She was a natural.
Too bad I wasn’t a natural at this spy business. Every second spent in her company blurred the lines between friendship and assignment more and more. And every time we were together, it got harder and harder to remember all the reasons I shouldn’t when all the reasons I should were staring me back in the face. Like right now. She was everything I would have hoped for in a girlfriend, and then some.
Kind. Giving. Adventurous. Never afraid to try something new.
And I wasn’t allowed to have her.
She tumbled into the water, and I hastily dove for her wrist. She could come up on her own, obviously, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t do anything while she struggled to get to the surface. Eh, who was I trying to kid? I didn’t find her because I had to, I found her because I had to make sure she was okay. For me—not the senator.
Hauling her up to the surface, I said, “Got you.”
She spluttered and swiped her red, drenched hair out of her face. “Did you see that? I had it!”
“You did.” I couldn’t help it. I grinned with pride again. She was an excellent student, and I was having fun playing the part of teacher. “Soon you won’t need my help to catch a wave.”
“I wanna go again,” she said, struggling to get back up on her board.
Though I wanted to refuse, to drag her to the shore where she could rest up a bit, I couldn’t find the heart to make her leave. I could feel the excitement bouncing off her, and I couldn’t make her stop now. In fact, I reached out and hauled her onto the board by the back of her wetsuit, then helped her paddle back out to the open water.
Once we reached the optimum surf point, I stopped dragging her, and instead dragged a hand through my damp hair. I hadn’t been surfing today. Just supervising. And yet, I didn’t give a damn. Normally, I’d be itching to catch a wave myself, but watching her have fun seemed to be enough for me.
She squeezed her hair tight and lifted her face to the sky, letting out a contented sigh. “I never thought I’d have so much fun doing something like this.”
“Me either,” I said before thinking it through. Then again, I hadn’t expected to have fun watching her surf. But I did. “I mean, surfing isn’t for everyone. I’m glad you like it so much.”
“I really do,” she said, staring off toward the shore.
I scanned the beach, watching all the tiny people walk around. One in particular caught my eye. She wore a green shirt I’d swear I saw Carrie wear last week. “Uh, Carrie?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you leave a shirt out there?”
She blinked at me. “No…why?”
“I see a girl wearing your shirt. I recognize it. It’s the one you wore to the soup kitchen last week. I made fun of the color and you said—”
“That green was the luckiest color in the world.” She put her hand above her forehead and squinted. “Yeah. That’s mine.”
“Why is she wearing it?”
Carrie dropped her hand and fidgeted with nothing at all. “Every once in a while, I put a box of clothes in the dorm. Anonymously.”
“Why?”
“Because I have too many.”
I shook my head. “Every time I think I know everything there is to know about your giving nature, I discover something new.”
Her cheeks went red. “It’s nothing.” She squinted at the shore. “Oh look. Cory’s out there.”
I stiffened. She and Cory had been spending more and more time together during the week, and that was all well and fucking dandy. But the weekend was supposed to be my time. It wasn’t written down and signed in blood or anything, but it had become our thing, and I didn’t feel like fucking sharing. “Why’s he here?”
“What time is it?” she asked.
I looked at my watch. “Ten-thirty.”
“Shit. I was supposed to meet up with him at ten. I totally forgot. It’s so easy to lose track of the time out here, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t know you had any other plans today.”
“It came up last night. Cory needs tutoring in anatomy, and I offered to help him today.” She dipped her fingers into the water. “I told him we’d meet up after surfing, but I guess when I didn’t show up, he came looking for me.”
“Smart guy like that shouldn’t need help in anatomy,” I mumbled. “Then again, guys like him always do.”
She shot me a look that suggested she wondered if she’d misheard. “Are you upset? I know we normally hang out after surfing, but we have a big test Monday, and I wanted—”
“I’m not upset,” I said, shaking my head at her as if I was amused by the mere idea. But I was upset. This was my day, not Golden Boy’s. “Now get ready, Ginger. Here comes a good one.”
She waved erratically, and Cory waved back. Looking over her shoulder, she started paddling in front of the wave. “See ya at the shore.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
And I would. There was an even bigger wave coming behind hers, and I could ride it out and meet her at the beach. First real wave I would ride all day. As she took off with the baby wave I sent her on, I watched her safely ride it to shore. Once she made it without wiping out, I readied myself for my own ride. As I rode it, slicing in and out with expert precision, I tried not to watch Carrie as she made her way over to Cory on the beach. Once I hit the sand, I purposely took my time walking over to them, watching from a safe distance. She started taking off her wetsuit, and Cory practically convulsed right then and there on the beach.
What a fucking newbie.
He wouldn’t know what to do with Carrie if he got her. Carrie deserved someone more experienced. Someone who would know how to make her scream out in pleasure and wouldn’t completely miss her clit while going down on her. Someone like…me.
I walked up behind Carrie and started stripping. “Hey,” I said, nodding at Cory. “What’s up?”
Cory ripped his eyes from Carrie’s sleek body for all of two seconds to nod in my direction. “Hello. Nice surf out there, huh?”
“Not too bad.” I threw my wetsuit on the sand and shook my hair in Cory’s direction, spraying both Cory and Carrie. Carrie laughed, but Cory gave me a death glare and brushed his hands over his dampened Oxford shirt. “Oops. Sorry.”
“No worries,” Cory said, smiling, but his attention was still on Carrie’s body. Didn’t she see the way Cory ogled her? Did she know how much the boy wanted more from her than mere studying?
Or, my inner voice whispered, maybe she knew it and liked it.
“You should go surfing with us sometime,” Carrie said, her voice muffled from under her short blue sundress she was pulling over her head. “It’s so much fun.”
I snorted. “I don’t think Cory is the surfing type.”
“I beg your pardon.” Cory looked down his nose at me, and I stiffened. “I don’t expect someone like you to know what I do or do not like, thank you, so kindly refrain from voicing your opinions.”
Oh, hell no. No one looked at me like I was gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe and walked away without getting well acquainted with my knuckles. Not since kindergarten. I tightened my fists and advanced on the little fucker. “Oh yeah? Want to know what I do know?”
“No.” Carrie pressed a hand to my chest and I stopped. Just like that. The girl held way too much power over me. “I don’t think Cory meant that as an insult. Did you, Cory?”
“Of course not.” Cory smiled again, just as falsely as the last time. I still wanted to punch him, just as strongly as the last time. “No harm meant, man.”
“My name’s Finn. Not man.”
I looked down at Carrie’s hand, which still rested on my chest. My heart sped up at the sight of it, and my vivid imagination ran wild. I pictured her with her hand on my chest, but it wasn’t innocent. No, it was while I drove her insane with need. My body buried deep inside hers as she cried out my name over and over again.