10

"So, you jog here?" Kat asks when we arrive.

I smile at her knowingly. "Among other things."

"Surfing?"

"Mostly for girls," I admit.

"Whatever will they think when they see me?" Kat asks as she throws up her hands with fake drama.

"Don't care." I hold out my hand and to my surprise, she takes it and walks at my side without talking.

We walk like this for quite a long time, and I start to feel daunted by this time with her. It is so much more than I expected, when all our other exchanges have been spiked with sass and good-natured barbs. That we can co-exist in comfortable silence and just be is nothing short of amazing.

We get to my favorite outlook and plop ourselves down on the sun-warmed rocks. As we bask, Kat looks around and nods in approval. "I see why you like it."

"Do you now?" I'm looking at her as I say this and am fascinated by how much it unsettles her.

Kat looks at her feet with heightened color in her cheeks. "So what really went down at the party?"

"I already gave you the highlights."

Her eyebrow raises as she laughs. "Barfing, my new favorite hobby."

"Don't forget cutting hair. Who knew?"

She colors becomingly and lets her fingertips graze my knuckles. "I drunk dialed you."

Bianca must have mentioned it. "Yeah. You're kind of cute when you're smashed."

Kat looks away. "You mean nice, right?"

Uninhibited comes to mind. "That's one word for it."

She sighs. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

I lean in and murmur, "Not even if you beg me."

Her eyes lower to my mouth and darken as she remembers my line at the dance. "Does that apply to other activities?"

I reach into my pocket and take out what I've been saving for this special occasion. "Not anymore," I say as I wave my white flag. "Truce?"

Kat's fingers entwine with mine as she pushes me back and brushes the lightest of kisses across my lips. "Definitely." She digs one hand into my wind-tangled sex hair and finishes with, "If you ever cut this, I'll neuter you."

"Noted. Anything else?"

Her hand drops to the edge of my undershirt and follows the fine dusting of hair that disappears underneath. "Next time I ask to see the sights, give it up."

I realize I've been had. "So you remember."

Her chuckle sounds a bit forced. "Every last bit."

I want to be sorry, but I won't apologize for kissing her back, or enjoying the rather brief peep show she gave me. "And?"

"You continue to impress me." Kat gifts me with another mind-bending kiss. "In every way."

"But I can't even read. How can I compete?" I know she remembers her crack about my lack of reading skills.

Kat takes up the white flag and hands it to me with a smile. "You've already won."

We join hands with the flag flopping between us and as we move further down the beach, I end with, "Wait till the next round."

The End