Chapter 27
SUMMER
Ihurried down to the water once the last parent had collected their kid.
I felt like there was electricity sparking against my nerve endings whenever Colt was around.
I hated that feeling because I loved it so much.
Yes, he would be leaving eventually, but he was here now.
I was going to carpe diem all over his sexy ass.
He was standing at the edge of the surf, and just as I got close enough to call out to him, he reached back and pulled his shirt over his head in one smooth motion.
“Oh, come on,” I said, stopping a few feet away with my hands on my hips. “That timing is absolutely on purpose.”
He turned to face me with that devastating grin, the shirt dangling from one hand. “What? This?” He flexed his abs deliberately, the muscles rippling in a way that should be illegal. “Just going for a dip. Completely innocent.”
I tried not to stare. I failed spectacularly when my gaze dropped to the adonis belt that had my stomach fluttering. “You’re the worst.”
“I’m really not.” He tossed the shirt onto the dry sand and started walking backward into the water, never taking his eyes off me. “Coming in? You look like you might need to cool down.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re so rude.”
He shrugged and then flexed his biceps. Of course, I looked.
“My eyes are up here,” Colt teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Show off.”
I followed him into the water. I stopped when it hit my waist, but he kept going deeper.
Then he disappeared under the surface completely.
I watched the spot where he’d gone under, counting the seconds until he came back up about ten feet away, his hands smoothing his hair back from his face in one long stroke.
I definitely caught myself salivating at the sight of him. I didn’t watch porn, but the books I read provided enough imagery that I knew he was exactly what they described. And he was standing right in front of me. In living color.
“So,” I said, trying to sound casual and not at all affected by the water droplets running down his chest. “Did you find out who keyed your car?”
He shook his head, allowing the waves to carry him forward and treading water when it tried to take him further out to sea. “Nope. Not looking, either.”
“You’re not looking?” I repeated. “Colt, someone vandalized your car.”
“I know.” He moved closer to where I was standing, his feet finding purchase in the sand. “I’m not going to fix it, either.”
I blinked at him. “You’re going to just drive around with a keyed car?”
“It’ll remind me to stay focused,” he said simply. “Every time I see it, I’ll remember what’s at stake here. What I almost did to this place.”
“That’s very hardcore of you,” I said with a laugh.
He grinned. “I can be hardcore.”
“It’s probably some punk-ass kid trying to be cool anyway,” I added, splashing water at him lightly.
He shrugged, catching my wrist gently and pulling me slightly closer. “Whoever they are, I’ll shake their hand when this is all done.”
“You’re serious.”
“Completely.” His eyes held mine. I saw nothing but honesty there. “They were protecting their home. I can’t be mad about that. Even if their methods were questionable.”
I’d forgotten how much I loved the man. Yes, he was richer than God, or a close second, but he was good. He’d been good back in the day. Maybe he’d gotten a little sideways, but the man that had stolen my heart seven years ago was still in there.
“You’re going to make it really hard for me to keep my distance, you know that?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Good,” he said softly, his eyes locked on mine. “Because I don’t want you to keep your distance.”
A wave rolled in, lifting us both slightly, and I used the momentum to wrap my arms around his neck. I didn’t care who saw us. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, pressing his hard chest against me. Dammit. I was so gone for the man.
I didn’t want to move. Standing there in the water with his arms around me felt like the most natural thing in the world. Like we’d never been apart. I could almost pretend the last four years had been nothing but a bad dream I was finally waking up from.
I ducked under the water before he could see the full effect he had on me, swimming away from him in quick, powerful strokes. When I surfaced and turned back, he was already coming after me with that predatory look in his eyes that made my stomach flip.
“Oh no you don’t.” I laughed, trying to put more distance between us, but the water slowed me down.
He caught me around the waist, spinning me to face him. “Gotcha.”
“That’s cheating,” I protested, even as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re taller. You can touch the bottom.”
“All’s fair,” he murmured, his mouth finding that spot just below my ear that made me shiver despite the heat of the day.
I tilted my head back, giving him better access, my fingers threading through his wet hair. “You’re terrible.”
“You keep saying that.” His lips moved along my jaw. “But you don’t seem to mind.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him. Water droplets clung to his eyelashes. His eyes were that impossible shade of green that haunted my dreams. I wanted to memorize every detail of this moment because I knew that’s all I would have left at the end of the summer.
Before I could overthink it, I kissed him. He made a sound of surprise that quickly turned into something else entirely. His grip tightened on me as he kissed me back with an intensity that made my toes curl.
A wave rolled in, larger than the others, and we both went under, still tangled together. We came up sputtering and laughing, salt water in our mouths and eyes.
“Okay, that was graceful,” I said, wiping water from my face.
He was grinning at me like I’d just given him the best present of his life. “Come here.”
“I am here.”
“Closer.”
I moved back into his arms, pressing my forehead against his. “Better?”
“Perfect,” he said softly.
We stayed like that for a long moment, just holding each other while the water moved around us. I knew people on the beach could probably see us. I knew I should care about that. But I couldn’t bring myself to move away from him. I blamed some unseen force.
I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed down hard. He didn’t budge. Not even a little. He just raised one eyebrow at me, clearly amused by my pathetic attempt.
“That’s all you got?” he teased.
“You’re like a tree trunk,” I complained. “A very attractive tree trunk.”
He laughed, and then before I knew what was happening, he’d lifted me out of the water and tossed me backward. I hit the surface with a splash, going under and hitting the bottom before bobbing back up.
His hands were on my hips and his mouth was on mine. The kiss was not PG. It was all tongue and very sloppy. A sharp whistle cut through the air, reminding us we weren’t alone.
“Damn,” he groaned. “I fucking love kissing you.”
“Come to dinner tonight,” I said impulsively.
His eyebrows shot up. “Dinner?”
“Family dinner. At my place.” The words tumbled out before I could second-guess myself. “Dad will be there. Fair warning. But it won’t be weird now, right? You’re not some random guy I’m sneaking around with anymore.”
“Your dad,” he repeated slowly.
“Is that a problem?”
“No.” He shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. “No, I’d love to. Really.”
“Five o’clock. We do drinks before dinner. Virgin cocktails only though. Mocktails.” I felt the need to explain before he showed up with a bottle of wine. “Becca’s ex had a drinking problem. We don’t drink in front of the kids. House rule. We sneak in wine after hours, but, well, it’s a thing.”
“Got it. Virgin cocktails at five.” His hands slid up my back, fingers tracing my spine through the rash guard. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome.” I sighed, wishing I could stay right where I was all day, but duty called. “I have a class in twenty minutes and I have to eat something. And I need water.”
“Can I hang with you until your class starts?”
I smiled. “I’d like that.”
We waded back to shore together. He grabbed his shirt and shoes but didn’t put them on. I retrieved my packed lunch from the truck. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to eat when he was all half-naked and scrumptious.
He followed me to a shaded spot under the lifeguard tower. I dropped down onto the sand and opened my cooler. Sandwich, apple, water bottle. The same thing I ate almost every day. Colt sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched.
I handed him half of my sandwich, but he shook his head. “You need to eat. I’ll eat at home.”
“So what’s been going on with Judd?” I asked around a bite of turkey and ham. “I’ve been afraid to ask.”
He was quiet, his eyes on the surf. “I broke the contract this morning.”
I nearly choked on my sandwich. “You what?”
“Terminated my involvement in the port project. Officially.” He looked at me, his expression serious. “Paid the penalty. Made it clear to the other investors that I’m out and why.”
“Colt.” I swallowed the bite. “That’s huge.”
“It needed to happen.” He shrugged like he hadn’t just blown up a multimillion-dollar deal. “Now I’m going to see where the dominoes fall. There are a few investors who were already having doubts. If I can convince enough of them to pull out, the whole thing crumbles. Judd can’t fund it alone.”
Hope bloomed in my chest, but I knew better than to get my hopes up too high. “You really think you can do it?”
“I’m going to try.” His hand found mine in the sand, our fingers lacing together. “I made a mess. I need to clean it up.”
I squeezed his hand. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
“It’s worth a lot, actually.”
We sat there in comfortable silence while I finished my lunch. The adults for my next class were starting to gather, checking their watches and looking around for me. I should get up. Should start organizing boards and going over safety protocols. But I didn’t want to move from this spot.
“Five o’clock,” I reminded him as I finally stood and brushed sand off my shorts. “Don’t be late. Dad’s a stickler about punctuality.”
“I’ll be there at four fifty-five,” he promised.
I watched him jog back up the beach toward his house, shirt tucked into his waistband like a tail. I felt that dangerous flutter in my chest again. The one that whispered maybe this time would be different. Maybe this time he’d stay.
I shook my head and turned toward my waiting students. I couldn’t let myself go there. Not yet. He’d done one good thing this morning, but that didn’t mean he was staying in Surfside. It didn’t mean he was staying with me.
But damn if it didn’t feel good to hope.
The afternoon class went smoothly, which was good because my mind was only half present. The other half was busy panicking about having Colt over for family dinner. What had I been thinking?
Dad was going to have questions. Becca was going to be insufferable. The kids were going to be chaos incarnate. They would ask about the big house next door.
Deep down, I knew exactly what I was doing.
Stay, Colt. Please, stay.