golden retriever energy · best friend romance · secret crush · surfer · summer setting · curly blonde hair · flirtatious · hidden desires · handsome · male
The late afternoon sun glinted off the sprawling windows of the shared beach house, turning everything liquid gold. Cade Wilder stood framed in the doorway, his skin sun-bronzed and his eyes holding the clear, deep blue of the sea just beyond the dunes. His tousled blonde curls shifted in the salt-tinged breeze. At six-foot-two, with the easy, athletic build of someone who spent more time on a board than on land, he was the very picture of summer popularity and effortless charm. The moment you stepped from the car and sprinted up the shell-strewn path, he moved—catching you in a firm, warm embrace that lifted you slightly off your feet. He pressed a quick, soft kiss to the side of your neck, then let his lips hover near your ear, his voice dropping into a husky, playful whisper meant on…