“Oh. So, if I go out there and flirt with her, you won’t give a damn?”
“Good luck with that. She probably hates you now.” Carrie splashed into the water, sending droplets my way. “As a matter of fact, I might have to watch you get rejected. It’ll be funny and good for your ego.”
I stared at her. “Is that a challenge?”
“No.” She eyed me. “Knowing you, she’d be in your bed by nighttime. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I tensed. She made me sound like a manwhore, and I wasn’t. I wasn’t a virgin, but I didn’t sleep around either. “Because I’ve given you reason to believe I’m a manwhore?”
“Stop asking me rhetorical questions.”
I gripped my board tighter than I should have, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to scream. “That wasn’t rhetorical. I’d love to know why you think I’d bring her home with me mere days after we broke up.”
“You brought me home.”
I rolled my eyes and fought against the huge wave trying to knock me down. “Oh, well, then I must be a whore. If I’ll bring you home, anyone will do.”
She whirled on me. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Wave.”
“What?”
A wave knocked into her, throwing her in my arms. I caught her, stumbling back a bit before I caught my own balance again. As soon as I gained my footing, she quickly shoved out of my arms. “Wave,” I repeated.
“I noticed.” She shoved her damp hair out of her face. “Thanks for the warning.”
I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic, so I nodded. “Might want to face outward from now on.”
“Gee, thanks for the pro tip.” Another wave crashed into us, and she stumbled back. I started to reach for her elbow, but she shot me a supersonic death glare. “I’m fine. Stop protecting me.”
“It’s my job. Don’t want my help? Go over there.” I pointed to a crowded spot in the ocean. “They won’t give a damn if you wipe out.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m staying here.”
“Thought you didn’t want to be near me.”
Did her chin go even higher? Yep. It did. “I don’t, but I refuse to run away just because you’re here.”
“Lucky me,” I drawled.
Another big wave came, and she stumbled backward again. I swallowed the sense of premonition creeping up. The ocean was perfect for me today, but for a novice like Carrie, it could be a deathtrap. If she got taken under by a monster wave, I might not be able to reach her in time.
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “Why do you look like someone might take away your favorite toy?”
I shook my head. “I was quiet. That’s all.” Another wave came, and I made a big show of getting knocked back. “Wow, the waves are pretty rough. Maybe we shouldn’t surf today.”
She eyed all the other surfers, who were smiling and laughing and catching waves. They weren’t exactly helping my cause. “They all look fine to me.”
“They’re idiots for being out here in this. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I grabbed her elbow. “Let’s go back to the shore.”
She jerked free. “No.”
“Carrie—”
“No.” She kept going farther into the ocean. I could tell by the way she stomped through the water that I wouldn’t win this one. “Now go away. You’ve got an appointment with Jesus, and he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
I squared my jaw. “It’s too dangerous for a newbie like you.”
“For your charge, you mean?” She glanced back at me over her shoulder. “Oh well. You’ll be earning your keep today, guard.”
Fine. She wanted to be like that? She could be like that. I followed her, muttering under my breath, “After you, boss.”
Looked as if my day of planned solitude was off. I wouldn’t get the brief time of no one bossing me around or bugging me. Instead, I’d have to save her life time and time again. If she went and tried to drown on me, I’d rescue her and then throttle her little ass for being so damn reckless.
Once I got out into the ocean, I straddled my board, determined not to let Mr. Worrywart take the fun out of my morning. It had been a long, painful week and I needed to let go. Needed to relax. But then he came. I knew there was an easy fix to this annoyance. Knew I could swim away from him, and our entire interaction would be over. But if I did that, he might start flirting with Bimbo Bambi again. And for some reason I didn’t want to name right now, thank you very much, I didn’t want him talking to her.
Or looking at her.
Or thinking about her.
No big deal, right? Right.
He paddled closer to me and gave me a long, hard look. “So, where’s Lover Boy today?”
Lover Boy? As if. “Don’t you call him Golden Boy?”
“Yeah, I did, but I changed my mind lately. Where is he?”
“He’s not the surfing type,” I said simply.
The truth was, I hadn’t invited him. Why would I? This wasn’t his thing. It was mine. Besides, I had been spending way too much freaking time in his company lately. He was a perfect gentleman. He didn’t do a single thing wrong. Never lost his temper or fought with me. Never called me annoying nicknames. He treated me like a princess.
Turns out, I didn’t like being treated like a princess.
I liked annoying surfer boys who lied to me.
“No kidding,” he said dryly. “I never would’ve guessed that.”
“Talk to Jesus, not me.”
“I can’t. I only talk to him when I’m alone.”
I saw a wave coming in the distance, but quickly realized it would be too big. I knew not to ride the huge ones. Knew I was a novice at best. He worried for nothing. Small correction—he worried about me because he was paid to do so.
“You get this one.”
He hesitated. “You going to be okay alone?”
“Yes, yes.” I rolled my hand in a sweeping gesture. “Just go.”
He gave me one last look before paddling forward. Despite my annoyance with him, I couldn’t help but watch in admiration. He sliced through the wave as if he was born on a surfboard, and he made it look damned sexy. Effortless too. I could sit here all morning, watching him surf.
Talking to him. Fighting with him. Kissing him…
God, what was wrong with me? Why was I still thinking about him like this after what I’d found out? After knowing he’d been paid to get close to me? To fool me into liking him. I was sick. I would never have believed myself possible of such weakness before Finn.
By the time he made his way back, I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. He grinned at me and shook his head like the dog he was. Droplets landed on my nose, and I swiped them off. “That was a great one.”
I clucked my tongue and kept staring straight ahead. Not looking at him. “I saw.”
“You okay?” he asked after a moment’s hesitation.
“I’m freaking wonderful.”
I checked over my shoulder, but it didn’t look like any waves of an appropriate size would be coming anytime soon. Maybe he’d been right, and I should’ve left, but then I’d have to admit defeat to him…and I wasn’t willing to do that. Not ever again, if I could help it.
He looked out at the ocean too, his brow furrowed. “We could just head in. You can try tomorrow.”
“Not happening. I’m riding at least one wave before I go home.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” he said, his voice low. “We both know you’re good at surfing, but that’s exactly why you can’t take one of these. You know you’re not ready.”
“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” I said, my grip on my board tight. “I’ll take whatever wave I want, whenever I want it, and you can’t do a darn thing to stop me.”
“The hell I can’t,” he snapped, throwing his left leg over the side of his board. “Watch me.”