Page 33 of Crashing Into You

“So where was she?”

“Well, I couldn’t get hold of her, and then I got worried, which is when I messaged you, and I was about to get in the car and go over there when she rang me. Apparently she left her phone at home when she went to school. No need to worry.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ve seen her, seen how well she looks. How well she’s doing with school and everything.”

“She did look well. She’s still thin, though.”

“She’s built like me, you know that. Look, I’m sorry I worried you, especially when you’re working. I’ll let you go.”

“Mum, I’m here if you need me. Do you want me to come back down tonight?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. It’s all good. You enjoy yourself. Come and see us this weekend. Maybe bring Claire with you?”

“If you’re sure… You need to be honest with me, Mum. I can take it.”

“I’m fine,” she says, sounding bright. “Honestly. It was just a mix-up. You know how jumpy I get with all this.”

“All right.” Jeff is outside the window, beckoning to me. I’m loath to hang up, though. “If you’re sure.”

“I am. Go and have fun. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Love you, Mum.”

“Love you too.”

I hang up, though disquiet curls in my gut. Maybe itwasjust a mix-up with Millie’s phone. We have to learn to trust her again, like we used to, even though it’s not easy. I’ll take Claire down to meet Mum and Mil, I decide. That way I can check on them both, and it’ll be nice for Claire to meet my family.

I tell myself this as I leave the room, heading downstairs to meet Claire and Jeff in the Ocean’s Curl store. Claire is clutching a couple of new towels, thanks to Lexie, and all I can think about is being in cool water with her again, letting my worries drift away. But now I have a job to do. Claire snuggles up to me for some promo shots, then squeals as I dip her backwards again under the wave, burying my face in the curve of her neck. She smells like flowers and butterscotch, and I swipe my tongue across her soft skin. For the photos, of course.

But she’s panting a little when we straighten up, and her eyes have that slight dazed look again. She stays in my arms, her hand on my chest, gazing up at me. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.

I relinquish her, eventually, to Jeff and Lexie, and start greeting the long line of people in the store. The hour passes quickly, thank fuck, and soon enough we’re out in the car park. The photographers Jeff arranged are gone, but a few people take shots of me and Claire as we pull onto the road. I’m glad when we’re free of them and it’s just me and Claire and the road unspooling like a ribbon alongside the blue silk ocean. My thoughts are tangled, and I need a minute to sort things out.

Claire seems to get it, gazing out the window, one elbow bent on the sill, her ocean eyes hidden behind dark glasses. She got changed at the store, and is wearing only her new bikini and rash top, which is really fucking distracting. I wrench my focus back to the drive and try to figure out my next steps.

Kiss Claire. As many times as she’s happy for me to.Okay. I can’t seem to get past that step, though, thoughts of where that kissing might lead making me shift in my seat. I guess bringing her to meet Mum would be next. I have to wonder, though, why I’m doing that, when this is a fake relationship that’s only going to last until the end of the month. It’s a question I’m finding difficult to answer.

I realise we’re already almost back at Fairhaven. I’ve driven this road so many times I didn’t really notice where we were, driving on autopilot. Claire is still looking out the window, wind tousling her long hair. There’s silence between us, but it’s comfortable, like she knows I needed that time to sort myself out. My chest warms, and I can’t resist touching her bare thigh once more.

“You sure you still want that swim?”

She turns to me, her lips curving. “Yes.”

Have I mentioned I want her? Because I fucking do. But I also like just having her around me. And that’s terrifying and exciting at the same time.

My life is pretty messed up at the moment, and I probably shouldn’t be bringing people into it. But in this instance, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.

Claire

Bryce parks the car, turning off the engine. There’s no sound but the hiss and roar of the ocean, the occasional swish of a car going by. It’s peaceful, the headland rising as the road continues, curving around it. The sun is still bright, and there are a few people in the water, the car park pretty full.

I’m worried about Bryce. I don’t know how someone I didn’t even know a week ago has got under my skin so quickly, but I can’t deny it. I saw his expression drop when he got that text, and I know something is wrong. But it’s none of my business. So, sensing he needed space to sort out his thoughts, I kept quiet on the way back to the beach, enjoying the wind on my skin, the scent of salt and eucalyptus. And if my thoughts drifted back to our kisses again, to the absolutely electric moment when I felt his tongue on my neck and immediately wondered how it would feel elsewhere on my body, I suppose no one can blame me for that.

A swim will clear my head and, hopefully, chase some of his shadows away. If he wants to talk to me about whatever’s going on with him, I’ll listen, of course I will. And if he doesn’t, then I can’t be offended. I need to remember that in three weeks’ time he’ll walk away and all this will be a memory. The pain in my chest at the thought of our inevitable end is just a sign I’m getting too involved too quickly. I need to pull back and keep things professional, remember what we’re both supposed to be doing.

So, as we get out of the car, I pull him close to me for a couple of selfies, kissing him on the cheek. But I’m surprised when he turns, pulling me to him, his mouth descending on mine once more. My hand drops, my phone forgotten as his tongue tangles with mine, my entire body tingling and hyper-aware of the hard muscular form pressed against it. His hands travel down my back, cupping my ass, his touch heating my skin. The fabric between us feels far too thin and, at the same time, totally in the way. Holy shit. How am I going to get through this month without catching feelings? It might already be too late for that.