Page 50 of One Cornish Summer With You
She picked up her bag of rakes and they ran along thesand towards the gigantic sea stacks that were all that remained of the fingers of land they’d once been.
They splashed through shallows already pooling around the sea stacks. Ahead of them, two more stacks loomed, the sea already swirling around their bases as waves advanced and retreated and advanced again.
Ruan slowed and Tammy didn’t blame him.
‘I hate to delay your plans for a second, but will we get cut off?’
Tammy laughed. ‘Yes. That’s why no one’s following us. This part of the beach does get cut off. But trust me,’ she said.
They waded thigh deep through the gap between the next two stacks. The water was cold, but Tammy relished the coolness on her hot skin. Ruan laughed and suddenly, as if they’d entered through a magic portal, a large open stretch of beach appeared.
Once on the other side, Tammy led Ruan to the rear of the beach, where the sand was dry and the cliffs were rippled with folds and crevices. She found the place she wanted and stopped outside a dark entrance like a mouth in the cliffs.
‘In here, quick,’ she said, desperate to keep moving before she changed her mind.
‘Wait.’ Ruan dropped the bag and reached for her, pulling her into his arms.
‘Whoa!’
The sand fell away under her feet as he swept her into his arms and carried her into the dark privacy of the cave.He set her down on the soft sandy floor and lay next to her, looking down into her face from those deep blue eyes.
‘Do you know how much I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you?’ he said.
‘Me too …’ she murmured, pulling him against her body. ‘Even in that ridiculous suit.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Tammy lay on her stomach, feeling the damp air of the cave against her hot skin and the steady drip of water from the roof.
If she’d been glowing before, she was molten now. The sex had felt natural, organic, as if they were meant to be together.
Ruan trailed the back of his hand down her spine. Gradually, the distant roar of the ocean and his gentle touch brought her out of her dreamy state.
She laughed softly.
‘You’re ticklish?’ he said.
She turned over. ‘No,’ she said, challenging him with her eyes.
‘No?’ He skated his fingers lightly along her stomach and she squealed. ‘Really?’
She writhed and tried to roll away as he tickled her mercilessly. ‘Yes! Hey! Nooo! I surrender!’
‘I knew it,’ he declared, gazing down at her with triumph in his eyes. She propped herself up on her elbows and he sat back on his haunches, grinning. ‘I knew you’d weaken in the end.’
He was right, she had weakened. Within weeks of meeting him, she’d opened up in every way. Telling him about her father, what her art meant to her, and now, the sex.
Outside, the roar of the surf meant the sea was coming closer, yet she wanted to stay here forever, wrap herself around that gorgeous body again, and lose herself in Ruan.
‘I guess we should get dressed.’ Rolling away from him, Tammy found her underwear and put it on.
Ruan watched her pulling on her shorts but made no attempt to do the same. The sight of his honed body made her weaken again; then she tore her eyes away and stiffened her resolve.
Should she be more cautious? Hold back to protect herself and him? Every other relationship – fling – call it what you will, had ended up with her ending it. She’d hurt people even though she’d never meant to and she didn’t want Ruan, of all the men she’d ever known, to be another casualty.
She shook sand out of her vest. ‘We need to get out of here before we can’t.’
‘Does the cave flood then?’
