Page 3 of Summer with a Ranger

"Perfect." She smiled, and her face lit up in a whole new way. "Staying till Sunday?"

"Yeah." I pretended not to be floored but might have drooled on her a little.

Damn, a girl with her own mind, knowing what she wanted and who looked like that? Ticked all my boxes, straight up.

Still, I was supposed to be working. Four days I was going to be paired with this girl? I mean, I could haul my ass off the beach and leave her to it any time. She wasn't quite the type of damsel in distress I was used to rescuing. But seeing as I had some spare time...

"I do have shit to do here, you know."

"I’ll be fine while you do your manly stuff. Anyway, baby oil boy, or whatever you use. You're gonna look like a lobster by dinner."

"Yes, ma’am," I said resignedly, hiding my own smirk, thinking back on her introduction. "What's your deadline for?"

"Creative nonfiction."

What the fuck is that?

She raised an eyebrow. "Eloquent. Maybe you can be my test subject."

"I– what?" I shook my head, rubbing sunscreen on my face and the rest of me.

Her azure gaze tracked an appreciative line down my body that stirred my blood. I returned the favour, leaving my attention to wander over her toned calves and stomach with that sexy goddamn line down the middle. The girl put some serious hours into working her body beautifully for her to look like that. I was just there to appreciate it.

"You really don't have a filter, do you?" She laughed at me, bringing me back.

Golden waves settled almost to her waist in long, oversized curls, looking natural as hell. Actually, everything about her looked natural, which was a bit of a relief. Living in LA meant there was a whole lot of fake going on, and I'd never been able to stomach it. Tits with implants just didn't feel right in my hands.

She laughed outright, and my mouth snapped shut.

I gave her a crooked smile. "Nope. No filtered fucks served here."

"Good. Maybe you can call me out with my bullshit if it gets too much."

I raised both eyebrows. She seemed real about it, but who knew. Maybe I’d get to test that out some time. Four days with this girl and we’d be driving each other fucking nuts. She was clearly a professional of whatever creativeness she delved into. I was more the laid back sort, happy with my ass in the sand and making sure everyone around me was safe.

Still, she was sexy as hell, and I did have time on my hands.

"I can do that," I hedged, wondering what the hell I just signed up for.

I straightened, wrapping my arms around my knees and looked out over the water. The glorious morning merged into an afternoon filled with dark clouds across the horizon. Tendrils of out of season fog preceding the oncoming storm crept across the water.

"Looks like you want to pack that up, princess." The last rays of sun soaked my back with glorious heat. Here’s hoping for more assignments over the border. "So, what's this creative thing?" I scratched my brow, trying to remember what she said.

Skye jerked, staring at the encroaching wall of water, and I didn't mean the surf sort. "Shit." The girl swore liberally as she packed her things, earning a few glances from other beachgoers as they collected their belongings, trudging back up the still-warm sand.

"Walk you back to the cottage? I think we're staying at the same place." I repeated myself as I folded my towel and stuffed one hand into my pocket.

"Thanks." Not beating around the bush, she swung an oversized beach tote onto her shoulder with everything stuffed inside, including a pale pink laptop case decorated with gold swirls all over it.

"Cute." I offered her an easy smile. I hoped. When she shot me a raised eyebrow and a disapproving look, I waved a hand feebly at her bag. "Laptop case. It's pretty."

Great grasp on the English language right there.

"No filter, and not smooth. Glad you’ve got muscles going for you, big boy." She tapped my shoulder and strode ahead of me. Each step was sure in the sand, her toned calf muscles tensing with each step as she ploughed her way toward the street.

“Maybe a heart to match,” I murmured to her back.

I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead and rolled my shoulders. Welp. At least the last few days of my trip wouldn't be wasted. I could perfect some of that lacking charm that the rest of the unit had going on before I walked back in the door and claimed my badge on Monday.

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