Chapter 4 #2
She narrowed her eyes at him, determination written all over her face, although she was smiling as well.
He hit the bottom step first but Rebecca jumped the last three and caught up with him, overtaking him while he floundered in the sand in his flip-flops. He wasted precious seconds taking them off and then ran after her, the sand flying up from her feet.
The beach stretched in either direction and there were still a few people dotted about but there was so much space it was never crowded.
Halfway between the stairs and the sea, he dropped his towel and stripped off his T-shirt, sending his sunglasses flying.
Luckily, they landed near enough to his towel for him to abandon them.
Rebecca, too, had tossed down her towel, but she was still running towards the sea, peeling off her dress while in motion, to reveal a bikini and her long, lithe body that made his senses hum just a little.
At the water’s edge, she stopped to yank off her still laced-up trainers and he caught up with her, running past her through the shallows.
The icy water splashed up his calves. He turned and grinned at her but she was already following.
They both waded in, splashing through the shallows and trying to outdo each other.
‘Ugh, it’s freezing,’ shrieked Rebecca, although she kept going.
‘I know.’ He laughed.
‘You could have told me,’ she cried, her eyes widening with horror and amusement.
‘Where’s the fun in that?’ He winked at her, laughing at the facial expression she pulled.
In response, she scooped up a handful of water and threw it at him. The shower doused his chest, the sunlight catching in the drops like a rainfall of diamonds. Before he could retaliate, she quickly danced out of his reach, grinning at him, and then hurled herself in.
Seconds later, her head bobbed back up out of the water as she swam fiercely, gasping, ‘Cold. Cold. Cold.’
He threw himself in, embracing the quick, sharp bite of the water as it closed over his head. He welcomed the cleansing wash soothing away all the tensions of the day and he struck out with a few powerful strokes to fight back against the cold.
‘It’s freezing,’ hissed Rebecca when he resurfaced to find her swimming alongside him. ‘And I beat you.’
‘No, you didn’t.’
‘I got my shoulders in first.’
‘Who said anything about shoulders?’ he teased. ‘I got into the water first.’
Rebeca shook her head, the wet end of her ponytail whipping from side to side like a wet dog shaking itself. ‘Uh-nuh. Shoulders. That’s the official definition. It’s in the rules.’ She grinned at him.
‘What rules?’
‘The rules,’ she said.
‘I think you made those rules up,’ he complained.
‘Are you a sore loser?’ she mocked, flipping to float on her back.
Behind her he saw a large wave gathering pace and starting to roll up.
‘Watch out,’ he said, realising the wave would break right over her but it was too late.
The wave hit and washed her from view in a thundering crash of foam.
Having anticipated the wave, Felipe ducked under and swam through the water and then immediately turned back to check on Rebecca. She emerged, coughing and spluttering.
‘You okay?’ he asked, swimming towards her, grateful that neither of them were out of their depth. There was a wide, shallow stretch at this point on the beach, which made it so popular with holidaymakers.
She spluttered out a mouthful of water and swiped her fringe from where it was plastered to her face, her eyes blinking furiously as her hand caught her throat.
She coughed a couple more times and then stood upright.
To his surprise a big smile spread over her face and she took in a deep breath which drew his attention to her chest and… oops.
‘Woohoo, that woke me up.’ Her whole face lit up, her eyes sparkling with vivacity and excitement. Felipe couldn’t help grinning back at her. She looked so alive and almost invincible, and also, with one bared breast, like a very sexy mermaid.
‘Er…’ He nodded towards her bikini.
‘That was fun.’
‘Erm…’ He nodded again, surprisingly tempted by the urge to step forward and tuck that pale, perfect breast back into her bikini, wondering what it would be like to touch her.
And now he’d had the thought, he forced himself to focus on her face.
He gave her a cheeky grin. ‘Should have warned you. The waves can be quite strong. And’—he winked at her—‘your bikini isn’t up to the job. ’
She glanced down and rolled her eyes. ‘Whoops,’ she said, rearranging herself without any fuss or embarrassment.
‘There’s another wave coming,’ he warned and pointed behind her, stepping closer to her as if that might offer some protection. Instead, she pushed forward into the water and began swimming towards it. As it crested, she dived right through it and again emerged, throwing her head back and laughing.
Together they dived through the waves, jumping in the swell. For once, Felipe felt carefree and distanced from the burdens of managing the hotel and the pressure of getting things right for his family.
He looked round and realised that Rebecca had disappeared from view. He wasn’t overly worried because she’d demonstrated she was a very strong swimmer. A sudden tug on his ankle caught him by surprise and he went under, resurfacing to find Rebecca grinning delightedly at him.
‘That’s how you want to play it, is it?’
She laughed, turned and swam away. Of course, he went after her in hot pursuit but she was as agile as a seal, swimming just out of reach at every turn, laughing uproariously at him each time he lunged and missed her.
‘Too slow,’ she called with a reckless giggle, having gained a few strokes on him.
‘I’m just giving you a chance. I’m a gentleman.’ And then he belied his words by sending a huge splash of water her way.
With another laugh, she splashed him back.
Realising that he needed to change his strategy and get sneaky, he slowed down, lulling her into a false sense of security.
He waited until she was a little ahead, with her back to him.
Then he ducked under the water, into the quiet, dappled calm beneath the surface.
Like a basking shark, he cruised through the water until he was directly beneath her and then pushed himself up, grabbing her waist and pulling her down.
Thrashing about, she surfaced, laughing up at him, with drops of water on her eyelashes glistening like crystals.
‘Got you,’ he crowed. Now he had his hands on her waist, he didn’t want to let go.
Amusement danced in her eyes as he met her smiling gaze.
‘And now what are you going to do with me?’ she asked as they stood face to face, her expression full of mischief, so different from that of the serious young woman who’d been studiously hanging on Inês’s instructions earlier.
He tilted his head and looked back at her as if he were considering his options.
‘That depends,’ he said huskily, aware of her body as the sea swirled around them.
She quirked an eyebrow– a direct challenge, daring him.
There was a sudden heaviness in the air, an intense awareness between them.
She didn’t move as he lowered his mouth to hers, tasting the salt water on her lips, aware of her soft breath exhaling.
When she lifted her head and opened up to his gentle touch, his hands slid around her waist to her back, pulling her a little closer.
In response, she looped her arms around his neck, pressing the soft swell of her breasts against his chest, and kissed him back.
They both pulled back and gave each other wry smiles.
‘That was nice,’ he said.
She nodded, looking as if she’d surprised herself. ‘Yes, it was.’ Bemusement tugged at her eyes.
He took her hand, laced his fingers through hers and gave her a tug. ‘Come on, we should head in and dry off. We’ll be in big trouble if we’re late for dinner.’
‘Really?’ Rebecca laughed as if she thought he was teasing.
‘I’m serious.’ He nodded. ‘Family dinner is sacrosanct. No one messes with my mother on that front. Half-past eight every day, except Sunday, and all the household attends unless someone has already given M?e notice that they won’t be there.
’ He smiled, thinking of his mother. ‘But it’s never a problem to bring an extra mouth to the table. ’
‘What happens on Sunday?’ asked Rebecca as they waded out of the water towards their towels. ‘Do you all starve? And why so strict?’
He paused in the shallows and kissed the corner of her mouth because he rather liked this English girl and thecontrast between her competitive, fun side and the suddenly serious side.
‘No. On Sunday, we all eat together at lunchtime. My sisters and their husbands and children join us or we might go out to a restaurant. M?e is a little more flexible about dinner then.’
She huffed out a reluctant laugh, shaking her head.
‘That would never have worked in our house when I lived at home.’ Her nose scrunched up.
‘Everyone’s schedules were so different.
My brothers’ rugby practice a couple of times a week, football games to watch…
’ There was a twist to her mouth. ‘We rarely ate together. Most of the time, everyone just grabbed something out of the freezer.’
Still holding one of her hands, he put his hands over his ears, pretending to block out her words. ‘Don’t tell M?e , whatever you do. She’d be hopping on a plane to teach your family the error of their ways.’
She pulled her hand away as if only just realising he was still holding it. She stepped sideways as if to put distance between them and went to gather up her dress and trainers from near the water’s edge before following him to where they’d abandoned their towels.
Not looking at him, she towelled herself off, turning her back to yank off her bikini top before pulling on the dress. There were very few people on this part of the beach.
He smiled to himself, wondering if she was suddenly feeling shy about that kiss. He’d happily repeat it. ‘Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow evening?’
She looked round and a mixture of emotions crossed her face.
‘And what would dinner involve?’ she asked, raising that wry eyebrow again.
‘Food, wine, conversation and… who knows. We could have some more fun together, see where things go. I like you.’
Her mouth pressed together in a line. ‘You don’t know me.’
‘Rebecca,’ he admonished. ‘How can I get to know you if you don’t come out to dinner? Except that we’ve met twice already and you still think you can beat me at swimming.’
‘That’s because I have beaten you both times,’ she protested with a spluttering laugh.
‘I want a rematch in the pool tomorrow morning.’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Prepare to have your arse kicked… again.’
‘You think?’ he said, stepping forward into her space, his eyes glinting. She stepped forward, toe to toe with him.
‘I know,’ she said in a low, sultry tone.
‘You do, do you?’ he murmured, taking her chin in his hand, their noses just touching.
‘Are you trying to distract me?’ she asked in a low voice.
‘Is it working?’ he asked, his lips a bare inch from hers.
‘Mmm,’ she replied, and his mouth caught hers in a long, slow kiss that left his heart hammering in his chest.
She placed both hands on his shoulders but didn’t push him away. She kissed him back, warm and vital, and he could feel her cold nipples were hard through the thin cotton of her dress. Her skin was still chilly but she tasted of sea air and smelled fresh and outdoorsy.
‘Should we be doing this?’ she asked. ‘What would Inês say? She’s my boss and you’re her brother. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.’
‘One, my sister is not my keeper. And two, it seems like a good idea to me. Although I should give you fair warning. I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m not cut out for that. Let’s just enjoy ourselves while you’re here.’
‘Suits me. I’m in love with someone else.’
‘Oh.’ Felipe took a step back. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s okay. He doesn’t know I exist.’
‘He must be blind.’
Her mouth quirked up at one corner. ‘I bet you say that to all the girls, Felipe Rebelo.’
He grinned at her. ‘Only the pretty ones.’