Page 99 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

“So, then, you can just stay close to me in the water, and I’ll keep you nice and warm.” His palms splayed across my bare back and pressed me somehow closer to him.

“Hmm,” I hummed, my eyes shutting in contentment at our closeness.

His nose trailed down my face to my neck, nuzzling into it and then kissing it. The feather-light touch sent a little shiver through my body and I didn’t even try to hide it from him. If he wasn’t aware of the effect he had on my body by this point, well, then he was denser than I thought.

I swallowed back some of my nerves and started to unwrap my legs from his waist when I had another thought and instead tightened them. “What about sharks??”

“Trust me, Twinkle Toes, you don’t need to worry about sharks,” he said with a laugh.

“Why? Did you put on shark repellent or something?”

“No, they’re frightened of short ballerinas with red hair.”

I snapped my head backwards and stared at him with my jaw dropped. “Wesley!” I exclaimed, smacking his chest with the back of my hand as he let out a loud, deep laugh, his head falling backwards. “I’m not that short!”

His laughter continued as he lifted his head to look at me again. He pursed his lips to hold it in, his whole body shaking from the effort.

“Seriously, though, you don’t have to worry about sharks,” he managed to say. “They, uh… they prefer warmer water.”

“I don’t blame them,” I grumbled under my breath.

“Just trust me, Haven. I promise I will keep you safe.”

I took in several deep breaths, breathing in Wesley’s smoky, spicy, yet sweet cologne. His hands on my back kept rubbing and caressing me, the callouses and his touch sending little tingles all over my body. His scent and his touch grounded me, reminding me he was right there, that he wasn’t going anywhere, that I was safe when I was with him.

And even though I was nervous, and the water was frigid, this was something I’d wanted to do for a long time—swim in the ocean. Ever since we started writing to each other twelve years ago, I’d dreamed of coming to California, going to the beach, and swimming in the deep blue waters. I would not let the temperature prevent me from living that dream.

With one last deep breath, I unwrapped my body from Wesley’s, turned, and hopped down into the water, ripping the bandaid off and just taking the plunge instead of trying to ease into it. I shrieked as the water hit my navel and wrapped my arms around myself to keep any warmth from escaping.

Wesley’s arms also came back around me, his broad, warm chest pressing into my back. His hands rubbed my upper arms, and he tucked his chin over my shoulder. I leaned back against him, not even bothering to pretend like I wasn’t trying to steal his body heat.

Like he could read my mind—or maybe because he could see the goosebumps on my skin—he pulled me in closer to him, tightening those powerful arms and trapping me within their circle.

Not that I cared. There was no use denying how much I wanted him. How much I wanted him to own me, body and soul.

On the drive in, I’d thought I wasn’t ready to give him all my heart. But standing there with him embracing me in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I realized how much of a lie that was. I couldn’t give him my heart at all. Not even piece by piece because he already owned it in its entirety.

CHAPTER 35

WESLEY

Our beach day flew by. Once Haven adjusted to the temperature of the water, she was more than happy to splash around in the water without me holding her. Much to the chagrin of my lycan.

His whimpering and whining after she left the safety of our arms was so insistent it gave me a headache. He kept bugging me to grab her and keep her close. He was getting attached; she had him wrapped around her finger, and she didn’t even know it.

But the pure joy on her face as she experienced the ocean for the first time—well, it forced me to keep my distance and let her enjoy herself. Seeing her smile was worth not having her in my arms for a moment.

However, my lycan was thrilled when she said she’d had enough of the water and wanted to soak up some sunshine on our towels. She read a magazine she’d picked out at the store, and I worked on some sudoku puzzles, our comfortable silence interspersed with light conversation.

I realized how easy it was to just be with her. I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with pointless conversation. I could sit there, on my towel, with her at my side, content and at ease.

I glanced over at her again—she lay on her stomach, her arms crossed under her head, propping her up, and one of the extra towels over her like a blanket to protect her from the sun. And she was snoring. Just barely, and not with every breath; nevertheless, she was definitely snoring.

“Hey,” I said, closing my puzzle book and rubbing her shoulder.

She jerked herself awake, her big blue eyes blinking against the sunlight as she lifted her head to look at me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep again,” she muttered.

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