Walk on the Wild Side. Natalie Anderson

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      ‘And you think I’m going to wear it?’

      ‘The store didn’t stock sunscreen. And I’m betting you don’t have any in that uselessly small bag of yours.’

      No, she didn’t. Because she always, always, always stayed in the shade. Resigned, she took the wide-brimmed monstrosity of a hat from him and slapped it on her head.

      ‘I have a wrap for your shoulders, too.’

      She took the long stretch of cloth and reminded herself to avoid looking in his eyes. They made her want to smile too much. And they were filled with a fire she longed to feel on her flesh. Crazy—she definitely needed a day to recharge.

      ‘I had the feeling you’d like the colour.’

      It was jet black. Like every item of clothing she already had on.

      ‘How astute of you.’ She wrapped it around her shoulders and walked a few paces. Then she stopped. ‘How am I supposed to walk on this?’

      ‘Maybe you should take your other shoe off. Get your feet wet.’

      ‘Get my feet dirty, you mean.’ She looked at the sand and barely suppressed a shudder. ‘I hate the beach. All the little biting insects come to get me. You can see them circling overhead, ready to dive-bomb and sink their teeth in.’

      ‘You must have sweet blood.’

      ‘Now who’s the one sounding like a vampire?’ She had to send him an arch look. ‘I don’t like sand either. It sticks everywhere and my skin gets itchy.’

      ‘Guess we won’t be rolling in the waves, then, huh?’

      ‘Pardon?’ She stopped walking.

      ‘Surfing,’ he explained, the twinkle gleaming brighter in his eyes. ‘You don’t want to surf? I know where I can get a couple of wetsuits.’

      ‘I don’t surf and I definitely don’t wear wetsuits.’ She shuddered even more obviously.

      He laughed. ‘Next you’ll be telling me you don’t even swim in the sea.’

      ‘Never,’ she admitted with embarrassment. ‘I’d rather be in a private pool.’

      ‘With all those chemicals?’

      OK, so she knew she was pathetic. But she couldn’t resist sparring with him a little. ‘Isn’t the sea more polluted?’

      ‘Not this bit of beach.’

      She put her hand to her heart in drama academy style. ‘But there might be sharks.’

      ‘Or friendly dolphins.’

      ‘Jellyfish.’ She fluttered her fingers in his face.

      ‘Starfish and shells to admire.’ He caught her hands and held them still in front of him, smiling widely. ‘Face it, you can’t win on this. Nature might bring its dangers, but its beauty makes them worth the risk.’

      Kelsi couldn’t think of another argument—too distracted by the marvel of nature right in front of her. What with the sea/sky-blue eyes and the slightly shaggy dark hair and the golden skin, he was quite the gorgeous surfie type. Easygoing and relaxed in nature but with no fat, just pure, lean muscle in his body—she could feel his potential strength even from the light grip he had on her.

      Anticipation licked through her. She hadn’t been in the company of anyone so attractive in a long, long time. OK, ever.

      Pure guy candy.

      She suddenly realised she was breathless—almost panting—and they hadn’t even begun the slight climb over the sand dune down to the water. She pulled her hands free of his and made herself stop visually feasting on him. It was a wonder she wasn’t drooling. She knew she was blushing so she made a show of looking around so he couldn’t see the stain rising on her cheeks.

      There wasn’t another car in the car park, and not another soul on the small curve of beach. No boats in the distance on the horizon. They could have been the only two people on all the earth for all she knew.

      It was a surprisingly liberating thought.

      When she turned back he kicked off his shoes and pointedly stared at the one left on her foot. She sighed but removed the darn thing, ignoring how nice the soft, warm sand felt as her toes sank into it.

      This was crazy. Totally crazy. She was at a remote beach with a complete stranger. She was in the sun.

      But it was heavenly.

      She glanced at him as he strolled easily beside her. His limp was almost imperceptible now—thank goodness. But he was grinning like a wolf who knew everything.

      ‘What?’ She pulled herself together and tried to recover her wits.

      He laughed then and she knew it was too late—she was already succumbing to the power of the environment. Even though she knew the sand flies were lining up preparing their attack, even though she could already feel the burning power of the sun. What did it matter when her lungs could fill and stretch with fresh, clean air? What did it matter when she was accompanied by a guy who was like a summer sprite—full of fun and sun and sexiness?

      The hard ball of stress wedged just above her stomach softened. The office was miles away, computers miles away, pressure miles away. Instead there was just the beautiful blue of the sea and the sky stretching as far as she could see. And the warmth under her feet and on her skin thawed the cold inside her, too.

      She walked to the edge of the water, aware that a metre or so away he’d taken a few steps into it so the waves lapped over his ankles. She turned away from him, gazing at the bronze hills behind them and then back to the deep blue but, all the while, so incredibly aware of the picture of male beauty he made. She walked alongside the edge, listening to the gentle splashes his feet made as he walked two paces to the side and behind her.

      ‘So what’s your favourite season, then?’ he asked suddenly. ‘Winter, right?’

      ‘Yes.’ She grinned at her own predictability.

      ‘Mine, too.’

      ‘No way.’ Surprised, she turned and walked backwards to look at him.

      ‘Yeah.’ He nodded. ‘I spend my life chasing winter.’

      She frowned. ‘But you’re so tanned.’

      He laughed. ‘Because I’m here for the summer recovering. ’ He bent and rubbed his hand over his knee. ‘This is an old injury—you didn’t do that with the car before.’

      ‘Really?’

      ‘I had an operation a couple weeks ago. I’m about to go for a rehab stint in Canada. Get back into training.’

      ‘Training for what?’

      He grinned a little sheepishly. ‘I snowboard.’

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