Page 84 of Diesel's Perseverance
“Thanks for bringing me here,” she whispered, slightly leaning into him.
“No worries. I like sharing this”—Diesel waved his hand toward the water—“with you.”
He swept a few stray hairs from her face and smiled.
“This kicks ass,” Throttle said. “Is the water warm?”
“It depends. It can be, or it can be cool. So far this summer, it’s been running on the cool side, like sixty-eight degrees,” Iceman answered.
Diesel chuckled. “Are you planning to take a dip?”
“Nah, just curious,” Throttle said over the rim of his beer bottle.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Diesel asked Myla.
“I’d love to. I’m going to take off my shoes. I love the feel of sand between my toes.”
“We’ll be back in a few,” he said to his brothers.
When they were a short distance away, Diesel tucked her hand in his as they walked. It was so quiet and perfect. He wished he could stay in the moment longer than they had, but he knew it wasn’t possible. Much more still needed to be done: find Freddy, eliminate Cano, and dispose of the snitch.
“Freddy never wanted to walk on the beach with me,” she said.
At the mention of his brother’s name, he let go of Myla’s hand, pretending to scratch an itch on his jawline.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Like I told you, I was mostly left alone in the hotel room when he was doing business. I used to sneak out to Harbor Drive and walk along the bay. It’s beautiful there. You can see Coronado across the bay and the ocean in the distance. I’d scope out the shops at Sea Port Village. Then I’d buy a fish taco, sit on one of the benches, and watch the water. I loved seeing the sailboats and wondered if I’d get seasick if I ever got on one. Silly, huh?”
“No. Getting seasick is probably like getting car sick. A lot of people get that way going over the mountain roads.”
“And the high altitude can make it worse.”
He laughed. “When some of the San Diego members come to Colorado, they gotta keep pulling over to catch their breath on the high passes anytime we ride with them. We always joke that they’re a bunch of pussies.” He bent down, picked up a seashell, and handed it to her.
“That’s so pretty,” she said before tucking it in her pocket. “Do you want to take off your boots and get your feet wet?”
He jerked his head back. “No fuckin’ way. That’s not my scene, but go ahead if you want to.”
Laughter pealed from Myla’s lips. “I didn’t know that was a ‘scene.’ Sometimes you’re so adorable.”
“I’ve never been calledthatbefore,” he said.
Diesel watched her as she rushed to the water and splashed her feet along the frothy edge. He noticed her dark hair glistening in the sun and how her jeans molded to her body. His balls tightened, and he knew he should look away but couldn’t. Myla did something to him. He was captivated by her beauty, sass, toughness, and smile. Damn, that smile lit up her whole face and made him feel things deep inside him.
“The water is cool and refreshing. I love it,” Myla gushed, twirling around with her head tipped back.
“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he said.
Myla strode over to him and smiled. “I’m just happy to be here with you on the beach.” She looped her arm through his, resting her hand on his forearm.
The softness of her touch had him thinking all kinds of nasty thoughts.
“Whatcha thinking?” she asked, looking over at him.
You don’t wanna know.“That we should head back. I see Rags waving his arms at me.”
Myla shielded her eyes with her hand. “I see him. I didn’t realize how far we walked.”
