Page 48 of Between the Boards
I blink. “What?”
“Don’t fight them,” he shrugs. “Not if it costs you more than it’s worth.”
I stare at him, completely thrown. “Is this some sort of reverse psychology tactic?”
“Let me do it for you instead,” he says, ignoring me. “Let them say whatever they want about me; I don’t care,” he adds, his voice quieter as he takes a step closer. “I’m just a sub anyway.”
My breath catches, heat creeping up my neck and settling in my cheeks.
“If someone’s going to come at you sideways like that,” he continues, holding my gaze, “then I’ll be the one to say something every single time. I’ll be your shield.”
My heart thumps loudly in my chest, and I’m positive he can hear it too.
“I don’t need you to do that,” I murmur.
“I know,” he says, fighting a small smile. “But I’m going to anyway.”
I feel strange as I hold his gaze—too aware of the way he’s looking at me. I force myself to look away, shaking my head to try and brush away the feelings coursing through me.
“Great,” I say. “Now I have a fake boyfriendanda personal bodyguard. Love that for me.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh beside me. “Get used to it, beautiful.”
I roll my eyes, but the corner of my mouth betrays me as it lifts slightly, and for the first time since seeing my score, the weight in my chest eases just a fraction.
SIXTEEN
COLTON
“Men’s heat is up next,”Gabriel calls out to us, but my focus is still stuck on the look Kairi had when she saw her bullshit score and the anger I feel for her.
I drag a hand down my face and roll my shoulders, trying to shake it off, but it sits heavy in my chest, simmering just beneath the surface.
“Yo, you good?” One of the new guys, Josh, asks as we head toward the water together.
“Yeah.”
I glance back toward the canopy, seeing that Kairi is sitting in the shade speaking with Gabriel.
“Alright, men, let’s see what you’ve got!” the announcer booms over the speakers. “Current standings have the Saltwater Shredders just shy of first place, and this heat could change everything!”
We all line up at the shoreline, the ocean stretching out in front of us as clean sets roll in. The horn sounds again and I take off, sprinting into the water and tossing my board down, diving forward in one smooth motion. Cold saltwater crashes over my head, but I barely register it as I start paddling hard and fast.
By the time I hit the lineup, my lungs are already burning, but I don’t care. I sit up on my board, scanning the horizon and waiting for the perfect wave, and when I spot a set start to build in the distance, bigger than the last few I’ve seen, my pulse kicks up and I turn.
“Colton’s in position!” I hear the announcer call. “Let’s see what he does with this one!”
I paddle hard, digging deep, timing the swell as it lifts beneath me. I pop up right on time, dropping fast down the face as the wave steepens beneath me. Everything around me narrows and my focus kicks into overdrive as I drive straight into a deep bottom turn, loading up with everything I’ve got, compressing low and feeling the power coil through my legs.
I go faster and higher than I ever have before, hitting the lip hard and launching the board completely out of the water, fins clearing the lip as I throw it into a full rotation, my body following through the air as the crowd noise spikes.
“Oh my—” the announcer gasps. “Colton with a massive rotation off the lip! But can he land it?”
Time stretches and for a split second I feel weightless. I bring the board down clean, reconnecting with the face of the wave, my knees bending to absorb the impact before I drive straight into another section.
I’m not holding back today, my rage for what Kairi has been going through fuels me.
I snap more vertical this time, spray exploding behind me before I carve back down and ride it out all the way to the inside. The wave fizzles beneath me as I step off into the shallows, chest heaving.
