Nine
Lola
Justice dragged his T-shirt over his head, and I was treated to the most delicious sight. No man had a right to that much hunkiness. I mentally let out a low whistle, trying not to be obvious as I checked out his washboard abs, ogled the way his biceps flexed as he worked his wetsuit over his hips. I kept hoping he would drop the towel during his towel change. Stop thinking that way, Lola.
“We’ll start with free surfing, then we’ll move to the tandem board,” Justice said. “Sound good?”
“Gooder than good. Now get your butt in gear. We’ve got a contest to win.”
I’d only agreed to this ridiculous scheme because of the money. Fifty grand was indeed a nice chunk of change, and it only required a few weeks out of my life. A mere blip on the radar screen. Justice was right about one thing. We’d won plenty of tandem surf contests. We had a fantastic shot at that prize money. It would mean a whole new life for me. I could leave the job that was sucking the soul out of me and start my very own bathing suit business!
It felt so natural to be together like this. We waxed our boards the way we’d done countless times when we were teenagers.
We paddled out to the lineup and rode wave after glassy wave. I dropped into a wave in front of Justice, and we caught the breaker together. I peeked over my shoulder and saw his athletic frame perfectly balanced, speeding up to me. “Yee friggin’ haw! Here I come and you are toast!” He playfully knocked me into the ocean, and I sputtered and coughed, my hair drenched in seawater.
“Justice Hamilton, you are a dead man.” I clambered back onto my board and paddled furiously back out to the lineup.
When he rejoined me, he was laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath. “You should’ve seen your face when I pushed you. Oh my lordy.”
I splashed seawater on him. “When did you start saying stupid things like ‘oh my lordy’? You sound like a dork.”
He splashed me back. “A lovable dork.”
I straddled my board, and Justice’s gaze fell between my legs. I straightened my spine and nervously smoothed my long wet hair back.
He looked at me with those intense blue eyes—dreamy eyes the color of the ocean.
I cocked my head. “What?”
“Hey, remember when I gave you my dad’s class ring?”
I laughed. “I had to put tape on the band just to make it fit.”
“My dad tanned my hide when he found out I’d given it away.”
“And you were grounded for the whole week. I had to wait for your release from prison because I couldn’t figure out how to finish that jigsaw puzzle.”
“You never were any good at puzzles. Needed me to stand back and take a look. Puzzles are weird that way.” He pointed a finger at me. “Makes you work together sometimes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you know about working together?”
He didn’t answer because a set of waves came through and Justice yelled, “My wave!”
I watched him paddle mightily until the wave picked him up. He hopped to his feet, and his athletic body moved like a dancer’s. Justice was a kick-ass surfer, and I felt confident that with him as my tandem partner we’d win the contest. He worked his board up and down the wave, and I could practically feel the excitement shoot off his body. He ended his ride with a sharp snap of his board, catching it in both hands and paddled back toward me.
He sat next to me and smiled. “Still got what it takes, don’t I?”
“Still arrogant.”
“Hey, remember when you and I won that tandem contest in La Jolla?”
“I thought for sure that other couple had the better moves.”
He lifted his arms above his head and mimicked the roar of a crowd. “And the trophy goes to … Lola Cortes and Justice Hamilton!” He gave me one of his devastating grins, and I nearly melted into the ocean.
“That was a lot of years ago.” Before my addiction to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. I vowed to clean up my diet and get into fighting shape.
He scooted his board toward me, touched my leg and an electric jolt shot through me. “I’m watching you surf. You’ve only gotten better.”
We caught a few more waves and then we were ready for the tandem board.
Tandem surfing is a sport where two surfers ride the same surfboard together. It’s kind of like Cirque du Soleil on a surfboard with all the fancy lifts and graceful maneuvers. Justice would be in charge of lifting me up and over his head. I’d be tasked with executing the various poses, everything from stances that would have my arms spread out like I was flying—to other moves where I’d be upside down and need to grab my ankles, my body shaped like a bow. When it worked, it was sheer magic—wind in your hair, the thrill of the ocean rushing underneath, the harmony with your partner.
We paddled the large tandem surfboard toward the lineup. I lay prone on the board with Justice behind me, and I felt the strength of his arms occasionally brush my butt, sending a delicious thrill up and down my spine. Concentrate Lola. You’re here to train, not get all hot for your ex. I knew I couldn’t trust him with my heart again.
We made it to the lineup and straddled the board. Cool water caressed our legs; a bed of seagrass swayed softly underneath us. Justice touched my thigh and whispered in my ear. “Do you trust me, Lola?”
Hell no, I don’t. “What’ve you got in mind?”
“Want to go for one of the advanced moves?”
“Right off the bat? Let’s start with the easy stuff.”
“Here’s the plan. We start with a couple of our easier moves just to see where we are; then we’ll go for a high-scoring one-arm statue. I know we’ll do great.”
A wave of happiness surged through me at the thought of performing the moves I’d loved so much as a teenager. Justice and I had dominated in tandem contests, and I felt confident. But nervous at the same time. Were we really going to get married? Yep, Lola. You are.
“Deal. How about we start with the fish?” I said. For that move, Justice would lift me toward his chest, grasping me around the waist and leg while I pointed one leg behind me and held one arm up in victory. It was relatively easy because he didn’t need to hoist me over his head.
He glanced over his shoulder for the next set of waves. “Let’s do it.” The peak rolled toward us. “Paddle hard. Here we go!” The wave picked us up, and I felt the magic I always experienced, the glory of being in the ocean riding the surf, all my senses alert. “Stand up.” I stood up as the ocean rushed underneath us, and Justice continued to issue commands. “Come closer. Okay. Got you.” In one glorious movement, Justice’s strong arms lifted me until my back was against his broad chest. He gripped my leg and waist while I bent one leg and pointed the other. One arm curled around his neck and the other pointed skyward. Justice laughed, and it was a happy sound. “We got it babe!”
The ride was sheer perfection as the water cascaded up around us and Justice’s breath huffed out. We ended our ride and hopped into the ocean. Justice held up his hand, his face flushed and happy. “High five!”
We slapped five, and for a second it looked like Justice was going to hug me. But he didn’t. He gave me a crooked smile. “Still got what it takes.”
“Don’t get too excited. That was the easy move.”
We paddled back out to the lineup, and after we’d ridden a few more spectacularly perfect waves, Justice convinced me to go for the one arm statue. For this higher-scoring move, Justice would lift me over his head, turn me around and grip one of my legs. I’d face away from shore, bend one leg, arch my back and spread my arms.
“Next wave’s ours,” he said. We paddled hard, the wave picked us up, and everything went so sensationally that I felt no one in the world could beat us. The wind whistled through my ears as Justice held my leg tightly and I became mesmerized with the feel of the ocean. Was I really here with Justice? Were we really getting married? It’s not real, Lola. Just focus on the surf and the win.
“Yeehaw!” Justice yelled as we reached the end of our ride. He slapped me another five, and this time he did hug me. His powerful arms encircled my body, and I drew in a sharp breath. He briefly kissed the top of my head and then held me by the shoulders. His eyes held the promise of the win, and I could see us raising that trophy high over our heads. As I gazed into his eyes, I became enraptured and finally forced myself to look away.
He scraped a hand through wet hair. “I’d say that’s a session.” His smile was so big, it looked like we’d won the lottery. He threw his arms in the air. “We’re gonna win!”
We exited the ocean and while I removed my wetsuit Justice watched me, the look in his eyes somewhere between mild interest and bewitched fascination. What was going on in his head? I barely knew Justice anymore.
“So …” he said. “Wedding’s tomorrow. What’re you doing tonight?”
I stopped, my wetsuit peeled down to the waist. I shrugged. “Tuesday night’s game night. Ginger and Bobbie come over. We order Chinese in and play board games.”
He clapped his hands together. “I’ll bring ice cream.”
“Who said you were invited?”
“What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Chocolate chip cookie dough.” I gave him the side eye. “Like I said, who said you were invited?”
“Humor me, will you? This’ll take the place of my bachelor party. I’ll bring enough ice cream to feed the block.”
I couldn’t say no. Not to chocolate chip cookie dough. “Suit yourself. And get the good kind. Ben and Jerry’s.”