So damn sweet.
I hope I’m not dooming myself for prolonging our talk. But I need more of this amazing time with her.
We go down the steps to the beach.
Last night I didn’t have to worry about random assholes checking out my angel on the beach.
Today, there are a few stragglers.
I keep an eye on them, glaring at any guy who stares at Aria for more than a half second.
Gazes are quickly averted but I’m still on the alert.
Shit, maybe this wasn’t the best idea.
But I look down at her and see her visible excitement and I can’t deny her. What I can do is sweep her up into my arms so there’s no doubt who she belongs to, and also so we can get in the water quicker.
That gorgeous laugh strikes again as her arms circle my neck. “I can walk, you know?”
I brush her lips with mine, then nibble at her bottom lip. “Oh, I know. But if you think I’m giving up the opportunity to hold you in my arms every chance I get, you’re out of your beautiful mind.”
I tread through the waves until I’m thigh deep, then I set her down.
She makes those cute little sounds that keep my blood revving. I keep my hands on her waist and walk her farther into the sea.
“Oh, it’s lovely and warm.”
I tighten my hands on her waist, unwilling to let her go. God, I’ve got it bad.
“You good, angel?”
She looks at me over her shoulder and rewards me with one of those magnificent smiles. “I’m perfect. This is perfect. Thank you, Matt.”
“Thank you, who?” I demand with a wink.
She blushes. “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispers obediently.
I push her forward, ignoring my iron-hard dick’s protest. “Go, enjoy yourself. But not too far, okay?”
She gives a nod and strokes away from me. I tread water and watch her experience another first.
She laughs when a wave splashes her in the face, then squeals as fishes brushes past her leg.
Miu Diu, what if I hadn’t found her before Gio did?
I don’t really believe in fate, but I wonder whether there is a cosmic hand at work here. Shit, I hope so.
And I hope that hand deals kindly when I come clean.
For an hour, she frolics in the water like a sexy mermaid while I plan the rest of our lives, swimming close every now and then so I can kiss her and run my greedy hands all over her body.
I’m still crafting and discarding sentences in my head after we hit the outdoor shower on the lower patio to wash off the salt and sand.
But my hands are back on her body, toweling her dry, and her beauty is frying my brain, which is why I’m unprepared when she says, “There’s something I have to tell you, Matt.”
My gut clenches and I try to keep my tone even. “Yeah?”
“I’m not…I can’t stay in San Diego for long. Maybe not even beyond today.”