Indulge Read Online Free Page A

the way to the prude side.”
    “You got it.” Beau leads me down a path lined with glowing torches and trees. The overhead foliage is so heavy I can no longer see the sky or stars. It’s an odd sensation, like walking through a tropical labyrinth.
    We come to the end of the maze where the path meets the beach. With shoes in one hand, and my martini in the other, I step into the sand. Beau stands with a hand in his pocket, unmoving. “Now who’s the prude? Roll your pants up and come with me.”
    I advance toward the water, leaving him behind. I rake my toes through the sand. I close my eyes and listen to the rush of water. Its pattern is predictable. Anticipated. I like that.
    Peace. Tranquility. Deliverance. This is what brought me to this place.
    “I love the feel of sand at night. The sun has gone down, and it’s had time to cool. The deeper you dig your toes in, the cooler it gets.”
    He plunges his toes in. “I’ve never given that any thought but you’re right.”
    “Shh. Be still and listen for a moment.”
    Beau stands beside me, shoes off, pant legs rolled to mid calves. Silent.
    “I love this sound. I have a noise maker set to ocean waves, but the real thing is so much better.”
    “Then we should listen for a while.” He lowers himself to sit in the sand.
    I plop down to join him. Nothing graceful about it. The martinis have made my joints loose and turned my bones to gelatin. “We lived on the Mississippi coast until I was fifteen. Our house was across the street from the beach. I could look out my bedroom window and see the ocean until it dropped out of sight. My dad was still living then. My happiest memories are from when we lived there. Maybe that’s why I find the sound of the water so soothing. It feels like home.”
    “I thought your Georgia peach accent was a little on the thick side. That explains it. You’re a transplant.”
    “I’ve lived in Georgia for nine years but my Mississippi twang still pokes its head out to make its presence known. I’ll never shake it. Trust me. I’ve tried.”
    “I like it.”
    “Drake didn’t. He said it made me sound like a hick.”
    “Your ex sounds like a real ass.”
    “He is, but all the shit he did provided me a vacation in Jamaica. I can’t regret that part.” At least not yet.
    “This is the right place to help you forget your troubles.”
    I want to know what brought Beau here. “This conversation is one-sided. You never told me what it is you’re trying to forget.”
    He doesn’t take the lead to talk so I backpedal. “We can talk about it . . . or we can get up and run into the ocean.”
    “I vote for skinny-dipping.”
    “I said run into the ocean. There was no mention of getting naked.” Just like a man to assume that.
    “Go in your dress if you don’t want to take it off.”
    I stand and use my contortion skills to lower my zipper down my back. “I love this dress. It would be a shame to ruin it.”
    He watches me struggle. “Want me to get that for you?”
    Letting a stranger unzip me doesn’t feel right. “Nah, I’m good. I got it up by myself. I can get it down.”
    My brain is screaming that skinny-dipping with a stranger is a terrible idea, but the liquor I’ve consumed convinces me it’s brilliant plan.
    Beau removes his button-down and pulls his undershirt over his head. He tosses both and reaches for the button of his gray trousers. He pushes them until they’re crumbled with his boxer briefs at his feet.
    What I’m about to do suddenly becomes a little more surreal. I’m questioning my actions. I hold the front of my dress, thinking it over. It’s not too late to turn back.
    “You’re not changing your mind?”
    “I’ve skinny-dipped plenty of times but never with a stranger.”
    “This was your idea. Not mine.” He’s standing completely bare, illuminated only by a sliver of the moon.
    “I know.”
    “Listen, Peach. I don’t have to get a girl like you liquored up and naked to score some