“I just really want you to get your brains fucked out once.”
“I hate you.”
“Have a tongue shoved between your thighs early in the morning.”
“Goodbye, Eris.”
“Have a man grab your hair and—”
Kallie hung up on her best friend, but she quickly decided her friend was right. St. Barts was supposed to be her new beginning, and if a rebound was part of the process, then she owed it to herself to get as much of the process out of the way as possible. She wanted to go back home after two weeks and be ready to pick up the rest of the pieces of her life. Deal with whatever fallout was waiting for her. And she couldn’t do that if she was still brokenhearted over James.
It was time for her to erase that man from her legacy and keep trucking.
Kallie cleaned herself up and strapped on her new red bikini. She was feeling a morning dip in the ocean, then she would make her way over to the beachside cabana. If she saw the cute bartender again, this time she would let him take her to dinner.
Maybe she would even initiate it this time.
Kallie swam until the sun was hanging high in the sky. She enjoyed the way the water felt along her skin. It made her feel whole again. Reborn. Baptized into a new life she was ushering in for herself. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her waist, then tousled her hair as she grabbed her purse and padded over to the bar. She walked over to one of the tables and sat down, trying to act as if she was simply gazing out into the ocean.
But she was disappointed when there was someone else besides that cute bartender working.
Kallie turned out toward the ocean and figured she couldn’t take up space underneath the Cabana. She didn’t want any sort of afternoon drink again after what happened the previous day, so she grabbed her purse and headed out toward one of the beach umbrellas. They were all looking out toward the ocean and the lounge chairs were luxurious, breaking just slightly beneath her body before cradling her close. She reached into her purse and pulled out a book she was reading, then unwrapped her body to watch some sun while she lost herself between the pages.
But just beyond her book, there was a surfer tackling a big wave.
She was distracted by his languid movements. How he guided his board through the water. He was lost in a tunnel of crystal-clear mirrors before exiting the other side, and Kallie’s book slowly fell to her lap. She watched the surfer ride all the way to the shore before she furrowed her brow.
That reddish hair.
Those hazel eyes.
Kallie was shocked to find the languid surfer was her bartender.
His hazel eyes connected with hers and she held her breath. She watched recognition sweep over his face as he walked out of the ocean. His board was tucked underneath his long, lean arm, and her eyebrows hiked high on her head when she realized he was moving toward her.
Walking to her.
Approaching her as she sat in her bikini on the beach.
Chapter 6
Ash
That red bikini called to Ash even as he entered the tunnel of water. He could see it blaring through the crystal-clear waters as they caved in on him, and when he exited the pipe his eyes were still drawn to it. The color was distracting against the sandy white beaches and the muted bathing suit colors, but in all the best ways. He squinted his eyes as he stood to his feet, the waves almost knocking him over.
Holy shit.
“Pretty Kallie,” he whispered to himself.
He wasn’t letting her get away this time. He shoved his board underneath his arm and held it close to his body, his eyes not letting up on hers. She saw him coming. He knew she recognized him. He walked up to her as she rested against the lounge chair and he couldn't take his eyes off her. The roundness of her hips or the thickness of her thighs. The way her breasts hung against her body and the way her waist dipped in at a salacious angle. He forced himself to keep a hold on her gaze while studying her body from the corners of his vision.
How he wanted to get his hands on her.
Just one.
“Well hello, Pretty Kallie.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?” she asked as she put her book down.