Page 43 of Reckless Hearts

“Nah, I think that ship might have sailed.”

Nate scoffs. “That’s not what Alana says,” he tells me, and I’m suddenly very interested in what Alana has been saying to him about me. “She says you’re an amazing surfer, still,” he adds, brow raised. “And maybe you just need someone to believe in you again.”

I scrub a hand across my jaw, the stubble bristling against my palm. “I wish it was that easy.”

“Maybe it is,” Nate says with a shrug. “Alana was in a bad way and not wanting to compete after Mitch died, but then something changed with her. Right around when you got here actually, and suddenly she was all in.”

Chuckling, I say, “I kinda get the impression Alana would have eventually changed her mind.”

Nate smirks. “Yeah, she’s definitely super competitive, and getting that entry was huge for her. I don’t know why she finally changed her mind, but I’m glad she did.”

I nod, wondering if maybe I’m part of the reason for why she changed her mind. I hope so because Alana is born to surf, and she needs to compete. I truly believe she has a legit shot at placing and maybe even winning this thing. She’s that good.

She’s definitely better than Jade, and it’s really going to rub her the wrong way when she sees Alana on the waves, especially when she finds out she’s still an amateur.

“Yeah, me too,” I say. “Anyway, I’ll get this shit all set up for you,” I say as I make my way over to all the stuff I need to get to the beach.

“Thanks, dude. Appreciate it.”

When I get to the beach, it’s not hard to see where the surf comp is going down. Grabbing all the shit from the back of my car, I make my way over to where the guys are.

“Hey, Nate asked me to bring this stuff down. Where do you want it?” I ask.

“Hey, hey,” Kai says, grinning at me. “We need the starting banners over there and then you can just stick the others around. Doesn’t need to be super organized.”

His brother scoffs as he looks over at me and says, “I mean, we don’t want it looking shit, though.”

Laughing, I reply, “Got it. I’ll make sure it’s semi-organized and not shit.”

I’m driving the last of the banners into the sand when I feel someone standing behind me. Turning, I find Alana, her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun as she watches me, that bottom lip of hers between her teeth.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey yourself,” she says, smiling.

We don’t say anything more, just stand here staring at each other. I don’t know if she’s thinking about this morning, but right now, I sure as shit am. And it’s taking every bit of self-control I have to not reach out and grab her, pick that kiss right back up again.

“How are you feeling after this morning?” I eventually ask, immediately realizing how that sounds.

She smirks. “If you mean the run, then I feel pretty good. But if you mean the other thing that happened, then I feel...hmmm...”

“Horny?” I suggest.

Alana laughs. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Smiling, I step closer, even though no one is around to hear us. “I had to jerk off in the shower when I got home,” I tell her, my words a low growl. “And I’m still fucking desperate for you.”

“Me too,” she whispers, her eyes dark as she looks up at me.

“What the fuck are we doing, Alana?” I blurt out. “I want you and you want me and I’m fucking sick of trying to fight it.”

“Me too,” she whispers.

I nod, taking another step closer. “We could just not tell anyone,” I say, knowing what I’m suggesting is very dangerous.

“You mean keep it a secret?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I whisper, hating the idea of not being able to tell anyone but preferring it over not being able to touch her. “Just for now,” I quickly add. “Until we can sort something out. And hey, maybe we just need to get it out of our system,” I suggest, already knowing that’s total bullshit.

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