The cool sand squeezes between my toes as I walk down the beach, looking toward the pink and yellow sky. The tension from my alarm jarring me awake at an ungodly hour this morning leaves my body. I want to stretch my arms to my sides, close my eyes, and let my head fall between my shoulder blades while the sun warms my skin.

“Hey,” Leo says as he approaches wearing a tight-fitting wetsuit.

God, how can just the outline of a man’s body make my panties so wet? “Hi.”

He steps to the side and the strands of his honey-blond hair drip water onto his wetsuit. “Oh, shit. Hold up.” He jogs across the sand to where a pile of stuff sits, coming back with a cup in his hands. “Here. Thanks for coming early.”

The cup is warm and from the aroma wafting off it I’d say he got me another coffee. “I should be the one getting you coffee.” I take a sip, since I was running late because I had to clean up the living room after my mom and had no time to stop on the way.

“Nah, I dragged you out here.” He turns toward the ocean. “You surf?” he asks and I spot a few other bodies in the water. I thought early-morning surfing was a huge thing, but either he’s found a hidden spot, or the rumors were wrong.

“No. I’m originally from the Midwest.”

He laughs. “I’m from Chicago. Where are you from?”

“Minnesota. A small town on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. About as far away from an ocean as you can get.”

He makes a design in the sand with his foot. “I learned when I first came out here and became addicted pretty quick.”

“Leo?”

His head turns my way, his eyes with filled with curiosity.

“Why am I here?”

He nods like he forgot he was the one who texted me last night. “Well, I figure if you’re my PR person you should know what I’m about, but…” He looks back to the ocean and then to me again. “You want to surf? I have an extra wetsuit in the truck.”

I glance down at my yoga pants and t-shirt. “I’m not sure I’m ready for it.”

Just then two other people jog out of the water with their surfboards, planting them in the sand next to where Leo got my coffee. They pick up their own drinks and razz one another by pushing each other in the arm about who grabbed the better wave.

“You know Jagger and that’s my other buddy Vance.” Leo nods in the direction my eyes are currently glued to.

Seriously, these three might as well do a calendar for men who surf and their wetsuits are still zipped up.

“Nice. Well, I’ll just sit down and watch you guys then. Maybe snap a few pictures with my phone for social media?”

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in, wetting my t-shirt. “See? That’s why I hired you. You’re brilliant.”

I follow him over to his friends, who are now seated on the sand drinking their coffees. Jagger is busy checking his phone, but the other friend, who must be Vance, glances over his shoulder with raised eyebrows.

“Who’s your friend?” the guy asks, quickly hopping to his feet with his hand already extended.

“Vance, this is Teegan, the PR rep I told you about.”

“Hi, Teegan, I saw you on the staircase at our building, right?” Vance asks.

“Yes, nice to meet you.” I shake his hand.

“Glad to see he made the right decision.” He releases my hand and then hits Jagger with his knee. “Jackass, a lady is present.”

Jagger looks up from being lost in his phone. “Sorry.” He stands, holding out his hand. “Nice to see you again, Teegan. You surf?”

I shake his hand and I may have only met him one time before, but his cockiness isn’t the first thing I’m noticing today. Well, half that word is true because the bulge in his wetsuit is definitely hard not to stare at.

“No.”

“You should try it,” Vance says. “I have Layla’s wetsuit in the car.”

“Barely used, I’m sure.” Jagger laughs and Vance joins him.

“She’s just starting.” Vance glances over to me. “She may be struggling to stand, but hey, sex on a surfboard in the middle of the ocean—like I give a shit if she ever stands up.”

Jagger shakes his head. “Lucky bastard,” he mumbles.

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Vance leans in close to his friend.

“On the sex part, maybe. On having a ball and chain tethered to your ankle? Hell, no.” Jagger grabs his board. “Let’s go, I have another hour and then unlike you two assholes I have a boss to report to.” He runs off toward the ocean.

Vance tosses his keys to Leo. “It’s in the trunk. Teegan, you’re welcome to it.” He holds his board under his arm and runs off to join his friend.

Leo faces me. “So?”

“I think I’ll watch for a while.”

He smiles like he assumed that’s how this morning would turn out. Maybe he can already tell I’m not much of a risk-taker.

“Understandable.” He lays his towel out on the ground. “Sit down and watch me blow these guys away.” He shoots me his orgasm-inducing wink and then heads to the ocean, his strides easy and steady right into the water until he jumps on his board and paddles out to join his friends.

When the three of them sit on their boards in the ocean, it’s hard to notice who is who until they ride the wave closer to the shore.

They laugh with one another as Jagger loses his footing on one wave, but rides another one all the way in. Vance gets pummelled by a wave, but then beats Jagger to another one, leaving him to swallow a mouthful of water. My eyes won’t veer away from their dynamic and just when my body actually itches to be out there with them, Leo races the two of them to a wave and wins out. I click a couple of pictures with my phone, secretly happy to have a reason to do so. I know I’ll be pulling these up even when it’s not work-related because when it comes to Leo and his looks, I’m a glutton for punishment. Once he’s done riding the wave, he comes back to the shore.

“So?” he asks.

I place my now empty coffee cup in the sand. “So.”

“Let’s grab the wetsuit.” He bites his bottom lip as though he knows it’s a stretch.

“If I try surfing, what are you going to do for me?”

A teasing smile plays on his lips. “Name it.”

“You try something I enjoy doing.”

“All right, I’m always game.” He holds out his hand to help me up. “Deal.”

I think about it for a second, judging all the things that could go wrong. I could look like an idiot, or be knocked over by a wave and have the surfboard hit my head and then I’d pass out and drown. Or I could slip off the surfboard and hurt myself.

I take in Leo’s trustworthy face and though all of those things could happen, for some reason I feel safe with Leo, taken care of. “Okay, but no making fun of me.”

He hoists me up from the sand with what seems like no real effort on his part and I fall into his chest.

“I guess I don’t know my own strength,” he says, his voice trembling an octave lower than usual.

My hands slide down his chest. Damn, his muscles feel so good.

Client. Gay. Client. Gay.

The words flash through my head in bright, bold lettering and I step back, my hands at my sides.

“Let’s get the wetsuit before I’m completely soaked.” I glance down at my wet shirt from being pressed against him.

He snickers and avoids the obvious joke.

I head toward the parking lot.

“Hold up.” Leo catches up to me. Leo unlocks the vehicle next to his and opens the back, grabbing the wetsuit and holding it out to me. “What are you wearing under that?” His gaze flows down me like a river of lava, leaving a slow burn in its wake.

“Bra and underwear.”

A relieved expression crosses his face. “Great. Strip down.” He leans against his Bronco parked next to Vance’s car.

“Um… no.”

“Bra and underwear is like a bikini.”

My forehead crinkles. “Maybe to you, but to me a bra and underwear is intimate.” Even if you’re gay.

“All right.” He opens his truck door and grabs a large towel and holds it open with both hands in front of me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“You’re covered, so go ahead and change.”

I snatch the towel from his arms. “I can do it myself. You go back to the beach.”

He holds up his hands in the air, walking away, laughing. “Suit yourself.”

I wait for Leo to take a seat on the concrete ledge and I look on as he gazes out at the ocean, the rising sun reflecting off the natural blond highlights in his hair.

Wrapping the towel around me, I pull my yoga pants down, stepping out of them. Perfect, I got this. I step into the wetsuit and start to try to pull it up, but Layla must be thinner than me. Of course she is, dimwit—she’s an actress and I doubt she finds herself at the bottom of a tub of Ben & Jerry’s every night.

Wiggling my hips and stretching the material, I yank up. I almost have it up to my knees when the towel drops. A car honks and a teenager leans out of the car window.

“How much, baby?” Laughter echoes in the still air until they’re too far away.

I snatch up the towel, but from the corner of my eye I catch Leo staring over at me.

“Ready to accept my help yet?” He sounds like he’s trying to hold in a laugh.

“Fine,” I mutter.

He jumps down from the concrete stoop and comes over, his hands out for the towel when he stops in front of me. “Unless you wanted to flash all the surfers this morning. I’m sure Vance and Jagger would enjoy the show.”

I can’t help but notice that his name is missing from that list as I stare at him, sharing none of his amusement. “Just hold the towel and look away.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The fact that I’m standing in my bra and underwear with Leo’s hands inches away from my skin makes my nipples pebble. A tension I’m sure he doesn’t feel pulls me toward him, but I resist the urge and get down to the business of getting the wetsuit on.

“All done.” I gently pull the towel down and Leo’s gaze finally leaves the ocean and veers back to me.

“It fits you great.”

“Can you help me with the zipper?”

“Definitely. Turn around.” I face Vance’s car and a shiver runs up my spine when his fingers graze my bare skin. “You’re all set. Let’s go have fun.”

We head down to the beach and Vance and Jagger already have their wetsuits unzipped and exposing the top half of their bodies. Let’s just say it doesn’t suck to be me right now.

“Ocean’s yours. I gotta get to work.” Jagger picks up his bag from the sand, fishes his keys out and grabs his coffee.

“Me too. I’m on morning duty today.” Vance catches the keys Leo tosses his way.

I glance down at the wetsuit.

“No, use it. Who knows how long it will take me to get Layla to surf again.”

“I’ll give it to Leo after,” I say.

Vance smiles and I can see why Layla Andrews would fall for him. “Perfect.”

“See you two.” Jagger starts trudging through the sand with his bag, coffee, and surfboard.

“Wait up.” Vance follows behind. “I’m sure you’ll get more teaching than Layla did since all we ended up doing was making out, but just relax out there, Teegan, and enjoy it.”

As though I needed another reminder that Leo wouldn’t want to make out with me.

I get it, universe! Got it loud and clear!

“Let’s start on the sand and then I’ll take you out into the ocean,” Leo says.

A wan smile forms on my lips. “Great.”

* * *

Twenty minutes of lessons on land and then I’m in the water, lying down on the surfboard with my ass at Leo’s eye level.

“You ready to go this time?” he asks.

God bless him, he’s trying to be supportive, but I don’t think I’m cut out for this.

“The other two waves came in too fast,” I whine.

“You got this one. I’m going to push you when the wave comes and then you get to your feet, okay?”

I nod. I can’t believe I’m making a fool of myself, and for what? This isn’t a date and Leo isn’t a guy I need to impress. Not in that way at least.

The wave comes closer, starting to crest a bit before it reaches us.

“Go, go, go,” Leo says.

I paddle for a second and then grip the sides of the board so I can raise my body up and plant my feet on the board. I wobble a bit and when my feet hit the board, I crouch. I’m so excited that I’m actually still on the board that I never stand up.

“Stand!” he yells and his voice sounds so far away.

The surfboard turns to the side and the wave hits all wrong and I fall off, whirling around like I’m trapped in a tornado underwater. My body spins, my arms hit sand, and then I’m propelled until my back hits the sand at a speed I wouldn’t have thought possible.

Two hands grip under my arms and pull me up. Leo’s hand slides down my leg and unhooks the board from my ankle.

We surface and I gasp for air.

“I got you. It’s okay,” Leo says in a safe, soothing voice.

“I…”

“Don’t talk. I’ll get you to shore.”

Once he can stand he picks me up like he’s readying to carry me over the threshold and carries me out of the water. When we reach the sand, he lays me down, his blue eyes peering down at me. “How do you feel?” he asks, softly touching my skin.

“I’m okay, just a little disoriented.” I blink. “Can I sit up?”

“Yeah.” He sits down behind me with his arms wrapped around my body, leaning me back against him.

Two other guys bring his board over to us. “She okay?” one of them asks.

“Yeah, she’ll be all right. Thanks.” Leo says.

“That’s how you learn,” the other says and they jog away, grabbing their own boards at the edge of the water before heading back out.

“I’m sorry,” Leo says, his voice crackling.

“It’s not your fault.” I inhale another deep breath, thankful that I can actually breathe again.

“It seems like I keep getting you hurt,” he softly says next to my ear and I close my eyes, loving the feel of his arms around me, his strong chest holding me up.

Little does Leo know, he’s hurting me because of something completely out of his control.