Page 139 of When In Doubt

“Oh, that would be such a great day out.” She types something into her notes. “I’m adding it to the list of things I want to show her.”

It’ll be good to come here like it’s normal, just another pretty place to have a day out with friends.

“I used to come here all the time with my dad.” My throat stings a little the way it always does when I talk about him, but it feels good this time. I want Freya to know him, to know the kind of man he was. I just wish she would have gotten to meet him.

“Yeah?”

I nod. “My mom never came, it was always just us. He used to call them our ‘boys’ days.’”

“What did you guys do?”

“Depends on the day.” I shrug. “Sometimes we’d play catch. If the weather was really nice, we had a rowboat that we’d take out. Mostly we just talked.” It’s strange to talk about him, like opening a door that’s long rusted shut. But now that there’s light coming through the cracks, I don’t want to close it again.

“Do you still have the boat?”

I hum in confirmation, even as my chest pangs.

“Maybe we could take it out sometime.” She presses a kiss to my shoulder and I swear I can feel the heat of her lips through my jacket.

I have to clear my throat against the tightness that forms. “I’d really like that.” I pull her even closer and kiss the top of her head, loving the way she melts into me.

When we hit the beach, Freya pauses to slip off her shoes, her toes wiggling into the sand. I do the same. Usually I hate the gritty feeling of sand on my feet, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the contagious joy she emanates.

She starts toward the water, tugging me with her. When we’re a couple of meters away, she turns, her face stricken. Panic lances through me. “What’s wrong?” I demand.

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

I chuckle, swinging the bag off my shoulder and opening it enough that she can see inside. “You think I’d surprise you with a lake trip and wouldn’t bring you a suit?”

“Did you go through my closet?” She looks at me in mock affront.

I just smirk. “It was very enlightening.”

“Oscar!” She gives my chest a smack. I just grab her hand and pull her into me for another kiss.

She reaches into the bag with a little huff and grabs the red halter-neck swimsuit I found in her top drawer. Even seeing it folded up had all the blood rushing towards my cock, and the thought of her in it is almost enough to make my knees buckle.

Freya looks around, scanning our surroundings. “I’m going to change,” she says, gesturing toward the tree line. “Stay here.”

“I don’t get to watch?” I pout.

She laughs despite herself. “No, you cannot.”

“Not even a peek?” I tease.

Her cheeks flush, and her eyes take on a mischievous glint. “Maybe just a little one.”

I loop my arms around her waist with a growl, lifting her off the sand and spinning her around. She squeals, her legs kicking to get away. When I finally release her, she’s panting, her usually perfectly styled hair falling around her face in messy waves. I fucking love her like this, all undone for me.

She walks away from me, putting more of a sway into her hips, and I stare after her, tongue practically lolling out of my mouth.

Jesus, Murphy. You bring her up here to show her this place, maybe talk about your dad, and you can’t keep it together for five minutes?

Whilst she’s gone, I get to work on our setup, spreading the blanket out on the sand and unpacking the snacks and drinks I brought. By the time I hear her heading back this way, I’ve got everything laid out.

I hear Freya approaching and turn, my stomach dropping as I take her in. The bright red of the swimsuit sets off her pale skin, highlighting the freckles I’ve only recently learnt spread all the way down to her stomach.

“Shit,” I breathe, letting my eyes trail over every inch of her. She giggles nervously, a flush rising to her chest, almost bright enough to rival her suit color. “Get over here.”