Page 36 of Ride the Wave

He glances down on it and then back at me, raising his eyebrows. ‘Would it sound impressive if I said it was?’

‘Depends on the type of shark,’ I shrug. ‘If it was a great white, then yeah. But if it was one of those granny sharks, probably not.’

He throws his head back and laughs. It’s a nice laugh. Kind of mischievous and boyish, with crinkles appearing around the corners of his mouth. A laugh that makes butterflies dance in my stomach.

‘What the fuck is a granny shark?’ he demands to know.

‘The ones with no teeth! Hammerheads, I think.’

‘Hammerheads have teeth.’

‘No, they don’t.’

‘They do. They’re kind of hidden because of their—’ He tries to gesture what he’s talking about.

‘Their… hammer-heads?’ I offer.

‘Right.’ He grins at me. ‘But yeah, hammerheads have teeth. You’re thinking of basking sharks, I reckon. Although, fun fact, they do have teeth. They’re really small, though.’

‘That is a fun fact, thank you Leo,’ I say drily. ‘So is that what got you on the wrist? A basking shark?’

‘I wrestled it with my bare hands when it tried to attack an orphaned puppy.’

‘Uh-huh.’

He sighs wistfully. ‘Nah, that scar is from… a wipe-out.’

‘A bad one?’

He nods. Clearing his throat, he points to another more recent scar on his other hand. ‘This one, however, is from when I tried to bake recently.’

I tilt my head at him, intrigued. ‘You bake?’

‘I said “tried” to. I was making a cake for Dad’s birthday. Fucking disaster.’

‘I think it’s sweet that you tried. You and your dad seem really close,’ I remark gently.

‘I’m lucky to have him nearby.’

‘You surf together a lot?’

‘All the time. You can’t keep either of us away from the water.’

‘Your dad said that when you grow up near the water, you have a connection with it.’

He nods in agreement. ‘Maybe. Although I don’t think you can’tfindthat connection if you come to surfing late in life. You can. You don’t have to be on the water from a young age to understand it. But I was lucky to pretty much grow up on the waves in Australia. I don’t remember a timebeforebeing out on the water. It’s always been my life.’

‘It didn’t frighten you? Even as a kid?’

‘Right from the word go, it gave me this rush that I can’t describe.’ He gazes out at the ocean. ‘Being out there is, like, the only place where you’re completely living in the moment. Everything else washes away. Your head clears and it’s just you and the roll of the wave.’

‘It can’t be like that at the beginning though, when you’re learning. That part must suck. Not that you’ll be able to remember that, you know, being a pro.’

He laughs. ‘I remember the first time I stood up on a board. You don’t forget that. The feeling of getting the balance quite right. My legs were shaking and my dad was cheering.’

He can’t help a grin flooding his face, the genuine warmth of it forcing me to reflect it back at him as he turns to look at me. My chest aches at the pure joy in his expression.

God, he’s beautiful. Annoying, but beautiful.

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