Water rushed toward the shore, spraying my face. It seemed as if the ocean wanted to warn me of the invading runner who was approaching me. I blinked; the water burned my eyes with each flutter of my lids. To appease the burn, I rubbed the water away with the back of my hand. Bright spots from the sunlight appeared behind my closed eyes.

As I regained my vision, I glanced up to see the intruding runner pass by me. He was tall and lanky, as most runners are; yet, there was something different about this man. My eyes were glued to him. He had a fluid stride. His body was straight, and his fists were clenched. There was a certainty in his gait, almost to the point of arrogance. Adorned in typical runner’s garb of a fitted blue nylon pullover and black running shorts, he looked almost as if he were posing for

a magazine. His light brown hair, damp with sweat, was pushed back behind the bill of a yellow sun visor, and a pair of reflective sunglasses covered his eyes.

As he approached me, my whole body jolted to life, as if it were on fire. My pulse quickened and my heart began to pound against my chest. He tilted his head slightly to the side, taking notice of me.

Every hair on my body stood on end. I cupped my hand over my eyes to get a better look at him, without the blaring sun interrupting my view. Slowing his pace to a jog, he lowered his sunglasses, revealing the most intense blue eyes I had ever seen. His lips twitched into a lazy grin, driving his dimples deep into the recesses of his cheeks. I swallowed hard, my whole body reacting to this man.

Jesus, I need to get laid, I mentally chided myself.

But it was more than that. It was beyond wanting to have my way with him that sent the rapid blaze of desire throughout my body. With a nod of his head, he acknowledged my existence. My heart skipped a beat. Then, to make things worse, he produced a sexy, breath-taking grin. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Silly schoolgirl, meet McKenzie Evans.

I wiggled my fingers in response, praying the sun blinded him enough to hide my inflamed cheeks. He winked at me, then pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and continued down the beach. My eyes were glued to the back of this gorgeous specimen of a man, lost in his fluid motion, and the curve of his calves and thighs as they flexed with each footfall. He turned his head, looking back at me over his shoulder. His lips pursed, teasing me. That’s when I realized I had been busted staring at his butt.

Gasping, I covered my face and started kicking my feet. He laughed, sending more waves of excitement through me. It was imperative that I regained some semblance of normalcy, so I flippantly waved him off. His laughter continued to fill the air until he disappeared from sight.

The moment he was gone, my body resumed back to normal. I shook my head, laughing at myself for acting so silly over some strange man on the beach, especially since I had a boyfriend.

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