Pieces Of Us (Angel Sands 6)

“So when the wave gets here I start to paddle with it?”

“Yep, and when you feel your board connecting at the right speed, you stand and let the wave do the rest.”

She nodded, her face serious. “Wish me luck.”

He stood back, crossing his arms over his broad chest as Autumn checked over her shoulder to see how close the wave was. She began to slowly paddle, her long strokes increasing in speed when the swell was a few yards behind her, but she wasn’t fast enough for the wave, and it lifted her before crashing onward, leaving Autumn floating in the flat.

“Don’t worry,” Griff called out to her. “I see another good one coming. You spot it?”

She turned her head and nodded, looking back at him with determination. “Okay, I got it.”

“Start paddling now,” he told her, keeping his eye on the approaching swell. “You’ve got about five seconds until it reaches you.”

Autumn pushed her hands through the water in long, fast strokes, her board moving parallel to the shore.

“It’s here,” he called out. “Stand and try to ride it.”

She slid her feet forward, hands pressed against the flat of the board, then pushed herself to a wobbly stand. For a long moment she surfed along the crest, but then she lurched to the right as the wave began to peak, her body pushed under by the force. Griff swam toward the spot he’d last seen her, frowning when her board surfaced before she did.

“Autumn?” He pulled at the board. It was too light to be attached to her still. Damn! He dove under the water, moving his head to seek her out. His heart began to beat again when he saw her breaking the surface.

She was coughing and spluttering, shaking her head. He swam toward her, gathering her in his arms, smoothing the wet hair from her face.

“You okay?” he asked, frowning as he scanned her for injuries.

“I swallowed water,” she told him between coughs. “And snorted it, too.”

Relief made him want to laugh, but he managed to bite down the urge.

“Did you see that I caught it for a second?” she asked, tipping her head up to meet his gaze.

He grinned. “More than a second. It was at least three.”

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “It felt good, right until my mouth filled up with salt water.”

“You want to go back to the beach?” he asked her. “Try again another day?”

“No. I want to try again now. I want to stand for at least five seconds.”

He cupped her face, his hot gaze meeting hers. “You’re amazing, do you know that? You never let anything defeat you.”

Her lips curled up. “I have a good teacher.”

“Yeah, well this teacher wants to kiss you.” He watched as she glanced to the side. “It’s okay. I can wait until we’re away from prying eyes.”

“When we’re away from prying eyes, I can guarantee we’ll be doing more than kissing.”

“That’s why you’re my kind of girl.”

15

“Did you ask Dad to talk to Josh about something?” Lydia asked over the Bluetooth speaker as Autumn pulled her car into the parking lot of the Angel Sands Beach Club.

“No. Why would I?” She parked in a space a few cars down from the entrance. “I don’t have anything to say to him.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t like Lydia to stop at one word.

“Why do you ask?” Autumn grabbed her purse and checked