Free Azure (Drowning In You) by Chrystalla Thoma Page B

museums. I love hanging out there.”
    “Do you live there?”
    He shook his head. “Not anymore. I dropped out of college and came to live here.”
    So he did live here. “Why?”
    His mouth thinned. “I couldn’t focus on my studies.”
    But why? “What were you studying?”
    “Architecture.” He wiped his hands on his shorts. They were swim trunks, she realized, surfer trunks. “Have you ever been to the MOMA?”
    The Museum of Modern Art. “Never been.”
    “There’s painting of a woman in a field, reaching toward a house. Reminds me of you.”
    “You’re making this up.”
    “Not at all. Andrew Wyeth . The painting’s called ‘Christina’s World’. You should go see it. I often sat and just looked at it.”
    “Why does she remind you of me? Is she a blond noodle, too?”
    “Blond...?” He sputtered. “Who told you that?”
    “Never mind.” She waved a hand, smiling. “So, why?”
    He leaned back, resting his head on the white rock. “She’s trying to find her way home.”
    Hiding a wince, she hugged her knees and rested her chin on them. “I think I’m going for a swim. Coming?”
    “You go ahead. Test the water for me.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “Just remember not to swim far. There are rip currents and—”
    “—sharks and stuff,” she nodded sagely. “I know.”
    “Sharks?” His brow furrowed. “Hadn’t thought of that. Maybe.”
    Oh great. “Anything else I should know?”
    “If a rip current gets you, don’t fight it. Let it carry you.”
    “And then what — I find myself in the middle of the ocean? With the sharks?” She gave the sea a suspicious stare.
    “Then I’ll get you,” he said simply.
    “And who will get you?”
    “The sea doesn’t want me,” he said, his tone flat. “I’ll be fine.”
    She had no idea what he was talking about, and stealing looks at his beautiful profile was only getting her hot and bothered, so she stood and wriggled out of her shorts.
    His gaze slid up and down her body. She could almost feel it, like a warm breath. Self-conscious, she shook her hair back and shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun. “Last one in the water is a rotten egg!”
    She ran across the stretch of hot sand and splashed into the water. God, it was frigid. She gasped, stopping when it reached mid-thigh, and clenched her teeth. Dive in and get it over with , she told herself. It’s the only way to get used to it before your teeth rattle so hard they fall out.
    And crap, of course she’d forgotten to bring her goggles. Closing her eyes to prevent her contact lenses from floating off, she dived under, the cold slamming into her like a fist.
    She came up gasping and spluttering. “It’s freezing!” she called out.
    “Sounds perfect,” he called back and she could see his white teeth flashing. “I need a cold shower, so I guess it will do.”
    Did that mean what she thought it meant? Grinning, she sank back into the water, which was now bearable, and floated. Below her, through the crystal ripples, she could see more colorful pebbles. The water was like glass. She dived under blindly and scooped a handful of colors, then surfaced to study them. They sparkled like rainbows in the palm of her hand.
    Movement caught her eye and she looked toward the beach. Kai stood in the sun. He reached behind his head and pulled his t-shirt off. Then he stalked toward her, his gaze intense, his face all angles, muscles rippling across his chest.
    Oh god, she was staring and didn’t care. She only hoped she wasn’t drooling. She wanted to run her fingers over his jaw, over his lips, down his chest. With a sudden, fierce desire, she wanted to know how his mouth tasted.
    Jesus .
    She forced herself to look away. She stared at her feet. At the pebbles. At the water. Fascinating. Yeah .
    And all in vain, because he stepped into the water and halted right in front of her, the breeze sending his scent all around her. He raised his hand to touch