Page 98 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

“You don’t know that.”

“Wesley, if I win, it would only be because you let me.”

“Hmm…” he mused. “Fair point. Come on.”

With that, he turned and started running towards the water.

“Wes!” I yelled, taking off after him, my feet fumbling through the thick sand.

He somehow made it look so easy. Even though he had to be at least twice my weight, he floated over the top of the sand as if he weighed nothing.

“Wesley!” I yelled again, laughing at myself and my dismal attempts to run.

He turned and ran backwards a few steps, then when he saw I was struggling, he stopped running and waited, allowing me to slow to a walk.

“Maybe Twinkle Toes isn’t a good nickname for you,” he said as I reached him. “Maybe I should call you—“ I raised a brow at him, and he stopped and just smiled at me. “Kidding. Kidding. Twinkle Toes is perfect,” he added with a nod, bending down and kissing the tip of my nose. “After you.”

He gestured towards the water, which we were only a few steps away from. I moved the last few steps forward to where I could see where the waves had been only moments before, and I stood there, waiting for the water to come and splash around my feet.

The next wave came closer and closer, white sea foam bubbling at the front of it. It was beautiful and looked just how I’d imagined.

What I didn’t expect, though, was the temperature.

“Fuck me, that is COLD!” I said, jumping back several steps to the safety of the hot sand.

I stared out at the ocean, at the crashing waves and the handful of people surfing, and decided that even though I was thrilled to be there, I didn’t need to go IN the ocean to enjoy this spontaneous beach day.

“Nope. No thanks. I’m good,” I declared, then turned to walk back to our towels.

I only made it two steps before Wesley’s arms grabbed me around my middle, pulling me back into his body and tossing me over his shoulder. My head hung down over his back, and his hands gripped my thighs to keep me in place.

I ignored the somewhat intimate touch, though, and the rather delightful view of his perfect ass because I knew what his intentions were.

“WES!” I shrieked as he marched us towards the water. “What are you doing?!”

“We’re going swimming,” he stated.

“But it’s freezing!”

“I’ll keep you warm,” he rumbled, pausing in knee-deep water.

“No,” I repeated, shaking my head as he started moving through the water again. “No. No. No.”

“Haven,” he soothed, stopping again when he was about waist deep.

I pushed my torso up with my hands, moving my body and wrapping my legs around Wesley’s waist as his grip on me loosened and he tried to lower me into the water. My arms clung to his neck like a mother fucking koala, and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and rubbing my back.

“Can you swim?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” I grumbled.

“Okay,” he murmured, his hands still caressing my back. “Then just take your time. I don’t mind staying like this,” he said into my ear, placing a small kiss right next to it.

“It’s like arctic temperatures in there. How are you not freezing?”

“It’s not THAT cold.” He chuckled. “And I run pretty warm.”

“Yes, I did notice that,” I said, pulling myself tighter against his body so my skin could soak in more warmth from his.

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