Page 16 of Ride By Your Side

When I’d done my packing for this trip, to consolidate and save time, I’d kept much of what I’d been planning to bring on my honeymoon and brought it with me here on this trip. I’m not sure if it was those traitorous oysters or something else, but last night, I felt like dressing up a bit before bed. After all, why waste a perfectly good pajama set? I deserve to feel like the beautiful, sexy woman I am.

“Eyes up here, Bennett.” I direct, pointing two fingers at my eyes, glad to reclaim at least a little bit of power as he seems to feel some semblance of shame about where his gaze had just gone.

If I’m being honest, I like the way he's so obviously taken in my bare legs and chest—both on full display and perfectly accentuated by the well-placed lace bodice. Unfortunately, I can no longer blame that side effect solely on the oysters; it’s more likely due to the lingering memory of Miles’s lips on my skin from my dream.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, clearing his throat. “I was just planning to go for a run on the beach this morning and wanted to see if you wanted to come.”

Oh Miles, I definitely wanted to come.However, I send that dirty thought right back where it came from.

“Me? Run?” I ask instead, placing a hand over my barely covered chest. He can’t be serious. I’m someone that loves a good yoga or Pilates routine, but you’d catch me dead before you caught me running. “Don’t be silly.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll let you, uh, get back to... um, bed,” he says, somehow needing to clear his throat yet again.

“Wait,” I say as he takes a step back and I reach out for his arm—though I quickly drop it when his gaze drops to where our bodies are now linked. “I said I didn’t want to run. I never said anything about not wanting to join you at the beach.”

I have no desire to run, especially on such challenging terrain like sand, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to find any excuse I can to be out near the water during our stay.

“Oh, yeah. Duh, of course. I guess I’ll just let you change, and then you can meet me out front?” he suggests, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

“Sounds good, Bennett,” I say, giving him a final smile before shutting the door behind me and leaning my back against it.

I know I managed to keep myself composed during our conversation—and hopefully I came across as unbothered as I tried to be—but damn. My body is still in complete disarray, especially with that tortuous ache lingering between my legs. It certainly doesn’t help that I’m ninety-nine percent sure Miles Bennett just checked me out.

One would think that walking along a nearly empty beach with the calming sound of crashing waves and the smell of the salty ocean air would calm my nerves, but nope.It’s quite the opposite as I walk side by side with Miles.

Having known each other for so long, he’s given me more than enough reasons to feel uneasy around him. It’s not as if he’s ever been all that good at hiding his dislike for me, and now, as we walk, the uncomfortable silence between us grows even thicker. Have I really gone and messed things up all over again, ruining the already fragile friendship we’ve been trying to build?

I’m not stupid enough to believe we’d ever end up besties or anything crazy like that, yet he’s been strangely kind to me these past few days. Even when he made fun of my food choices last night, we managed to have a good time. I’d even managed to bring out a few more of those ever-elusive smiles of his.

However, today is feeling a bit more like our usual interactions, with him quietly trying to ignore my presence—which seems a bit silly considering he was the one who invited me out this morning.

“I think I’m going to set up here,” I decide as I pull the towel off my shoulder and drop it onto the warm sand.

He nods. “Alright. My plan is to run down to the edge of that cliffside and back a few times. Just let me know if you need anything.”

“I think I’ll be alright,” I assure him, leaning down as I unfold the towel until it lies completely flat. “You convinced me to be a good girl and do some yoga this morning,” I explain. “Gotta work off all that candy somehow,” I joke, though I’m not entirely kidding, especially since I definitely plan on using this vacation to pig out even more.

Plus, a little yoga and meditation is likely what I need to clear my mind of all these ridiculous thoughts swirling through my brain. Okay, so maybe Miles checked me out earlier, but thatdoesn’t mean anything. I’m pretty sure any sane person would have looked, given what I was wearing—or rather what I wasn’t wearing—and how much skin I’d been showing.

Plus, as much as I’d like to forget about my worries back home, it’s a little hard to do when my ex-fiancé has been blowing up my phone, even going so far as to switch numbers. I’ve done my best to block each new one that pops up, but it’s all so damn exhausting.

“Yoga?” he asks, lifting a brow.

“Why not?” I shrug as I stand back up. “It’s good for both the body and the soul.” While I may have personally been a bit skeptical at first, when Maeve, one of my co-workers and recent bridesmaids, had started teaching a class three times a week at our local community center and asked me to join, I’d done it and realized rather quickly how good it left me feeling. “Plus, you should see how flexible I am now,” I add with a wink, deciding to forget, at least briefly, that I’m trying to be good here.

His jaw tenses. “I’ll take your word for it,” he says, reaching behind his neck with one hand before tugging at the back of his shirt and lifting it up and over his head.

I know I shouldn’t be staring, but that’s precisely what I’m doing as I take in his newly exposed chest. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be checking out my best friend’s older brother, yet here I am, doing just that.

I always knew he wasn’t some scrawny guy, especially since he’s always given off the vibe of someone who works out and isn’t someone you want to mess with. Still, in my head, I always figured a lot of that was attitude-based. I never actually expected to take in a muscular, built body, especially as my eyes fall to his six-pack abs. And why, oh why, are his gym shorts riding just a little too low on his hips, drawing my gaze to the lines leading down toward his...

Okay Ronnie, you are officially going to stop your mind right there, I tell myself, especially as I feel my teeth sinking into my bottom lip. Now it’s my turn to clear my throat as I attempt to look away, hoping Miles doesn’t realize what a nosey creep I’m being.

“Do you mind if I leave this here?” he asks, thankfully breaking my thoughts from that ridiculous direction

“Um, what?” I ask, bringing myself back to reality for the second time today. I take in his freshly removed shirt that rests in his hands and he glances down toward it as well. “Oh, yeah, duh. Of course.” I nod, answering before he can say anything else. “I promise to keep it safe.”

His brow furrows as he looks me over, and I can only assume he’s making sure I’m actually okay and in my right mind. After what feels like an unnecessarily long pause, he slowly nods. “Alright. Just give me a shout if you need anything,” he reassures me one last time before jogging leisurely toward the water’s edge and running parallel to the crashing waves.

---