10. Grayson

Chapter 10

Grayson

I put on my wireless headphones and do my daily stretches the next morning. Dawn is my favorite time of day, it's when the world feels entirely my own. There aren't any people outside yet, and sometimes I glimpse dolphins along the horizon as they feed.

I touch my toes, the music blaring in my ears wakes me up. I slowly stand, startled to find Macy in front of me.

I quickly tug off my headphones, putting them around my neck.

She stands on one foot, holding the other behind her to stretch her thigh muscles.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," I say.

"I can run alone."

"Don't be ridiculous." I copy the stretch she does and then move into another motion. She does the same.

"How did you sleep?" I ask.

"Great," she mumbles and then yawns.

"I take it we're not a morning person, are we?"

"The only reason I didn't turn off my alarm and go back to sleep is because I promised myself I'd take a nap later."

My shoulders shake with soft laughter. I roll out my ankles to get them warmed up. We stretch in silence for five or so minutes before starting our jog.

Running has always cleared my mind, but with her next to me, she's at the forefront of it. I can tell she's worn out by the second block, but she doesn't stop. She runs a little farther than yesterday before she slows to a brisk walk. I jog backward so I can face her.

Her cheeks are pink and glistening. This woman is easily the most beautiful sight I've ever set my eyes on.

"Show off," she says with a huff.

"You're doing great," I say easily.

Her glare heats my skin in sync with the grin starting in my eyes and moving down my face. "God, don't look at me like that."

Her head tilts and I know if she wasn't so out of breath, she would ask me why.

"When you look like you want to kill me, it makes me want to kiss you."

She halts, stares at me expressionless for eight heartbeats—yes, I counted—then bursts out into laughter. There's not a song that comes close to the wonderful sound. So. Fucking. Pretty.

She wipes the corner of her eyes. After a deep inhalation she says, "I'm ready."

My eyes widen and my heart speeds. "For?"

"To keep running."

My eyebrows shoot up. For a second, I thought she meant she was ready to kiss me. Only in a fool's dream. She darts past me into a sprint, and I chase after her like muscle memory. Once I'm running into step beside her, she speeds up. "First one to the stop sign!" she calls out.

I add to her sentence. "Earns a favor from the loser."

"Fine," she calls over her shoulder. "Nothing dirty."

"Can't make any promises." I grin. She's about a foot in front of me. I kick it into high gear and shoot past her, winning by a couple of inches.

She grips her knees, and damn, I'm winded too. We take a few moments to breathe normally.

"You're good," I tell her honestly. "Like if a grizzly bear was chasing you in Idaho, I think you'd have a pretty good chance."

She laughs and my heart stammers. "I've never encountered one, but I'm relieved to know that if I ever do, I might not get mauled to death." Her shoulders sag slightly. "I have a feeling a grizzly bear is faster than you. And I just lost our race."

"If we keep running together, you'll beat me. Easily."

She bites her bottom lip, I don't think she realizes she's doing it. "That's a tempting thought."

"Same time tomorrow." I head in the direction we came.

"Maybe you'll see me. Maybe you won't." She grins, and as though my vision goes straight to my heart, it skips a beat.

"Trying to keep me on my toes, Mace?"

She shrugs.

"I'll save the favor you owe me for a rainy day." I wink and she shoots me a glare.

She's right on time the next morning. We run side by side and she makes it farther without stopping than she has the last two days. Once we make it to the space where our yards connect, she turns to me with a grin and then shoots off toward the ocean.

I have to push myself to reach her, and once I do, I grab her around the waist and spin us in swift circles.

She claws at my arms when I drag us both into the biting water. I laugh into her vanilla scented hair and release her once we are shoulder deep in the ocean.

She faces me, her jaw unhinged like she's shocked by my audacity. Or maybe it's the cold. I tilt my head back and laugh, swallowing a mouthful of salt water when she splashes me in the face.

She dunks her head beneath the surface, and when she comes up, her hair is down from the ponytail she wore, like she took the blue band out underwater. The strands drip down her shoulders like silky fabric, reminding me how she looked after the sprinklers went off in the bar.

"Thought for thought?" I ask.

Her gaze is searching and I'm afraid she'll deny me but instead she nods.

"I like running early in the morning because I enjoy the quiet, but I never realized how lonely I was until three days ago, when you started running with me."

She pushes away a patch of seaweed that drifted to her before she gives me her thought. "I broke off my engagement."

It would be wildly inappropriate to smile right now. "Oh?" I say like it's a question.

"I did it over text," she admits.

"A text ?"

"And then I blocked him before he could answer." This just keeps getting better and better.

"Wow." I blow out a breath, mostly to suppress my grin. Not at her expense, but because the asshole didn't deserve her and I'm proud that she left him. I know it wasn't an easy situation to walk away from, seeing that they were engaged and living together. "Are you okay?"

She lifts a wet shoulder above the surface and then drops it, the water rippling in circles where it disappeared. "I had my whole life planned out."

"Did you like it? The plan, I mean."

"No," she whispers, then looks away. Her face is glowing gold from the rising sun. I've never truly cared for honey, but seeing the color of her eyes in the light makes me crave some.

"I don't know why I told you all of that." She looks at me with the slightest frown.

"You can tell me anything." A wave rolls in. I steady myself and accidentally brush her hand beneath the water.

She all but throws herself at me, catching me by surprise. I suck in a quick breath when she wraps her arms around my neck.

I-I can't remember the last time I was hugged. My eyes feel heavy with emotions I don't attempt to place. After too many seconds of not returning the embrace, I slowly twist my arms around her. We hold on to one another in the span of nine waves rolling past us.

She reels back with wide eyes, as though she suddenly realized it's me who she was hugging. "I'm sorry."

I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything at all. I only watch her step out of the water, and her golden, sun-kissed skin makes it seem like she commands the sun. Like it shines just for her.