Page 10 of Tropical Inferno

“All that huffing and puffing…sounds like you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not. I’m just hot.”

“That you are.”

“Is this how we go back to flirting?” she asked wryly, lifting to one elbow and looking over at him.

“Yup.”

He still hadn’t looked at her and she scowled. “I’m going in the water,” she muttered, lifting to her feet. It really was hot and the water looked inviting. Besides, she was dying for a long swim. Without looking back, she walked through the sand and splashed into the glassy water. She’d never been in water so smooth and clear, without so much as a ripple. It was cool enough to be refreshing too, and she dove in as soon as she was deep enough. With strong, steady strokes she headed out towards the horizon. The weather was perfect and it was a great opportunity to test her strength and endurance. The pool at her gym was good for exercise and building her stamina, but there was no real way to test herself.

She loved to swim, but living in Toronto meant people were far more focused on winter sports than something like swimming. It existed, of course, but with two brothers who played hockey there hadn’t been time for her parents to lug her around to pools or swim meets. That was okay—it’s not like she could have had a career as a professional swimmer—but she wished she’d had a chance to show how good she was at any sport. Her brothers’ rooms had been lined with awards and trophies from almost every level of hockey; her achievements had all been academic. She’d played hockey too in the beginning, but playing with other girls had paled in comparison to what her brothers did, so she’d quit sports altogether and focused on school. She still swam, though, and she’d been looking forward to testing herself in the open waters of the Pacific.

By the time she stopped, she realized she’d come a long way and was pretty far out. It was strikingly beautiful, the shore lining with the tops of palm trees and the horizon an endless sheet of blue and green. She could stay out here treading water for hours, she thought, looking around. The sun would scorch her pale skin if she didn’t reapply sunscreen soon, though, and she didn’t want her heart rate to slow down too much, so she turned towards shore. She’d just put her face in the water when strong arms gripped her about the waist. She gasped, ready to kick out in protest when she recognized Garrett’s dog tag tattoo.

“What are you doing?!” she demanded, shaking water out of her eyes.

“What the hell are you doing?!” he countered. “The lifeguard was blowing his whistle for you to turn around and everybody on the beach thinks you’re on a suicide mission!”

“What are you talking about?” she yelled. “I’m an endurance swimmer—I swim at my gym at least ten hours a week and try to take one trip a year to somewhere I can test myself in an ocean! I’m not trying to commit suicide, you idiot!”

* * *

He blinked, staring into her furious face in confusion. What the hell was an endurance swimmer? Was that a thing? This probably wasn’t a good time to ask her, though; she looked pretty mad and he was starting to feel foolish.

“I swam out to make sure you were okay but I think they were going to…” His voice trailed off as a lifeguard approached them on a jet ski.

“Miss, you’re not supposed to swim beyond the buoy,” he said with a frown.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke in a polite tone he hadn’t heard before. “I’m a strong, capable swimmer and this is how I build my endurance. I’m planning to do a triathlon next year so I swim like this any chance I get—it never occurred to me I would worry anyone.”

“You’re doing a triathlon?” Hawk asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Her voice was low but she gave him a dirty look. “Can I please swim back to shore? My heart rate has already dropped and if I sit out here treading water, I’m going to get sunburned.”

“Just be careful, miss,” the lifeguard said. “And let someone know if you’re going to come out this far.”

“Of course. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Need a ride back, sir?” the young man asked Hawk.

He scowled. “No, I’ll swim back with her. Thanks.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” she ground out.

“You need to be kissed,” he murmured, reaching out to pull her close.

“Garrett!” She let out a little squeak as his lips claimed hers. Their tongues danced together deliciously, and it wasn’t until they began to sink that she pulled free. “Kissing you is nice,” she panted. “But I’d prefer not to drown doing it.”

“Just thought I’d help you get your heart rate back up,” he laughed. “Ready?”

Without a word, she turned her back on him and used powerful strokes to swim towards shore. He was surprised at how hard he had to work to keep up with her. She definitely had done this before and by the time they reached the beach, he hadn’t been sure he could finish. Sheer pride had kept him going since the idea of losing to her was unacceptable, but she’d beat him by a full minute anyway and he was impressed. He wondered if she could run and bike this well too.

She didn’t wait for him, trudging back to their cabana and digging a bottle of ice-cold water out of the cooler. She drank deeply and reached for a towel, wiping her face, chest and arms. She started to reapply sunscreen and arched her brows as he sank into the lounge chair breathing hard.

“Damn, baby, you’re amazing.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you being sarcastic?”

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