She’d been afraid she’d back out if she slept on the idea.

“Sorry, Sarah, no can do. He’s on the clock, and we need to come in on budget.” Wes grinned as he descended the ladder.

Nope. Go back up there.

She shielded herself as best she could as he walked toward her, then tugged at the top of the towel while trying to drag it lower on her thighs, but the fabric would only go one way or the other.

Why are these towels so small?

His amusement seemed to grow as he witnessed her struggle, his blue eyes even more intoxicating when his smile reached them. She’d always been a sucker for that smile. How many times had she falsely assumed that his smile meant something more? Hoped that maybe their friendship could develop into something deeper? She’d been so drawn to him years ago that she hadn’t even given a second glance to any other guy at school. But Wes had only ever been interested in her ability to help math make sense.

“The ocean’s warm. You could go for a dip,” he said casually.

She cocked her head to the side. “In my towel?”

“Or naked,” he said, putting his hammer in his tool belt. “It’s not like you haven’t done it before.”

Her mouth dropped; then she snapped it closed. “We were silly teenagers, and we were never supposed to speak of it again.” That night almost fifteen years ago had been filtered through her memory so many times over the years, she’d almost convinced herself it had never happened.

Unfortunately, the sting of humiliation lingered, assuring her that moment was real.

It was his last tutoring session before final exams. They’d been studying on a picnic bench on the beach in front of the inn, almost unaware that the sun had set until they couldn’t see the math book anymore. Wes had been teasing her about the fact that she’d insisted they study on a Friday night. Of course he was meeting friends after their session…while her big plans had consisted of studying for her chemistry final.

Somewhere along the way, he’d dared her to run into the ocean. Naked.

“I got two math problems in a row right…a third and you have to go skinny dipping,” he’d said.

“I’m not following your logic. Why would I have to do that?” she’d asked, her teenage hormones aflutter. Wes Sharrun wanted to see her naked?

Naked? Or humiliated? Or just whether or not she was brave enough to do it?

He’d shrugged. “A reward?”

He was still teasing her. And testing her. But just once, she wanted to prove that she wasn’t simply the bookworm, the clumsy nerd they all thought she was.

So she’d accepted the challenge. “Fine. But this is a tough one,” she said, sliding the practice problem his way.