Page 55 of Tame Me

I leaned in closer in the hope that she’d dial down her voice. “Really?”

“Sure. Why do you think I cook Hawaiian pizza and sweet and sour chicken every week?”

I burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”

“Cross my heart. And whatever you do, don’t give him asparagus.”

The sincerity on her face made me laugh until tears flowed down my cheeks. “Oh my god, Lolly, you’re a hoot.”

“Just imparting my vast wisdom on my young protégé.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not so young.”

“Oh yeah, you’re really old now.”

“Gee, thanks.”

We were silent long enough for me to feel the penetration of the sun despite my enormous, broad-brimmed hat. A trickle of sweat rolled from under my boobs and down my belly. Worst of all, the damn wig made my brain feel like it was frying. I needed to cool down before I passed out.

I stood, plucked my bikini bottom out of my butt, unwrapped my sarong, and placed it over my bag. “I’m going to watch Hunter. Want to come?”

“Sure.” Lolly launched to her feet, and as we strolled toward the water, I swear every man on the beach turned to watch her. Lolly could stop a nation in that sexy bikini.

It seemed like hundreds of people were crammed into the safe zone between the red and yellow lifesaver flags. We waded into the cool water, up to our knees in the tumbling waves, and tried to find Hunter amongst the crowd.

The waves were random in size; one would barely touch our ankles, and the next would crash halfway up our thighs. Crazy kids on bodyboards dodged around us as the water pummeled them into shore. Even smaller children played in the shallows with protective parents watching their every move. I was close to giving up on searching for Hunter when a man waved at us from barely ten feet away.

“Oh, there he is.” I pointed at him and waved, and his smile lit up his face. He turned, took a few high-knee steps over the water, and then dived through a wave. He made it look elegant as he waded back out to deeper water.

It was difficult to keep my eyes on him as he went under and over waves and continued farther and farther out. But soon, he seemed to just float on top, rolling up and over the swell before they became a barrel of white water.

He started swimming, and the next second he was on top of a wave, his right arm pointed forward and his body rigid as he impersonated a surfboard. Hunter rode the wave like an expert, dodging people who got in his way and letting it carry him all the way to the beach. He only stopped when the water was so shallow that when he stood up, it was barely knee-deep.

I clapped at the spectacle. Hunter had made it look so easy, even though I was sure it wasn’t. He waded toward us, water glistening off his chiseled abs, the sun shining on his golden hair as he flicked it out of his eyes, his tiny briefs barely containing what I knew was concealed beneath. I could hardly breathe as I watched the scene unfold before me as if it were in slow motion.

“That was fun.” His sexy baritone had my knees buckling.

A little piece of me fell in love with him right then. And it wasn’t just his voice. He looked relaxed, fit, and oh-so contented. Some of the men I’d met this year had been desperate, needy, eager to be accepted, but Hunter seemed truly comfortable with who he was.

“Do you get to the beach often?” Lolly smiled up at him.

He cocked his head. “As often as I can. I live down at Byron, so I try to surf at least twice a week. Do either of you surf?”

“I used to,” Lolly said.

I wasn’t surprised. She’d done absolutely every sport imaginable.

I shook my head. “I don’t.”

“Maybe I could teach you.” He touched my shoulder again, and I was certain the earth moved this time.

As much as I loved the idea of him teaching me anything, the thought of being in the tumbling ocean terrified me. “Maybe.” I didn’t feel the need to elaborate on my fear right then.

“Would you like an ice cream? My treat,” he said.

“Oh, I’d love one.”

Lolly shook her head. “I’ll meet you back at the towels.”

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