In My Defense

Salty Waters

Chapter Fourteen

The sky was clouded with dark clouds. I hoped it would rained.

We were on the freeway. Ryan hadn't uttered a syllable since we left the IHOP. A wave of anxiety washed over me, making this entire ordeal even worse.

I sighed deeply, reading the signs as we drove past them. I felt Ryan moving to the exit lane and immediately knew where we were going.

I turned to face him. "Really?"

"What?"

"It's the middle of November."

"We're not getting in the water. Relax."

I rolled my eyes and slunk back in my seat. This ride was really uncomfortable, at least for me. Silence filled all corners of the car, the only sound was the steady hum of his engine.

"Do you have any albums in here?"

He nodded and pointed to the glove compartment. I opened it and began sorting through stacks of CD's. Nirvana, Green Day, Silverstein, All Time Low, and. . .

"Butthole Surfers? Really?" I choked on a laugh.

He snatched it from my grasp. "They're not bad," he said defensively.

I bit my lip to keep to laughing at him. He kept looking at me sideways.

"Can you stop that?" He ran a hand through is dark hair.

"Stop what?" I asked, my lip still between my teeth.

"Biting your lip. It's very distracting."

I flushed a shade of red and looked at me hands in my lap. My skin prickled as I let his words sink in. The thought of my lips being distracting to Ryan made me feel kinda-I don't know. Powerful? This could be useful.

Insert evil laugh here.

"What are you smirking about over there?" Ryan's accented voice interrupted my plotting.

"Oh. Nothing." I feigned innocence. I may have even batted my eyelashes at him.

The corners of his mouth twitched up. His hand went to the back of my shoulder and began rubbing it. "Alright. Whatever you say, Raelynn."

As his hands worked in circles on my back, I realized that I hadn't flinched when he had moved his hands towards me. Instead, his touch ignited my skin and set butterflies loose in my stomach.

We pulled up to the beach and drove in the sand. I doubted if this was legal, but this part of the beach was secluded; I didn't even know it was here.

Ryan parked far from the water and turned the ignition off, but leaving the keys. He climbed out of the car and I stayed in. I opened his glove compartment once again, and continued searching through his collection of CD's. I picked one, turned the car on, and put the CD on. It was titled Silverstein & Paramore Acoustics. I turned the volume up loud.

Ryan opened my car door for me. "Excellent choice, darling."

I smiled widely and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Well, come on." Ryan held out his hand for me.

We walked towards the water, the sand filling my sneakers. "Hold on a second, Ryan."

I fell back on my butt and began undoing my laces and removing my shoes and socks. Strong hands guided me up and my toes danced in the soft sand. It was warm.

"You should've worn the shirt my mom got you." He smirked.

I glared at him. "Ass."

He smiled at me, raising his hands in defense. "I'm joking!"

"Yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes.

We walked down a little further and Ryan's arm slithered around waist bringing me closer to his side. My curves fit almost perfectly in his, I noticed. He planted a long kiss on my neck above my collarbone and sat us down on the sand, his hand never leaving my hip.

"So," I started. "Please, enlighten me on how one comes to find such a secluded piece of beach."

He shrugged. "I honestly don't remember how I found it. I feel like I've always known where it is."

I laid my head down on his shoulder watching the waves as they towered over the sand, crashing down angrily, but then kissing the shore before they started the cycle again. The music from Ryan's car merged with the sounds of the sea relaxed me, lulling me into serenity.

"I think I wanna go in." Ryan's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Um. Like, in the car?"

He pushed his hair back from his forehead. "No. In the water."

I leaned myself back on the heel of my hand to look at him. "You're not serious. You'll catch a cold."

Oh, God. That probably sounded extremely lame.

But instead of teasing me, Ry flashed me a wicked smile. "Oh, darling. I live on the wild side."

I smirked at him as he began taking off his sweater, then shoes, the shirt, then pants. I'd seen him practically naked before, but I failed to notice how great he looked without clothes on. I trapped a squeal in my throat and watched as he ran to the shoreline, the muscles in his back flexing as he did so.

He was hip-length deep in sea water and called out my name.

"I'm not getting in that cold water," I shouted over the roar of the waves crashing on the sand.

"Come on! The water is warmer than the air."

I groaned and began shedding my clothes. A harsh wind licked at my bare body, causing me to gasp.

I was aware of my scars, but walked toward the water's edge anyway. If it was cold I'd just put my clothes back on, I decided.

My toes reached the water and I waited for the foam of salt water to lick my toes. Another gust of wind slapped me, whipping my hair back and causing me to hug myself.

Soon, the water washed over my feet, caressing my ankles. It was warm, much too warm for mid-November, but I wasn't complaining.

I ran to Ryan letting the warmth of the water course though me. My chest felt heavier because my bra was absorbing all seven seas, but I ignored it as I splashed towards Ryan.

"See? It's warm!" He gathered me in his arms by my thighs, lifting me up above him. I was looking down on him and focused on the heat of his body against mine.

I leaned down and kissed the skin behind his ear. He lowered me as a wave began to form, lifting us a little bit higher.

I pushed him away and plugged my nose, plunging myself under the water. I spring back up, but Ryan was gone. A lump rose in my throat as I spun around.

"Gotcha!" he shouted and picked me up again.

I pulled him closer and bit my lip, watching as his face turned red. I leaned close, about to collide, his lips against my lips. I heard his breath catch in his throat, and I knew I won.

"Gotcha," I whispered against his mouth.

Then he kissed me.

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planning on updating soon because i already have some ideas brewing for my next chapter (:

thank you for reading

OKAY SO I ACCIDENTALLY UPDATED THIS AS A NEW STORY I GUESS BUT I FIXED IT AND ILL BE UPDATING LATER TODAY PROBABLY THANK YOU