Page 16 of Beyond The Break

I take some pictures of Griffin paddling, muscles rippling with every movement, before switching the camera back to record him.

“Zalea warned me ahead of time, so I came prepared.” I say, turning my eyes to him.

“Woah, when did you two talk?” He narrows his eyes as he tips his head back and takes a sip from his water bottle.

“Oh, just at this funky bar near the hotel,” I say, doing my best to sound casual, “right after she licked me.”

Water sprays out of his mouth like a fountain, and he turns round eyes in my direction, wiping his mouth. I bite down on my lip hard, forcing myself not to laugh.

“What the hell do you mean? Where did she lick you?”

I’m having too much fun watching him fluster over this, his face turning red as he eyes me up and down in horror. I can’t hold it in anymore, a laugh bursting out of me as I watch his face turn crimson.

“Did you two have sex?” He pushes.

“Gabriel!” I shout before I burst into more laughs. “She was showing me how to take a tequila shot.”

“So, she licked you instead of just telling you to lick your own damn hand?” he mutters, his words laced with annoyance.

“What can I say, I brought out her fun side.” I shrug, returning my attention back to Griffin who is sitting atop his board and watching us.

“Yeah, seems like every woman she encounters lately brings out her fun side.” He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at Griffin. “How’d you get him to go in, anyway?”

“I’ve never seen a more obvious topic change, but I’ll let youhave it,” I tease, “he told me he was here to surf, so I told him to surf.”

I shrug, leaving out the rest of the conversation.

“Seems like an awfully long conversation to have had if that’s all you two said,” he smirks. “I thought I saw him touching your face.”

“Shut up.” I feel my face warming again.

He chuckles before a comfortable silence passes between us as I zoom in on Griffin, who’s watching the others perform their aerials.

“Why didn’t you want him to do aerials with the others?” I ask, looking back at Gabriel.

He sighs. “I have a feeling he’s going to be too scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Falling,” Gabriel answers, nodding in Griffin’s direction.

I turn to watch Griffin and witness him give up three waves in a row right when he’s supposed to stand up on his board. On his fourth wave, he tries to stand again, but his expression morphs into terror as he shakily lowers himself back down to his board at the last second.

Gabriel’s face contorts with disappointment as he watches Griffin struggle and eventually, he stops watching him altogether, returning his eyes back to Koa and Mal who are crushing their aerial maneuvers.

Fifteen minutes of failed attempts have Griffin paddling his way back to shore, and charging straight toward me as soon as his feet touch the sand. My heart begins to race as he nears until he finally stops right in front of me, ripping off his ankle strap and tossing it along with his board to the side. I slowly lower my camera to my waist as I meet his gaze.

His brows are pulled together as he stares down at me, jaw tight. He has a light flush to his cheeks.

“You’re distracting me,” he accuses, frustration clear on his face.

“I’m literally just doing my job.” I counter.

“I could hear you laughing at me over the roar of the waves,” he says, lowering his voice.

“What?” I furrow my brows in confusion. “I wasn’t laughing at you, Griffin. I was having a conversation with Gabriel while recording you.”

“Whatever. Your job is to make sure we look good,” he says in that same dangerously low voice. “Not to take pictures and record us during a horrible practice.”

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