Her chuckles turned into laughter, but she waved me off and turned her slicer back on. “You have fun. I’ll just be here.”
Vowing to find out from Lincoln if he had a friend I might be able to introduce to mine, I lifted my phone and tapped out my reply.
Me: Glad you decided to get over it and use my number. What beach? What time? I’m in.
Sure, I probably sounded more eager than I should have, but who cared? I sure as hell didn’t. I wanted to have fun, not play aloof games all summer.
Chapter 11
Lincoln
Sunlight reflected off the azure blue water of the bay, warming my skin as I lay back on my towel. I propped myself up on my elbows and surveyed the beach from behind the protective cover of my sunglasses.
It had been ages since I’d last done this. Relaxing on the beach was a summer staple, but I hadn’t gotten around to doing it for a long time.
The smell of the sea, sunscreen, and fried foods from the trucks parked along the promenade wafted in the air. Waves lapped gently at the shore. Children played while adults lounged or chased after the smaller kids.
I took a deep breath, appreciating having the opportunity to visit the beach on a day like this. Lazily checking out the action all around me, I contemplated joining in a game of volleyball being started by some guys not too far away.
I canned the idea when I saw Sofia winding her way through the crowd. Her hand shielded her eyes from the sun, even behind her sunglasses, as her head turned up and down the stretch of sand we were on.
I lifted my hand to give her a wave when she looked in my direction again. I knew she’d seen me when a sudden smile lit her face. My head wasn’t the only one that turned for her as she strolled down the beach.
Even the guys a little way down had stopped their huddle prior to the volleyball game kicking off when one of them had pointed her out to the others. A slight pang of jealousy stirred in my gut when I noticed them staring, but I couldn’t exactly blame them for it. Also, I had no reason to feel jealous.
On the other hand, she was my date for the day, so maybe I did. Deciding to go with that option, I stood up and tossed them a scowl before turning back to face her. One shoved his shoulder into another one when he saw me, and they went back to their game.
Sofia really did look incredibly fucking sexy, though. If she hadn’t been here with me, I’d also have kept sneaking glances at her like they were.
She wore a white wide-brimmed hat with a black ribbon around its base. Her hair and sunglasses were the same inky color, while a white sundress-coverlet thing covered her body. I wasn’t sure what it was called, but it was made from that beachy material that was translucent enough that I could see the turquoise swimsuit she wore beneath it.
A part of me, one that was very happy to see she’d shown up, wished she’d worn a bikini. Instead of that, though, it was more of a contraption-looking thing. It was a one-piece but not in the way that made her look like she was either eight or on her way to a swim meet.
The top of it looked like a sexy, low-cut bra, which was linked to the bottoms with panels and cutouts and a whole lot of thin, strappy-looking things hanging from her neckline to her hips. It looked like it would be a bitch to get off, but I felt like I’d be able to get the job done. I knew it would be worth it.
Over her shoulder was a gigantic bag that matched her swimwear and she clutched a pair of sandals between her fingers. With that radiant smile still on her lightly glossed lips, she was fucking beautiful.
“Hey, Linc,” she called in an almost lyrical voice when she got close enough. To anyone else, it would look and sound like we’d known each other for years.
There wasn’t a trace of nervousness in her body or voice or the fact that she’d just called me by my nickname again. Familiarity usually bothered me when it wasn’t real, but with her, it felt real enough.
My mouth spread into a grin, and I pulled my sunglasses off to let her see my eyes roaming down the length of her body. “Looking good, Cantor. I’m suddenly glad I didn’t lose your number.”
She pushed her own sunglasses down to the tip of her nose, let her gaze linger on my abs and below, and lifted her lips in a slight smirk. “You and me both. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure you were going to call.”
“Technically, I didn’t call.” I took her towel when she fished it out of her bag, taking a step back to spread it out beside mine.
Sofia nodded her thanks, sat down on the edge of it, and twisted to look up at me with her hand shielding her eyes again. “True. Okay. I wasn’t sure you were going to make telephonic contact of any manner with me.”
“Neither was I,” I admitted as I lowered myself down again.
I only just made out her eyebrow lifting between the rim of her glasses and the edge of her hat. “Really? Daddy Darling scares you that much, huh?”
“Daddy Darling?” I laughed. I had to. I couldn’t hold it back. Not only because I had to wonder what the other guys would say if they heard she called him that, but also because if they were close enough for her to call him that, I should never have sent that fucking text. “I think this might have been a mistake.”
A tiny fist connected with my bicep. It didn’t hurt, but
