Page 53 of Beached Wedding

Amid a few gasps, there was a bigger splash, then another. Fox came into my field of view, on his stomach on a board, paddling toward the life ring. He scooped it up as he went by it and kept right on going toward the surfer.

“Is there enough rope?” I cried.

“Someone’s feeding it out,” a woman said behind me, voice trembling. “Will he be okay?”

“He’s an open water life guard,” I said, but that didn’t make him a superhero. He wasn’t invincible. The water was choppy, the waves coming in big sets. There could be rip currents and rocks he couldn’t see. What the hell was he thinking? “Don’t they have a jet ski or a life boat or something?”

“The first mate is launching an inflatable.”

The sails abruptly went slack, ruffling and snapping above us.

The flash of the orange life ring was disappearing and reappearing between the swells, allowing me to track Fox while I kept my gaze fixed on the red shirt.

Fox neared the surfer. He probably shouted, but whatever he said was carried away on the wind. He sat up on the board and threw the ring at the surfer.

The surfer’s relief was palpable even from this distance. He started to reach for the ring, but a fresh wave slapped him into the rocks again. He was gone, then seconds later, his arm was through the ring. He let go of the rock and weakly kicked toward Fox.

Fox had hold of the rope and dragged the man toward him while the waves pitched both of them toward the rocks. When the men clutched each other’s forearms, Fox wobbled, nearly unseated from the board, but he managed to drag the man onto it.

A huge cheer went up.

Don’t cheer. This isn’t over!

I reminded myself to breathe and finally let my arm drop to clutch the rail.

Fox got the ring over the man’s head and under one arm, then positioned the man on the surfboard in front of him. With the man’s legs under his armpits, Fox hung off the back of the surfboard and began battling through the waves, coming back toward us.

This was the real fight. Twice they had to duck through a crushing chandelier of a cresting wave. I expected both of them to get washed away at any second. My heart hammered in my throat each time they disappeared. When they came up for air, I sucked in a breath myself then held it again as another wave cascaded over them.

Suddenly the rope went taut. I realized the guests had caught up all the slack and were pulling them toward the boat while Fox continued to paddle.

I moved my curled her knuckles from my pounding heart to my mouth as the men drew near enough I could hear Fox reassuring, “You’re all right, mate,” while the surfer clung weakly and coughed up sea water.

Tala told everyone to get back and asked one guest to help bring the victim aboard. The surfer was so weak, he folded onto the deck. A beach towel was handed over and Tala dried him vigorously, pausing to let him cough, then resuming.

Fox needed help handing up the surfboard. It was the decorative board meeting one and it was heavy enough that two men had to grab it. They grunted as they hefted it up to the deck. Finally, Fox came up from the platform, chest heaving with exertion. Everyone cheered and gave him a round of applause.

Another towel was offered and he said, “Ta,” as he wound it around his blue boxer briefs. He waved off the accolades with a self-conscious cringe.

“That was probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Don’t try that at home, kids.” He aimed that at the youngsters.

“It wassostupid!” I cried and launched myself at him.

FOX

Iwas still amped with adrenaline, heart pounding and lungs aching so hard, I thought my chest would burst. Ashley nearly knocked me off my wet, slippery feet and back into the water.

I closed my arms around her and staggered to catch my balance, something soaring in me at the feel of her crashing against me.

Her cheek pressed hotly to my cold chest. All of her was warm and there was so much naked back beneath these sexy criss-crossed strings that tangled up my fingers. I’d been trying not to think licentious thoughts about her, but now her slight shoulders were under my palms and her hair was soft and sticking to my wet skin. Her lips were damned near touching my nipple and her arms squeezed tight around me.

My nose nuzzled itself into the silky waves of her hair and my hands shifted on her back, trying to find a safe space. I wound up on that strip of fabric above the curve of her ass—which felt really intimate and not friend-zone at all, but nice. Really very nice.

“You scared me!” she accused, pulling back to glare up at me with those huge, dark eyes of hers. Her lashes were spiked with dampness, her mouth pink and trembling.

“I’m fine.” My voice had to be dredged from deep in my chest. I lifted one hand off her to stroke a damp strand of hair off her cheek and before I knew what I was doing, my fingers followed that flyaway mass to cup the base of her skull. My mouth was against hers.

It was pure instinct of the moment. We both froze before it became a real kiss. Her eyes were open, but I didn’t see rejection there. Only awareness that this was the line we had promised each other we wouldn’t cross. If I had drawn away in that second, it would have been nothing more than a stolen peck.

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