Surf & Surrender Excerpt

Whatever Danny's response was, it's drowned out by the sound of glass shattering and a loud shriek. We all turn toward the bonfire as a girl with long brown hair sprints in our direction, laughing as she passes us. 

And behind her?

Sawyer Carson.

I recognize his stance before my gaze even gets to his face, and the sudden understanding of his shape is an electric cannonball slamming into my chest, where it sits still for a moment, ticking, ticking… The enormity of it is too heavy to leave room for breath. 

Then we catch eyes, and the damn thing explodes in my veins.

The entirety of me buzzes. Under my skin. Vibrations. Jolts. They hurt.

They burn.

They thrill.

* 3 Things More Shocking Than Seeing Sawyer Again *

1. A strike of lightning. 

2. A live electrical appliance dropped in water. 

3. Nothing. Sawyer's face in front of me is the third most shocking thing there is. 

It even beats out a defibrillator. 

Though if my heart doesn't start beating again soon, I may need one.

* * * * * *

He's changed. Where he used to be lanky, he's toned. His skin looks like honey in the backlit glow of the fire, and his eyes are such a bright green, I can see their color even in the dark. 

There's a tension in his posture, some dark thing coiled under his skin, barely kept in check. And whatever it is, it's all about me. He still hasn't looked away. 

He's sexy as hell. 

But I can't just stand here studying him. I need to move. To act. To do something. 

For instance, breathe. I need to breathe. 

So I do, the air sizzling in my lungs. 

A few years back in lifeguard training, I learned the best treatment for electrical shock is prevention. A little too late for that now, but maybe I can save myself from complete electrocution. In my mind, I sheath myself in a Sawyer-shock-repelling layer of rubber. 

Now, at least, I can shape my lips into the form of a smile. And when I speak, my voice comes out so steadily it's almost smug. "Sawyer. Hello."