Page 121 of Surfer's Paradise

His hands flexed uselessly in his lap.

“Because I’m not going to be just another girl to you.”

Isaac exhaled, long and slow.

And for once—

He had nothing to say.

Chapter 22

Isaac watched her go.

Watched as she marched down the hallway, straight-backed, unwavering, determined, every step a rejection without ever saying the word.

Not rejection. Something worse.

She was forcing him to grow up.

No one did that.

Not to him.

Not like this.

His chest tightened, frustration coiling low in his stomach.

The sound of her bedroom door shutting echoed louder than it should have.

Isaac exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.

He was hard as a rock, still aching for her, his body still caught up in the way she felt, the way she tasted, the way she nearly gave in before pulling herself back.

Fuck.

He hated how much he wanted her.

Hated how she walked away so easily.

And now?

Now it was almost ten, and he was fucking exhausted.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, standing in the middle of the living room, still barefoot, still worked up, still trying to make sense of whatever the hell just happened.

She was inside his house but felt a million miles away.

That wasn’t normal.

He didn’t do this.

He didn’t do waiting. Chasing. Uncertainty.

But Rosie had made one thing crystal clear—this would only go further if he gave her more than he knew how to give.

And that?

That scared him more than anything.

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