“Ummm, thanks,” I force myself to respond.
His lips slide into a smirk as if I’ve amused him.
I need to pull it together before I humiliate myself any further. Although, let’s be honest, that ship has already set sail. Right now, I’m operating strictly in damage control mode.
Is it possible that he hasn’t noticed my awkwardness?
Any chance of clinging to that unlikely prospect is blown out of the water when he tilts his head. “Did you just thank me for admiring your ass?”
All right, so he noticed.
The heat radiating from my face intensifies a few hundred degrees until self-combustion seems likely. Not to mention, welcome.
“Yeah,” I mumble, attempting to rip my gaze from his, but that proves to be impossible. It’s as if I’ve become ensnared by the dark depths assessing me in such a forthright manner. “Apparently I did.”
The sound of his deep chuckle reverberates throughout my entire body before darting straight to my—
“I’m Kingsley.” He steps forward, closing some of the distance between us. His proximity makes my heart pound faster. “And you are?”
Humiliated?
Embarrassed?
Mortified?
It’s a dealer’s choice.
“Summer,” I mutter instead. When you daydream about talking with a really hot guy, this isn’t exactly how you picture it playing out.
Relief rushes from my lungs when his gaze flicks from me to the house I’m standing in front of. There’s something powerful about his stare. It leaves me feeling exposed as if he’s able to pick through all of my private thoughts. It’s a disconcerting sensation. I want to run and hide but my feet refuse to move. I’m frozen in place.
He points to the house on the dunes. “Is that yours?”
“Yes,” I clear my throat along with those disconcerting thoughts, “we’re renting for the week.”
He nods as his attention returns to me where it stays put. That same feeling of nervousness fills me. “Who knows, maybe I’ll see you around, Summer.”
A wave of heat wafts over me at the sound of my name sliding from his lips. I tamp down the response and shrug, trying to play it cool even though it’s much too late for that.
“Yeah, maybe.”
He flashes a wide grin as if not fooled by my nonchalance before taking off at a brisk pace down the beach.
Now that his attention is no longer focused on me, I’m free to look my fill as all those well-honed muscles shift and bunch as he jogs away. We’re talking broad shoulders with a wide, muscular back that tapers into a trim waist. Loose black athletic shorts cover his trunk and thighs. My gaze drops, wanting to commit every detail to memory. Damn, even his calves are well-defined.
There’s no way a guy built like that is in high school. He’s definitely in college. I’d like to know what university he attends so I can submit an application. As his figure grows more distant, I realize that I don’t even care if they offer astronomy as a major.
I chuckle and shake my head at the thought of planning my future around a boy I spoke with for all of two minutes.
Never.
Going.
To.
Happen.
I have plans. Lots of them. And I would never derail a single one for a guy.
No matter how good looking he is.
Once the boy fades from sight, I blink out of my thoughts and head back to the house. In all likelihood, I’ll never see him again.
Chapter Two
As the brightly shining sun climbs in the cloudless sky, I drag my folding chair across the sand to the water’s edge. Once settled, I grab a hardcover book from my bag and open it to the page where I left off. Up until this point, I’ve been devouring every word. But yesterday, I couldn’t focus on a single sentence. How could I when a mental image of the dark-haired hottie kept materializing in my head?
Clearing my throat along with those thoughts, I start at chapter twenty and turn the page. But the words refuse to register, and I can’t remember any of the details that should be fresh in my mind.
Damnation. I’m thinking about him again.
Kingsley.
Interesting name. It sounds so royal.
I glance left and then right, but the beach remains empty. A vast stretch of sand as far as the eye can see. Disappointment settles in the pit of my gut as I fidget restlessly on the chair.
This is ridiculous. I’m here to read and enjoy the sun. Maybe go for a swim. What I’m not doing is waiting around for a boy. Now I have to push Kingsley whatever-the-hell-his-name-is out of my head and focus on spending a little quality time with myself. Which I was perfectly content to do the last couple of days.
“Hey, there.”
I squeak in surprise as my head twists toward the sound of his deep voice. No matter how much I don’t want to admit it, inside I’m doing a happy dance and screaming at the top of my lungs.