Chapter Twelve
We return to our loungers on the beach, where we dry off with our towels and then reapply more sunscreen. I skip asking Shane to do my back this time, though, since I’ll be lying on it.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. The real reason is that his hands felt far too good on me earlier.
I also enjoyed playing with him in the water. Every time he touched me, even to toss me into a wave, I felt all warm and tingly. That’s why I hopped onto his back at one point. I wanted so badly to wrap my legs around him in some kind of a way.
I think he liked it too. In fact, I’m starting to believe he likes me in the same way I like him. And it’s not just as “friends.” I see something in his dark green eyes. Something akin to lust.
But I want to tread carefully. We’ve only known each other for a day. It’s way too soon to get crazy. If we give in to this lust, that’s all it will ever be.
Plus, it may ruin our chances of a true friendship.
So, flirting and fun is okay, and a crush is fine, too, but there will be no acting on it.
There, I made myself a rule.
Now I just have to keep it.
After we tire of hanging out on the beach, we head back up to the house around two. Though we go our separate ways so we can shower and change into regular clothes, we decide to meet back up in the kitchen to have a light snack.
Some of the prepackaged foods that are stocked in the refrigerator include shrimp ceviche, hummus, and a tzatziki spread. They all look so good, and we figured it’s best to eat those items while they’re fresh. I also noticed pita in the bread box, so we’re all set.
After I’m showered and dressed in white shorts and a peach top, I make my way to the kitchen. I hear Shane opening the refrigerator as I’m walking down the short hall.
“Hey,” I say as I step into the room. “Do you want me to grab the plates?”
“Sure,” he says, hand on the top of the open fridge door. He then asks, “Are you okay with soda to drink? There’s Coke and Diet Coke in here.”
I walk over to the cabinets and reach for two plates. “I’ll have Diet Coke, please.”
When I turn around, I catch Shane checking me out. Dude was definitely looking at my legs and ass.
I totally do not mind.
He’s looking pretty good himself. He has on brown cargo shorts and a tight black tee that shows off his toned upper bod.
Yeah, okay, I stare for a few seconds too.
But since he’s facing me, I’m busted.
He gives me a sly, crooked smile, but I just brush it off with a shrug as I walk over to the table and set the plates down.
Chuckling, he brings over the sodas. “Do you want a glass?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, I’ll just drink it out of the can.”
“Okay.”
We once again work as a team to get everything else together. I grab the pita bread and some paper napkins while he retrieves the containers of ceviche, hummus, and tzatziki from the fridge.
Finally, we sit down to eat.
“Mmmm, everything is so good,” I remark after trying out a little bit of each option.
Shane nods as he dips a pita wedge into the hummus spread. “Really fresh too.”
“Very,” I agree.
We eat for a few minutes in comfortable silence. Then Shane leans back in his chair and says, “Hey, I wanted to run something by you and see what you think.”
I swallow my bite of ceviche and reply, “Sure. What’s up?”
He blows out a breath. “Well, I know we kind of have everything we need right here, but there’s only so much lying on the beach or hanging out by the pool that a person can do, right?”
“True.” I nod. “Go on.”
“Anyway, I was thinking about having a rental car delivered. That way we could check out the rest of the island. I hear there’s a cool old lighthouse over on the other side. It’s supposedly a little rocky over there, and the waves are much bigger, but it might be fun to go see it.”
I love his idea, and I tell him as much.
Then I add, “Let’s do it.”
“Great.” Shane smiles big and wide, and I can tell he’s happy. “I’ll call and have a car delivered as soon as possible.”
For me, though I don’t say it, it can’t be soon enough. I can’t wait to explore the rest of the island.
But more than that, I can’t wait to do it with Shane.