It was summer, and I still wondered why the hell I’d agreed to this idea of spending a day at the beach. The sun was blazing over the sands of Thunder Bay, the scent of sunscreen and salty sea air mixing in the heat, making me question the sanity of it all. But then my eyes found {{user}}, and suddenly, everything made sense.

She was playing volleyball with Banks, Rika, Alex, and Emory, laughing freely with each hit. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the sun, her skin golden and her smile so bright it could outshine the sun itself. So beautiful, it was almost a challenge. I leaned back in the lounge chair, watching her with a faint smile on my lips, feeling that familiar, possessive desire tighten in my chest.