Only Her Best Friend - Cami Checketts Page 0,34

for a kiss without waiting for her answer.

She licked her lips. Those full lips were so ready to be kissed by him. He’d waited years for this moment, and it was finally going to happen.

“Um … I’m too pretty for that, and it’s time to swim.” She pulled from his grasp, ran for her bedroom, and slammed the door behind her.

Cruz stood there with disappointment rolling through him. He had less than two weeks to go now. In a way, he knew he’d broken through some of her barriers, and even though he hadn’t gotten the kiss he’d been hoping for, they’d had some decent flirtation. Yet he still feared he couldn’t completely break down Meredith’s barriers before he had to leave.

Chapter Nine

Meredith was calling herself a wimp again and rightly so. Cruz had promised her he wasn’t a player. She knew Cruz well, and she trusted him. Yet she was terrified to kiss him and take their relationship to the next level. She knew what his kiss would do to her. Thirteen years had passed since their last kiss, and it was still affecting her. Would he know it was her if they kissed? What would kissing him do to their relationship? Cruz had promised he wasn’t a player, but he also hadn’t committed to anyone besides his career throughout the past twelve years. Did she really think she was special enough that he’d commit to her? What would that kiss tell both of them? She wanted to kiss him, but she had to somehow overcome all of these concerns.

She walked out of her bedroom in her swimsuit, slid into some flipflops, and walked down to the lakeside. Most of the cabins on the lake had their own dock, but hers hadn’t had one when she bought it. She really didn’t have much use for one since she didn’t have a boat and didn’t fish.

Cruz waited by the lake for her wearing only a swimsuit like he’d promised. Did he think she was an innocent simpleton because she could hardly handle seeing his glorious body without a shirt on? Probably.

His gaze traveled over her, and he let out a shaky breath, pushing a hand through his wavy hair.

“Cruz?” She hurried to his side, worried if he was okay. He looked unsteady and shaken. “What is it?”

He focused on her face and said, “I need to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I teased you about not being able to handle seeing me without a shirt on. Seeing you in only a swimming suit … you’re exquisite, Mer. I completely understand praying for help from the saints above.”

She let out a breathy sigh. She’d seen him in pictures with women wearing suits a hundred times skimpier than this one. Maybe she should’ve questioned if his compliments and sweet words were genuine, but the look on his face and the reverence he spoke with told her volumes. She knew he was telling her the truth. As he’d said earlier, he had never lied to her, and she knew he wasn’t now.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He winked, and his teasing, happy smile returned. “No, thank you.”

Meredith returned his smile and then plunged into the chilly water to cool herself off. Even in August, this mountain lake didn’t get warmer than the low seventies. It was still warm outside, and she was plenty hot from Cruz’s compliments, the look in his eyes, and the incredible way he looked in his swimsuit. She pushed along the spongy bottom until she was waist deep and then dove in.

Cruz caught up to her quickly, and they swam out into the lake. She took in the peaceful evening, the view of the mountains, and the lake. The cool water made her feel weightless, and the joy of simply being with Cruz made her want to break into some cheesy song, if only she could sing.

They stopped a few hundred yards out and treaded water for a while. Meredith kept sneaking peeks at Cruz’s strong, tanned shoulders. “You’re a natural in the water just like Cat, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “Different than Cat. She’s an incredible endurance athlete and swimmer. I usually have a lifejacket on and am skimming on top of the water, but I do love the water.”

“Cat’s helped me be a better swimmer, but I’m definitely not a fish like you two.”

They treaded for a bit longer, and then she started swimming back. It felt good to be out here together, but she’d kind of been hoping for something … more. She