EXCERPT
Rose and Charlotte are both aware of my new nightly run schedule—although I may have left out the part about Alec. It’s the first night of my planned run with him and I don’t want to take any chance they will say no.
Rose is just happy I’m wearing new clothes. She compliments my black running shorts and hot pink tank top that Charlotte chose for me then turns in for the night. Charlotte stays up to clean but is adamant I leave her to do it alone.
Alec and I meet in front of his house. He greets me with bright and challenging eyes. “Alright, let’s see if you’re as good at running as you are at pool.”
I laugh, knowing I can hold my own. We stretch before taking off into the night. I follow Alec’s pace as we start with a light jog down along the coast. As our jog speeds into a run, a smile spreads across my face. There’s something about the night breeze along the coast that energizes every bone in my body and brings buoyancy to each step.
We run side-by-side. He takes me down past the private beach and out into the community streets where we run under the buzzing streetlamps, along the sidewalks of the stunning homes.
My thigh and calf muscles tighten and release with each stride. I am stronger with each second that passes. Usually, at this point in my runs, I start to get tired but it’s as if I could go on for miles.
Alec takes us in and out of the small neighborhoods around our own and I’m suddenly curious to see a map of Apollo Beach. It’s as if our path is tracing out the shape of a star.
He doesn’t begin to slow down until we are back on our community beach. I slow and look at him for the first time since we started our run. He’s sweating and breathing heavily. I assume I should be just as tired—but I want to keep running.
Dejected, I slow to a walk beside him and he looks at me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I make a face, twisting my lips into a hesitant smile, eyebrows raised. “I guess I just have a lot of energy tonight.”
Alec shakes his head. “We just ran five miles and you haven’t even broken a sweat.”
I laugh. “I’ve been running a lot.”
“You are a superhuman woman. Come on.”
He pulls me toward the shore and kicks off his shoes, his brief touch on my hand leaving goose bumps all over my body. He slides his shirt off his back and it lands in the sand. I turn my eyes away quickly once I realize I’m staring. I peek up at him now, though, trying not to look directly at his toned chest and abdominal muscles as I slide my shoes and socks off and meet him down at the shoreline.
Alec is up to his waist in the water when I reach him. He splashes me playfully, his eyes never leaving mine. I laugh and cup my hands in the water, but before I can retaliate, there’s a hungry rumble in the sky.
We look up just as a bolt of lightning strikes in the distance and a shower of rain pours down on us. As if reading each other’s mind, we take off for the shore and stumble our way out. Alec runs ahead and scrambles to grab our things and then we trip along the shore’s edge to our homes. The sound of our laughter is barely audible over the tropical storm now pouring down on us. His hair is sopping wet, rain dripping down onto his face. I want to reach out and wipe the drops away but restrain myself. “Thanks for the run,” I shout. The wind whips my hair around my head.
“Tomorrow night?”
Author Bio:
My name is K.K. Allen and I am the Paranormal / Urban Fantasy Author of the Summer Solstice series. The Summer Solstice: Enchanted and The Equinox are now available at Amazon. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but raised in Seattle, Washington. I currently live in Central Florida. I've always had a passion for reading and writing and have done so every day since the young age of 12. Writing has even transitioned into my Media Industry career where I wear many hats, copywriting/scriptwriting included. There's just something about telling a story that drives me in everything that I do. Whether I'm creating a content outline for a website, or pulling together assets to write to, or even putting together a video production, it's all about the storytelling. I hope you all check out the Summer Solstice: Enchanted and I look forward to connecting with you!
Author Links:
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The Summer Solstice
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