Page 23 of Body Shot

“I can kiss you longer?”

“Please.”

I cover her mouth more forcefully this time, and we kiss in time to the sound of tiny explosions, our mouths fusing together as the fireworks go off over our heads.

It ends too soon, in my opinion, and by the time we pull apart the second time, there’s no mistaking the raw desire in her eyes.

Good.

Just what I was hoping for.

I’m not taking her to bed tonight, but hopefully before the end of the week.

“We should walk back to the others,” I say, realizing how far down the beach we’ve wandered.

“We’ll need to help pack up,” she agrees.

“Thank you for trusting me with that story,” I say softly. “I mean it. It’s important for me to know.”

“And if we spend the day together on Monday?”

“I hope you’ll enjoy yourself and allow me to kiss you again.”

“Anders. Don’t be obtuse. We’re adults and we’re supposed to communicate, remember?”

“I would be a liar if I said I didn’t want to make love to you. But I’m not some horny teen who needs to guilt or shame you into doing something you’re not comfortable doing. If it happens, I promise you it will be amazing and there will be no tears, no pain, nothing like that. If nothing happens, that’s okay too. There is no universe where I leave in a huff or get upset. At any point, no matter what we’re doing, you can say no. Okay?” I wait, because this might be the most important conversation we ever have.

I’m not sure, because it’s dark and windy, but I could swear her eyes get a little teary.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“And Claudia?”

“Yes. To address your earlier concern, let me dispel that notion for you—you’re very good at kissing.”

EIGHT

Claudia

The spawe go to the next day is high end, the type of place I don’t normally frequent. It was a graduation/end of summer gift from Johan to Hana and me, and Sloane and Eden join us. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how everyone on the team, and more importantly their significant others, are related.

“It’s very incestuous,” Eden jokes when I pose the question.

The four of us are spread out on four comfy massage-style chairs, wearing plush robes and lightweight slippers provided by the spa. We have cucumbers on our eyes and some kind of mud mask on our faces, and I’m feeling extremely relaxed.

“Okay, so let’s start at the beginning,” Sloane says. “This is only the team’s fourth season. Back in season one, which was their inaugural year, Vaughn met Juliet after the first game. They’re married now. Meanwhile, her best friend since high school is Chloe. Once Juliet and Vaughn started dating, Chloe started hanging out with her, and she met Jude. They’re married now.”

“And then,” Eden adds dramatically. “Vaughn’s estranged father comes to town, looking to rebuild their relationship. He’s a widower.”

“And Juliet’s mom is a widow,” Sloane interjects.

“Vaughn’s dad Adam and Juliet’s mom Maria got married last December.”

“Oh, my God.” I chuckle. “That’s wild.

“So then, Jace goes on vacation with some of the guys and meets Tawny on the beach in Hawaii. They start dating. Turns out, she’s a professional surfer who knows Scarlett, who happens to be Wolf’s ex.”

“His ex?” I ask in confusion. “Aren’t they together?”

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