little. âIsnât the sea more polluted?â
âNot this bit of beach.â
She put her hand to her heart in drama academy style. âBut there might be sharks.â
âOr friendly dolphins.â
âJellyfish.â She fluttered her fingers in his face.
âStarfish and shells to admire.â He caught her hands and held them still in front of him, smiling widely. âFace it, you canât win on this. Nature might bring its dangers, but its beauty makes them worth the risk.â
Kelsi couldnât think of another argumentâtoo distracted by the marvel of nature right in front of her. What with the sea/sky-blue eyes and the slightly shaggy dark hair and the golden skin, he was quite the gorgeous surfie type. Easygoing and relaxed in nature but with no fat, just pure, lean muscle in his bodyâshe could feel his potential strength even from the light grip he had on her.
Anticipation licked through her. She hadnât been in the company of anyone so attractive in a long, long time. OK, ever.
Pure guy candy.
She suddenly realised she was breathlessâalmost pantingâand they hadnât even begun the slight climb over the sand dune down to the water. She pulled her hands free of his and made herself stop visually feasting on him. It was a wonder she wasnât drooling. She knew she was blushing so she made a show of looking around so he couldnât see the stain rising on her cheeks.
There wasnât another car in the car park, and not another soul on the small curve of beach. No boats in the distance on the horizon. They could have been the only two people on all the earth for all she knew.
It was a surprisingly liberating thought.
When she turned back he kicked off his shoes and pointedly stared at the one left on her foot. She sighedbut removed the darn thing, ignoring how nice the soft, warm sand felt as her toes sank into it.
This was crazy. Totally crazy. She was at a remote beach with a complete stranger. She was in the sun .
But it was heavenly.
She glanced at him as he strolled easily beside her. His limp was almost imperceptible nowâthank goodness. But he was grinning like a wolf who knew everything.
âWhat?â She pulled herself together and tried to recover her wits.
He laughed then and she knew it was too lateâshe was already succumbing to the power of the environment. Even though she knew the sand flies were lining up preparing their attack, even though she could already feel the burning power of the sun. What did it matter when her lungs could fill and stretch with fresh, clean air? What did it matter when she was accompanied by a guy who was like a summer spriteâfull of fun and sun and sexiness?
The hard ball of stress wedged just above her stomach softened. The office was miles away, computers miles away, pressure miles away. Instead there was just the beautiful blue of the sea and the sky stretching as far as she could see. And the warmth under her feet and on her skin thawed the cold inside her, too.
She walked to the edge of the water, aware that a metre or so away heâd taken a few steps into it so the waves lapped over his ankles. She turned away from him, gazing at the bronze hills behind them and then back to the deep blue but, all the while, so incredibly aware of the picture of male beauty he made. She walked alongside the edge, listening to the gentle splashes his feet made as he walked two paces to the side and behind her.
âSo whatâs your favourite season, then?â he asked suddenly. âWinter, right?â
âYes.â She grinned at her own predictability.
âMine, too.â
âNo way.â Surprised, she turned and walked backwards to look at him.
âYeah.â He nodded. âI spend my life chasing winter.â
She frowned. âBut youâre so tanned.â
He laughed. âBecause Iâm here for the summer recovering.â He bent and rubbed his