Making Waves: A Perfect Kisses Novella by Ophelia London Page A

borrow.” She placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “Do you remember bubble skirts from the eighties?”
    “Please tell me you have a picture,” he said with a grin, grabbing her phone. For the next hour, Will looked through every photo on Justine’s cell. He asked her questions and laughed with her over silly family stories.
    “Charlie’s stationed at Fort Shafter? And he’s got a thing for Michael Bublé, huh?” He chuckled, rubbing his jaw. “Well, he’s no Justin Timberlake.”
    “That’s a family secret,” Justine said. “If Ellie finds out I told you…”
    “Your secret’s safe with me. And thank you, Juss.”
    She closed her photo index. “For what?”
    He ran a hand over her laptop on the table. “There’s been a lot of unauthorized bullshit written about me over the years. I hate to admit it, but I’m actually looking forward to reading your interview when it comes out.”
    “I haven’t sent it yet.”
    “Why?”
    She shrugged. “I like to let a story sit for a while if I can. Make sure I come at it from the best angle. I ended up writing two versions of this one.”
    “Am I that complicated?”
    “I wanted to make sure I got it right. Also, I know how nervous you are.” She paused and sucked in her lips, then slowly slid the computer in front of him. “Do you want to read it?”
    Will looked at her for a moment, then his eyes moved to the screen, but flickered away. “No. I trust you. I need to trust you.” He leaned toward her, resting his arms beside hers on the table. “And you need to trust me.”
    So touched by his words, Justine’s throat went dry and a verbal reply seemed impossible. She wanted to trust him, too. She wanted to discover that their last night together wasn’t just a hook-up for him…that he really was the caring and sweet guy who’d opened up to her, trusted her with his most private information.
    Yes, they needed to trust each other.
    He reached out and slid a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The touch made her shiver, made her want to move close and tuck herself inside his arms.
    “Juss,” he said in a low voice. “I want to…” He swallowed and glanced away, his long lashes shading those beautiful eyes.
    You want to what? she inwardly screamed while her heart pounded, still feeling where his hand had brushed against her cheek. Whatever you want, do it.
    He pressed a hand over hers, the touch reminding her of their kiss…how it had gone from gentle to steamy in two seconds flat. He lifted her hand and pulled it toward him. She watched in anticipation, wondering what he would do next.
    “I think you should send this.”
    Her vision was blurry when she focused on where he was looking. At her computer screen.
    “It’s time.” He let go of her hand but then moved his to the side of her neck. She was sure he could feel her jumping pulse.
    “Yeah,” she said. Her index finger shook as she slid it across the touch pad, chose the attachment, then hit send. “Done.”
    When she looked at Will, his deep brown eyes seemed more intense than ever, and she wondered if their second Hawaiian kiss was about to be as mind-blowing as their first.
    “Now you can ask me about that night,” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “When Anna died.”
    There was a sudden buzzing inside her ears. For a second, she felt the irrational urge to run away, until Will’s hand curled around hers.
    “I told you about that?”
    He nodded. “Some of it.”
    For the past year, she’d gone back and forth between trying desperately to recall that night, to trying to block the whole thing out. She couldn’t remember telling him about Anna, though obviously she had.
    What she did remember—all too clearly—was receiving a phone call from Anna’s mother about what had happened to her best friend while at the lake. Justine had been in a panic, trying to get to Franklin where their families were. She’d needed to be with them so they could grieve