“Usually that’s the question for the woman,” I joked.
She slapped at my chest. “Rude!”
“How’s the spine?”
“Sore, if you must know.”
“Well, my knees are bruised, but it’s the hamstring that kept me off the beach for my usual run.”
“Maybe you need a massage,” she said.
“You offering?”
“I might be.”
“You can massage me anytime, anywhere. Just name it. Hell, I’ll drop my pants right here.”
“You’re wearing shorts, plenty of access.”
“But what if I want to drop my pants?”
She laughed again. I got us another round of drinks and listened to a story about a lifeguard that got caught getting a blowjob in the tower.
I caught Bodhi watching me watch her at one point. He raised an eyebrow. I didn’t look away. He seemed to be figuring out this thing between us was far more than he knew. All these people were clueless about the history.
I spotted the dark-haired girl again across the circle. She was still doing the same thing. Eyes on me, then away. She looked less like someone who didn’t trust me and more like someone who was trying to work up the nerve to talk to me. It didn’t look like it was going to be a friendly conversation.
“You good?” Summer asked.
“Yep. Want to take a walk?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I do.”
She told Capri she’d be back. Capri waved her off.
“You doing okay?” she asked.
“Better than I’ve been in a long time,” I said honestly.
She squeezed my hand. We walked away from the group and toward the dark shoreline.
CHAPTER 37
SUMMER
The warm breeze washed over me, bringing the scent of his cologne with it. I’d been snuggling against him inhaling his scent for the last hour. I loved the way he smelled. It was one of those light and crisp colognes that was perfect on him. It was so good.
We walked without saying much at first. The fire was a warm glow behind us and the voices faded as we moved further down the shoreline. The wet sand was cool under my bare feet. I had his hand in mine and my beer in the other. There weren’t many stars out, which was a serious disappointment. I would love for him to tell me all about the constellations.
He leaned down and kissed my temple. Just once. It was a brush of his lips across my skin. My eyes closed briefly.
“You smell good,” I said. “Like I could devour you right here.”
I felt him smile against my hair. “Yeah?”
“It’s annoying that you’re so damn sexy.”
He laughed quietly. “I’ll start wearing something terrible. Old Spice. Something your grandfather would use.”