One minute you're at the top of your game, and the next, you receive a hit that knocks your skates out from underneath you.
Still reeling after an unexpected loss, Ryan Nyberg not only finds himself back in his beachside hometown of Neptune Bay, bu...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My doorbell sounded at ten to seven.
Sparing a quick glance at the mirror, shaking out my nerves with a little dance as I fixed my hair and smacked my lips together. It'd been a while since I'd been on a first date, and though my nerves were slightly calmed by the fact that it was Ryan—someone I'd known more or less my whole life—that ease was counterbalanced by the knowledge that, at least in the short term, he wasn't sticking around town. This was likely nothing more than a summer fling for him, and while I was okay with that, I had to make sure to keep my emotions in check.
Hitching the chain of my purse over my shoulder, I made my way through the house until I reached the front door, opening it to see Ryan standing there patiently, his hands in his pockets.
At the sight of me, he grinned, and I couldn't help how my gaze fell to his lips. Over the last couple of days, I'd been too busy to dwell on the memory of us in his kitchen—our breaths mingling as the space between us dwindled. But now that we were face to face, the memory flooded back, accompanied by a glimmer of hope that if tonight went well, our next attempt at a kiss wouldn't be interrupted.
When my attention finally moved away from his mouth, I saw the rest of him was just as appealing. Wearing a short-sleeved button up, his physique was on full display. His shoulders were perfectly punctuated by his shirt, the chords of the muscles in his biceps and forearms looked flexed even though they weren't, and the chest beneath the material looked to mimic a washboard. It was a sight to see, honestly, and my stomach fluttered, momentarily wondering if he'd look as good out of the clothes.
My assumption? Definitely.
It was equally nice, however, that the effort I'd put into dolling myself up a bit had paid off. At least it seemed to be given the way Ryan's eyes trailed down the length of my body, particularly appreciating my bare legs where my skirt ended mid-thigh.
He must've noticed he was staring, as his gaze snapped back up to meet mine with a sheepish expression flooding his features. "Hey," he greeted. "Sorry, it's just... damn, you wear that skirt well."
A wry smile curved my lips. "No need to apologize, because I could say the same about you and that shirt."
"Thanks," he said, my flirting both surprising and pleasing him. "And while I'd love to continue standing here trading compliments, we should probably get going."
"For sure." I took a step back to slip into the cute pair of sandals I'd left at the door. "I actually had a bit of a rush right before closing the store today, so it looks like the tourists have come to town this weekend in droves."
"Good thing I thought ahead and booked a table then."
It was certainly the smart thing to do, because when Ryan pulled his car into the gravel parking lot outside of Dockside a few minutes later, the place looked packed.
