Page 17 of Cruising for Christmas
“No. Not anymore.”
“Recent breakup?”
“Yep. How about you?” She needed to get the attention off her. Why was he asking so many questions?
“Not in a relationship.” He chuckled. “I guess that’s good for both of us, since it would be extra awkward to share a room, huh?”
She laughed. “That’s true.”
Shay and Ryan approached, completely drenched from head to toe. Shay was much like Ian, in that she was completely fit. While in college, Shay turned into a fitness fiend and spent most of her extra time in the gym. Norah joined her frequently, but not to the extent that Shay enjoyed going. Norah didn’t care about the numbers on the scale. She enjoyed her carbs more than she enjoyed having a perfectly toned body. And she wasn’t ashamed of it.
“You guys should get in the water. It feels amazing,” Shay said.
Ian looked over at Norah once again and popped his sunglasses off. “That sounds great. You coming, Norah?”
His eyes seemed to pierce hers, though she suspected he couldn’t see her eyes through her shades.
“Sure. Sounds fun.” She took her shades off and tossed them on her towel before following Ian down to the water. The waves rolled in and several people jumped through them, letting the water carry them back to the shore before swimming back out to catch another.
Norah looked down at her swimsuit. She wore a black tankini top that settled just above her hips with high-rise bottoms that landed mid belly. It was tasteful, but she didn’t think about the waves. The top cut low on her breasts and didn’t have the tightest fit. When she packed her swimsuits, she only pictured herself getting into a pool. It hadn’t crossed her mind that they may go to a beach and enjoy the sea.
Ian waded into the water, the waves pushing him back a few inches each time one hit him. He turned back to her.
“You coming?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Sure it is. Come join me.”
“Seriously, Ian. Probably not a good idea.”
He walked back out of the water and over to her. “Why?”
“Because this swimsuit isn’t wave-friendly.”
His eyes dipped to her chest before he shifted them out to the water and cleared his throat. She raised an eyebrow.
“Just don’t go in deep,” he said.
She shifted closer to him so the many tourists on the beach around them wouldn’t hear her. “Ian, if I get in that water, there’s a good chance a wave will take my top off.”
Ian’s eyes met her, and she swore his pupils dilated. She must have been imagining it. “I don’t think it would actually pull your top off to the extent that you completely lose it in the water, since it would have to roll right off your body.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I meant my boobs will flop out.”
He stepped closer, and she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. A hard lump formed in her throat.
“I don’t think people here would complain,” he murmured.
Her eyes widened slightly before she stepped back.
What. The. Heck? He isn’t even attracted to me.
She had to have misheard him. Norah jutted her thumb back behind her.
“I’m going to go back up to my lounger and sunbathe. Enjoy yourself.”
She walked away before she could talk herself into staying. But when she looked back, she caught him watching her with an expression on his face she couldn’t decipher.
