Page 11 of Starting Back
“Not at all,” I said on a hoarse whisper with a slow shake of my head. “You’re gorgeous. You just overwhelmed me for a minute.”
She pursed her lips, a blush bleeding into her cheeks as she rolled her eyes.
“I bet you say that to all the tourists.” She crossed her arms, pushing up the swells of her breasts.
“I actually don’t. I don’t ask to see any of them again after hours either.” I laughed and held out my hand. “I’m just going with it. Want to come along with me?”
She eyed my hand for a minute before she took it, the same spark igniting my blood when her skin grazed against mine.
“Sure. It’s vacation, right? It’s okay to have fun and go along with the unexpected—at least that’s what you told me this afternoon.”
“And I still mean it tonight. We can grab a towel and find a spot on the sand.” I nodded toward where guests were already settling into spots in front of the screen toward the beach.
“That’s a nice setup,” she mused, still holding my hand as I grabbed a towel from the pile next to the mobile bar and grill on the beach.
This was the first time I’d been to a movie night and not had to manage the main bar or assist the waitstaff on the beach, but now that I had the time to take it in and appreciate it, it was a pretty sweet setup.
The large screen was well secured on the sand, and the scent of tacos and tequila wafted along the beach. There were no barriers between towels, but sharing one with Kristina seemed intimate enough, like a true first date. A date I asked for so damn fast I made my own head spin.
“I guess they have to pay attention to high and low tide when they plan this.” She chuckled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as it blew in the breeze. “What are they showing?”
“Dirty Dancing,” I said, finally dropping her hand to smooth the towel along an empty spot I found on the sand. “They usually show older, summer-themed movies, and it’s an adults-only event so they don’t have to keep it that PG.”
“Appropriate.” She shook her head, laughing to herself.
“Why, you don’t like that movie?” I tried to give her a smile despite the sting from the intrusive memory floating through my head. My mother had always pushed my father to dance with her whenever this movie came on TV, my father playfully grumbling before he eventually agreed, and both of them laughed every time he’d dip her.
I shook my head to try to erase the picture and the sadness that inevitably came along with it whenever I thought of my parents.
“I do, but it’s a little poignant for me at the moment. Baby let loose on vacation like I’m at least trying to do. Except it’s with a handsome firefighter slash bartender at my vacation resort and not a dance instructor in the Catskills, which is fine since I can’t attempt any of that.” She tilted her chin to the blank screen before plopping down onto the towel.
“So, you’re saying you want to letloosewith me tonight?” I teased as I settled next to her.
“I didn’t mean to get your hopes up terribly high, so apologies for that. But trust me. Just being here with you right now, besides being here to begin with, is me lettingveryloose.” Her smile was bashful as she slipped off her sandals and dug her feet into the sand. “Thanks for the push.”
“You’re welcome.” I inched closer to her. “So, I’m handsome?”
Her eyes narrowed as she shot me a glare. “Like you don’t know. I imagine you own a mirror. And thank you. I haven’t heard gorgeous since…since a while.”
“I can’t believe that, but you should.” My voice took a husky dip. “You should hear it all the time.”
Her head shot up, and I spied another blush fill her cheeks before they dimmed the lights to start the movie.
“I think you’re trouble, Leo,” she whispered.
“Iknowyou’re trouble, Kristina.” I pushed away the lock of hair that blew across her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, both of us sucking in the same breath when our eyes met.
Like the pull I couldn’t understand and the rush from being in her presence that I couldn’t figure out, this was the start of something. It would end either tonight or before she left, but I had a strong feeling—to go with all the other feelings clouding my judgment over the past couple of hours—neither of us would be able to stop it.
FOUR
KRISTINA
“Iactually think I caught you relaxing there for a bit,” Leo said, his mouth twisting into a smirk as he folded the towel.
“I always loved that movie. This is the first time in a long time I was able to watch it without worrying if one of my kids would burst in during a good part.” I picked up my sandals and followed Leo off the sand. “Not that it’s terribly racy when they show it on TV.”
“See, your solo vacation is working out already.” Leo tossed the towel on top of the pile, placing his hand on the small of my back to lead me off the beach. “Still hungry?”
