Page 52 of Guarded By Death

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" I ask him, wondering if he's having an okay time on an awkward family vacation.

He looks thoughtful, "No more bars." He looks at me pointedly and I roll my eyes. "I'm serious. I'm too paranoid. We need to be careful."

I shrug. "Okay, check. No busy restaurants. What sounds fun to you?"

He thinks for a moment, then decides. "A beach day with you would be perfect."

Brian and Mom are sitting underneath a flamingo clad pink umbrella, reading books while Kayla tans her pale skin in the scorching Carolina sun.

I want to bring her sunscreen so she doesn’t burn but as Pierce exits the glistening ocean, drenched in saltwater, I can do nothing but stare at him. The translucent beads roll down his cheeks from his dripping black hair. Mesmerizing me.

Suddenly, I'm not feeling too confident. After last night’s wine charade and a heavy dinner, I feel bloated and uncomfortable. I'm on the edge where the sand meets the tide, covering myself with a towel. Afraid to show myself in a bikini for some reason.

Pierce's long strides guide him to me easily, I blush when he gives me a knowing look. "You're being awfully shy today," he says as he pulls the towel from my clenched hands. I pout, he laughs. "You look perfect. I've seen you like this before... what's so different today?" he asks with a tilted nod. His dimples glisten in the hot sun.

I bite my lip and shrug my shoulders. "You just look so... perfect." I gesture to his statuesque physique. He's the type of man they would carve from rock to place in front of a greek warrior coliseum.

He throws his head back dramatically. "You're impossible!" he shouts over the wind, a mischievous grin adorning his sculpted face. He throws me over his shoulder, I yelp. No point in protesting, I'm going in whether I want too or not, but we all know... I want to.

Under mom's watchful eye, Pierce doesn't use too much PDA. I see her watching us from her chair, smiling. She returns to her book and I plant a big kiss on his dimple. They deepen as his smile goes wider.

I push my fingers through his drenched hair, "You're calm today." I narrow my eyes.

He throws me up and I splash back into the water, I didn't even feel his hands go under me to toss me. "Not crowded." He gestures to the empty beach. "There's nothing to be worried about."

I point my finger to the darker part of the ocean farther out. "Sharks," I remind him and he rolls his eyes.

Squaring his shoulders and deepening his voice he says, "I'm more dangerous than a shark." His confidence is potent. I stand closer to him in hopes that some of his bravado will leak into me.

Even through the heavy warm salt air I still smell his perfect scent. Earthy, minty, divine. He dips farther into the water, only his head sticks out. "I love it, you know," he says, his arrogant tone is palpable.

I roll my eyes playfully. "What?"

He grabs my inner thigh under the water. "The way your body reacts to me." To hide my blush and embarrassment of him feeling everything he does to me, I splash him.

His laughter roars through the waves. "Is that all you got?" he challenges, rushing towards me. I try to swim away but my laughter slows me down. Pierce goes under and I surface out of the water in an instant. I assume I'm about to fly back in but as I look down, I'm sitting on his shoulders.

He's so strikingly tall that I'm way out of the water. The seagulls chirp above as the waves crash against his stomach. "Sailboat!" I point out towards the sea in excitement. He nods, tossing me up once and making me splash into the water.

Once I surface I pull the wet mop of hair from my eyes and huff at him, Ariel style. He grabs my hand under the water, pulling us behind a formation of rocks that were placed there to subdue the tide during hurricane season.

Out of sight from any wandering parental gazes. He cups my face in his warm hands and kisses me deeply as the water laps against our shoulders. His long fingers graze the length of my body under the water.

I'm on fire.

An absolute mess, panting and flushed cheeks. His wandering hands all over me as the birds chirp overhead creating a rhythmic melody of music.

He wraps me tighter in his strong tanned arms, his body towering over me with his massive frame as he plants kisses along my jawline.

I reach farther down his chest and he hesitantly jerks away before it can go anywhere. Leaving me breathless.

I sigh dramatically. "Why do you always stop?" I complain with a pout.

He takes my hands in his, his eyes look behind me for a moment and he shakes his head. "We have plenty of time." I bite my lip and he rubs a thumb across them. They're swollen from the kiss and my entire body is gravitating towards him with every look and touch.

I have to change the subject. "Why did you drag me back here?"

He laughs, "To kiss you, of course." He smiles. "But also, you got really excited about the sailboat. Let's go."

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