A stuttered breath took hold of me, and all I could do was blink back at him, too scared to ruin the moment while secretly begging for more of what little he had to give.
“I just needed you to know that it's not you, it's me. It could never be you, okay?”
My mouth closed behind his fingertip, and I swallowed all my desires, only able to nod once in response before he let his finger slip from my mouth, down my chin, and brush delicately against my chest until it fell into the water again, breaking all contact.
I mourned the loss of him instantly.
“Have I rendered you speechless, smart arse?”
“I’m not sure where to even begin,” I said, somehow finding my weak voice, though barely.
“Then, don’t.” He half-smiled. “This is a me problem, like I said. I never have liked wanting what I can't have.”
Can't have?What did that even mean? How could a man like Henry Cohen ever not get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it?
I had no idea, but I also couldn't explain the multitude of feelings rushing through me at that moment because I didn't understand a single one of them. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to, because the loudest whistle from the beach had Henry turning away from me to look back at Jace and Rhea, who were standing at the water’s edge.
“We're heading to meet Bailey and Andy at the bar. You guys coming?” Jace called out to us.
Nope. We're staying here until I can find the right way to tell Henry that I don't hate him, either. We're not moving until we put this conversation to the kind of end that leaves us both satisfied with the answers we receive.
“Yep. Count me in!” Henry called back before he started wading through the waves to make it back to shore, leaving me to stare at his perfectly sculpted body emerging from the ocean as though he hadn't just dropped a bomb and left me behind in the wreckage.
Still...
He'd called me kinda perfect.
A compliment I’d take out of the water to use as a buoy whenever anyone else tried to drag me under from this moment on.
Whether he’d meant it or not.
Chapter Sixteen
Henry
She officially had my attention. So much so, I struggled to focus on whatever the fuck Jace tried talking to me about as we walked to the bar, with Phoebe and Rhea leading the way.
I had one thing on my mind as it sauntered in front of me:thatarse inthatwet bikini.
We’d almost made it to the bar, and I’d been lost in the fantasies of what I’d do to that incredible body of hers, when Phoebe came to a slow stop in front of us to dig around in her beach bag with a small scowl on her face. When she pulled her phone out, her face paled at whatever she saw on the screen before she took the call.
“Hello?” I heard her say before she turned her back on us for some privacy.
Jace, Rhea, and I carried on up a few small steps that led onto the patio area of the beach bar, where Bailey and Andy were sitting, looking very cute and cosy. Bailey had a regal glow about her that held everyone's attention, especially my so-called‘brother’s’, and it wasn't long before she led the conversation, telling tales of her life back in England, drawing everyone in.
Everyone expect me.
I couldn't take my eyes off Phoebe on the sand below, still occupied on her call, her body stiff as she ran a hand through her hair. I wasn't an expert on much, but I knew when someone was trying hard to keep their shit together in public. Whoever had called her obviously hadn’t had good news to share.
“Something's wrong,” Rhea said as she studied Phoebe, too.
“What?” Jace asked, looking around in confusion.
“Just… wait here.” Rhea rose up and out of her seat before walking down to be by Phoebe’s side.
“What's going on?” Jace asked the rest of us.
“I don't know,” Bailey muttered quietly, narrowing her eyes and sitting up straighter. “I think... Oh, shit.”
