Wet (The Water's Edge #1) by Stacy Kestwick Read Free Book Online Page A

easy, but that was it. My palms didn’t sweat, and my heart didn’t race. I tried not to let that bother me, tried not to remember the tingle I’d felt when my skin had connected with West’s out in the water. I definitely didn’t relive, in slow motion, that endless slide down his body when he’d set me back down on the shoreline, the way he’d kept his hands on me a beat too long after I was steady. It never even crossed my mind.
    After the movie let out, we meandered along the boardwalk that the north half of the island was known for. “So, Sadie, has lifeguarding always been your dream job?” he teased me, as we interrupted a group of seagulls picking at spilled popcorn, their loud caws berating us.
    “Of course!” I said with fake enthusiasm. “And haven’t you always wanted to be a bartender at a frozen daiquiri bar?”
    “What higher calling is there?” he agreed, before turning more serious. “No, really, what do you want to do here?” He seemed genuinely interested in my answer.
    “Photography,” I said, a hint of wistfulness creeping into my voice. “It’s what I was doing back in Nashville. Wedding photography, mostly. But ever since that mess with Asshole, I’ve wanted to change my focus. Portraits maybe, or more commercial stuff.”
    “Have you talked to Grady about maybe doing some work around the resort?” Grady was our manager and Rue’s friend who’d gotten me the job.
    “No. I barely know the guy, and I already owe him for the lifeguarding job. I didn’t want to push my luck by asking for any other favors.”
    “Nah, Grady’s cool. Actually, he was surfing with us that morning you met West too.”
    I groaned. “Great.”
    “Well, he doesn’t know it was you,” Theo assured me.
    “Hopefully, we can keep it that way.”
    “I’ll talk to him for you. I bet he can come up with something.”
    “Theo, you don’t have to do that!” I protested.
    “No biggie. Just leave it to me.”
    I stopped walking and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a big hug. Maybe there were still some good guys left in the world. “Thank you,” I whispered, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
    Whistles and catcalls interrupted our embrace and had me pulling back in embarrassment. A group of guys were strolling up the boardwalk toward us. “Benedict!” one of them called out.
    Theo grinned as the group approached. “Guys. What are y’all up to tonight?” Theo did one of those complicated guy handshakes, ending with a back slap, with a guy who had a blond faux hawk and pierced lip.
    “Heading to the Wreck to hang out, shoot some pool,” the same guy said. “Who’s the chick?”
    Theo’s arm snaked around my waist, pulling me to his side. “Trevor, this is Sadie. Sadie, these are the guys. Trevor, Dylan, Wyatt, and you’ve already met his brother, West.” Theo pointed to each in turn, but my attention was snagged when he said the last name.
    West . My eyes locked on his. He was wearing a baseball hat pulled low over his eyes, and it made him seem softer, less potent somehow. His jawline was scruffy, like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two, and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel against my face. He stared at me, his expression a mix of confusion and surprise, and then his eyes dropped to my hip, where Theo’s hand rested. The muscle in his jaw clenched, his hands curling into loose fists at his side.
    Wyatt whistled and gave Theo a high five. “Good job, man.” Wyatt looked like a more boyish version of West, but with longer, darker hair instead of West’s close-cropped style.
    The other guys greeted me, but I didn’t really hear them. “Sadie,” West acknowledged with a dip of his chin, my name rumbling over his lips. It felt like a caress, like he had reached out and stroked me. I smiled back, the tip of my tongue sneaking out to wet my dry lips, and he seemed riveted by the small action. His eyes darkened, and then he swallowed and looked away.
    “We’re