The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,64

him and strode over to meet her. “You came. I was afraid you’d decide it was too early.”

Without being obvious, she looked for the scars where Sarah had stabbed him. She’d expected them to be somewhere on his abdomen. But she didn’t see anything—except a slightly more muscular chest than she remembered. “It is early. But you’re right, it’s nice out.”

“Want to walk?”

“For a bit. Then we should get in the water.”

They ambled down the beach for probably half a mile, chatting about the town they’d both grown up in, and old friends and other people they’d known in high school and where those people were now. Autumn eventually found the scars where Sarah had stabbed him on his back, which seemed weird. Had his wife attacked him when he was walking away? Or maybe when he was sleeping?

Autumn wanted to ask. But they were still being careful to avoid talking about Sarah and Nick, and for that Autumn was glad. They’d carved out this magical hour just for themselves; it was too precious to inject anything that might bring guilt or regret.

Quinn stopped near an alcove where they couldn’t be seen from the parking area or main part of the beach. “You ready to get in?”

She pulled off her tank and shorts and dropped them on top of her shoes. Then she ran down the beach, trying to beat him into the water. Once he realized it was a race, he got rid of his own shoes and caught up with her easily enough, and they dove under the waves together so that they could get beyond the churning.

She set out for a rock outcropping she used to swim to when she was younger, where she would get out and soak up the sun away from all the tourists on the beach, and he followed, keeping pace with her. But that rock was much farther than she remembered, and she tired before she could get there.

“I didn’t realize I was this out of shape,” she complained as she stopped and started treading water so she could catch her breath.

“We can take a break,” he said. “We’re not in any hurry.”

Putting her head back, she floated on the water, riding the swells.

“You’re a good swimmer,” he said.

“Better than I let on nineteen years ago,” she responded with a laugh and, catching hold of his arm, tried to dunk him.

She managed to get him under water, but he just pulled her down with him. Then they started wrestling, trying to get the best of each other, and before long, Autumn was so exhausted she couldn’t continue. That they were laughing didn’t help.

“Stop. You’re going to drown me,” she joked.

Catching hold of her, he pulled her up against his chest to give her some support. “Don’t worry, I’m a lifeguard, remember? I’ll save you.”

They both sobered as their gazes locked, and she got the feeling that somehow they’d save each other—that she’d needed this hour with Quinn and hadn’t even known it.

“You’re beautiful,” he said. “You know that, right?”

Not as beautiful as he was, she thought, but she didn’t say it. She just smiled and relaxed, letting him pull her with him toward the shore, until he could stand.

The coldness of the water contrasted sharply with the heat of his body. She wrapped her legs around his hips to battle the current, which threatened to tear them apart, and felt him grow hard—which created such an immediate and poignant desire to suddenly flare up she couldn’t bring herself to stop him when he kissed her.

“I love the way you taste, the way you feel,” he said, closing his eyes.

She broke off the kiss and told herself to stop right there. She’d already kissed him in the car as one last hurrah. But she didn’t pull away. The next thing she knew, she was moving her mouth hungrily down his neck, licking the salt water off his skin, and what she felt—what she’d unleashed of her emotions—gained so much momentum so fast she feared this would soon get out of control.

“I haven’t felt anything like this in so long.” He lifted his hand to untie her top—and even though he looked at her to make sure she wouldn’t mind, giving her the chance to stop him, she didn’t. She wanted to lower his trunks and pull her bikini bottoms to the side so they could join their bodies, knew how wonderful that would feel. When he lifted her slightly and bent his head