Page 63 of Finish Line

As I sit on the beach, waiting for Shelby to return from her run, I wipe my sweaty hands on my shorts.

At first, I was unsure where to go with her because the others had some incredible ideas. But, after some research, I think my date will beat theirs.

Hand blocking the sun from my eyes, I peer down at the beach in the direction she went and spot her jogging toward me.

I stand and dust the sand off me. “Did you have a good run?”

She falls into step beside me, hands on her hips as she takes deep breaths. “Yeah, I came back a bit early. Something gave me the heebie-jeebies, like I was being watched, but I couldn’t see anyone in particular who was acting like a creeper. So, I figured I would be safe and come back.”

I stare in the direction she came from. “Have you felt this before?”

“A few times when I first arrived here, but I assumed it was me being paranoid and jumpy. Please don’t tell the others,” she says, breathless.

“Oh, no, we can’t have that,” I say. “That would ruin my plans.”

“What are your plans?” she asks.

I glance at her before smirking. “You’re going to have to wait to find out.”

“Fine.” She laughs. “At least tell me what I should wear?”

“Nothing fancy, but you’ll need your bathing suit. Wear it under your clothes.” As I look up and down her gorgeous body, her eyes narrow, like she’s trying to read my mind. “Get going. We have to be there by noon.”

“Yes, sir.” She winks, skipping out of reach when I grab for her.

She jogs up the rest of the way to the house while I hang back, watching her ass.

When I get inside, Shelby has already made it to her room, and I hear her shower running. Cam and Mav sit on the couch. In the kitchen, Nick, Cin, Sam, and Paige go through a Hawaii guidebook.

“Will you two be back for dinner?” Mav asks.

“Yeah,” I confirm. “But we’ll have a late lunch, so I’m not sure how hungry we’ll be.”

Cam glances at the others. “Want to play Cards Against Humanity tonight?”

“I’ve never played that game,” Paige says.

“Oh, it’s easy and fun,” Cam assures her.

“It can get a bit crazy, though.” Mav laughs.

I like that idea. “We should do that.”

Shelby comes out. “What should we do?”

“There are games we can play,” I tell her. “We’ll decide when we get back.”

Shelby smiles happily. “Sounds fun.”

“We need to go, so we’ll see you later,” I say to the others and wrap my arms around Shelby. “Do you have the camera you bought?”

“Oh!”

I wait as she rushes back into her room to grab the camera, then we head out to where the cars are parked.

“What car are we taking today?” she asks.

“How about we take a ride on Serenity?”

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