That was all anticipated. I had her pegged. Knew she’d go running ’cause that was her thing. Wasn’t the first time she ran away from me.
But this? No fucking way was I expecting this.
It was Monday afternoon, nearly three o’clock, and up until a minute ago I was standing by my board on the beach, a short walk down from Wax, the surf shop Dash and I owned together, and I was watching out for this chick I was supposed to be giving a lesson to.
Then red caught my eye, and I gave up watching out.
Couldn’t believe what I was seeing at first. Legs never came around this spot. I would know. I was down here nearly every day instructing, and if she had been around, I would’ve noticed.
Then I got a good look at what she was wearing and I knew …
Game fucking on. Legs was here to play.
Her hair was up in a ponytail and blowing in the wind coming off the water, sending stray blond pieces into her face. She had a beach towel tucked under her arm, a bag over her shoulder, and big, red, retro-style sunglasses keeping her eyes hidden as she moved closer, but it didn’t matter. I knew where she was looking. I knew exactly where she was looking.
And I was looking right on back.
So much for not wanting in on this bet. Now Tori was seeking to plant herself in my line of sight and make sure she had my full attention.
Well, mission accomplished. She was getting it.
Honestly, she could’ve stopped a mile down and would’ve had it then.
Fuck. I kept staring. I had to. Chest expanding with a deep breath, I watched her move closer, taking her in.
Taking it all in.
Hips swaying. Tits bouncing. All that smooth skin showing. Perfect legs. Toned stomach. And that bright red lip curving up.
Damn.
That fucking body.
Yeah … Mind-game shit right here.
Looks-to-fucking-kill came to a stop a foot away from where I was standing and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head.
“Huh. Small world,” she said, feigning surprise at seeing me as she looked me over from my face to my board shorts and back up, doing it quickly so her gaze didn’t linger.
And I knew it wanted to linger. She wasn’t fooling anyone.
My smirk expanded. “You’re kidding me with this shit, right?” I asked, wanting her to know I was aware of what she was doing.
“With what shit?” Tori asked back, tilting her head a little and squinting in the sun. “I’m just here to enjoy this beautiful weather on my day off. I don’t see how that classifies as shit. Lots of people are enjoying it, if you didn’t notice. It’s a public beach. I know you probably think you own it, Jamie, but news flash, you don’t.”
I chuckled. Christ. Her fucking mouth was a major turn-on. She didn’t even need the damn bikini.
Not that I’d stop her from wearing it. Ever.
“Who’d you call, Legs? Sunshine? She tell you I have a lesson today, right fuckin’ now after verifying that with Dash? Or did you call Wax yourself and get the info you needed.” I stepped closer and bent down, putting my face in hers and bringing my arms across my chest. “You ain’t foolin’ me, babe. I know exactly the shit you’re pullin’,” I promised.
“Oh? And what exactly am I pullin’?”
“The bikini.”
“What about it?”
“What about it?” I echoed, dipping my eyes for a quick look down the front of her. “The wind picks up even the slightest bit and you’re fucked, babe. I’m not even sure that classifies as swimwear.”
Her blue eyes flashed bigger, filling with triumph.
“And what do you care what I’m wearing? You’re done waitin’ around for me, right? You’re not interested anymore. Isn’t that what you said?”
I straightened up, admitting, “Yeah, that’s what I said,” ’cause I had said it. No point in lying now.
How much truth I had wrapped up in that statement, I wasn’t sure about.
And that I kept to myself.
Her mouth tipped up in the corner. “Then I’m not seeing what shit you think I’m pullin’ here or why anything I do would have any effect on you, Jamie,” she fired back. “Unless …” Tori took a step back, dropped her bag in the sand, and started shaking out her towel. “You still want it,” she offered, turning her head and flashing an ear-to-ear smile.
I started breathing slower.
Shit.
Shit.
There it was. The first goddamned genuine smile she’d ever actually given me, and it was good.
No. It was damn good.
Better than the ones I took from her. The ones I stole from her. The ones she was always putting on others.
At Whitecaps. Hanging around at Dash’s place on Sundays. To strangers or to people she knew, and her friends, the ones she really cared about.
I saw a lot of smiles from Tori Rivera. Real ones. She never faked it. Her smile lit her up. It was a beautiful fucking thing to watch. And what I felt witnessing her give that smile to other people is what kept me coming back after nine months of waiting and getting jack shit in return.
But now? Getting it put on me? Fuck. Yeah … it was good.
“Wow, Jamie, look at you.” Tori laughed, jarring my focus. “You close to begging yet?”
I kept staring, liking the confidence growing in her voice and the way her hair looked, breeze-blown and light against her skin.
But I kept that to myself. I was winning this shit.
“You’re pushin’ it, babe,” I told her. “Fair warning. Take it places you can handle. You don’t …” I shrugged. “That’s on you.”