Summer's Surprise || MaAn ||

Chapter 7 | Anuj

His cocky smirk has the audacity to send a whole damn parade of butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach. You'd think that after all the things he did to me last night, a simple smile wouldn't have the power to turn my insides into a rollercoaster, but holy hell, it does.

"What kind of wild imagination do you have about me?" he grins, casually tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. I'm fully aware that my hair must be a tangled mess after our passionate night rolling around in the sand. I have a strong hunch that when I step into the shower later, it'll be like a miniature beach party swirling down the drain from our epic rendezvous.

I playfully bite my lip, tracing a teasing finger over his chiseled chest. I still can't believe I had the freedom to explore every inch of those sculpted muscles all night long. "Well," I begin with a sultry tone, "for starters, you don't strike me as the apologetic type."

His eyes narrow, and he retorts, "Is this your crafty way of calling me a jerk?"

"If the shoe freakin' fits," I sing-song.

He swats my hand away, pretending offense. "If I had feelings, they'd be hurt."

I gaze up at him through my long lashes, a sly grin playing on my lips. "That's just one of the impressions I've formed about you. I think you try real hard to act like you're emotionless, but..."

"But what?" he growls impatiently.

"But I think that this," I tap a fingertip on his chest, where his heart must be hiding, "feels more than you let on. And the way you watched that couple last night? I think maybe it's been hurt recently."

His fingers grip my wrist firmly, sending a jolt of heat through my body. "You're way too observant, you know that?"

I shrug, playing it cool. "People tell me that all the time."

His shoulders sag as he lets out a slow, dramatic sigh. "I've got to head to work. A bunch of thrilling meetings on the agenda for the day."

I nod reluctantly, taking a step back from him. I pull my arms out of his shirt, feeling his eyes on me, reminding me of how intensely attentive he can be. I learned all about that last night, and that same attention to detail still lingers in his gaze now.

The fabric bunches in my hand as I hand it over to him. He gracefully slips it on. His fingers work quickly to fasten all the buttons while I search for my bikini top. It's still in the same spot where Anuj tossed it last night. The fabric is still slightly damp as I put it on, covering my breasts completely for the first time since he stripped me out of it hours ago.

I'm focused on trying to tie the knot at my neck when he steps up behind me. He takes the two strings from my fingers, and Anuj takes his sweet time securing both knots.

"What a damn shame to have you all covered up again," he murmurs against the nape of my neck.

I glance over my shoulder at him, trying to hide my blush. My entire body feels like it's been on a wild adventure, yet I still ache to shower him with kisses. To pull him down to the sand with me for one last tantalizing rendezvous.

My eyes roam over his fully clothed body, and I can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment that he's no longer shirtless. "It's a real shame to have you all covered up too."

He strolls across the beach, casually picking up both our shoes and my jean shorts. Walking back to me, he hands me my shorts. I step into them as he slides on each of his loafers.

For a moment, we just stand there, locked in a silent but charged gaze. I can feel the morning sun on my back, serving as a relentless reminder that the night is over, and a brand new day has dawned.