The pleasure—that was easy. The quiet after, limbs tangled, heartbeats in sync, her mind clear to wander—that was another issue completely.
She lay still, careful not to breathe too deep, knowing any slight change would crack the fragile spell they’d fallen into.
It wasn’t long before thoughts surged that had something sneaking its way in. Not regret. But something like its quieter cousin. It was a sense of unease.
She wasn’t supposed to want him.
What did it say about her that she craved someone who never showed her anything real?
Except, of course, his desire.
But desire was fickle and fleeting. It could trick you into thinking you knew who someone was.
Finn lifted up, and she took the opportunity to curl away from him. Slowly. Quietly. Not because she wanted space, but because closeness could start to tell her a lie that she couldn’t afford to believe in.
It seemed as if the ocean itself sighed as the distance grew between them, as the connection dissipated like the sweat on their skin.
“How did you find me?” she asked, still naked, but she pulled her walls tightly around her, shielding everything important.
“Monty.”
Of course.
No one else would have known where she’d come out of the ocean but the pelican she’d been with at the time.
“Why did you run?”
“I was homesick.”
“You could have told me.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d notice.”
“You disappeared from the town hall. Of course I noticed.”
This was her chance.
To rein in her pride.
To confront things head-on.
She sucked in a steadying breath.
“I guess that makes sense,” she said, rolling up. She reached for her dress, yanking it down over her body, not ready to have this conversation while naked. “Since I stole the whole show, right? Made it all about me?”
Her gaze cut to his, watching her words land with impact, making his head jerk back slightly.
“Henry never should have said that.”
That was it. No explanation. No assuring her that he wasn’t going to stand for that kind of disrespect moving forward.
“Do me a favor,” she said, grabbing her bag and shoes. “Tell Henry that the next time he wants to criticize me, he can do it to my face. That way, I can stand up for myself.”
Unlike you, she added silently before walking away.
She left him to scramble to get himself dressed.
She hauled it across the sand but realized her mistake as she walked down the empty road.