Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
But as she caught his gaze, she saw the fear in his eyes, and she vowed to keep her lust in check and give Hersch the support he needed to get back in the water. Even if it was exquisitely painful not to lean over and lick those muscles.
He pulled on the wetsuit, and she asked, “How does it feel to be back in a wetsuit?”
She could see Hersch was trying to steady his thoughts, and then he nodded. “It’s okay. It doesn’t feel as bad as I thought.” There was a pause, and he added quietly, “Maybe because you’re here with me.”
She let herself beam. “I can’t take the credit. This is all your courage. And it’s a great first step back to the water.” She allowed herself to touch him lightly on the shoulder.
After a tantalizing moment, Hersch said, “I didn’t mention this last night, but in one of your surfing videos, I saw you’d just won a championship, in Australia.”
She nodded. It had been a proud moment in her career. “Surfest in Newcastle.”
Now he looked a little perturbed. “I was watching it, and you were being interviewed and holding up your trophy, and then some guy muscled his way in and kissed you.”
She felt the glory of that recalled moment immediately start to fade. “That was Travis.” She’d have left it at that, but he glanced up at her.
“Travis?”
This was not something she was prepared to talk about with Hersch. Or anyone ever. She sighed. She’d already told him secrets she’d never told anybody else. But maybe another glimpse of her past wouldn’t be so bad, especially after Hersch had been so honest with her.
“Travis was my boyfriend at the time. He was another surfer, so he got it, he got the lifestyle. But if I’m honest, he was never going to make it all the way. He looked for shortcuts. He just wasn’t good enough. At the time, it didn’t occur to me that our being a couple made him look good and feel important in the surf world. I think he really thought I could help him in his career. And he liked being in the limelight. A lot. Even if that meant stealing mine. I was probably a fool to let him, but I was young, and we were living the same crazy schedules, and maybe I turned a blind eye to his less desirable qualities.”
She turned away to look out at the ocean, gazing not at the water but at the past. She’d been so hurt by Travis dumping her when she’d been at her lowest, she had vowed never to trust a man again. Since Travis, she’d had a series of flings. Fun and exciting but nothing serious. But now she realized it was more than just her vow to herself—she was actually afraid to trust a man again.
When she looked back, Hersch had folded his arms across his chest, and his usual serious expression had soured into a fierce grimace. “I wanted to punch that guy’s lights out when I saw him kissing you in that video. Now I want to track him down and knock his teeth out.”
Mila was surprised—in a good way. Hersch always seemed so mild-mannered. She loved this powerful, angry energy bubbling up from somewhere deep inside. It was sexy. She was also, frankly, pretty flattered that he’d been that jealous of Travis.
She said, “I’ve worked really hard to fall in love with my new life and let the old one go. I guess one of the blessings of what happened to me is seeing Travis for who he was. Being half of the golden couple of surfing suited him really well, but being the partner of an injured woman whose career was over? Not so much.”
She shook her head. “When we found out I might never walk again, Travis said he needed some space, like he was the injured one.” Somehow, the old rejection was no longer so painful when she told Hersch, “He’s still taking that space. I haven’t heard from him since.”
Hersch let out an agitated breath. “Then that guy is an idiot. Because I can’t imagine ever letting a woman like you go.”
Mila stepped closer, wanting to feel Hersch’s arms around her. But something made her stop. The pain of Travis’s betrayal felt raw again, and she had already made a fool of herself at dinner last night, ruining the moment. If Hersch wanted something more between them, then he’d have to make the move. Quietly, she said, “Now let’s get you out of that suit.”
To her surprise, Hersch shook his head. “I’m in the damned suit. If I don’t go in the water now, I never will.”
Mila let out her breath. She could see how Hersch was struggling to overcome his demons. His bravery was so admirable—and sexy—and again she had the thought that this man was so different and so much more special than any she’d encountered before. Her barriers weren’t strong enough to stop the intensity of her feelings for him. “Are you sure?”