Chapter 143
**Sara**
We made our way down the beach, the hot sand burning our feet. He spread out our towels while I set up the umbrella, struggling a bit with the wind.
"Need a hand there, weakling?" he teased, reaching for help.
"I got it, I got it," I insisted, just as a gust of wind nearly yanked the umbrella out of my hands. He caught it easily, planting it firmly in the sand.
"You were saying?" He grinned, and I stuck my tongue out at him.
Once we were set up, he flopped down on his towel with a contented sigh. "This is the life, huh?"
I nodded, digging through my bag for the sunscreen. "It's pretty perfect. But you know what would make it even better?"
"What's that?"
I tossed the sunscreen bottle at him, hitting him square in the chest. "If you could get my back for me."
His eyes widened slightly. "Uh, sure. No problem."
I lay down on my stomach. This was fine. Just two adults helping each other out. Nothing sexual about it at all.
I felt Tom straddle my legs, and then his hands were on my back, cool and slick with sunscreen. He started at my shoulders, working his way down, his touch firm but gentle.
"You're, uh, you're pretty tense," he murmured, his thumbs working out a knot between my shoulder blades.
I bit back a moan. "Mhmm. It must be all that ceiling-staring I do. Really takes a toll."
His hands moved lower, skimming my sides, and I shivered involuntarily. This was torture. Delicious, wonderful torture.
"All done," he said, his voice a little husky. He cleared his throat. "Uh, want me to do your legs too?"
"I think I can manage those," I replied, sitting up. "Your turn. Flip over, big guy."
He complied, lying face down on his towel. I squirted some sunscreen into my palm, warming it up before touching his broad back.
God, his skin was smooth. And those muscles... I ran my hands over his shoulders and spine, trying to keep it clinical and professional, but it was hard not to appreciate how he felt under my touch.
"You know," I said, desperate to break the tension, "I'm pretty sure this counts as a massage. You should be paying me for this."
"Put it on my tab."
I worked my way down to his lower back, my fingers dipping just slightly below the waistband of his swim trunks. I heard Tom's breath catch, and I smirked.
"All done," I announced, patting his back harder than necessary. "You're officially sun-safe."
He rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows. His eyes were dark, intense. "Thanks," he said, his voice low.
I swallowed hard and tried to ignore how my heart raced at the intensity of Tom's gaze. Those eyes held promises that made my skin tingle.
"You're welcome," I managed, my voice embarrassingly breathy. "So, uh... ocean?"
His face broke into a grin, the tension dissolving. "Race you there!"
He leaped to his feet and took off running. I scrambled up, chasing after him.
"Hey! No fair, you cheater!" I yelled, sand flying as I sprinted to catch up.
Tom's laughter carried back to me on the breeze. I pushed myself harder, gaining ground. Just as I was about to overtake him, he glanced back, a mischievous glint in his eye. Suddenly, he veered sharply to the left, directly into my path.
I yelped, trying to dodge, but it was too late. We collided in a tangle of limbs, tumbling onto the wet sand where the waves lapped at the shore.
"Oof!" I grunted as we hit the ground, Tom's weight pressing me into the sand. "You did that on purpose!"
He propped himself up on his elbows, grinning down at me. "Prove it."
I opened my mouth to retort, but a wave chose that moment to crash over us. I spluttered, spitting out salty water as Tom rolled off me, laughing.
"Oh, you think that's funny?" I challenged, pushing my wet hair out of my face.
Before he could respond, I pounced, tackling him back into the surf. We wrestled playfully, shrieking and laughing as the waves broke around us.
Finally, breathless and soaked, we called a truce. Tom stood, offering me his hand. I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.
I stumbled a bit as Tom pulled me up, my feet unsteady in the shifting sand. He steadied me with a hand on my waist, and I found myself pressed against his chest, water droplets clinging to his skin.
"Whoa there, Sara. Don't go falling for me now," he smirked.
I pushed away from him. "In your dreams."
As we waded back to shore, I noticed how the wet fabric of his swim trunks clung to his... assets. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling my cheeks heat up.
"Hey!" A voice called out, breaking me from my less-than-innocent thoughts. "You two want to join our game?"
I looked over to see a group around my age setting up a volleyball net. A tall, tanned guy with surfer-boy good looks waved us over.
Tom glanced at me, eyebrow raised in question. I shrugged. "Why not? Unless you're scared, I'll kick your ass."
"Oh, it is so on," he grinned, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the group.
We introduced ourselves to the others. The surfer boy was named Kyle, and his friends were Maya, Anna, and Alex. They split us up: me with Kyle and Anna, Tom with Maya and Alex.
"Prepare to eat sand, Sara," Tom called from across the net.
"Big words from a man about to be humiliated," I shot back.
Kyle served first, the ball arcing high over the net. Tom bumped it back easily, and the game was on. We dove, jumped, and spiked, trash-talking the whole time.
"Is that all you got?" I taunted after scoring a point. "I thought you were supposed to be athletic."
"Just warming up, sweetheart," Tom winked, wiping sweat from his brow.
The game was close, with both teams giving their all. I had to admit, Tom was good, but I wasn't about to let him win.
As Kyle set me up for a spike, I saw my chance. I leaped, arm raised, ready to slam the ball down. But as I made contact, my eyes met Tom's across the net. He was staring at me, a look of pure intensity on his face, and suddenly my brain short-circuited.
The ball went wide, landing with a sad little 'plop' in the sand.
"Yes!" Tom whooped, high-fiving his teammates. "Game point!"
I groaned, flopping onto the sand. "Damn it!"
Kyle patted my shoulder consolingly. "Don't sweat it. We'll get 'em next time."
But Tom was already doing a ridiculous victory dance, shaking his hips in a way that should have been illegal. "Who's the champion? This guy!"
I laughed at his antics. "Alright, alright. You win this round. But I demand a rematch."
"Anytime, Sara. Anytime."
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