Page 3 of Beach B!tch
2
Dean
I'd seen her before. Didn't know her name or anything about her. But like the first time, she took my breath away. Cliche, I know, but devastatingly accurate. I just stood there like a total wimp and stared at her while she cooled off in the water. Something about the way she moved fascinated me. She was gorgeous, with muscles highlighting her long limbs. She moved with a natural grace about her that made me lose myself watching her.
Like a creeper.
Then she looked up and caught me staring at her, and I still did nothing. But I couldn't seem to move. I felt like I got the breath knocked out of me with one look at her face.
She was sad.
This gorgeous, athletic girl was troubled by something. And for a guy like me that's straight up catnip. I can't resist someone who's in pain, someone who obviously needs help. My help. Because there's no way I could sit back and watch someone suffer. So whether she knew it or not, she was now my latest obsession.
I only needed her name. Or where she worked, or where she lived, or what she did for a living. Any of those would be a good start.
I laughed out loud at my ridiculousness, shaking my head. I'd somehow decided I'm committed to helping this girl, and I'd never even met her. Jesus, I needed to get a life.
Speaking of getting a life, if I didn't pull my head out of my ass and listen during this team briefing, I'd be back on a tower before I knew which end was up. I was a Marine Safety Officer, a fancy name for a lifeguard, in the great City of Huntington Beach, California. I took my job seriously and loved the circle of friends I'd built from fellow lifeguards.
Our Lieutenant ended the meeting, and we all filed out to our assigned stations for the day. I was in one of the trucks patrolling the south side of the pier. Ivan, a friend of mine, clapped me on the back on my way out of Headquarters, pausing to chat.
"Esa and I are having a little housewarming thing next Saturday. You in?" Ivan asked.
"Of course I'm in. I'll be sure to get you a cute little apron or something as a gift, huh? Going all domestic on us," I chided him.
He laughed and turned to leave, tossing over his shoulder, "You would too if you had a hottie like Esa."
And damn if he wasn't right. He lucked out finding Esa. That girl was beautiful, owned a successful business, and she made the best gourmet hot chocolate you've ever tasted. I was happy for Ivan and he knew it. Didn't mean I was going to let the occasion go by without a little good-natured ribbing though.
I climbed into my truck, making my way across the cement walkway filled with early morning walkers, runners, and cyclists looking to glimpse the ocean during their workouts. Once I was on the sand, I maneuvered the truck closer to the water's edge.
We had reports of shark sightings further north the last few days, so we'd have the chopper out all day getting an overhead visual. My job was to scan from the shore while also making sure all the beachgoers were peaceful. I couldn't count the number of times I'd rolled up to a group where the alcohol was flowing, or couples were in the middle of sex out in the open for all to see, or guys were getting in each other's faces causing fights.
Plain and simple, people do some crazy shit at the beach, and my job was to shut that shit down.
It was the occasional kid that got separated from their parents that made me love my job. They'd come up to me with tears running down their sunburned cheeks. I'd pull out all the stops to find their group, all while reassuring the kid and giving them a tour of the tower or letting them sit in the truck. We'd always found the parents, so watching their little faces turn to happy, relieved smiles made my freaking day.
Once I reached the pier in my truck, I made a wide u-turn, my eye snagging on a bunch of volleyball players on the nets. You know that weird sixth sense that causes the hair on the back of your neck to stick up? There's nothing visually that lets on that something is happening, but you'd bet your life you needed to pay close attention right then? That's what happened when I swept my gaze over the volleyball courts.
I stopped the truck and opened the door, all while scanning the faces of each player, not seeing anything alarm-worthy. I'd been doing this long enough though not to second-guess my intuition, so I didn't hesitate to close the truck door and walk toward the first court.
Twenty feet away from the courts I finally spotted the cause of my heightened awareness. The girl. THE girl. My mystery woman.
She was in a mismatched bikini, sand all over her gorgeous body. Her long brown hair was braided back away from her face into a ponytail. She was standing next to another girl, a fellow volleyball player, from the looks of it. There was also a guy standing a little too close to both of them for my comfort. I picked up my pace, heading straight for their trio.
As I got closer, I heard the tail end of the conversation.
"...none of your god-damn business. I was just talking to her," the guy was saying to my girl.
"I don't care what you think you were doing. You need to leave. Now." My girl got up even closer to the guy, coming between him and the other girl.
"Look, bitch..." The guy lifted his arm to push her out of the way. I felt a red haze fog over my field of vision and I. Was. Pissed. Nobody touches my girl like that.
Without even thinking, I sprinted over.
And that's when the coolest thing happened. So badass I halted my sprint and just watched, mouth hanging open in awe.
My girl grabbed this guy's arm, pulled him in toward her and then whipped his arm behind his back and twisted it up, causing the guy to go down to his knees in pain. She held the arm lock while she yelled at him to never touch a girl without her express permission.
