Free Seeking Me To Find You (Finding You Series Book 1) by Anna Mychals Page B

feels natural. I feel as if I have known her all my life. She has her left arm propped up on the arm rest. Casually I reach over with my right arm and lightly take her hand in mind. Her hand tenses and she looks up me with an uncertain smile. With my eyes still locked on the road, I give a confident smile back. I catch Grace’s smile growing and notice it meets her eyes. She relaxes into her seat while her hand relaxes back into mine. We ride exactly this way until we get to the beach.
    The beach is very busy. Anywhere in Southern California on a day like this would be crowded. I pull the truck down to the launch ramp and in unison we both get out and untie the kayaks. It’s obvious she has completed these movements many times. Automatically jumping up in the truck’s bed, she takes control of the back end of one of the kayaks. Continuing to anticipate each other moves, we unload the kayaks one by one. Most of my previous dates would not have jumped in like she did. Hell, most of them would not have been here. They would have wanted to spend the day shopping and would have met me for dinner and drinks later. I jump back in the truck, leaving Grace, along with the kayaks, by the water until I can find a parking space. As soon as I find one, I stow my belongings in a waterproof bag.
    Jogging back down to the ramp, I notice she is putting on her life jacket and assembling the oars. What she doesn’t notice is that there are three men watching her every move. As I am coming down the hill I see things unveil pretty quickly. One guy gets her attention, while the other two come up close behind her, which startles her. One guy behind her flips her hair, while the one in the front runs his hand down her cheek. I can’t get to her fast enough, but notice that she quickly positions herself slightly out in front between them, while taking a defensive stance. One guy takes a step forward and I see her pull something out of her pocket and point it at them. I get closer and see she is holding a can of mace. That’s my girl. The guys look at her, then at me, and take off.
    The next thing I know she has turned around and thrown her arms around my neck. She is shaking uncontrollably.
    “Shhhh. I’m right here. Look at me.” Pulling back her eyes meet mine. There’s moisture welling up in them. “You did good. Shhh. I’m here.” A single tear escapes her eye. As she pushes it away, I decide to lighten the mood. “Damn girl, was that mace waiting on me?”
    Laughing as a sob chokes out, she says, “No. It’s something that my dad told me to always carry. I automatically put it in my purse or pocket if I am going out.”
    Wiping away the stray tear and placing a stray hair behind her ear, I lean down and place a gentle kiss upon her soft lips. God, she tastes like sun ripened raspberries with a twist of mint. Her senses surround me and I pull her deeper towards me. She lets go and her tongue flirts with mine. Pulling back just a little, she gently nips my bottom lip. Holy hell! I must have her.
    Suddenly she pulls back. The immediate loss leaves me needing to have her close again.
    “What’s wrong?” I have to feel her skin again so I take her by her hand. Her hand is soft as silk and I want to kiss the inside of her wrist, nipping my way up to her neck.
    She smiles shyly back to me. “Let’s not let this ruin today. Let’s get these kayaks in the water.”
    She carries the front while I handle the back. We do this again with the second. Finally, Grace and I are off for our afternoon adventure hoping to leave this one hiccup behind.

Chapter Thirteen
    Grace
    I ’m trying to regain my composure as we glide into the water. Not wanting to let what just happened damper my spirits, I take three deep cleansing breaths.
    “Grace, are you okay?”
    Looking back over my shoulder, I see him leaning forward with great concern in his eyes.
    “I’m fine. Just trying to get acclimated to this kayak. It’s a little longer than the one