That same glint had led to sandburn on his butt back when they’d been teenagers. The family had gone camping near dunes that weren’t a habitat for native birds or grasses and so were open for recreation. Catie had come up with the idea of sliding down the dunes on some cardboard boxes they’d salvaged, then flattened.

Since Jake had gone off on a beach walk with their dad, it had been just him and Catie.

The makeshift sand-sleds had worked fine the first five or so times.

That day had also been one of the only times Catie had ever accepted his help. It had been a bitch going back up the dune, and she’d finally decided that it would be no fun if she was still trying to trudge up after a single ride while he was sailing down again and again. So she’d allowed him to assist her back up—and even at fifteen, he’d known not to make a big deal of it.

And the thing was, it hadn’t been a big deal. He’d have done the same for any mate who was having trouble getting up the slope. It was way more fun to slide down with Catie next to him, both of them whooping it up.

Then had come the sixth run.

When his box had come apart at the same time that his shorts got all but yanked off. He’d risen to his feet at the bottom, rubbing his sore butt—to see Catie on her back halfway down the dune, cackling with laughter. She’d laughed so hard that she’d “crashed” her own sled.

It was one of his favorite childhood memories.

“What are you up to?” he muttered now, well aware which of the two of them was the troublemaker—his mother might not believe it of “sweet Caitlin,” but Catie was a demon child.

“Look happy,” Catie said before sliding her hand behind his neck and yanking down his head.

He could’ve resisted, but with his skin going hot and his heart thumping, he didn’t exactly want to. His breath kissed her lips, hers kissed his. Eyes of dark brown looked into his own, the specks of gold within as bright as her smile… and all at once, it wasn’t a game and he didn’t want to do this in front of an audience.

So he pressed his forehead to hers as if that had always been the plan. At the same time, she touched her fingers to his jaw, and her warmth burned right through skin and muscle to bone.

When they separated, it was with a shared awareness of a profound change between them.