A Pinch of Thrill
According to my sister’s plan, even more friends were coming to visit. “We are going to have so much fun,” she said last night. Fun? Ha! The thought of being anywhere near that jerk for an extended period of time sounded more like torture.
Armed with my sandwich and a book promising thrills, I headed outside.
At least I had a few days to spend in my bubble, left alone on a beach, miles away from anyone named Miles, with a book in my hand.
Or to feel the warm sand squish between my toes as I walked the shore, basking in the sun with music in my ears. Or just simply be.
*
Sprawled on the blanket with a sandwich in one hand and the book in the other, I let the warm salty breeze caress my skin, the air—a mix of seaweed and the tropical fruit scent of my lotion—filling my lungs with each breath.
Enjoying the faint sound of the crashing waves, a few overly dramatic seagulls shrieked and swooped above me as I launched into the story of the novel.
To my surprise, the book was, well, let’s just say its first steamy pages had me blushing and hiding behind my sunglasses.
A little overwhelmed after a certain entertaining climax scene, I closed it with a thump.
“Good lord,” I muttered under my breath.
Perhaps a sip of water could help? My hands were reaching for a bottle in my bag when my gaze suddenly darted to a very well-built, broad-chested figure emerging from the sea, slowly revealing muscle by muscle as he strode towards me.
There were absolutely no boundaries to my imagination, taking me to a world of forbidden desires that flickered across my mind.
A wave of heat flushed over me. My chest tightened.
Chewing on my lip, eyes travelled up his toned body until I realised I was gawking at none other than…
What? Miles? Oh my God! No! How was he even here?
No! No! No! Get out of my head! God, no!
I held my breath, pretending my interest lay in something far off in the distance that I hadn’t a clue about, desperately hoping he’d just walk by without noticing me. Or, if he did see me, which seemed unlikely, that he’d simply avert his gaze and pass on.
“Do you mind if I join?” he asked, already unfurling his towel beside me. When I whipped my head around to force out a firm no, well, fuck me , my cheeks burned instantly. The word immediately died in my throat as my gaze snagged on the impressive panorama before me: his…impressive…torso.
“Um.” I swallowed. His question still hung in the air, unanswered.
I hesitated, then reached up and removed my glasses, my gaze slowly drifting up to meet him in a brief lock, registering something entirely new about him, something I hadn’t noticed before.
His eyes, the colour of a grey summer sky just before the warm raindrops started tapping against the road—then petrichor hit your nose and you barely had enough time to escape a full-rage thunderstorm…
Or if you didn’t run you were completely soaked, and I thought I wouldn’t have minded that.
“Um,” I stammered, blinking rapidly as if to clear my head, “isn’t…isn’t there anywhere else? The whole beach is empty!” I glanced around, finally taking in the vast expanse of deserted sand.
“Look, Florence,” he said with a sigh, running a hand through his already perfect, wet hair, the way it was effortlessly falling back into place only added to my growing irritation.
“Ugh! For the love of God! Is it your life’s purpose to torment me?” I practically shouted, glaring up at his towering figure.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he snorted, a single eyebrow arching with that infuriating smirk that made me want to scream.
“Why do I even bother talking to you?” I muttered, shoving everything back into my bag.
“Wait! Okay, okay! I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I really don’t care what you meant!”
“Look, we might not be particularly fond of each other—”
“Oh, I assure you,” I snapped, darting my gaze at him, “ my ‘fond’ and your ‘fond’ aren’t even the same word.” I quickly draped the dress around me, securing the straps. With the bag settled on my shoulder and the blanket tucked under my elbow, I turned to walk away.
“Wait!” he said, grasping for my wrist. A sudden jolt shot through me, making me root to the ground at once. Confused, I glanced at my hand, curled over with his damp fingers.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, my eyes burning with resentment as I glared at him.
“For the sake of dear Mark and Jo, maybe we could just pretend we at least tolerate each other? I’m sure we can manage a few forced smiles and pleasantries here and there. And after the wedding is over, we probably won’t even see each other ever again.”
I choked out a laugh. “You really are full of shit, you know that, right? Well then, since they’re not here, I don’t have to tolerate you now. So, how about you get your hands off me and I will pretend I don’t want to punch your perfectly annoying face!”
Miles smirked. Holding my gaze, finger by finger, he slowly released my hand, “You have a good day, Florence.”
“As long as I don’t see you, I’m sure I will!” I forced a smile and then turned around to put as much distance between us as possible.
With quick, angry steps, I rushed through my mother’s garden, fists clenched tight, when suddenly, out of nowhere, Mark appeared in front of me.
“Watch out!” he called.
“Oh, Jesus!” I gasped, startled, the beach blanket tumbling from my grasp.
“Is everything okay?” he glanced at me, concerned.
The question was a joke. No, everything was not okay! Your friend was a real jerk! And I hated him.
“Yeah! Of course.” I smiled at him. “Just didn’t expect you to pop out like this.”
“Sorry,” he said quickly, picking up my blanket. “Were you at the beach just now?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“Have you seen Miles there?” he asked, his brow furrowed. “He headed down a few minutes ago.”
“Um, sure,” I nodded. That stupid name alone was enough to make me see red, but I kept my tone cool. “Saved him my perfect spot.”
“Ah,” he breathed, giving me his concerned look. “So, you two are…okay?”
“Who? Me and Miles?” A sudden, and a very forced laugh erupted from me.
“Yeah,” he glanced at me with suspicion.
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms defensively. “Why wouldn’t we be? Besides, have you seen him? Wow! We might have two weddings by the end of this little vacation.” Shit , did I go too far with that? Oh, God, I probably did—for a moment, Mark’s jaw dropped with obvious shock.
“Florence?” His eyebrows shot up in surprise, then into confusion.
I sighed. “Relax, I’m just kidding, Mark.”
“So, you are not…?” he began, his voice trailing off.
“Not what, Mark?” I said, a small smile playing on my lips.
“Um. Never mind,” he said quickly. “I’m just glad that two people I love are getting along.”
Getting along my ass… “Well, I’ll be upstairs. Reading.” Jo’s naughty books would definitely keep me entertained. “See you at dinner then.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
***
All at once, I woke up in the middle of the night.
The room was hot and stuffy and I felt the drops of sweat slowly roll down my chest. “What on Earth?” I muttered, blowing some cool air on my shoulders.
Where was this scorching heat coming from?
My breaths became deep, dry, and thirsty, and I was desperate for a refreshing sip of water.
The hem of the thin, almost see-through gown I was wearing snagged on the floorboards as I leaped from the bed, delicate fabric clinging to my sweaty thighs.
With each hesitant step down the hall, the silk whispered against my legs.
Swallowing hard, cheeks flushed red as if flames themselves scorched my skin, I pressed on.
My lips cracked with every dry, desperate breath.
The thought of cool water kept me going.
Spotting the large jug of water, standing in the middle of the table, I let out a ragged sigh of relief.
I snatched it, the cool comforting touch welcome against my burning skin.
The liquid gurgling down my throat, my gulps growing more frantic with each desperate swallow, spilling down my chin and soaking the fabric of the gown, I realised it wasn’t enough.
The heat, relentless, seemed to burn from the inside out.
“Florence?” A sudden voice from behind startled me.
I whipped around, nearly dropping the jug.
“Jesus!” A shaky whisper escaped me. “You scared me.” There he was, standing in front of me, bare-chested, sweat glistening on his toned muscles.
What a treat for the eyes! Also, where are your clothes, Miles?
“What are you—” I swallowed, forcing myself to look up, “—doing here?” The heat in the room seemed to intensify under his gaze, and the heaving in my chest immediately quickened.
Unhurriedly, his eyes travelled down, lingered on the damp cling of my gown, then flicked back up to meet mine.
Standing already too close, he leaned in even closer, shifting the air between us.
My breath caught in my throat as I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.
His long stare held me like a magnet, unable to move or say anything.
His gaze dropped to my lips, making them part with a silent question.
The space between us seemed to shrink with each passing second, or maybe that was just what I wanted to believe.
Because one more inch closer and my own eyes would drift shut, losing myself in him.
Was that exactly what I craved? The question sent shivers down my spine, both exhilarating and terrifying.