Page 67 of The Castle in the Bay

They headed back to the beach and carried on tidying and lugging the bags up, piling them up at the side of the container.

‘Will the binmen take all these?’ Monty frowned at them and wiped his brow.

Iona smirked. ‘You know Ruaridh is a binman, right? He’ll take them.’

‘Is he? Wow, I wondered what he did.’

‘He gets a bit touchy about it sometimes because he thinks people look down their noses at him.’

‘Well, I don’t envy him, but I do appreciate him. Where would we be without the rubbish collectors?’

‘Exactly.’ Iona clapped her hands together. ‘Job well done.’ She high-fived Monty.

‘I know what we need now.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Yeah?’

‘Let’s go for a dip.’

‘You’resuggesting that tome?’

He gave a little shrug. ‘Only if you want to.’

‘Of course I do, but normally I have to drag you.’

‘I must be getting a bit better then.’

‘Not better. You were always enough. Now you just have more confidence.’

He tilted his head and smiled. ‘Thanks for saying so.’

‘Do you want to get a wetsuit?’

‘When I was cycling around earlier, I stopped at the thrift shop and got myself a pair of board shorts. It’s a nice evening and I’m feeling brave.’

‘You are awesome.’ Iona flung her arms around him, forgetting about her messy clothes, but he didn’t seem to mind. He hugged her back. ‘Let’s get them on in the container.’

They walked up to it, and Iona stripped off her manky clothes and pulled on a bikini she’d stashed in the container. ‘This will have to do. My cossie is back at the farmhouse.’

Monty put his hands on his hips, glancing down at himself in the board shorts with a screwed-up face. Iona laughed, not because he looked bad, but his expression was hilarious. When he raised his eyes to her, they widened.

‘What are you trying to do to me? You think that’ll “have to do”? You look incredible, whereas I look like surfer Ken.’

She took hold of the waistband and pulled him towards her. ‘You’re much hotter than that.’

They fell into an easy kiss before heading for the sea. Iona never took time to acclimatise. Monty, however, took it slow until she grabbed his hands and pulled him in. Splashing around was fun, and she did some swimming while he treaded water, waiting for her to come back. Every time they met, they shared a kiss. Then Iona unhooked her bikini, freeing her breasts and keeping them just out of the water.

‘What if people are watching?’ Monty drew her close and gently caressed her nipples.

‘No one’s around and they can’t see anything for the sea.’ She pulled him down, kissing him, loving the way he touched her so gently, yet firmly. In fact, scratch that. She loved him full stop.Parting with him would kill her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and devoured his lips, pouring everything into him. If he was leaving, she’d make damn sure he had something to remember her by.

Chapter Twenty-One

Monty

Monty lay on the beach, rolling strands of Iona’s hair through his fingertips. It must be late now as the sky was almost fully dark, and that didn’t happen until around eleven p.m. at this time of year. But he had no desire to move. Iona’s head rested on his chest, and he gazed up at the deep, velvety cloak spreading across the sky. Even now, enough lightremained to make silhouettes on the landscape. Summer nights never equalled the utter blackness of winter.

A picnic rug below them and another heavier one on top was all that sheltered them from the light breeze. But the heat from their entwined bodies was more than enough. Monty had never tried sex on the beach as a cocktail, even though Sophie loved them. She’d often ordered them with a little smirk, like she was trying to make him blush. Just as well she couldn’t see him now. The real thing was so much more satisfying than any cocktail could ever be. He smiled at the deep contentment satiating his whole body.

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