With This Heart(30)

I nodded infinitesimally. “I think a lot.”

“ I know,” he said, stepping away from me. I wanted to protest. “Do you want to nap for a little bit before the bonfire?”

“ Sure, I feel like I could go to sleep now and not wake up until tomorrow morning,” I said, stretching my sore muscles. The swimming and surfing had been more physical activity than I’d done…ever.

He shook his head. “Not an option. I’ve never been to a beach bonfire before.”

I smiled. “Neither have I.”

…



I’d stepped out onto our hotel’s balcony to call my mom while Beck showered. My parents were becoming suspicious. I had never gone this long without seeing them, but I played it off by telling my mom that I needed some space. I don’t think she suspected that I’d left town at that point. It was just so out of character for me, being so distant, and I hoped she’d just assume I was camped out with Caroline or something.

“ Sweetie, I understand that you need some distance from your father and me. I just want you happy and healthy.”

The ocean breeze whipped through the phone so that I could barely hear her. I know she could probably hear it through the speaker. Was it windy in Dallas?

“ Mom, I promise everything is okay.”

Silence.

“ Alright, well are you feeling alright?” she asked. I’d taken my temperature that morning and it was normal. I took all of my medications, and other than feeling tired from surfing and swimming, I knew my body was doing okay.


“ Yes, Mom. I feel great actually.”

She sighed into the phone and I felt terrible for making her worry. “Caroline isn’t doing so well,” I admitted. Caroline hadn’t picked up the phone the past two times I’d tried to call, but I told myself she was napping and couldn’t hear the phone ringing.

“ Yes. I spoke with her mom today.” Her tone said it all, it encompassed the immense sadness and I couldn’t bear to listen to another word. I knew it in my heart of hearts anyway.

“ Mom, I have to go.”

“ Already?”

I couldn’t take it. Talking to her was reminding me of everything I’d needed two weeks away from. Just then, Beck walked back into the hotel room wearing his low-slung towel and nothing else. Perfect time to end the call.

“ Yeah, Mom. I need to shower and stuff,” I said, trying to inconspicuously watch Beck through the tinted glass on our balcony. He was leaning down to grab clothes and I watched the muscles on his back pull and stretch. He’d developed a healthy tan from being in the ocean all day and looked even sexier than before. I, on the other hand, developed a red hue on my cheeks, but other than that I had stayed as pale as ever.

I stepped closer to the tinted window so that I could see him more clearly. I hadn’t realized I’d pressed my face against the glass until Beck looked up with a bemused smile. My eyes bulged and I quickly jolted into action, pretending that I was cleaning something off the window. Yup. Just a smudge on the window. I shrugged and gave him what I hoped was a nonchalant expression.

“ Okay, I love you,” my mom said with a defeated tone. Oops, I’d forgotten I was still on the phone.

“ Love you, too.”

Maybe the two weeks apart was good for both of us. We would both get to stretch our wings a little bit.

I slid the glass door open and Beck swiveled around to look at me. His damp hair looked even darker than usual and I just stood there in the threshold of the hotel room watching him for a moment. Each second I lingered there, the smile on his face widened until we were both perfectly clear about my obvious attraction to him.

“ Shower’s free,” he noted with amusement.

“ Perfect,” I replied, finally realizing that my limbs did in fact still work. I tossed my phone onto the bed and breezed past him, not taking my change of clothes with me. We’ll see how much he likes it when I come out in nothing but a towel.

The entire time I was soaping up and shaving and rinsing my hair, my heart was going a mile a minute. I wanted him to feel as affected by me as I was around him, but what if he didn’t even bat an eyelash? One eyelash, people, that’s all that I asked for.

The moment I turned the shower off, I heard muffled chatter from the other side of the door. I wrung out my hair and then pulled it up into a towel before pressing my ear to the door to listen for other voices. If he wasn’t alone, my plan of seduction would come crashing down around me. I wasn’t going to prance around in a towel for multiple people. One hot guy was enough for me.

With my ear pressed against the door, I realized that I could only hear his muffled speech. He must have been on the phone. Good, maybe I’d distract him and he’d drool onto the screen or something.

I unwrapped the towel from my hair and then wrapped it around my body. It hit a few inches below my ass. A glance in the mirror reflected my long strawberry blonde locks still damp and flung sexily (or so I hoped) around my face and down my back. I still had a healthy glow from the sun. My scar was peeking out from the top of the towel, but I tried to ignore it. He could take it or leave it. That scar wasn’t going anywhere.

As I creaked the bathroom door open, I heard him laugh into the phone, but as I rounded the corner, his laugh cut off suddenly.

Success. I was indeed a siren. An unstoppable, sexy minx. My baby toe hit the edge of his suitcase and I howled. Motherf*cker. Stubbing your baby toe is the face of true pain.