“Yeah. Yes. I’m here.” I sit up straight and lean back, so he’s not quite in my personal space anymore. “We should get the bill. I should head back.”

I need some distance from this man, especially after consuming half a bottle of wine. I check my phone, but there are no messages from my sister, so I assume she’s still sleeping.

Pierce signals the server and asks for the bill. I should’ve stopped at one glass of wine and it probably would’ve halved my portion.

When the server arrives with the bill, Pierce already has his credit card out.

“I would like to pay for half of that.” I hold out my card but he covers my hand with his.

Pierce addresses the server, “It’s fine. Thank you. I have it.” He turns his smile on me. “Please let me.”

I don’t want to start an argument in front of the server, so I wait until he’s gone before I pull out my wallet.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m giving you cash for my part of the bill.”

“I’ve already got it.”

“Yes, but we’ve established that this isn’t a date. And I owe $112 of the $274 bill, and I’d like to pay my portion.”

Pierce frowns. I don’t know how it’s possible, but his serious face is as attractive as his non-serious face. “You didn’t even see the bill.”

“I don’t need to see the bill to know what I owe.”

It takes Pierce a moment to understand. “You did that in your head.”

“It’s simple math.”

“What’s the square root of pi rounded to the sixth decimal place?”

I roll my eyes. “That’s too easy.”

“I only know what it is rounded to the second decimal place because that’s what they taught us in school. How about the square root of 700,051?”

“How many decimal points do you want?”

“Two?”

“836.69.”

Pierce sits back in his chair with his jaw hanging open. “You’re a genius.”

“I’m just good at remembering numbers. It’s mental math, that’s all.” Internally, I berate myself for showing off. I used to catch so much heat in high school. Teachers thought I was cheating on tests, and sometimes they hated it when I was right and they were wrong.

And that very skill set is what took us from the top and sunk us all the way to the bottom all those years ago, when I unknowingly helped my father swindle countless families out of their hard-earned money to pad his bank account.

Pierce bites his knuckle and leans forward, forcing me out of my head. “Do you have any idea how sexy that is?”

“You think it’s sexy that I can do math in my head?”

“Yes. You’re gorgeous, outspoken, and intelligent. It’s a hard-on-inducing trifecta.”

CHAPTER 9

SEAWEED ATTACK

PIERCE

Okay, so maybe I should’ve left out the hard-on-inducing part, but seriously, smart, gorgeous, with a spicy personality. She’s everything I want in a woman. I’d like to think eventually I would’ve met her without the little grocery store incident, but I’m actually thankful now for the scratched paint.

Rian seems to give in regarding the dinner bill, slipping her wallet back into her purse with a frown. I make a small adjustment in my pants before I pick up the bag of Rian’s leftovers and stand. I use the manners my mother instilled in me and pull out her chair. “I’ll walk you back.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’ve taken up most of your evening. You’ve been more than generous.” She motions to the bag of food. As if I’d let her pay for dinner when I invited her to eat with me. “And it’s just a few minutes down the beach.”

“Would it make a difference if I tell you it’s as much for me as it is for you?”

“Why? To ensure my sister isn’t throwing a kegger?”

“Well, that’s one reason, but mostly it’s because I like you, and I’ll take as many extra minutes with you as you’re willing to permit me.”

She blinks a few times, possibly taken off guard by my frankness. “I really never know what I’m going to get with you.”

“I’m pretty transparent most of the time.” That’s not entirely true. But in this circumstance, with this woman, in this particular situation, I’m definitely transparent.

I shoulder my messenger bag and motion for Rian to go first. The sun is about to drop below the horizon, the sky streaked with wisps of clouds that hold onto the colors, deep orange shifting to stunning shades of pink and purple.

“It’s so pretty here at night.” Rian’s gaze sweeps over the shoreline and holds down the beach.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” I point in the direction of Mission Mansion rather than the beach house.

“Oh, no. I should check on Marley. We can head back.”

I’m a little disappointed. Dinner conversation was easy when she finally let her guard down.

I’d offer to take her to my place for a drink, but Lawson already has his own friend over and I have my doubts they’re doing much in the way of talking, hence the reason I was out eating dinner alone.

Rian slips her shoes off as we make our away across the white sand to the shoreline. The water laps at her feet, and she stares out across the horizon, captivated by the sliver of sun sinking into the water. The waning light reflects in her hair and on her face. Her cheeks are pink from too much sun, but the golden glow frames her face.

“God, the view is gorgeous,” she murmurs.

“It really is.” I tuck a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing when she looks my way and rolls her eyes.

“Please hold your cheesy lines.”

“You really are beautiful.”

“You can stop now.” Her cheeks flush further, and she moves deeper into the surf.

Dusk has settled, sending a gray cast over the beach and darkening the water. Rian stumbles and then shrieks. She flails, her vigor creating a wide splash radius that manages to reach me. “Something’s touching me!”

It’s too dark to see what it is, so I drop the bags on the beach and rush to remove my shoes.

“Ow! Oh my God! I don’t know what that is! What if it’s a shark? I stepped on something slimy and it’s moving!”

I laugh. She’s standing in less than a foot of water. There’s no way it’s a shark, at least not one that could actually do any damage. It’s more likely something harmless, or a jellyfish at the very worst.

She launches herself at me as soon as I’m close enough. She’s not all that graceful about it, and her aim is off, so I have to rush to catch her before she falls face-first into the shallow water. She scales me, wrapping her legs around my waist while slapping at her ankle. Her chosen position isn’t a great one, my right arm is pinned to my side—by her crotch.

She’s a lot stronger than she looks, considering the way she’s hanging off me. The side of her face is pressed against my chest as she reaches around to pull at whatever has her so tangled up. She sets me off balance as she continues to kick and flail, causing us to both go down.

I spin so I’m the one who lands on my back in about six inches of water. She drops onto my chest with a grunt. “I got it!” she yells, victorious, thrusting her arm in the air.