Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(126)

‘Wow, you really have a schizophrenic relationship with mornings,’ Evan noted, shutting the door behind him. ‘You already loaded everything?’

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ I explained again. But sleep was never possible on this day.

‘Do you want to tell me why?’ he asked as I knew he would.

‘I’m anxious about today,’ I replied. ‘I need it to be a good day.’

He nodded, not asking for more, and said, ‘It will be.’ Evan spread his arms, and I stepped closer, squeezing him tight. He tipped my chin and kissed me gently, ‘Good morning, Emma.’

‘Good morning.’ I smiled because it truly was.

I handed Evan the keys and he drove us to the remote surf spot the guys had found. We carried our boards and wetsuits over our heads along a path lined with vegetation until it opened up at a rocky beach. The jetties were what made this place an excellent surf break.

The sky was still grey as the morning haze settled on the dark water. It was still too foggy to surf, so I leaned my board against a boulder, along with my wetsuit. I ran my fingertips over the captivating design of the female figure breaking through the surf in an arching motion. As soon as I’d seen it, my heart leapt. There wasn’t another board I wanted, despite Evan’s efforts to convince me otherwise.

Unzipping my sweatshirt, I stripped it off to reveal my swimsuit underneath. ‘What are you doing?’ Evan asked.

‘Going swimming,’ she said simply, like it was the most obvious answer.

‘The water’s freezing, remember?’ I argued as she dropped her shorts to the ground. Then I couldn’t say anything at all.

‘Stop staring and come in the water with me,’ she said, slapping me in the stomach. ‘It’ll wake you up.’

She jogged in without hesitation and plunged under the waves.

‘Shit,’ I groaned, knowing this was going to be painful – and it was. I let the water rush up to my shins, not committed to going in further. My toes were already numb.

I searched for her. The darkness and haze made it difficult to see anything. But I found her floating on her back, riding the rippling ocean.

I took a breath and rushed in, diving under the water. Fighting for breath as I resurfaced in the frigid water, I swam out to where Emma lay and admired her peaceful posture. She glided along the surface with her arms splayed. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing calmly through parted lips, like she was lost in a dream. She must have sensed my presence because she popped her head up, her body sinking.

‘Hi,’ she said, her face glowing despite the lack of sun. ‘Was wondering if you were going to come in.’

‘This water is freezing, Em,’ I said. ‘Warm me up.’ I pulled her close, the bare skin of her stomach sliding against mine. ‘Your lips are already turning purple.’

‘Really?’ she asked, searching my eyes. ‘So, should we get out of the water?’ She wrapped her arms around my neck, running her fingers into my wet hair.

‘I think I’m starting to warm up,’ I told her, my chest thumping as she crushed her body against mine to reach my lips.

I pressed my shivering lips to his, and he inhaled in shock. ‘Your lips are frozen.’

‘Warm them up,’ I requested, brushing them along his jaw. Evan turned his head to intercept me, but before he could kiss me, he uttered, ‘Hold your breath.’ I could feel a wall of water hovering over us. Inhaling quickly, I sank under the water. The powerful current separated us, and I was carried away with the wave. When I popped up again, I spotted Evan further from shore. My muscles ached from the icy water, so I rode the next wave to the beach.

When I emerged, I heard, ‘How’s the water?’ A few other surfers had decided to be the first ones in the water too, interfering with any plans I’d had of warming up on the beach with Evan.

‘It’s freezing,’ I told them as Evan walked out of the surf. He greeted them and eyed me. The disappointed look on his face told me we’d been thinking the same thing. ‘Guess it’s wetsuit time.’

‘Guess so.’

The skies remained grey for a couple of hours, but the waves were ideal. I couldn’t get up on my board at first, too distracted by the sight of Emma sitting on hers, waiting for a wave. And then when she dropped in on her first one, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked incredible in her stance, weaving along the wave like she’d been doing it for years.

‘Are you going to sit there all day?’ she teased when she paddled back out.

‘Just admiring your skills,’ I told her. ‘I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to teach you.’

‘This is better,’ she assured me with an awkward smile, since we were inadvertently talking about Cole. ‘This way we just surf. It took me a while to be able to stand, forget about ride. So I prefer this.’

I nodded, appreciating her answer. This was perfect, just her and me – and, well, a few other guys we didn’t know. This was an experience I couldn’t have planned if I tried. And for that I had to be a little grateful to Cole for teaching her. But not for dating her.

Emma must have realized what I was thinking about because she paddled over and grabbed my leg. ‘I’m sorry about him – that you had to see us together. It hurt just hearing about you and … Well, I can’t imagine seeing it.’