Page 12 of Reckless Storm (San Francisco End Game #3)

Hayley

R eed stares at the wakeboard park in front of us and shakes his head. “This is what we drove two hours for?” He laughs to himself. “You’re on your own, Hayls. I’m happy to watch. But—”

“Come on, it will be fun.” Not knowing what I had planned has been eating away at him, and I almost gave in a few times.

But holding off and seeing the look on his face just now was totally worth it.

“I don’t expect you to wakeboard. We can do the aqua course instead.

If you don’t fall off, you won’t get wet.

” I shrug and Reed’s laughter increases.

“I understand your cryptic message now, but it’s still a no. I can’t afford to break anything.”

I pout, but I get it. I probably should have thought of that. “Okay, fine. I have a plan B.”

“No way.” Reed raises a hand and steps forward, spinning me around until we’re facing the inflatable aqua course.

“We are not leaving until you show me what you’ve got.

” He points to the course as a young kid slips off the top of the slide, plunging into the cold water.

“I’m going to rent that floating cabana over there.

” He points to the cabana. “Then I’m going to kick back and enjoy the view. ”

I stifle a snort and shove him away. “Is that so?”

“Yep. I’ll even buy you lunch when you’re done.”

“How very kind of you.”

“I thought so.” He bites back a grin.

“You’re really not going to participate?” I ask, my brows raised in anticipation.

“I’m really not.”

“Your loss.” I shrug and walk over to the cabana, stripping my hoodie over my head and throwing it his way, doing the same with my pants, standing before him in my string bikini. “Mind my stuff. I’m going to kick some teenage kid’s ass.”

I jog away to the sound of his chuckle, and it doesn’t take long for a group of young guys to welcome me into their pack. Especially when one of them recognises me.

“Fuck, you’re that chick, from that thing.” He waves his arm in front of me, the chains on his wrist jingling.

His cute friend smacks him over the head.

“Do you mean the actress from that movie?” I ask, unable to hold back my grin.

“Exactly.” He clicks his fingers and his mates groan.

“That’s me. Who’s up for a challenge? First to complete the course wins.”

“What do we win?” The taller of the three guys steps forward, and I eye him as my competition, keeping a straight face until he’s next to get a slap across the head.

“Does it matter, Hunter?” the cute one asks. “We’re hanging out with a movie star.”

I laugh out loud and turn back toward the cabanas, finding Reed settled into the one he pointed to, closest to us, his arms tucked behind his head as he watches. He’s some distance away, but I don’t miss the way his lips twist into a smirk, and I can only imagine what he’s thinking.

I’m glad I amuse him.

Two of the guys’ girlfriends join us before we start, so we settle on a girls versus boys game, with the boys quickly assuming they’ll be better than we are.

But the joke’s on them. I’m out to prove them wrong. I grew up on the water and I plan to give it my all. I owe Reed a show, and I’m nothing if not a performer.

“Are you ready, ladies?” I ask, smiling at my new friends.

“Hell, yeah,” the smallest of the two calls out with the other giving me a high five.

And then it’s on.

We line up. First team to have all three people over the finish line wins. And it’s going to be the girls.

We call over a dad who’s waiting for his kids, asking him to count us in, and the second he says go, I take off running.

But holy shit, this is hard.

I slip on the first corner, thankfully landing on the course while my opponent—the guy who asked about the prize, Hunter—rushes ahead.

I’m cursing myself as I climb the ladder to the slide, but when we hit the balance beam, Hunter makes the mistake of keeping up his speed and falls flat on his face before flipping into the water.

I’m ahead for the next few obstacles and a little cocky rounding the last bend, certain I’ve got this until I have to leap from one platform to the next and slip on my ass, tumbling straight into the man-made lake.

I’m in the water for no more than a minute, dragging myself out before Hunter has the chance to reach me, racing over the finish line seconds before he does, cheering as I turn to watch my teammates.

Anna, my second, crosses the line at the same time her boyfriend does, leaving us neck and neck. I cup my mouth to call out some encouragement when a deep voice makes me shiver.

“That was impressive,” Reed whispers from behind me. “Though I can’t help but notice you’re wet.”

His gruff tone has my body heating up, and I almost tell him that if he keeps whispering like that, I’ll be wet in other places, but he's not ready for that joke. Although, who’s joking?

“I only fell once,” I state for the record, turning quickly so my hair flicks him in the shoulder.

“ And I still won.” My final teammate crosses the line ahead of her boyfriend, and I scream out before Reed gets a chance to respond, running over to give the girls a hug.

“We killed it. Suck on that, boys. Girls rule.”

“Tell the world how you really feel.” Reed chuckles, drawing my attention.

“If you’d participated, maybe you would have proven me wrong, but since you didn’t…” I lift my hands in a “what are you gonna do” motion and put on a cheesy grin, hoping he’ll change his mind on the next round, but of course, he doesn’t.

“My loss.” He shrugs, repeating my words back to me.

And it really is his loss. “I’m gonna go again. I want to beat my time.”

I walk past Reed but he catches me around the waist, spinning me until I’m facing the opposite direction. “Nope,” he says, moving to my side. “You’re coming with me. It’s beach time.”

“Beach time?” My eyes flash to his as he nods toward the makeshift beach. “You’re willing to go in?”

“I am. Would you believe, I’m not originally from San Francisco. I’ve felt cold like you couldn’t comprehend. This is nothing.” Of course it’s nothing—we’re in California—but I let that one slide.

“Let’s—”

“Holy shit,” the cute guy calls out, cutting me off. “The movie star knows Reed Coombs.”

Damn. I should have seen that coming. “I think we just got busted.” I cringe but Reed laughs.

“Do you care?”

“Honestly? Nope. It’s beach time.”

“Then let’s go. What are you waiting for?” He playfully rolls his eyes and I slap his chest, pushing him backward so I can run ahead, beating him to the sand. “Last one under the water buys the first round.”

“Is everything a competition to you?” Reed calls out, stripping his sweatshirt over his head, drawing attention from all directions.

“Only if I know I’m going to win.”

I dive in before he’s even made it to the shoreline and when I surface again, he’s there beside me.

“Jesus Christ.” He shivers, making me laugh. “I thought it was going to be heated.”

“It’s a beach.” I shake my head, the smile never leaving my face as he complains.

“It’s fake.”

“Stop complaining; it’s fine.”

I t’s not fine. At all. I’m freezing my tits off but I refuse to admit it. I dragged Reed here, and told him it would be fun, so that’s what I’m doing—having fun. Waiting for Reed to give in. Which I’m praying isn’t much longer since we’ve already been jumping the fake waves for thirty minutes.

“Have you ever broken a bone?” Reed asks, eyeing me curiously. We’re playing get to know you games, and while I assumed it would be fun, it’s actually been quite informative.

“Two. I broke my arm falling off a horse when I was in primary school.”

“In what?”

“Elementary school.” I roll my eyes exaggeratedly. “I’m going to get you an Aussie dictionary.”

“Please do.” Reed’s lips pull into a lopsided grin. “I need it. What else did you break?”

“My big toe. I dropped a ceramic pot on it when I was around twenty.”

Reed’s face contorts and I burst out laughing. “You reacted more to that than my arm, and trust me, the broken arm hurt more.”

“Yes, but I visualized the pot incident and it felt all too real.”

“It was real. I still can’t move it properly.”

“Ouch.”

“Yep. What about you?”

“Never.” He shakes his head before smiling proudly.

“You’ve never broken anything?”

“Nope. Never even been to the hospital. I’m like Superman. The man of steel.”

My gaze falls to his hard, tattooed chest and I smile appreciatively. “Yeah, you are.” I bite my lip and nod, ogling Reed’s sculpted abs until he covers them with his arms.

“Stop objectifying me,” he chastises, but can’t keep a straight face as he sinks lower into the water.

“I can’t stop. Won’t stop. You brought attention to it. What was I supposed to do?”

“Point taken. Next question.”

I think on it for a moment before a question comes to mind. “Are you ready for something a little more personal?”

Reed scoffs as he stares at me deadpan. “You asked me if I was a virgin when you barely knew me. I think we’re past that, Hayls, don’t you?”

“You’re right. So…I didn’t want to ask this through messages, but…” I wince in hesitation. “I noticed that Bria wasn’t happy when you left the charity event the other week. Care to share?” I raise an eyebrow and Reed laughs awkwardly, running his hand through his now wet hair.

“Not—”

“You don’t have to tell me,” I cut in. “Forget—”

“Actually, I was going to say…not usually, but in this case I will.”

“Oooh. I feel special.”

“You should. I’m the guy that helps other people with their problems. I don’t talk about my own.”

“Yeah, I got that about you. Soo…” I trail off and bounce on my toes, waiting in anticipation—not that he can see my feet.

He’s silent for a beat before he breathes out a sigh and I instantly regret it. “Sor—”

With a wave of his hand, he cuts off my apology. “The short of it is that Bria was having a bad day and she took it out on me.”

“Damn. Does that happen often?”

“Not really. We’ve always had an easygoing relationship.”

“What changed?”

“The guy she liked ghosted her.”

“What?” I cough, choking on nothing. I wasn’t expecting him to say that. “Does she seriously have no idea that you want her?”

“Apparently not.” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, a defeated look in his eyes.

“Jesus. That sucks.” I cringe, suddenly wanting to slap some sense into Bria. “You have to tell her.”

“Actually, on the flip side, I decided it’s about time I moved on.”

“Oh, yeah? And how’s that going for you?”

Reed drops his face into the water and I bite back a laugh when he pops back up. “It’s not,” he admits.

“You need to get laid.”

“It doesn’t work. I’ve tried.”

“Does she have a magic—”

“No.” Reed chuckles, cutting me off before I’ve finished my sentence. “It’s nothing like that. She’s just…”

He trails off but he doesn’t have to explain. “Sometimes we just want what the heart wants,” I say for him. ”No reason behind it.”

“Exactly. Because fuck if I know why I still want her after all these years.”

“I like your honesty, Coombs.”

“Well, Jackman, I value your lack of judgement.”

“Who says I’m not—” He cuts me off with his fiery stare and I smile. “Trust me, I am the last person who should be judging anyone about their love life.”

“Or lack of it.”

“Or lack of it. I’m here to commiserate.”

Reed smiles and it’s one of those “melt your panties” smiles that has the girls next to us practically drooling. “I appreciate it,” he says, once again oblivious to the attention. Something he and Bria have in common.

We fall silent for a beat, people watching until Reed shivers. “Okay, Hayls. This has been fun, but my balls are officially numb.”

“I knew it! What happened to ‘I’ve felt cold like you couldn’t comprehend’?” I put on my best Reed accent and while he laughs, it’s clearly pained. He’s struggling.

“I’ve obviously become accustomed to the warmer weather since I’ve lived here.”

“How long have you lived in Cali?”

“Since I was seventeen.”

“Eleven years? Of course you’re used to warmer weather now.”

“How come you’re not cold?”

“I’m freaking freezing.” I stand up and point to my nipples standing at attention, visible through the thin material of my bikini. “This would never happen if I was warm.”

Being the gentleman that he is, Reed looks away as soon as he realizes what I’m showing him and shakes his head. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I’m no quitter. But since you said it first, I’m getting out.” With that, I run toward our cabana, instantly grabbing my towel, wrapping it around myself as Reed arrives.

“Here.” I pass him the extra one I brought with me since he assumed he wouldn’t get wet, and he shivers again, curling it around his shoulders, using the end to dry his hair.

“Fuck. It’s colder out here than in there.”

“It usually is.”

“Why couldn’t you have chosen this activity in August?”

“Because I only thought of it this week.”

“And you always do things as soon as you think of them?”

“Absolutely. I’m impulsive like that. Consider yourself lucky I waited until today. I’ve been thinking about this since Saturday.”

Reed hits me with that genuine smile of his and it brings out one of my own as my chest heats. “What’s that for?” I ask curiously.

“What’s what for?”

“That smile. The one you half hide away.”

He shrugs before locking me with his gaze, his eyes boring into mine. “I had fun today, Hayley. Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome. I had fun too. Same time next week?”

Reed barks out an incredulous laugh as his eyes widen. “Here?”

“God, no. I’ve checked this off my list. I’ll think of something else. Unless you want to decide?”

“Nah. I’m good.” He shakes his head and a spray of water hits me in the face. “Sorry about that.” He chuckles, wiping his thumb over the drops on my cheeks, forcing me to bite my lip as a warmth runs through me. “I’ll let you decide,” he continues. “Just tell me what time to pick you up.”

“Works for me.” I smile. “Oh, the possibilities.”

“Can’t wait.” Reed’s chuckle turns into a belly laugh, and for the first time in a while, I feel completely at ease. Like I can be my true self around him. And I’ve only really felt that with Amelia.

“Me either.”