Chapter 20 #2
Phin blushed. “I just wanted to come by and see if you wanted to take a walk on the beach. You enjoyed it so much the other day.”
“I did,” he agreed. “And that would be lovely.” He glanced at Quill. “Would you like to come along?”
Quill gave him a slow nod. “Yes, I would. Let me change my shoes.” He hurried upstairs and disappeared.
Phin wasn’t sure she wanted Quill along, but that was all right. Maybe if he was there, she’d be less likely to make a complete idiot of herself in front of Rhaz.
She didn’t know what it was about him that made her so nervous. Maybe it was his looks. Maybe it was the fact that he might become her fire chief. She drew in a breath and let it out.
“Phin,” Rhaz said gently, “are you all right?”
“Yeah. Never better.” She smiled a little too brightly. “I just... I...”
“You’re nervous,” he said. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “You don’t need to be nervous around me.”
Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
He looked away. “What I meant to say is that you’re safe with me. You can say what you want. You won’t offend me.”
“Oh.” She gave a nervous laugh. “That. Yeah, about that. I’m really good at saying silly things.” She bit her lower lip and rocked from toe to heel.
She wished she didn’t do it when she was nervous, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “Well, a walk on the beach will do us all good.”
She headed for the back door. “Oh, wait. We have to wait for Quill.” Phin stepped away from it and gave him another nervous smile.
He came away from the counter, let his arms drop and closed the distance between them. He looked down at her, cocking his head. “Don’t be nervous.” His voice was gentle, quiet.
Her heart melted at the sound. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.” Phin found herself nodding and blinked several times to break the spell.
How did he do that? She rocked toe to heel again.
He watched her and cocked his head the other way. “What are you doing?”
She immediately stopped. “Um... ankle exercises.” She rose onto her toes. “See? One, two, three. I do them every day.” She bit her lower lip and stepped away from him.
Phin could feel the heat coming off his body and smell his distinct scent, and it was about ready to make her swoon.
He closed the distance again. This time he lightly touched her arm. The warmth seeped through her shirt to the skin beneath. It felt wonderful.
“Phin,” he said again, “it’s all right. You are skittish today.”
Phin nodded. Then remembered she didn’t want him to know she was. “Oh. Skittish. Yeah, I guess that’s a good word.”
She tried to step back, but he kept his hand on her arm. Not forcefully. Just enough to keep her attention.
He studied her for a moment. “What has you so nervous, Phin?” he asked quietly. “How can I help you?”
A delicious tingle went up her spine, followed by a chill. If he kept this up, she was going to be done for.
She looked up at him, her mouth going dry. Where was Quill? It was a good thing he was coming along. That was all she could say.
As if on cue, Quill came thumping down the stairs. He now wore a pair of shorts and sandals, though he still had on the same polo shirt. “I’m ready. Should we walk or drive?” He looked at Phin. “Sorry, I don’t have a car. We’ll have to go in yours.”
Rhaz smiled. “He also does not know how to drive, but he’s learning.” He quickly looked away, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.
What was that about? Phin shook the thought off. “Yeah, we can all fit in my car. Let’s go.”
Phin headed for the door and hurried outside where she waited for Quill to lock it, then they headed for her car.
Quill looked over his shoulder at the house, stopped, and muttered something.
She could have sworn the air shimmered around the structure, and Phin blinked several times to clear her vision.
Wow. She was more nervous than she thought.
They climbed into the car and headed out, chatting amiably about the town, the weather, and Anon.
When they reached the beach parking lot, she found a spot, parked, and they climbed out.
“There are a lot of cars here today,” Rhaz observed.
“Yeah. Some days there are more tourists than others.” She shrugged. “But the beach is big, so we’ll be fine. Though it is kind of nice to have a lot of it to yourself like we did the other day.”
Rhaz smiled at her and came around the car. “That was nice.” He looked down at her, his smile turning warm. “Shall we go?” He motioned toward the sand dune.
Quill watched them with interest, making Phin blush.
She led the two men toward the dune and started climbing. Rhaz was right behind her.
Phin was acutely aware of his presence today. The smell of him. The sound of his voice. The way he carried himself.
Phin was in trouble and she knew it. This was something she could not afford. She needed to stop this attraction while she still could. It would do her no good to fall for her fire chief.
Of course, he wasn’t her fire chief. But he could be.
They crested the dune and started down the other side. Rhaz was still right behind her.
Quill suddenly picked up the pace, passed them both, and trotted toward the water.
Great. Now she was more or less alone with Rhaz. Had Quill done that on purpose? Or did he simply want to get his feet wet?
Rhaz slowed his pace. “What is your hurry, Phin?”
She stopped and turned toward him. “What?”
“You seem to be trying to get somewhere.”
She glanced toward Quill. He stepped directly into the surf. “He didn’t even take off his shoes.”
“Perhaps he doesn’t want to. And he is wearing sandals,” Rhaz pointed out.
Phin slipped off her own sandals and carried them as she headed toward the water.
Rhaz walked beside her, matching her pace. “The cold water doesn’t seem to bother Quill,” he observed.
“It will after a bit. You’ll see him shivering like most people.” She nodded toward several men in wetsuits carrying bodyboards. “Look over there. They’re the smart ones.”
“Why is that?”
Phin rolled her eyes and made a scoffing noise. “Oh, come on.” Then she caught herself. “Oh, wait. I’m sorry.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “If you’ve never seen the ocean before, I guess you’ve never seen people bodyboarding. They’re wearing wetsuits that insulate them from the cold water. It helps keep them warm.”
Rhaz studied the men. “I see. And what are those things they are carrying?”
“Bodyboards. They’re kind of like short surfboards. You lie on them and ride the waves.”
One corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Interesting. I shall have to tell Aaron about those.”
“Aaron would probably love them.”
“That he would.” Rhaz clasped his hands behind his back as they approached the wet sand. When they reached it, he removed his shoes and set them aside.
He was already wearing shorts, so stepping into the water wasn’t a problem. She watched him join Quill.
The two men spoke in low tones as she slowly entered the cold Pacific Ocean. But not even its temperature could quell the heat building inside her. Nor could it diminish her attraction to Rhaz Stormfyr.
The problem was, this went beyond attraction. She was developing feelings. And that was far more dangerous.