“Oh, so much better.” We both burst out laughing. Kalin tugs at my sweatshirt with a lustful look in his eye. I slap his hand away and we finally grab a bite before heading outside.
Kalin grabs my hand and walks me out the back toward the beach. His house is enclosed by a lush lawn and a manicured tree line that separates the main property from the beach. A wooden walkway surrounded by sand and beach grass winds from the tree line to the beach.
The light sea breeze feels so refreshing on my skin. The sound of the birds singing and the ocean waves lapping against the beach soothes me to the core and melts away the tension and stress that have been building up in my body over the past few months. I mentally compare the sounds of Kalin’s beach home with the jarring sounds of sirens, horns, and diesel trucks and the smell of the city air, and breathe in deeply at the thought.
“What?”
“It’s just so beautiful. It’s so much more peaceful than the city. And the smell of the salty air and the wildflowers. It’s just so beautiful.”
“It’s nice to get out of the city.” Kalin tosses the bag down and takes my hand as we stroll toward the beach. There are a few families building sandcastles in the distance, and a handful of surfers scattered in the ocean view. Otherwise, Kalin seems to own this beach.
“So you actually have a deed for this beach?”
“Yes, everything from here to there,” he says, pointing to the general area in front of his five-acre property. “If we drift, no one will sue us. We all have a general understanding.”
“An agreement to own the world?”
“Ha. This can be yours too, Annabelle. I told you, none of this means anything without you.” Kalin’s hand slips across my face. “What do I have to do to show you?”
I place my hand over his. “It just seems too good to be true. The lingering doubts, Kalin. The why.”
“There is nothing more real than what I feel for you, Annabelle.”
“I’m going to get wet.” I fling my clothes onto the beach as I sprint toward the water, bouncing and tangling out of my baggy shorts and tossing them aside. Kalin runs after me, and we dive into the water together. “Oh, my God, it’s warm.”
“Yeah, it is in the summer. Not as warm as Florida, but it’s so nice to be able to get away so quickly, and still be so close to everything.” Kalin eyes me while I do the breaststroke over the waves. “Where are you going?” he asks.
“I’m trying to see if you will save me.”
Kalin powers through the waves in freestyle form and circles toward me. Slipping his feet under the choppy waves, he reemerges in back of me.
“Impressive.” I grin.
He presses his large hands to his face and wipes the rivulets of water dripping from the hair pasted over his forehead. His hands move over my bottom as I glide past him in the water, and he pulls me toward his long body. His powerful kicks keep us both above the surface of the water, and I relax in his arms. “Are you protecting me or your investment?”
A deep laugh escapes him and caresses my ears with the gentle breeze. “My investment? Oh, Annabelle.”
“What?” I pout.
“I have yet to persuade you.”
“I like being here with you, Kalin. I just keep thinking…”
Before I could finish, Kalin’s mouth comes down on mine. His tongue traces my lower lip, and he tastes like salt and summer and cinnamon. I want more of him, and just as soon as the thought appears, he presses his lips to mine. The sensation washes over me like the ocean around me, caught in something bigger than I can fight against. His strong hands push my body against his while his mouth devours me. The friction of his legs kicking in the water with his body wrapped around mine causes a delightful and sensual heat to course through my body. My body is tingling with desire from the warmth of his possessive embrace. When he pulls away from me, my eyes are held captive by the fire in his eyes.
“Annabelle, if I were not falling in love with you, you wouldn’t be here.”
I catch my breath and shake my head. “Oh, c’mon Kalin. How many girls have you had at this playboy hideaway?”
Kalin exhales a laugh and brings me closer to him. “You’re impossible.”
His arms squeeze me close to him so that I can only squirm in his strong, warm embrace. “I can’t move,” I protest.
“Good, now stop talking.” His mouth crashes down on mine again, and all of the resistance that I feel melts away with his kiss. Damnit! The salty water laps at our bodies, and mixes with our kiss. I pull away from his kiss and regain my mental balance. I want to know the truth. No one can do what Kalin can do to a woman without lots of practice. “Kalin, how many?”