Page 4 of Falling for Nicole
When we get to the front door, I find his lead on the sideboard and clip it to his collar. I’ve no idea where I’m going, but I see the sea the second I open the front door, so I just head in that direction and hope for the best.
Ten minutes later, we walk down on to the sand. The sun is just coming up over the horizon, casting a gorgeous orange glow across the water.
Taking a deep breath I allow myself to soak it all up.
“This is home now, pup. Do you like it?” Bailey’s pulling at his lead, desperate to go and explore the vastness of the beach in front of him. Bending down, I unclip him and then watch as he races across the sand towards a couple of sea gulls. They soon spot him coming and rush to escape but it doesn’t stop Bailey, who continues to try to catch them.
I laugh as I watch him jump into the air and it feels so good. The fresh sea air and the sun have me seeing the world in a different light this morning. Maybe what Lilly said last night is true. Maybe everything will be okay.
I’ve no idea how long I run for but when Bailey starts to flag a little, I come to a stop, climb up on a rock, and look out to sea. Bailey flops down by the side of me, panting, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
I haven’t seen anyone, and the peacefulness is so soothing. It’s exactly what I need to get my head together and to start thinking about my future.
Only a few minutes later I spot a figure out in the sea. The distance between us makes them almost a dot on the horizon. It doesn’t take long before I realise they’re surfing. Maybe I’m not the only one making the most of this gorgeous sunrise then.
I continue watching as the figure hits wave after wave. I don’t have the faintest idea about surfing, but it looks to me like they know what they’re doing.
I lose myself in a trance watching them riding each wave before falling off, paddling back out and then getting back up again. It’s hypnotic, and strangely relaxing.
I feel a little disappointed that it’s over when I watch the person slowly emerge from the water with their board in their arms.
My eyes are glued to what I presume is a guy as he digs his board into the sand before undoing the top of his wetsuit. He might be far in the distance, but I can tell this guy has a body every girl dreams of. I continue watching, and as he gets closer to me, my eyes are fixated on his torso.Well, I guess surfing does that,I say to myself sarcastically.
The closer he gets, the more details I can see. His deep cut V lines that drop into the bottom half of his wetsuit, his defined six pack that every woman in the country would probably pay good money to lick, and his strong, wide chest and shoulders. And then it all comes crashing down when he gets close enough that I hear his voice.
“You’re still here then, Ginge?”
Fuck. Me. It’s Declan. Bailey must sense my hatred because the second he notices we have company, he starts growling.
My eyes fly up to his face, hoping and praying I just imagined those words coming out of his mouth. But no. It’s him. My worst fucking nightmare and the only reason I almost didn’t come here.
I sit frozen still on my rock as he stares down at me with hard eyes.
“What, you not seen a topless man before?” He’s got an amused smirk on his face, but I’m not stupid enough to think he’s all that happy about the situation. He can’t stand me as much as I can’t him. Why he had to be the first person I met in this place, god only knows.
As he stares down at me I feel my temperature start to pick up and heat floods down between my legs. I tell myself it’s a natural reaction to the fine body stood in front of me and absolutely nothing to do with who it actually is, because he’s the worlds biggest wanker and if I never see him again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Take a picture if you want. This is the one and only time you’ll ever be close enough to my naked skin.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. His words drag me back to the situation at hand. “You’re not all that. I’ve seen better.”
“Is that right? The way you were drooling just then tells another story. I’d put money on the fact this is the closest you’ve ever been to a naked man in your life.”
Deciding against arguing with him, or defending my lack of love life besides my school boyfriend, I keep my mouth shut.
“I guess it’s something you’ll have to just live with. No one wants to fuck a ginger.”
My blood boils and I rush to stand up so he doesn’t have to look down on me. The rock under my feet means I’m eye to eye with him once I’m at full height.
“Well then, you’ll never know that we have magical pussies. You’ll have to settle with the regular ones.” I’ve no idea where the words come from but I feel like puffing my chest out with pride when his eyes widen in response.
“I happen to be a fan of thenormalones.”
“Good for you. I hope one of them bites it off,” I say, dropping my gaze down to his crotch, but I instantly regret it. Closing my eyes for a beat, I will the image of his impressive looking bulge out of my mind before jumping down from the rock and walking away. “Come on, pup,” I call. “Hopefully he’ll get washed out to sea.”
I can feel his stare burning into my back so I make sure I add a little extra sass to my hips as I head towards the path and off the beach.
I come to a stop when I know I’m out of his sight. I bend down to put Bailey’s lead on before leaning back against the wall next to me as my heart continues to try to pound out of my chest. I’ve never answered back to him like that but I feel amazing that I did. A smile twitches at the corners of my mouth as I remember the look on his face when I didn’t just cower away. It’s not something I’m likely to forget for a while.
This is my new start, my new life. I’ll be fucked if I’m going to let Declan bloody Morrison ruin it for me.
