Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
He gestured towards the water, which we were only a few steps away from. I moved the last few steps forward to where I could see where the waves had been only moments before, and I stood there, waiting for the water to come and splash around my feet.
The next wave came closer and closer, white sea foam bubbling at the front of it. It was beautiful and looked just how I’d imagined.
What I didn’t expect, though, was the temperature.
“Fuck me, that is COLD!” I said, jumping back several steps to the safety of the hot sand.
I stared out at the ocean, at the crashing waves and the handful of people surfing, and decided that even though I was thrilled to be there, I didn’t need to go IN the ocean to enjoy this spontaneous beach day.
“Nope. No thanks. I’m good,” I declared, then turned to walk back to our towels.
I only made it two steps before Wesley’s arms grabbed me around my middle, pulling me back into his body and tossing me over his shoulder. My head hung down over his back, and his hands gripped my thighs to keep me in place.
I ignored the somewhat intimate touch, though, and the rather delightful view of his perfect ass because I knew what his intentions were.
“WES!” I shrieked as he marched us towards the water. “What are you doing?!”
“We’re going swimming,” he stated.
“But it’s freezing!”
“I’ll keep you warm,” he rumbled, pausing in knee-deep water.
“No,” I repeated, shaking my head as he started moving through the water again. “No. No. No.”
“Haven,” he soothed, stopping again when he was about waist deep.
I pushed my torso up with my hands, moving my body and wrapping my legs around Wesley’s waist as his grip on me loosened and he tried to lower me into the water. My arms clung to his neck like a mother fucking koala, and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and rubbing my back.
“Can you swim?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” I grumbled.
“Okay,” he murmured, his hands still caressing my back. “Then just take your time. I don’t mind staying like this,” he said into my ear, placing a small kiss right next to it.
“It’s like arctic temperatures in there. How are you not freezing?”
“It’s not THAT cold.” He chuckled. “And I run pretty warm.”
“Yes, I did notice that,” I said, pulling myself tighter against his body so my skin could soak in more warmth from his.
“So, then, you can just stay close to me in the water, and I’ll keep you nice and warm.” His palms splayed across my bare back and pressed me somehow closer to him.
“Hmm,” I hummed, my eyes shutting in contentment at our closeness.
His nose trailed down my face to my neck, nuzzling into it and then kissing it. The feather-light touch sent a little shiver through my body and I didn’t even try to hide it from him. If he wasn’t aware of the effect he had on my body by this point, well, then he was denser than I thought.
I swallowed back some of my nerves and started to unwrap my legs from his waist when I had another thought and instead tightened them. “What about sharks??”
“Trust me, Twinkle Toes, you don’t need to worry about sharks,” he said with a laugh.
“Why? Did you put on shark repellent or something?”
“No, they’re frightened of short ballerinas with red hair.”
I snapped my head backwards and stared at him with my jaw dropped. “Wesley!” I exclaimed, smacking his chest with the back of my hand as he let out a loud, deep laugh, his head falling backwards. “I’m not that short!”
His laughter continued as he lifted his head to look at me again. He pursed his lips to hold it in, his whole body shaking from the effort.
“Seriously, though, you don’t have to worry about sharks,” he managed to say. “They, uh… they prefer warmer water.”
“I don’t blame them,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Just trust me, Haven. I promise I will keep you safe.”
I took in several deep breaths, breathing in Wesley’s smoky, spicy, yet sweet cologne. His hands on my back kept rubbing and caressing me, the callouses and his touch sending little tingles all over my body. His scent and his touch grounded me, reminding me he was right there, that he wasn’t going anywhere, that I was safe when I was with him.
And even though I was nervous, and the water was frigid, this was something I’d wanted to do for a long time—swim in the ocean. Ever since we started writing to each other twelve years ago, I’d dreamed of coming to California, going to the beach, and swimming in the deep blue waters. I would not let the temperature prevent me from living that dream.
With one last deep breath, I unwrapped my body from Wesley’s, turned, and hopped down into the water, ripping the bandaid off and just taking the plunge instead of trying to ease into it. I shrieked as the water hit my navel and wrapped my arms around myself to keep any warmth from escaping.
Wesley’s arms also came back around me, his broad, warm chest pressing into my back. His hands rubbed my upper arms, and he tucked his chin over my shoulder. I leaned back against him, not even bothering to pretend like I wasn’t trying to steal his body heat.
Like he could read my mind—or maybe because he could see the goosebumps on my skin—he pulled me in closer to him, tightening those powerful arms and trapping me within their circle.
Not that I cared. There was no use denying how much I wanted him. How much I wanted him to own me, body and soul.
On the drive in, I’d thought I wasn’t ready to give him all my heart. But standing there with him embracing me in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I realized how much of a lie that was. I couldn’t give him my heart at all. Not even piece by piece because he already owned it in its entirety.
WESLEY
Our beach day flew by. Once Haven adjusted to the temperature of the water, she was more than happy to splash around in the water without me holding her. Much to the chagrin of my lycan.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?