Page 18 of Beach Bum Billion-Heiress
"Nice one, Surf Betty!"
I opened my eyes and swiveled my head to find the owner of that smooth voice. He was sitting on his jet ski about fifteen feet away, forearm resting on one of the handles, his sunglasses shielding his eyes and drawing my gaze to his white smile. The tight t-shirt, the red shorts, and the tanned skin made for a visually pleasing combo that spoke right to my girly parts. The boy was hot.
"Did you see me?" I was laughing for no other reason than I felt damn good. I kicked with my feet under the water to turn my board around so I could see Jax. When there was a man that gorgeous around you should make sure you eye him for as long as you can, you know?
"Hell yes, I saw you. I saw a radass woman surfing by and realized her backside looked familiar. Like I'd seen it before." His grin curved even wider.
"Huh. I'm pretty sure you see all kinds of mooning out here on the water surrounded by surfers all day, but I'm happy mine was so memorable." I knew I shouldn't be flirting with him, but hey, he started it.
"I thought we were going surfing together next time you took a board out." His jet ski was bobbing on the surface, bringing him closer and closer to me, like it knew we wanted to close the space between us.
I tilted my head and looked down at my board. "Yeah, well, I knew you'd be out here, and here you are! So technically, we're together."
Jax
She's looking up at me with those brown eyes, defiant but also a bit sheepish, knowing she'd broken her word. She has no idea that she could literally do anything to me and I'd forgive her the moment she turned those eyes on me. I should dislike her for trying to buy my shop from me when I've told her repeatedly I didn't want to sell. She obviously comes from money, which rubs me the wrong way, but it does nothing to dim this attraction I have for her.
It's like my body and my brain are on completely different pages on what to do with this girl. My brain wants to run for cover and never talk to her again. My body wants to hear her life story, slay dragons for her, and make her wear my t-shirt to bed every night so she wakes up in it every morning after I've had my way with her.
"Since I'm not selling my shop, what are you still doing in HB?" Might as well get right down to it. Maybe I could get her to cut and run before I did something stupid like kiss her for real this time. Somewhere we wouldn't be interrupted for hours.
But again, I didn't get what I expected. Instead of frowning and leaving, a peaceful smile took over her face, she tilted her head back, and she closed her eyes. Her hands drifted out to the side, fingers stroking through the water like she'd never felt the ocean before. It was like she was communing with nature and I was an intruder to her moment.
I had to lean in closer to hear her eventual answer. "I don't know, Jax. All I know is that I love it here. I will literally lose everything by not buying your property and at this moment, I don't seem to give a fuck." She smiled even bigger, still looking up at the sky like she was giving herself up to the sun as an offering.
Shit, this girl was something else. I'd never met anyone like her, which might explain why I was so attracted to her. She was different. I had no idea what was going to come out of her mouth. Or what that lithe, athletic body was going to do. Like dancing in the middle of the street fair last night. She'd been completely lost to what was happening around her. Like she was in her own little world, completely at peace. And that kind of quiet confidence was sexy as hell.
When she opened her eyes and looked back at me, the spell was broken and I finally clued into something she'd said. "Wait, you'll lose everything? What does that mean?"
She chuckled. "You know, I've been really stressed about it, but I just kind of realized today that it doesn't matter. I want to be free and this place makes me feel free. So I need to come up with a plan to do what I think is right for this place."
She was speaking in riddles. "I'm glad you've got it all figured out. Maybe you could tell me what the hell you're talking about?"
That really made her laugh. "Sure. There's no harm in me telling you now. The Beach Squad knows so it's only a matter of time before you know too. My father is a big commercial real estate guy back east. He told me that in order to get my trust fund when I turn thirty next year, I needed to buy The Surf Shack, demo it, and build a successful restaurant in its place. If I succeeded, I'd not only get my trust fund, but he'd give me his company when he retired. I know he loves me deep down, but my father is a bit of a hard ass."
My jaw dropped. There were several concerning things about her explanation. However, I finally realized why she was so pushy about buying my place. Her whole future rested on me selling. "Damn, Sage. I had no idea."
She waved a hand in the air like she was shooing away a fly. "Oh, it's not like I would ever take over his company. I have no interest. But I do want that trust fund. That thing could buy my freedom so I could finally do what I wanted without my father pulling the strings. But being my own person matters more to me than the money."
I didn't understand how she could be so blasé about it. "So, that's it? You're just gonna give it up then?" I knew what it was like to be financially strapped, and it sucked. I wasn't sure she knew what she was in for by turning away all that money. She may say the money doesn't matter now, but come months from now when she has nowhere to live and bills are piling up, she may change her mind.
Her board bumped up against my jet ski, the distance between us finally closed. "Oh no, Jax Stern. If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I don't give up easy. I've got an idea I'm thinking through and it's risky, but if I can pull it off, we'll both be happy campers. You wanna get risky with me, Jax?"
She was definitely flirting with me now. I was ninety-nine percent sure of it. The grin was back and she was looking up through her eyelashes at me, that confidence like a siren, leading me straight into choppy waters and rocky coastlines.
"Yeah, I'd love to get risky with you." My brain was fried, unable to come up with anything better to respond with. I'd let her lead, and I'd follow. For now.
She winked at me, knocking me over with that simple gesture. If I didn't keep a tighter grip on my heart, I'd be losing it over a girl that was all wrong for me. But my body told my brain to shut up and I enjoyed watching her lay on her board and paddle away from me.
That ass I'd recognized surfing moments ago was now right in front of me, perfect curves that my hands swore they'd get to touch one day. My brain scoffed at the idea, yet my body tightened and hardened, preparing for that day even now.
Before I could yell out a warning or even just some helpful advice, she was paddling hard for the next swell coming in. I turned the engine back on and stood up to get a better view. She had white water all around her and I thought for sure she'd crash and burn when I saw her float back up to the top of the wave. She popped up, in a perfect crouch, those long legs steady beneath her.
Well, what do you know? The girl that was all wrong for me could totally surf.
I waited until I saw her exit the water, the front of the board tucked under her arm, the back dragging in the sand. She turned around and flashed me the 'hang loose' symbol with her thumb and pinkie extended before breaking into laughter. I waived in return, happy she was on solid ground in one piece.
The moment before I turned the jet ski around, she dropped the board and grabbed the sides of her bikini bottoms. My eyes were riveted to the sight, ignoring the rocking of the jet ski as I shifted positions to get a better view. She pulled the bottoms down, exposing that gorgeous ass yet again. In the blink of an eye, the bottoms were back in place and she was back to dragging the board up the sand, laughing the whole way.
The blood roared in my ears and I shook my head, looking around to make sure no one caught her little act. I didn't like the idea of anyone else knowing what she looked like under that suit, but I fucking loved how playful and silly she was. She may have come from money, but she wasn't some stuck up brat. And the girl had a perfectly round booty I wanted to get my hands on.
That perfect, pale ass was now engrained in my brain, finally getting it to shut up.
