Page 20 of Perfectly Imperfect Us
“Okay, who’s going up first?” I clapped my hands and surveyed the group.
I tried valiantly, but failed epically when it came to keeping my gaze off the smorgasbord of gorgeous men in our group. The summer sun baked everything in its path, which meant less clothes and daily trips to the beach to cool off. Impossibly, the Nickel Heads had gotten hotter the longer they were away from Nickel Bay. Heath could stop a semi with all the muscle he was packing. Max looked like he could still outrun a line drive all while smiling at the ladies. Jase reminded me of that picture of a gorgeous teacher I’d seen passed around on social media about being a distraction to the female students.
And Ryder.
Don’t even get me started on a physique so fine the top magazines in the world begged him to wear their clothing.
Kadee must have been having the same affliction as her gaze bounced from one ripped torso to another like she wasn’t sure where to safely land. Lacey, as per usual, was oblivious, digging into her messenger bag to find her notebook. Or maybe she was so inspired by the view she had a new song lyric bursting out of her head.
“How about we pair up for safety reasons? I’ll take you up, Ava.” Ryder didn’t wait for confirmation, just put his hand on my back and guided me up the trail that eventually would get us to the top of the rocks jutting out from the bluff above.
I should have been looking at the rocks in my path and where I was stepping, but all I could focus on was the warm palm pressed against my back. When the trail got narrower and Ryder had to walk behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t think properly when he touched me. I was out of breath when we reached the top of the steep incline, both from exertion and from feeling Ryder’s intense stare the whole way.
“Want to jump together or one at a time?” Ryder wasn’t out of breath at all, the fit jerk.
“Uhh…together?” I walked to the edge and dared a glance below, the sight making my stomach queasy. “Oh, Lord have mercy, that’s far.”
Ryder stepped up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, his voice just a rumble in my ear. “I got you, Ava. Trust me.”
Then he was beside me, his hand in mine, our fingers laced together.
He looked over with an impish glint in his eye. “Ready to cross another item off the ol’ bucket list, granny?”
I couldn’t help but smile back. “You brought flaming hot Cheetos in case I belly flop, right?”
He squeezed my hand. “You won’t. On three. One. Two. Three!”
We jumped at the same time, but kept ahold of the other, flying through the air before dropping like a rock, the wind sending my hair flying above me. I screamed as loud as I did on a roller coaster, Ryder’s bellowing laugh mixing in the wind to create the sound of summer joy.
The water came up fast, and before I could prepare myself, we were underneath it all, the salt water rushing up my nose and the cold temperature stealing the breath I attempted to hold. Our hands broke apart and I kicked to the surface, gasping when my head bobbed.
“Holy crapoli, that was crazy!” I shouted, shoving hair out of my face the best I could. The swimsuit bottom currently jammed in places it shouldn’t be was not awesome, but everything else had me high on life.
I saw Ryder’s head bob up and we both swam for shore, breathing hard from the adrenaline and laughing the whole way. The rest of the crew cheered for us and ran quickly up the trail for their own turn.
We staggered out of the surf and grabbed our towels. If I thought Ryder looked good before, I hadn’t anticipated what he’d look like directly out of the water with his hair slicked back. He reminded me of a Ralph Lauren cologne ad with some hot guy stepping out of the water. Except Ryder was three dimensional, standing right in front of me, that caring smile that made my stomach melt. And I knew how this model could kiss.
“Here,” he murmured, using his towel to swipe at my face where I was currently blinking water out of my eyes so I could see him better.
Instantly, I reacted, yanking back and leaving him standing there empty-handed. My hand flew to my face and I panicked. I wore good makeup. The kind that stays even in water. But you can’t swipe at it with a towel and expect it to stay on. Dabbing worked, swiping not so much. And Ryder had definitely just swiped.
I whirled around and nearly sprinted to my bag where I’d brought more makeup in case of a malfunction of sorts. I’d been careless. Distracted.
“Hey.” I heard Ryder following me.
“Just give me a second, okay?” I shouted louder than I should have, fear making me react aggressively.
I dug around in my bag, finally finding the liquid foundation, but bobbling it in my haste to cover up.
Hands landed on my shoulders. “Ava. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Just—just don’t look at me, okay?” If I could just get the damn cap off, I could get it spread on my face and he would never know. My girls knew, of course, but they would never tell a soul my little secret. Letting Ryder see me would be social suicide.
My hands were still wet with sea water which is what I blame for making me drop the foundation before I could pump out the dime-size amount I needed to save myself. Ryder swooped down and picked it up from the sand, ever the gentleman. My brain froze, not quite computing that the inevitable had happened. My makeup had finally failed me. Outed me.
I dropped my hands, hung my head, and admitted defeat. I was acting like a total weirdo. Flirting with Ryder had been fun while it lasted, but that would all be over the second he saw my skin. Ryder stood up and handed me the container, his eyebrows pinched as I hazarded a glance up at him.
“Ava. What’s going on?” His voice was low, the concern a balm to buffer the confusion. “Why are you hiding?”
