Surviving the Surfer// Bax Radic x OC

Chapter 3

The door slams open far too early, as well as the excited voice of my dear cousin pitching me awake and out of my warm covers.

"Come on! We're already late, and if we don't get going soon Poppy and Bodhi will get started without us."

I groan, rubbing at my eyes and hissing when Summer throws a brand new wet suit in my direction.

"What is this?" I marvel at the rich blue color, exactly my style.

"Call it an early birthday gift from the Gibsons, Honey picked it out for you."

"I'll have to tell her thank you when we get back." I slip into the soft fabric and zip it up, instantly feeling it hug curves I didn't know I had.

"Hey, are you guys ready? Marlon is here with his truck to pick us up." Ari swings across the door frame. Although he wasn't nearly as ripped as some of the other guys on the team, the tanned six-pack he bore was still something to look at. I turned appreciative eyes to Summer, who was practically drooling over her boyfriend.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up after I pick out my board. Just don't leave without me."

I make my way into the back of the house, leaving the two lovebirds to drool over each other. A dazzling rack of surfboards greets me, and I take my time looking over each one. Finally I select a dark violet one of a slightly different make than the others. Pulling it off the rack, I move around to the front of the house where Marlon, Ari, and my cousin are waiting for me. Summer's eyes widen when she sees the board I'm holding but she doesn't say anything, she just jumps into Marlon's truck.

The ride to the beach is quiet, each of us stuck deep inside our own thoughts. Poppy, Bodhi, Griff, and Bax are all waiting for us once we arrive. I jump out of the truck and make my way to the back to get the boards and suits ready for my friends. I find mine in the pile we threw in the back and slip it on, already familiar with the rubbery softness. Summer shoulder bumps me in greeting as she slides by to grab her board, suit already snug on her small frame. I take a minute to relax on Marlon's tailgate, eyes closed against the light breeze that blew sand across the parking lot. The voices of my new friends waft closer and then further away, their conversations driving them closer to the sea.

"You coming Outback?" Bax's scent catches me first, salty and warm and distinctly him. I open my eyes and am met with a broad expanse of bare skin.

He was breathtaking. Not as blatantly defined as Griff or Marlon, but muscle still covered every inch of his torso, the V in his stomach flickering as he steps closer.

"Why do you call me that?" I force myself to drag my eyes up his torso onto his face, the smirk I knew would be there out in full force.

"That's where Australia's wild horses are. The Outback I mean. Or so I'm told." His smirk fades a little as he looks down at me, eyes searching for something unknown to me. "You looked so wild that first day I met you it seemed like a fitting nickname."

I pause for a second, caught off guard by the genuine sweetness in his tone. I bite down on my lip to give me time to think, a smile at the edges when I catch Bax's immediate attention to the movement.

"You can't do that when I'm around Outback, you won't like the consequences." He stalks closer, bending down to frame me in his arms. Leaning into this little game we seemed to have, I rest a hand on his cheek, savoring the warmth on his skin. Before anything could happen that I would regret, I gently grab his chin and push it to the side, slipping under the open space between his arm and his torso. I grab my board and head out to where Poppy and Bodhi wait for me on the beach, leaving the pink-haired boy far behind me.