Beautiful Mess(125)

Bri stopped to admire the two shirtless hunks of man candy rolling around at her feet. She had to admit, it was pretty hot!

“Alright, that’s enough!” Claire stomped over to the boys. “Stop acting like a couple of Neanderthals, and get up!”

After another minute of trying to get in the last shot, the boys finally released each other and stood up, covered in sweat and sand. Bri’s pulse picked up.

“Testosterone,” Claire muttered, shaking her head. She led a slightly reluctant Bri back to their towels.

Cole came over and laid out next to Bri, and it was her turn to ogle him. His black board shorts hung low on his hips, exposing an awful lot of his well-defined chest and abs. That was one view she would never get tired of. Unable to stop herself, she brushed the sand off his abdomen, just wanting to touch him. She smiled when she felt his stomach contract under her hand. It seemed Cole was a little bit ticklish. He opened one eye and caught her gawking at him.

“See something you like, Bri?” He flashed his signature cocky smile.

“Oh, yeah,” she breathed. She tore her eyes away from his body and looked up. Desire darkened Cole’s gray eyes, and his intense gaze held her hostage. It was like she could see everything he wanted to do to her, reflected in his deep eyes. She could feel heat creeping up her cheeks, but she couldn’t look away. She was just about to grab him and pull him to her, when Claire’s voice broke in.

“See Bri, I told you Cole would love it!”

“Love what?” Cole turned to Claire, releasing Bri from his spell.

“That bikini. I was the one who convinced her to get it,” Claire beamed proudly.

Cole turned his eyes back to Bri.

“Claire, I owe you. Big time.” His eyes traveled over Bri again. “In fact, I think I’ll owe you for the rest of my life for this.”

“Told you,” Claire smiled triumphantly at Bri and laid back on her towel.

“So,” Cole cleared his throat. “What do you want to do?” He still had that gleam in his eye, but at least he was trying not to look at her like he was picturing her naked. Bri shook her head. Boys.

“Um, honestly, all I want to do right now is lay out, and read a book. I know that probably sounds boring, but it sounds like heaven to me right now.”

“Okay. Seb and I wanted to go do a little body boarding, if that’s okay?”

“Definitely! Go have fun!”

“I can come get you a little later, if you want to try it?”

“Sure, that sounds great,” she smiled at him.

“Well then, I’ll leave you to relax.” He leaned over and placed a sultry kiss on her lips. “Try not to miss me too much,” he teased.

“Yeah, I’ll work on that,” she quipped back. She slipped on her sunglasses and pulled out her book as Cole and Seb headed out into the waves. Claire followed suit next to her, and the girls laid in companionable silence.

But the sun shining on Cole’s black hair, and glinting off his wet chest, made it much more difficult to concentrate on her book than Bri had planned. In fact, she spent much more time watching Cole in the water, than she did reading. Her attempt at relaxing was anything but.

Giving up on her book, Bri stood and walked out to the water. She let the waves lap up against her ankles as she stood watching Cole. He rode a wave in, picked up his board, and strode towards her. The smug smile on his face as he approached told her that he knew she’d been watching him.

“Couldn’t keep yourself away?” He cocked his eyebrow.

“Technically, you were the one who came to me. I think it’s you who can’t stay away.” She trailed her finger up his chest.

“You’re right about that,” he replied softly, stepping into her. “Take a walk with me?” Cole’s eyes held hers hungrily, and Bri nodded. Dropping his body board in the sand, he took her hand and led her down the beach. Neither of them said anything as they walked. When they were finally out of eyeshot, Cole pulled her to him and kissed her hard.

“Sorry,” he pulled back breathlessly. “But, if I didn’t do that soon I was going to explode.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Bri pulled him in and kissed him back, knowing exactly how he felt. Though he was still damp from the ocean, Bri felt nothing but heat between them.

Cole’s hands skimmed her waist, back, and arms before tangling into her hair, his desire for her consuming him. Bri let her own hands explore his exposed skin, desperate for more of him. The feel of his skin against hers made her knees weak. Cole kissed her like he would never see or touch her again, like he was trying to commit her body to memory.