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“Nope. Just noticing the beach is getting more crowded. I would suggest we head back soon. For your safety.”

“All right.” He slows down and comes to a stop, barely winded. “Then how about we pick up the pace?”

“Sure. No problem.” I do a quick scan of the area, assessing any threat or choke points. Cottages line the upper part of the beach. Further down, I notice the Sandpiper Inn, where Del is staying, and the neighboring restaurant, the Turtle Tide.

All very picturesque and inviting. Something about it makes me want to linger, to soak in the tranquility of it all. I snap my attention back to my principal. Right now, that’s all I can allow to take up my headspace.

Payton tilts his head as he studies me, then swings his gaze to a seawall in the distance. “We’re about a hundred yards from that wall. Think you can manage a sprint?”

I shrug. “Sure. No problem.”

The growing sunlight adds to the twinkle already sitting in his eyes. “Care to make a race of it?”

Curiosity piqued, I lift my hands to my hips. “Why?”

“Just a little fun. Unless you think you can’t handle it. I can slow my pace to make it fair.”

I know I shouldn’t take the bait, but his smug expression is making that really difficult. “No need. I’m up for the challenge.”

He moves closer, invading my space just enough to kick my pulse up a notch. “Then let’s make it interesting, shall we? If I win, you tell me what made you join the military.”

I snort. “Nothing made me.”

“Okay, then why you decided to join the military.”

Why am I even considering this? It’s a distraction, more than anything. “And if I win?”

He traces the sides of his mouth as he thinks. “I will promise not to try to lose you again.”

Hands on my hips, I blast him with a glare. “Did you have plans to do that?”

The look he gives me says he’ll never confess. “Do we have a deal?”

I sigh. “Fine. Deal.”

He takes a spot next to me, facing the seawall in the distance. “Ready, set…go!”

We launch in unison, racing down the moist sand just above the shoreline. Halfway there, the burn in my thighs starts, but I push harder to keep pace with him. However, I suspect he’s pacing himself to make me believe I have a chance. I’m tall, but his stride is longer.

About thirty feet from the wall, I give it all I have, testing my theory. Payton does the same and shoots ahead of me easily, reaching the wall a good three yards ahead of me. Just as I suspected he would.

Am I irritated that he beat me? Mildly. I think I’m more annoyed that he held himself back.

He rests his hands on his hips as he catches his breath.

Observation #3: Payton is more athletic than he looks. And very competitive.

I lean my rear against the wall while resting my hands above my knees, keenly aware of our surroundings as I catch my breath. A drawing of a mermaid on the cinder blocks to my left stares back at me with a slight smile and a red bikini top that reminds me of the one Del insisted I bring.

He dons a smug grin. “Happy to give you a rematch anytime.”

“I bet you are, big guy. ”

“Whenever you’re ready.” He raises his brows, letting me know he’s waiting for me to divulge my life secrets.

I straighten. “Now?”

“No time like the present.”

We walk side by side, heading back the way we came.

I take a moment to decide how much I intend to share with him. The problem is, I want to tell him the entire story, which isn’t normal for me. I haven’t even told Del everything.

So I’ll just tell him what’s specific to his question. “When I graduated from high school and aged out of the system, I really didn’t have a place to go. I couldn’t afford college, but I liked the idea of being part of something structured.” I shrug. “The military made sense.”

“Was that because you were used to being in the system?”

His question hits close to home, surprising me that he would make that connection. “In a way, yes. I was usually the one looking out for the younger kids, so it felt familiar.”

“To protect those in need.”

I dart my gaze to his, locked in a moment of unexpected understanding. How is he able to read me so well when he hardly knows me?

“You sound like you have some experience.”

He nods. “British royalty is very service-oriented. It’s ingrained from an early age. Even though my family doesn’t hold a major title, we’ve always taken our position quite seriously.”

“Why did you pursue hockey, then? Did you want something less serious?” I end with a laugh.

His jaw pulses. “No. I feel the same about hockey and train hard. My decision was more about living my life on my own terms.”

Now I feel bad that I laughed. “I can relate to that.”

He studies me. “Can you?”

I feel like a bug under a microscope as if my answer will determine what he does next. “I left the military for much the same reason.”

“And became a bodyguard.” He glances away for a moment.

“Yes. Like you, I wanted control of my future.”

“We have a lot in common, Lily.” His blue eyes mirror the encompassing sky as he stares at me with that infernal dimpled smile that makes my stomach flutter.

I use checking the time on my watch to change the subject. “We better hurry, or you’ll be late for practice.”

He doesn’t say anything else on our walk back, and neither do I. The silence is a relief, actually. Most of my assignments have required minimal communication. I’m more of a background fixture than a centerpiece.

But with Payton, I find myself wanting very much to be the center of his attention.