“Hey, look at me,” I said.
I looked up.
He smiled. “I love you, Summer Banks. I have since the first day we met and I saved that kid’s life.”
My mouth dropped open. The tears had stopped, but dammit, they were back. Different kind of tears.
Just when I was about to tell him I loved him, I realized what he said.
I shoved his chest playfully, knocking him off his board. “Yousaved him? My ass! You didn’t even know he was drowning. I had him.”
“He was drowning you,” he said as he came up sputtering. “I had to take him before he pulled you under.”
I rolled my eyes. “I had it under control.”
“Did you?”
He swam up to my board, that gorgeous smile making my heart thud against my chest. I could still feel the tingling between my legs from where he’d been planted there but I wanted him again. I leaned down and kissed him.
“You know I’m the better swimmer,” I said. “But I still love you.”
He burst into laughter and pulled me off my board. I sank before popping up and slapping at his chest.
He caught me around the waist, hauling me up against his chest with the water churning around us both. I grabbed his shoulders and used him as a ladder, trying to climb high enough to dunk him properly, which only resulted in us both going under again in a tangle of limbs and laughter.
We came up gasping.
“You’re a menace,” he said, pushing his hair back from his face. The water was running down his jaw, highlighting his masculinity.
“You started it.” I pushed off his chest and floated onto my back, spreading my arms wide and staring up at the dark sky. Every muscle I owned was making itself known. “I’m retiring,” I announced to nobody in particular. “Right here. I’m just going to float away.”
“Think we could float to Hawaii?” he asked.
He came up beside me and floated on his back too. Our shoulders bumped in the gentle swell. I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were closed, his face tipped up toward the sky.He looked more relaxed than I’d seen him look since he’d come back to Surfside.
I let myself float and breathe and not think for a little while. The ocean held us both up. It always did. It just carried you.
“Okay,” I said eventually. “I’m ready to be done.”
“Yeah?”
“My arms stopped working about ten minutes ago and I’m running on pure stubbornness.”
We paddled after our boards that were headed to the shore. We caught them and climbed on, straddling them as we paddled to shore.
We crawled onto shore. I was beyond exhausted. I didn’t know if I had the strength to walk to the house, which wasn’t all that far away.
“You okay?” he asked.
I laughed. “I’m not sure.”
We collapsed on the sand. He pulled me over his body. I kissed him, not caring that we were probably creating quite the scandal on the very public beach.
I dropped my forehead against his chin and laughed softly.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “Just happy.”