Page 68 of Crossing the Line
“Really?” he says in a way that lets me know he doesn’t believe me.
I glance up at him. “Yeah.”
He moves next to me, leaning back on his elbows, and I hear him mutter, “Hm.”
My sense of resolve snaps, and I ask, “What?” finally turning to look at him.
Breaking his gaze away from the ocean, he says, “Nothing.” I don’t know what he’s playing at, so I look back down at the page, but then he adds, “You just haven’t turned the page. I never had you pegged for such a slow reader.”
59
Aiden
Claire slams her book shut and stuffs it back into her bag. “I’m not slow. I just can’t think right now.”
She’s cute when she’s flustered.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Ugh.” She pushes up from the sand and gets to her feet. “No,” she says as she walks toward the ocean.
I don’t follow her.
Instead, I sit back and watch her as she gets her toes wet. She’s still wearing a pair of cut-off denim shorts that make it impossible not to look at her ass, and I can’t help imagining that white t-shirt getting wet. I watch as she bends over and washes the sand off her hands in the water.
If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Claire Ackerman is gorgeous.
“Stop looking at me!” she yells as she dries her hands on the sides of her shorts.
“I’m just enjoying the view,” I call back to her. “The ocean is beautiful, you know!”
She shakes her head, but then she pushes her hair back with one hand to keep the wind from blowing it in her face as she looks out at the water. I wish I could take a picture of her like this without her noticing, but she’d probably march over here and rip me a new one.
The thought of her reaction tempts me, but instead, I get to my feet and join her. She glances at me when she sees me approach, but then quickly fixes her eyes back on the water. Walking past her, deeper into the ocean, I say, “Why don’t you put your clothes over there and swim with me?”
She shakes her head.
Letting out a sigh, I obligatorily ask, “Why?”
Crossing her arms, she says, “You said you’ll break my rule. You’ll probably say something crude about how I look in a bikini.”
“Oh, so now you’re shy?” I ask with a raise of my eyebrow.
She seems to think about it for a moment, biting her thumbnail. “Fine,” she mutters before she turns and marches back to where we were sitting. “But don’t say anything about how I look!”
“No promises,” I call back to her from the water. “You’ve made it clear we’re done with the rules!”
She flips me off before unbuttoning her shorts, and it’s probably the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Claire Ackerman flipping me the bird might have just made me fall harder than I’ve ever fallen.
I’m screwed.
The bikini she’s wearing is light pink and makes her new Florida tan that I love so much stand out even more. It takes everything in me not to bite my lip as she walks toward me again. When she gets back to the water, she gives me a skeptical glance. “Why are you being so quiet?”
“Because you told me not to say anything.”
She crinkles her nose. “Yeah, but this is weird, too.”
Backing further into the ocean, I lift both arms in a shrug. “I don’t know what you want from me, Claire. I can only be so many things.” Turning around, I plunge into the water. I needed someone to slap some sense into me and the ocean is the only thing here that can do it.