Page 42 of Dangerous Play

It was because I meant it, but of course I couldn’t say it out loud.

Instead, I just grinned. “Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad to know you can confirm my tongue skills are superb.”

“Oh my gosh.” Ivy’s cheeks turned pink and she laughed, her voice echoing in the almost empty beach. “I had to say something.”

“Maybe one day... you will know for certain I’m better,” I said quietly, not even sure if she heard me. “Especially with my tongue between your legs.”

When I glanced over, she was catching the last bit of the sunset. The wind was returning and seawater filled my nose.

I couldn’t tell if the redness on her face was from the sun playing tricks or embarrassment from my words.

“Did you get your dose of the water?” I asked, nodding toward the ocean, instead of teasing her about her pervious comments.

Ivy looked at me, her profile illuminating the little remaining light and painting her red. “You do remember everything, don’t you?” I shrugged in response. “I’m ready to go, if you want. Ander never tried surfing with me... I mean you’re not a natural, but it means a lot you at least pretended to want to try.”

“I wanted to try it,” I said. “I finally found something I suck at. Very humbling.”

Her laughter did something to me since the first time I heard it, and every single time, it was the same.

“That’s why I like you... you are so real.”

“Unless when I’m pretending to fake date you,” I reminded her.

A sour expression took over her face. It felt like she was almost dreading the whole fake part of our arrangement as much as I did. “Yeah, true.”

“But it was easy to not fake how much fun I was having this afternoon. You would be a great teacher, but I just suck at it. So let’s agree to never surf again.”

“You could do paddle surfing,” she pointed out. “You are great at sitting on the board.”

“I’ll be in the water with you all summer as long as I don’t have to do all the crazy stuff and break my neck.”

“Live a little.” She nudged me with her shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her between my legs to hug her.

We sat like that, intertwined in each other. The only noise around us was the soothing music from the bar and the waves crashing into the beach.

“You don’t have to do that,” Ivy muttered as she leaned against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder and her fingers tracing the nape of my neck. “No one is watching.”

“I know,” I said into her hair, not caring about the cold shiver that ran through my body from all the wet clothes. “I want to do it.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

IVY

Max wasunexpected in every single aspect.

He was kind and caring.

He was hard working and dedicated to his team.

He was a total gentleman who made my blood boil with desire.

I was going mad because no matter how many times I slipped my hand between my legs and touched myself imagining it was his fingers teasing me and made myself orgasm, it was never enough. That sizzling chemistry between us kept cracking.

Did he feel the same way, though?

I slept in his hoodie and imagined he was by my side.

And I wasn’t.

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