body moving to the pulsing beat of the music.
A strange stillness came over me, and I stood transfixed, my eyes glued to her form. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat that I feared she could see through my shirt.
I almost forgot people surrounded us as I debated on picking Hallie up and throwing her over my shoulder to walk us both into the ocean. Clothes completely optional.
“I thought you said you’d dance with me, James. Or are you going to just stand there and stare at me the whole time?” Hallie extended a hand toward me. Red fingernail polish shining in the sun as it set out over the horizon.
“I said I’d dance with you, didn’t I?” Fuck it.
If Hallie wanted to dance, we were going to dance.
My hands gripped her hips, my fingers digging into her curves. Hallie’s eyes widened as I pulled her in close. Close enough to feel her breasts press up against me. Now it was her turn to stand frozen, looking up at me.
I leaned my head down, my lips brushed against her ear. “Let’s dance, Hal.”
Her hands moved up my chest, slowly, almost hesitantly, before they found their place in the hair at the nape of my neck. It was almost like last night, when she had backed away, but now she was with me—fully present, not resisting.
No. She was fucking clinging to me.
My hands settled lower, daring to skim the top of her ass, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she moved closer, pressing herself against me, and for a moment, I lost myself in the feeling of her warmth, the electricity between us.
Her hips swayed with the beat of the music, and for once, neither of us needed to say a word.
We were just two people, caught in the moment, moving together without hesitation.
The world around us seemed to fall away, leaving just the two of us, feeling more connected than I had ever felt with anyone.
I could feel my heart pounding, but this time, it wasn’t from the excitement of being close to her. It was from the way she made me feel, as if she was pulling me in, and I didn’t want to fight it.
“Let’s go, you two! Last one to the ocean sleeps outside.” A naked blur flew past us, kicking up sand as they sprinted toward the water.
“Was that Sebastian?” Hallie blinked, completely stunned, her breath uneven like she’d just done an intense workout—or maybe that was from dancing with me.
Before I could answer, Roxie zoomed past next. “You heard the man. The water!” she whooped, removing her clothes as she bolted down the beach.
Hallie gaped at her best friend, eyes wide as saucers. “She’s naked !” Her voice cracked mid-sentence as she clutched at my arm like she’d just witnessed a full-blow alien invasion.
I couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled out of me.
“I believe that’s called skinny-dipping, Hal.
” I tried to keep a straight face, but her expression was too good—like she was caught between horror and the urge to cover her eyes.
“If Sebastian is near a body of water, it’s only a matter of time before he starts taking clothes off.
I can only imagine the wager he struck with Roxie to convince her to do it, too. ”
“I really don’t want to sleep outside,” she muttered, still staring at them in disbelief.
“Oh, don’t worry.” I leaned in, my voice low and teasing. “I’d never let that happen. I’d sacrifice myself to the ocean before I let you take the floor.”
She elbowed me, still flustered. “Not helping, James.”
I grinned. “What can I say? Seb knows how to keep things interesting.”
The sound of Sebastian and Roxie’s laughter carried over the crash of the waves. Hallie glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, a myriad of emotions flickering across her face.
“We don’t know anyone here,” she mused. “Not really. And it’s dark.”
“I mean, technically, that’s the perfect combo for making bad decisions,” I said with a grin, already tugging my shirt over my head. “You heard Sebastian. Last one to the water sleeps outside.”
Hallie’s mouth dropped open. Those perfect red lips forming a circle that filled my mind with the dirtiest of thoughts. “Wait! Hold on. That’s not fair! You said you would sacrifice yourself.”
I took off running, laughing as her footsteps pounded the sand behind me. When I glanced back, she was right on my heels, her coverup discarded, leaving only a deep red bathing suit that knocked every coherent thought from my mind.
She overtook me just as the water touched our toes. Honestly? No complaints. Not when I got a perfect view of her swimsuit clinging to the curves of her ass.
“Where’s your bathing suit?” Hallie shouted to Roxie, who was now neck-deep in the water.
“I left it in the car and Sebastian said I wouldn’t skinny dip.” Roxie glared over at the man floating on his back next to her. Fortunately, the ocean did us all the favor of hiding Little Sebastian.
Hallie stepped next to me, her fingertips brushing against mine beneath the surface. “Now what?”
Four loud booms echoed in the distance before the sky blazed with red, blue, and white.
“Now,” I said, motioning toward the expansive sky around us, “we’ve got the best seat in the house for the show.”
The sun had dipped below the horizon, and in the darkened water, Hallie turned to face me.
“James,” she said softly, voice threading between the booms overhead.
I met her eyes, instantly alert. “Yeah?”
“I need to tell you something.”
My stomach dipped. “Okay …”
She hesitated, her lips parting. “I-I regret telling you to stop. The other night.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“I wasn’t ready then. But I think I am now.” She swallowed, cheeks flushed despite the cold water. “I just didn’t want you thinking I didn’t want you.”
Before I could say a word, a giant splash sent a wave over our heads. Roxie shrieked behind us. “We’re starting a chicken fight in thirty seconds, you two better get ready!”
Sebastian’s voice followed, “Don’t worry, I’ll let James lose gracefully.”
Hallie laughed, but her eyes didn’t leave mine. “Later,” she murmured, quiet enough that only I could hear.
Later, definitely. But not now.
Still, the truth of her words lit something inside me. When the chaos quieted again, and the fireworks picked back up, I couldn’t help myself.
Fuck it.
That was the motto of my night as I pulled her against me and kissed her.
Deeply. Fully. My control snapped the instant that her tongue pressed against my lips, begging for entrance to my mouth.
Tongues danced. Teeth thrashed. Her hands slipped under the band of my underwear, fingers digging into the top of my ass.
“Maybe you’re right,” I groaned as Hallie kissed the curve of my jaw.
“I’m always right,” she teased, her voice like honey in my ear. “What am I right about now?”
“That I’m not Mr. Old Fashioned,” I murmured against her lips, breathless. “Because there’s nothing old fashioned about what I want to do to you right now.”