Never Forget (Memories) (20 page)

''Why?'' I ask innocently. He scratches behind his ear.

''Because it, um, might be putting thoughts into my head.''

''Oh yeah?'' I grin. ''Like what?''

He laughs and shakes his head. ''You're terrible.''

''What?'' I suck the flake again. ''Maybe sucking the flake makes me think things too.''

He does a double take and stops, holding his ice cream halfway to his mouth. He swallows.

''It does?''

''Yep.'' I step closer to him. ''Like how good my ice cream would look in your face!'' I push it into his nose and run across the sand, giggling.

''Oh, that's it!'' He calls after me and chases me across the beach. Because of my uncontrollable laughter, he catches me in seconds and I get my payback - his ice cream in my face. I giggle even more and he gets his phone out, snapping a few pictures of us together.

I look at it - ice cream is smeared across both of our faces, on our noses and across our cheeks. Alec ducks his head and kisses along my cheeks, his tongue flicking out slightly, licking the ice cream off. He kisses my nose and then my lips, putting a stop to my giggles. I do the same back to him and he pulls me close.

''Ah hell, Princess, you're amazing.'' He kisses me again and I smile against his lips.

''I'd say the same to you, but we all know about your ego,'' I tease.

He mock frowns at me and I kiss him again, gently grazing his bottom lip with my teeth. He groans quietly and presses his hands to my back, pushing me flush against him. His tongue snakes out and runs the length of my top lip. I shiver, entwining my hands into his hair.

He kisses me harder, deeper, and my stomach flutters. I stand on my tiptoes, arching my back slightly as if I can get even closer to him and his hand runs along the hem of my top. I move my hands through his hair and I want him.

I want Alec, badly.

He pulls back and rests his forehead against mine, breathing deeply.

''Fuck, Princess.'' He breathes out. ''You can't do that in public. I might not be able to stop myself next time.''

''Then next time, I'll make sure we're not in public,'' I whisper back.

He opens his eyes. The blue in them in more pronounced, and I can see it swirling, see his inner battle against his desires.

''You.'' His breath crawls along my lips in a gentle caress, ''are gonna be the death of me, Princess.''

''Oh yeah?''

''Yes.''

''No-one else-''

Alec tightens his grip on me. ''Forget about all the other girls before you. They are nothing, Princess, nothing compared to you. There's only one girl I want and I'm looking at her right now. There's only one girl I need, and I'm holding her right now. You, are everything to me.''

I press my face into his neck and hold him tight. ''Everything?''

''Yeah, Princess.'' He turns his face towards mine and I feel him breathe in deeply. ''Everything.''

His arms circle my waist. We're so close that anyone looking on won't be able to tell where one of us starts and the other finishes.

So close.

Too close, to ever let go.

ALEC

I exhale sharply and shake my head against her. She's driving me crazy with every look, every touch, every kiss, and she doesn't even get the half of it. She doesn't understand just how much I want her.

She can't comprehend how much I want her. Hell, not even I can make sense of it. I just know that I do. Bad.

~

ALEXIS

''If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?'' I tilt my head to the side and look up at Alec.

''Australia,'' he replies.

''For the surfing?''

''Nope,'' he rolls his head and his eyes meet mine. ''I'd take you with me, and we'd go diving in the Great Barrier Reef.''

I grin. ''Well, if you ever get the money for that, let me know.''

''Oh, I will.'' He laughs. ''Maybe one day I'll take you.''

''One day as in the next four weeks?''

He stops laughing. ''This doesn't have to end just because you're going back to London, Princess.''

I sigh and watch seagulls pick at the sand. ''I just don't see how it will work.''

''Is that what you want?'' He puts a hand on my cheek and turns my face. ''For this to end when you go back to London?''

''No,'' I say quietly. ''It's not what I want, Alec, at all. I just don't..''

''Don't think about it.'' His thumb strokes my cheek. ''Four weeks is a long time. We don't have to worry about that yet. Let's just enjoy the time we do have together right now, okay?''

I swallow the lump that formed in my throat at the thought of leaving him. I nod my head slowly and rest it on his shoulder. He pulls me closer to him and strokes my hair.

''Don't be sad, baby,'' he says softly. ''We'll work it out, I promise.''

I nod again.

A month ago this was the last place I wanted to be, Alec was the last guy I wanted to be with.

Now? Now, Lilac Bay is the only place I wanna be, and Alec is the only guy I wanna be with.

''Where would you go?'' he asks me suddenly.

''What?''

''If you could go anywhere, where would you go?''

''Hmmh'' I think for a second. ''Hawaii.''

''Hawaii?'' Alec shifts so I can see his face. ''Why Hawaii?''

''I'd take you with me. You could surf and while you're doing that I could check out all the other surfers.'' I shrug and grin playfully.

''Hey!'' He flips me so I'm lying on my back. ''The only surfer you're gonna be ogling is me, Princess.''

''Is that so?'' I raise my eyebrows in challenge.

''Damn right,'' he growls.

I see two figures approaching over his shoulder and smooth out my expression.

''What about if I ogled Carl?'' I ask innocently.

Carl snorts behind him and Jen laughs loudly.

''Honey, be my guest. I ogle your guy all the time and I ain't ashamed of it!'' she calls.

Alec drops his forehead to my shoulder and shakes with laughter. I cover my mouth to hold in my giggles.

''Ahem,'' Carl coughs. Jen looks over at him warily.

''Hey, baby. You look good today,'' she tries with a wink.

''Jennifer.''

''Uh oh.'' Jen stops and her eyes widen. ''I'm in trouble.''

''Do you wanna repeat that?'' Carl offers.

''I'm in trouble?'' Jen repeats.

''No. What you said about ogling my best friend?'' He raises his eyebrows.

''Um, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and vote for 'no'?''

Carl stalks towards her and she holds her hands out.

''Wrong answer, huh?'' she quips.

''Right answer.'' He shakes his head and grabs her waist, pulling her against him. ''I just plan on reminding you exactly why I'm the one you should be ogling, girl.''

He cups the back of her head and kisses her. I see Jen double take before she wraps her arms around his neck.

''Yeah,'' Alec coughs. ''That'll do it.''

I look at him. ''If not, she's got a problem.''

''We all know Jen has problems.''

''Excuse me!'' She pulls back from Carl and skips over to us.

''You're excused,'' Alec smirks.

Jen taps his shoulder. ''You can get off her now, you know. She's not gonna run away, more fool her.''

Alec laughs and rolls over, propping himself up on his elbow.

''Maybe, maybe not.'' I shrug. ''I'm still deciding.''

''Oi,'' Alec pokes my side and I squirm.

''No poking.'' I jab him back.

He looks up at Carl with a puzzled expression. ''She says 'no poking', yet she pokes me?''

Carl shrugs. ''Don't ask me, mate. I'm still trying to figure out the female species.''

Jen frowns. ''Species?''

''It's because you're superior, baby. Us lowly males won't ever be able to understand you.'' Carl kisses her hand.

''That's just a roundabout way of calling us complicated bitches.''

''See?'' Carl looks back at Alec. ''How she got that from what I said I'll never know.''

''It's because that's what you meant.'' I shrug.

''Maybe, but how did you get that from it?''

''It's not what you say, Carl, it's what you don't say.'' I explain.

''And being the superior race, we can sense what it is you don't say.'' Jen pokes Carl.

''Okay, baby,'' Carl agrees.

Jen narrows her eyes and I catch Alec's eye. He raises an eyebrow and smirks.

I smile at him. He links our fingers on my stomach and his thumb strokes the back of my hand.

''They're lost in Lexy-Alec land again,'' Jen sighs.

I smile over at her, amused, and Alec shifts closer to me. His body presses against my side and I automatically tilt towards him.

He's like a magnet - one I'm incapable of resisting, a pull I'm unable to fight.

His hand runs through my hair and he presses his lips to my forehead gently.

I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back what I want to say. The words stick in my throat and I turn my head towards him.

Actions speak louder than words.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ALEXIS

''See him?'' Alec points over my shoulder. ''That's Benny Hansen. He's won four years in a row. Owns the farm just outside the Bay.''

''Right.'' I look at the beefy guy with a red face. ''And he'll win this year?''

''Maybe.'' Alec shrugs one shoulder and leans back against his car. ''It's hit and miss, but it's likely.''

''You say it like it's so serious.''

He turns raised eyebrows on me. ''Princess, this is serious in the Bay. You either got it or you don't, and if you got it, this is the day to prove it. Look around, it's not even ten yet and the place is packed.''

''Precisely, it's not even ten yet.'' I lean back next to him with a huff. ''So I have no idea why I'm here. I'm not even local.''

''You're here because besides your brother, you're the only person that isn't local.'' Alec laughs, wrapping an arm around my waist. ''You're local by blood, little city girl.''

I wrinkle my nose up and look up at him. ''I wore wellies yesterday. I think we can say I'm a country girl. At least, a bit of me is.''

Alec screws his mouth up to the side. ''Is it wrong if I admit I find you in wellies kinda sexy?''

''Uhh..'' I giggle. ''Yeah, yeah it is.''

''Hmph,'' he smirks. ''Well, it is sexy. Wrong or not, I can't lie.''

''I was digging up weeds!''

''And now you're back at the beach, where you're comfortable, Princess.'' He pushes off from the car and pulls me with him. He grabs my big beach bag from the back seat and we make our way onto the sand.

The whole town has to be here. Literally, the whole town. Seriously, who knew a sandcastle competition was such a big deal?

''Come on.'' Alec tugs at my waist. ''I want a good spot.''

''It's sandcastles, Alec,'' I remind him.

''Yes, Miss Smarty Pants,'' he teases with a grin. ''I know that. It's fun trying to guess what everyone is building. For the last two years we've had our own competition. You have to guess what each castle is, and at the end of it the loser has to buy everyone a drink.''

I frown. ''How do you know if someone's cheating?''

''You write it down.'' He shrugs. ''It's a game you wanna play, since Carl lost both years.''

I grin as we find a spot to sit down by the rocks. Even here, people are set up for the competition.

''Okay, you're on.'' I lay my towel out. ''How come no one ever gets the news or paper down here? Isn't Woolacombe's sand castle competition massive?''

''That's why we don't get them here. Woolacombe's competition was last week or something. We keep them close. Lilac Bay is too small for too many tourists.''

I nod my agreement. The only people that ever holiday here are family members that live elsewhere, like us.

I pull my dress over my head and lie on the towel on my front, all too aware of Alec's eyes on me. His hot gaze sends tingles through my body. I clear my throat and his eyes snap to mine.

''Do you mind?'' I ask.

''Nope.'' He pulls his top off and lies next to me so our arms are touching. ''I don't mind looking at you in a bikini at all.''

I roll my eyes and prop my chin on my hands, watching chaos unfolding as a klaxon sounds and the competition begins.

Alec's finger trails lightly up my arm, over my shoulder and down my spine leaving goose pimples in its wake. He draws absent circles on the skin above my bikini bottoms. I swallow and try to ignore the feelings crawling across my skin but it's virtually impossible. My skin blazes where he's touched me, igniting hotter than the sun that burns down onto us. I glance at him out the side of my sunglasses. His eyes are fixed to me and I squirm under his intense gaze, looking away again.