Tonight's not over

Chapter 17

After breakfast I packed my things ready to go back home after our trip to the beach and then we headed out to Chris' truck. He'd put 2 surf boards in the back and the sight of them made me a little nervous.

"You ready for this?" he asked following my gaze to the boards.
"Not sure." I muttered.
"You'll be fine." he said throwing an arm around my shoulders and giving them a squeeze. "I'll look after you."

I felt a warmth spread inside me at the thought and I turned to him unable to hide my smile. As I met his gaze I saw he was smiling too and for a moment we stood, staring into each other's eyes before he squeezed my shoulders one more time
"Well let's get this show on the road then." He said
With that he opened the door for me, I threw my bag behind my seat and climbed in.

When we arrived at the beach he handed me a box.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Lunch." he replied "Oh and beer."

"Well we can't forget the beer now can we?"

"Nope. No day at the beach would be right without it." he laughed.

He grabbed the surf boards from the truck and I followed him down onto the sand. We found a quiet place and put our stuff down. I watched as Chris pulled his T-shirt over his head revealing his tattooed chest. My heart raced as my eyes took in every detail. My mind wandered back to the other night when I'd bumped into him and felt the warmth of it against me. The memory was so clear I could still smell his scent.

Suddenly I was brought back to reality "I take it you're not planning on surfing in a dress."

"What? No!" I shook my head to clear the thoughts and quickly pulled my sundress over my head to reveal the bikini I had on underneath. As I looked at Chris I noticed his eyes transfixed on my body. I felt a little self-conscious at first but as I watched him looking at me I began to wonder if there wasn't just a hint of desire in his expression.

Chris' POV

I knew I was done for the moment Mia pulled her dress over her head. As I watched her shapely body appear before me my heart began to race. I wasn't sure I could stop myself from closing that gap between us and placing my hands on it. I wanted to feel her soft skin beneath my hands, to have her close, to smell her hair. I took a shuddery breath. I knew I needed to hide these thoughts and I wasn't sure if I could do it. But if I was going to teach her to surf I needed to be a lot closer to her than this so I was going to have to find a way. I turned my attention to the surf boards and lay them side by side on the sand.
"Before we head out on the water we'll practice the basic positions here." I told her.
She looked at me intently, taking in every word I said. I really wanted to impress her as I tried my best to sound like I knew what I was doing. 
"OK so you'll need to lie on the board like this" I said showing her how to lay with her toes at the end of the board, her hands by her shoulders and lifting her chest. I looked over as she copied me.

"That's good. Then when you feel ready you'll push up onto your feet. You'll slide which ever foot feels most comfortable up between your hands and slowly stand keeping your knees bent like this."
I stepped from my board and watched as Mia tried to copy me. My hands were shaking as I walked towards her
"A bit more like this." I said as I placed them gently on her legs to position them correctly. I heard her gasp slightly and my heart skipped as I looked up and saw her gazing down at me a look I couldn't quite read on her face.

For a moment I froze my hands still resting on her, panic rising inside me.
"Why don't you try that again" I finally managed to mutter, tearing my eyes from hers. I stepped back and for a few seconds she stood exactly where I'd left her. I held my breath waiting for her to tell me she knew exactly what I was thinking and relief washed over me when she finally lay back down on the board and repeated the movements I'd shown her.