He dips his head and presses his lips to mine in a passionate kiss, until the sound of the others coming toward us has us pulling apart seconds before a splash of water washes over me, and I scream.
Cam grabs me, dragging me against his front, and using me as a human shield as the others continue to splash us. His arm is like a steel band around my middle, making me feel safe as I get caught up in the water fight, laughing and splashing them back.
Lifting me, Cam places me on his shoulders, his hands holding tight to my thighs as the five of us wage a water war against each other, until the need for food to replenish our energy calls a time-out to our antics, and we all traipse back up the beach to where we left our things.
I pull off my tank top, leaving me in just my bra and panties, and wring out the water so it will dry more quickly.
“Damn, forget food,” Mason murmurs against my ear. “I wanna eat you out for lunch.”
I laugh and lean back against his damp, sun-kissed chest, tilting my head up for a kiss. “I won’t say no to that,” I say against his lips, earning myself a warning growl and a spank to the ass that only has me wishing he would make good on his promise.
We spend the rest of the day talking and laughing, switching between messing around in the water and just chilling out on the beach, and as the sun starts to set on the horizon, I feel more at peace than I ever remember feeling before. I’m still a long way off being okay, but today I wasn’t haunted by my demons, and I’ll take that as a win.
“Let’s make a bonfire,” Cam exclaims in excitement, not waiting for anyone to agree with him before rushing off to gather twigs. He’s like a giant child and it’s hilarious to watch.
West sighs, but gets to his feet, taking off to go help him, and Mason grumbles something but does the same.
Left alone, Beck drags me into his lap. “Wanna go for a walk?”
I smile up at him. “Sure.”
He helps me to my feet, taking my hand in his, and we walk down the beach, away from where the guys are collecting sticks for the fire. The cove isn’t big, but there’s a bunch of rocks at the far end and once we’re hidden behind them, Beck tugs me against his hard chest.
My hands land on his heated skin, and I love the way his muscles tense beneath my touch.
“I can’t stop looking at you today,” he murmurs in awe, drawing my attention up to his face. “You look so happy.”
I smile. “I am happy. I needed this.”
He leans in to kiss me, and my hands slide up his chest, winding around his neck until my fingers are buried in his windswept hair. His fingers dig into my hips as he holds me against him, and between the thin fabric of his trunks and my panties, I can feel how turned-on he is.
He breaks our kiss, staring deep into my eyes. “Do you want this?”
How can he even question that.
I grind against him, making him groan. “So badly,” I murmur, claiming him in a hungry kiss.
He pushes me back until I feel the cool surface of a rock at my back. His hands tug frantically at the strap of my bra before moving on to push my panties down, leaving me bare before him.
He groans, running his dilated gaze over me and heating my skin, before pressing his lips to mine in a desperate kiss.
I push my hand beneath the waistband of his trunks and wrap my fingers around his wide girth, stroking him until we’re both panting heavily, and neither one of us can take it anymore.
Pulling his trunks down, he grabs a hold of my thigh, hitching my leg over his hip and slams into me in one hard, long move. My head falls back against the rock and he rests his forehead against my shoulder, stilling inside me. He kisses along my collarbone and up my neck, behind my ear. “Nothing could ever beat this feeling,” he whispers, but he starts to move, and holy fuck, the world feels like it’s coming apart at the seams.
Nothing exists except the two of us, here, in this moment, and as I get lost in his eyes, I can’t picture being anywhere else. Beck is it for me. He and the others are all I’ll ever need.
I feel him swell within me, and I plant my lips on his, kissing him with everything I have as the two of us fall over the edge, entangled in one another’s arms.
By the time we walk back down the beach, the others have a fire lit, the embers blowing into the wind. It’s the perfect view, watching the three of them goof around, with the sun setting into the ocean in the background.
I lean my head against Beck’s chest. “I could get used to days like this.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Me too.”
“Hey,” Cam calls out as we approach. “Where did you two disappear off to?” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, and Beck reaches out and slaps him across the back of the head, making the other guys laugh.
It makes me smile, seeing how easily they have come to accept him as part of the group. He and West are still getting to really know one another, but West’s attitude toward him has completely changed, now that he’s realized Beck isn’t here for money or status. I think finding out Beck only ever wanted to get to know him has really resonated with him. Sure, the guys have always had each other, but they’ve never had anyone else really give a shit about them, and I think it just took West some time to believe Beck was really only here for him.
I slip away from Beck to join West on a log one of the guys has dragged over in front of the fire. I rest my head on his shoulder and just stare into the flames, feeling so at ease, as his arm wraps around my waist, his heat enveloping me. I wish we could just stay here forever.
“Are you having a good day?” he murmurs softly.
“The best.”
“It’s not over yet,” Mason chimes in, handing out beers to everyone as the others join us around the fire. He holds one out to me, but I shake my head. I tried some a couple of times when they were drinking, and I liked that it helped me forget about my problems for a while, not to mention the deep sleep. They were the only nights I’d wake without nightmares, but I hate that feeling of losing control that I get if I drink more than a little bit. “We’ve still got marshmallows to melt and starlight skinny dipping to do.”
I bark out a laugh and cock a brow as he sits down on my other side. “Really? The four of you are going to strip naked and go swimming in the ocean?”
“Hey, I don’t care if my sword crosses one of theirs, so long as you're naked and wet and writhing between us.”
Well, damn, now I really want to go skinny dipping.
Cam groans and adjusts himself in his trunks.
“So,” I start nervously, picking at my fingernails, “now that you won’t have to go work for your parents, what are everyone’s plans after graduation?”
My question is met by silence which only makes my stomach twist tighter.
“Well, I’ll need to find a job,” Beck pipes up.
“You’re not going to stay at Pac?” Cam questions.
He shakes his head. “Nope. It’s not for me. I only agreed to work there for West. I always wanted to help kids that grew up like I did.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe I could get a job as a counsellor in an underfunded school, somewhere where I could make a real difference.”