Fighting With Light (The Coldwell Brothers #2)

25. Liam

25

Liam

The surf looks great, the weather is perfect, and it’s time for me to ride these waves. The sun is out, and it’s nice and warm on my back. I was worried my mind would keep me locked in last night, but something about Aelia being here and what we shared last night has given me more fuel to my fire. I’m ready. I feel ready.

I lean forward on my board while my competitors prepare to catch their waves. We’re waiting for the judges to start the heat, but it’s taking a while. The adrenaline is pumping and it needs to be expended. I try to ignore my irritation by looking for Aelia on the beach.

The bright red bikini she picked out helps me spot her all the way to shore as she stands in the water with her hands on her hips and a hat on her head. She must have ditched the crochet cover-up she was wearing. The red triangles over her body are like a red flag that I want her to keep waving.

She woke me up last night, but I didn’t open my eyes. I heard her get up and figured she was just going to the bathroom, but then I heard her quiet cries. She probably thinks that I didn’t hear her, and I wasn’t sure what to do or if she wanted me to do anything. At first I thought maybe something happened and she would go back to her room, but she didn’t. She got back in bed and attached herself to me as if I was about to be ripped from her.

Is it possible to mourn something that hasn’t even happened yet? I shake my head, trying not to think about that part because I don’t need to focus on a future that is already written. I need to focus on my present and that’s scoring my points to get me into the next round .

The flag waves and the horn sounds across the water. The other two guys in my heat all nod to each other and we prep ourselves, ready to paddle into the wave. I take a deep breath, look behind me, glance at the others around me, and wait until I feel it. I’ve found that if I focus on the water and the way it rolls beneath my board, I’ll know when to catch the wave. It’s an innate connection between me and the ocean. I’ve tested the intuition so many times I can’t fault it. Waves start to transition as they make their way toward us and I remain on my board while Jordan Lewis of South Africa, takes off, paddling hard, ready to get to his feet. The height increases and then he dips into the peak of the break, disappearing from sight.

I wait for him and then close my eyes, feeling the way the water moves under me. The next group comes, and it feels like it will be a set wave, the perfect waves. I take my moment, paddling hard. The wave starts to curl faster, and I dip into it doing a bottom turn and the way the wave breaks harder, I lean into it riding the barrel. It gets tighter and tighter as I get closer to the end. Bending my knees harder, the board goes faster until the barrel is about to close in and I zip out of it as if I’m flying. I smile to myself, drop off my board, and then hop back on to start paddling back out because the Sea-Doo has two other surfers.

There are three competitors in this heat, but we only have thirty minutes, so I have to hurry to get behind the waves to go again. As I take the route around James Lee from Australia, I watch him before I bob over the surface of the wave to get onshore.

Focusing on getting further out, I prep myself to go again, waiting for the right wave. I don’t wait long and take my next one, dipping into it. My balance falters a bit and I grit my teeth, knowing I’ll lose points for that. I ride the wave, pulling out as many technical moves as I can muster in such a quick ride. I gain extra speed, throwing top turn after top turn. And then take the jump I know is risky because I’m losing the wave, but I go for it, launching myself off the tip of the wave and catching air. I grab my board and then release as I land back in the water, ending my turn.

Dropping down to my stomach, I paddle back out, knowing I have enough time for one more ride. After I get behind the waves, my South African competitor, Jordan Lewis, yells out for me, “Bro! That was some killer air! Ballsy, man!” he says.

“Thanks, man,” I call back, running my hands through my hair to push it out of my face. He takes off on the next wave and I wait my turn. I don’t have time to waste, so I have to take whatever is given to me and go for it.

I glance behind me as it comes up and start paddling as hard as I can, sensing it’s not going to be as big as my last two, but I’ll make it work.

Trying to catch my breath as I paddle my arms as hard as I can, at the last second I leap to my feet and carve into the wave with a cutback. Righting myself, I lean in and sense that the wave is draining faster than I can surf it. So I spot a break in the water and squat down further, gaining speed. My hair flies back and I grab as many back turns as I can, smiling as the wave comes to an end and I bail out.

The wave crashes around me and I swim back to the surface, stoked that I was able to pull it off. It was either go big or go home. The end of the heat is signaled just in time, and I hop on my board to paddle back.

I brush my wet hair out of my face as my feet hit the shore and out of the corner of my eye see red. Dropping my board, I catch Aelia as she throws herself into my arms. I barely catch her as she loops her arms around my neck and legs around my waist. “I don’t know if that was good, but it looked amazing to me. You did so good, Tarzan.”

I grin and kiss her cheek. “Thank you,” I tell her.

Aelia smiles and keeps hugging me. We stand there for a second because it feels good to have someone tell you good job. I might be a professional and good at what I do, but her acknowledgment feels…I don’t know how to put it into words, but my chest feels light and I can’t stop smiling.

“You’re not supposed to be over here,” I tell her in her ear.

She lifts her shoulder, unbothered by the rules, and while holding her, I lean down and grab my board. She kisses my cheek again and then my lips. Once I hit dry sand, she unlocks her ankles and slides down my wet body to her feet.

“Proud of you,” she says and pats my cheek, then walks back down the beach .

“Is that your girl?” Jordan asks, meeting my stride on the sand. I glance back at Aelia walking back to her side of the beach and then look at Jordan.

“Yeah, it is,” I tell him.

He smiles, fist-bumping me. “I’d surf harder if I had her watching me, too.” He grins.

I chuckle. Maybe that’s it. Aelia being here made me surf better. It sounds stupid, but if it’s true, then I’ll have to keep her, right? We get to the tents and see the scores. The Australian scored almost a perfect ten thousand points. I came in at second with seven thousand eight hundred, and Jordan unfortunately scored below that, ejecting him from the championship. It’s not the score I wanted, but I advanced to El Salvador and that’s all that matters. I still have a chance at the title. I’ll just have to score a ten, which will bring me to the final. All in all, not a bad way to end our stay in Portugal. Aelia and I got what we needed to build this case and we’re headed to El Salvador.

***

We have five days to get to El Salvador, so Aelia and I decide to stay one more day in Portugal. We’re in the pool, which we haven’t been able to enjoy much, and she’s floating around on her back.

“What’s the plan for Colombia? I’ve done a lot of reckless things, but I’m a little worried now,” she mutters into the sky.

I grab her ankle and float her over to me, then put my palms on her back, turning us in circles.

She lifts her head. “Did you hear a word I said?” she asks.

I nod and move us in a circle. I haven’t been able to do a whole lot of deep diving into Colombia because I was focused on what we needed here and then my largest, best distraction—Aelia.

When we got back yesterday after a full day, the chef came in, made us dinner, and I crashed. I woke up this morning to Aelia plastered to my body and I’ve never felt so good the day after a competition. We had a huge breakfast and we’ve been in the pool ever since. She leans her head back and closes her eyes as her hair floats around her head in the water and I stare at the tiniest purple bikini I’ve seen. It’s just straight indecent. No wonder she didn’t wear it in public.

“What is the point of this bikini?” I ask her and finger the strap at her waist. She lifts her head again, and the corner of her mouth is tipped up.

“Why? Do you like it?” she asks.

I hum and spin us again.

“I bought it when I was home. I thought I might need it when I got here.”

I chuckle and lean forward, kissing her sternum. “I don’t know why you even bother. You’re verging on naked as it is.”

She pouts and then lifts out of my arms. Aelia’s so small the four-and-a-half-foot shallow end still reaches her collarbone. She looks at me and lifts her arms to the top of her neck and her back. The top straps fall forward and the back ones float out to the sides. She grabs the bikini top and tosses it to the side. Then her hands disappear under the water and she throws the stringy bottoms at me.“There, how is that?” she says with a sassy tone.

I grin and throw myself in the water towards her and she shrieks, trying to swim away from me.

“No, no, you can look, but you can’t touch, Tarzan,” she taunts.

Lunging for her again, she slips through my fingers and swims over to the deep end of the large, rectangular pool. She lifts up out of the water, resting her elbows on the edge of the pool. My breath catches in my throat. She’s so beautifully wild, I love it.

I grab the waistband of my trunks, shove them over my hips, and toss them at her. She giggles, dodging them and tilts her head up into the sun, exposing her neck. I groan at the sight because she knows exactly what she’s doing.

What she failed to remember is that I’m a strong swimmer. I dive under the surface, and in three long strokes and kicks of my legs, make it to her side of the pool. Reaching for her foot, I drag my hand up her slippery body until my head pops up out of the water. This side is too deep, so I have to tread water, and I kick one more time before grabbing the edge of the pool with both hands, caging her in with my arms .

Her head tilts up and she looks me in the eye. I lean forward and she meets me halfway, smashing her lips against mine between staccato breaths and sloppy kisses. “I want to stay here forever,” she whispers, keeping her lips against mine.

I purse my lips, kissing her again. She links her arms around my neck and lifts a knee to my hip, pressing her wet body to mine.

My stomach flips and I lean in, bypassing her mouth to kiss her jaw where her sweet scent is still strong because she refuses to wear sunscreen. Her skin has gotten darker with the sun and it has pulled little freckles across her nose and chest.

“I wish we could, too, princess,” I murmur into her ear.

She shudders against me and I pull back to look her in the eye.

“Our whole lives…” she says, dragging her hand over the base of my head through my wet hair. “Our fathers’ choices forced us to live like this and it feels wrong. They took something from us and it feels like I have no right to say that.”

I don’t say anything, giving her the space to say what’s on her mind.

“I know you’ve done something with yours. You’re a seasoned surfer and rock climber, and I think that’s amazing. Kids that surf or rock climb look up to you. I feel like a whiny baby, but I don’t know what I’ve done with mine. What do I have to show for it? People think money and power will make you happy, but they are hollow. My dad wasn’t like this. He was never good, but I think Mom was happy at one point, especially when they started having kids. But now, she’s just so sad. He changed and I’m…” she trails off.

I brush my lips against hers. “You can tell me, princess,” I encourage her.

She takes a deep breath. “I’m afraid I’m going to become like my mom and die that way, with nothing because someone else decided for me.”

“You are not her, Aelia,” I whisper, leaning into her, dragging my nose up the side of her face. Her hands twitch at my neck. I get what she’s saying. I didn’t have control over a lot of my life until I grew up. Mom wanted us to try to live our lives the best we could, and my brothers and I refused to leave her until she agreed to a full-time security team. I don’t think it eased the fear for her. My father was still there, the threat looming over all of us. But if Aelia and I succeed, she doesn’t have to let anyone decide anything for her anymore. We’re working towards that outcome right now.

I lean back to look Aelia in the eye. They’re glassy and she blinks rapidly, trying to push the tears back, but one escapes, anyway. I wipe my thumb over her cheekbone and stick it in my mouth. Her lips roll, and she leans into me so our foreheads are leaned against each other.

“Maybe I wouldn’t be her if I could keep you,” she whispers.

And I think a bullet to the heart would have been easier to take than her words.

Time is ticking, and we still have work to do, but our time together isn’t up yet. “Be here with me now, princess. I need your now ,” I tell her.

She nods and angles her head up while I hold us floating in the pool. Our mouths press together and at first, it’s sweet and slow, making my insides burn. She whimpers into my mouth and I pull away. Her eyes are still closed and she opens them one at a time while I focus on the way the sun makes her skin glow.

Our gazes lock together and I can feel her heart jump because she’s pressed against me. We wordlessly swim to the other side, back to the stairs. I grab her bridal style, carrying her out of the water and over to a lounge chair with our towels on it. Sitting down with her still in my lap, dripping water onto the stone patio, she smoothly moves to straddle my legs and I scoot us so my feet are resting on the chair.

It’s reclined slightly, and I lay back with Aelia above me. I thought everything between us would be hot, fast, and intoxicating. It’s hot, and it’s intoxicating, but we naturally go slower with each other. I want to memorize every single part of her, so I have something to take with me when this is over.

Every moment we’ve spent together, I’ve tried to commit to memory the way her lips part when she’s about to speak, then second-guesses herself. I want to learn by heart the determined look on her face when she’s trying to do something, or when she’s focused on the tape recordings from earlier. I want to stain into my memory the way she looks above and below me at the end of herself as she loses control because I took it. I wish I could take a picture now of her perched above me with wet hair, radiant skin, and longing in her eyes .

Running my hands up and down her wet thighs, she leans into my chest, holding my gaze a moment longer before she brushes her lips against mine, sending a tantalizing shiver down my spine. Then, all at once, she drags me under, and I can’t hold the need rolling through me back anymore. Sliding my hand around the back of her neck, I keep her there, depleting every breath of air from her lungs because it belongs to me.

Teeth clash and lips are nipped before she takes both hands, pushing me back. My hands roam from her thighs to her hips to her butt. I squeeze them once, then drag my hands up either side of her spine, yanking her in closer to me.

Aelia’s hips roll and she brushes me, and it’s as if she shocked me with a taser. I groan, and she grins, doing it again, biting her lower lip. Watching her move above me takes every bit of restraint in my body not to demand control. I move one of my hands from her spine to the apex of her thighs and glance up.

She’s looking down at my hand and rolls her hips with the silent plea for me to put my fingers where she wants them. The tips of my fingers slide over her and she moans with the contact. Instead of giving her what she wants, I grab her hips and rock her onto me. She holds onto my shoulder and tips her head back.

“Liam,” she moans.

“Yes, princess? I ask, pulling her down to my lips.

She kisses me deeply and a warm heat curls in my sternum as I consume her without hesitation, hoping that I will be able to recall every second of us like this. Looking up at her, I hear the crash of the waves against the cliffs, birds chirp in the distance, and it steals the breath from my lungs. She is everything.

She holds my face between her hands and plunges her tongue into my mouth as she moves. I help her, gripping her hips. She gasps into my mouth, inhaling sharply.

“More,” she whines.

I thrust up, and she moans into my mouth. Pressing my heels into the teak wood chair, it groans beneath us as I lift her. Aelia’s hands scramble for purchase and gathers my head into her chest, holding onto me.

I grunt with exertion, feeling that flicker at the base of my spine. The chair groans again and then suddenly we’re falling. Aelia gasps and I land with my back against the chair. It takes her a second, then she’s laughing and moaning at the same time. I grin up at her as she giggles, then I push up, and her laughter turns to whimpers.

Ignoring the fact we broke the chair, I refocus on Aelia. Holding her to me, I flip us in the narrow space. Her thighs squeeze my hips and I grab her leg, setting it over my shoulder. The new position sends pleasing shudders down my spine and I swear Aelia blacks out for a second. I lean in, stretching her leg back and she babbles incoherently.

I nip her ear, breathing harshly causing her to shiver. “Merde, ca fait tellement de bien, Aelia,” I whisper in her ear.

Her eyes spring open. “What did you say?” she gasps.

“You feel so good.”

She whimpers and words flow from my lips like a river. “Tu m’as toujours été destinée,” I grunt out. You were always meant to be mine, there is no one else my love.

“Tell me,” she gasps.

I scramble for words trying to keep my brain from losing the ability to form words.

Aelia cries out, arching her back and I know she’s almost there. “Tell me,” she groans loudly.

“You’re doing so good for me, princess,” I mumble.

She moans and I relish the way her skin feels against mine and the pleasing warmth that radiates from her. I don’t think I can ever get enough.

Leaning back, she gasps in surprise as her leg slides over my shoulder to the crook of my elbow and I lift her hips up to hold her with one hand and brace myself with the other. I let go, cutting my restraints, giving her every bit of me. It’s all she can do to hold on to one of the slats of the chair as she watches while her stomach clenches with every movement, and it sends shocks over my skin.

Grunting with exertion, she tries to hold her whimpers in and I lean forward more, bending her up. “Let me hear it, Aelia. Let the whole world hear it,” I tell her.

Her lips burst open and she fills the air, crying out to the sky. I pant, trying to keep my pace and balance us on the wood, as I press my palm on her lower stomach. Her eyes widen, her muscles tense so tightly I’m afraid she might snap and then she explodes. That beautiful back arches impossibly high and I follow right behind her as we drown in each other in an endless embrace.

My arms weaken and I gulp in deep breaths as we still. I move to lift myself off of her, but her ankles lock at my back and she gathers my face to hers. Soft lips and small gasps pass between us as she kisses me. It does funny things to my heart as I stroke my tongue against hers. Aelia puts her whole self into the kiss as I devour her.

She pulls away with swollen lips and flushed cheeks. “Where did you come from?” she asks, rubbing her thumb on the other side of my jaw.

I don’t have words to answer her because I don’t know, and it’s like knives stabbing my gut as reality brings us back down to Earth.

I found my one, the one I never thought existed because I was destined to be alone. So I kiss her instead and hope she understands.