Page 9 of The Game
‘Right,’ he said, ‘I know it’s easy to forget, but try to keep your head up and facing forward. Don’t look down at the water, the board, or the paddle.’
‘Okay.’ She nodded.
‘Back straight. Legs slightly bent. Pull your shoulders back and make sure your weight is on the balls of your feet.’
She shifted slightly with each tip, and her posture improved.
‘Great. Now, engage your core, and you’re good to go.’
She dipped the paddle into the water and pulled. Already, she looked stronger and more confident.
‘Ha! It’s so much easier like this. You’re a good trainer, DoubleD!’ But she’d glanced over her shoulder as she said it.
She wobbled, lost her balance and crashed spectacularly into the water.
He was halfway to her, laughing hard, when she came up spluttering. ‘I might be a good trainer, but you’re a terrible student. I told you to keep facing forward!’
Half-coughing, half-laughing, she splashed a handful of water at him.
Once she’d recovered, they took turns paddling, and after an hour or so, they headed back to shore for a break. Dean fetched a beach umbrella from his car, and they settled beneath it, chatting idly as they lay on their towels, Alyssa on her front, Dean on his back. He did his best to focus on the stripes of the umbrella instead of Alyssa, but every now and then she distracted him with her laugh and he’d see that amused twinkle in her eyes that drove him crazy. He liked it so much better than the flash of disapproval he was used to seeing.
At one point, Alyssa bounced up from her towel and sat facing him.
Thankfully, or rather, sadly, she’d thrown her top over her bikini, so most of her body was covered. Her legs were still gloriously bare, but she folded them beneath her and regarded him, her expression expectant yet slightly hesitant.
‘So,’ she said, ‘I think we should set some rules.’
He turned on his side, propping himself on his elbow, and lifted a sardonic brow. ‘Rules? I told you I don’t do rules.’
‘I think you do.’ She gave him a look that said she was prepared for a debate, which only made him want to kiss her that much more.
She lifted a finger to emphasise her point. ‘You said, and I quote, “Love isn’t on the cards for me. There are too many rules.” So, presumably, you live by one very important rule—don’t fall in love.’
He nodded, acceding her point. ‘Touché.’
‘Right. Well, the point of all this—’ she waved a hand about, encompassing them and the beach, ‘—is because I want to have some serious fun while I’m in town. There’s not much downtime when you’re a professional classical musician, so while I’m taking a break, I want to let loose.’
He grinned, his thoughts and hopes from yesterday coming back unbidden. It did strange things to him to know they were on the same wavelength.
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘so rule number one is that we have fun.’
‘Correct.’ She nodded, clearly pleased he was catching on so quickly, but in the next moment, she dropped her gaze and seemed hesitant to continue. ‘The only thing is, and I think you’ll agree, there seemed to be some chemistry between us last night. You know, on the jetty?’
God, she looked cute when she was flustered!
He nodded in answer to her question. ‘Yeah, I’d agree with that.’
‘Well,’ she said, and he could have sworn a shadow passed over her face, ‘I just came out of a relationship. Nothing serious, mind you,’ she rushed to assure him, ‘but I’m not looking to start anything right now. If something happens between us, it’ll have to be strictly casual, only temporary.’
Dean studied her as he processed her words. She was offering him everything he’d dreamed of up until this point. But the fear that had so recently surfaced niggled at him. Could he keep things fun and casual with Alyssa?
Playing for time, he smiled and quirked a brow. ‘You do realise fun and casual are my middle names, right?’
Alyssa shrugged and pulled a mini cooler from the depths of her enormous beach bag. ‘Just wanted to make sure our definitions of fun and casual are the same.’ She pointed a finger at him in warning. ‘No hearts involved.’
He cut a hand through the air. ‘Absolutely not. Rule two, keep it casual.’
But as Alyssa dug around in the cooler and spread out the lunch she’d packed for them, Dean lay back on his towel and once more stared up at the umbrella’s red and white stripes, faced with a quandary. Why, when Alyssa had thrown his whole life’s philosophy at him, had he instantly regretted sharing it with her?
