"Seen you from afar, wondered who you are. Wondered what you're like, think you're just my type."

Edward

"And … Cut!"

Cheers behind me told me that we just did something great, something monumental, but I couldn't absorb the glory.

Fuck, this hurt.

I was dangling over water, having just catapulted off a bridge for what Eric calls the most cinematic shot anyone in the last forty years has captured. Yeah, doubt that.

I couldn't focus on the high, not when I felt suffocated, a building pressure around my torso, leaving me nearly fucking breathless.

I grunted, looking over my shoulder, seeing the crew focusing on everything but me, while I dangled hundreds of feet in the air, nearly buckling down by gravity.

"Someone get him up!" A voice finally shouted as the man at the crane began lifting, my body moving until the safety of the ground was under me again.

I felt light-headed, sick even, but I swallowed it just as several people flocked, touching up my face, my outfit, my hair—everything but this goddamn harness that was ripping me in half.

"It's too tight," I said under my breath, meaning for it to be louder. When no one responded, I grunted again, finding air. "Somebody get this fucking thing off me!"

A squeal left the mouth of the new make-up girl, her eyes widening as her chin began to wobble. Fuck. I didn't mean to scream in her face, but I felt like I was going to pass out right in the middle of the set, and then we would have had a real problem.

Before I could apologize, the stunt crew was there, pushing her out of the way. The moment they loosened the harness, I knelt forward, taking in a deep breath, it bellowing out of me.

"This is why we have your double do this," A man said. I didn't know his name, didn't care to know, but his attitude was pissing me off. I stood, flaring out my chest, pushing back the burning I felt by just breathing. I tried to ignore the condescending tone of his voice, but it wasn't working.

I fucking hated the stunt crew.

"Maybe if your crew wasn't letting me hang for five damn minutes, this wouldn't have happened. The moment they say cut, it's your job to pull me back in … not dick around." I bit, not in the mood for his shit. They were pissed that I wanted to do this on my own rather than use one of their guys. I was by no means a professional, but it looked relatively safe, and I took pride in everything being authentic, even for a cash cow movie like this.

He had something shitty to say, but before he could respond, a path broke open in the circle, everyone stepping aside for Eric. That was directors for you. They were top dog, when they moved, you got out of the way, or you paid the damn price, even for newbies, like Eric. I've lost count on how many directors I worked for; some were fucking brilliant, diamonds in the rough. Most were just assholes. I didn't have a pulse on Eric just yet.

"Edward fucking Cullen. I don't think you can comprehend what we just did!" I will admit, his excitement was infectious. Every scene, he pumped me up, told me it was the best thing he ever had the pleasure of viewing. He may have been busting my chops, but damn if it didn't feel good. "You are a fucking star, man, come look at this shit."

Despite the pain, I followed him back to his chair, the two of us leaning into the monitors stacked next to a crane that held the camera, all for the perfect shot.

He screamed at someone to roll back, the monitor coming to life to show me what we just accomplished. It definitely looked cool, but I knew after editing, it would be so much better. Once they added CGI, some color correcting and removed the harnesses from my body, it would look effortless … like I had really jumped off a damn bridge.

"This is going to make millions. Billions. This is going to be the best John Moon movie the world has ever seen!" His voice caught as if he were getting emotional, but if he were, he quickly covered it up. "What do you think?"

"It looks awesome, man," It wasn't a lie. Even if I was burnt out on this damn series, I still had a sense of pride. I always did, in everything I created. No matter what the box office or reviews said. But this wasn't my first action rodeo, and I had a sneaking suspicion it was Eric's.

"All right, let's wrap up here, moving onto forty!" A crew member yelled into a microphone.

The second the cameras stopped rolling, I was off the set with a mission to get my fix of cinnamon.

I had been shooting all night, into the early hours of the day, but not even a lack of sleep could keep me from Bella.

Yes. Bella. I got her name, and it was easier than expected. And it just fucking fit her.

She still didn't know I knew, probably didn't know they had her named on the Facebook page for McCarthy's Surf Shop. That's how I found her. That's how I requested her. And despite her need to keep part of her hidden, I had found a chink in her armor.

I still called her Cin, wasn't sure if I was ready to let go of that yet.

Getting her to agree to teach me how to surf was nothing short of a miracle. She tried putting distance between us, but it wasn't working, not even for her. And she could continue to deny whatever this was, but I wasn't buying it anymore; not after that night on the beach, where she left my ass behind, despite the rolling chemistry between us.

She was teasing me, enjoying this just as much as I was. But I needed her craving me, begging, and wanting.

When I arrived at McCarthy's for my third session, she wasn't at the usual counter where I had met her before. I took the opportunity to change into my wetsuit before striding out back to the fenced-in area with my board.

There she was, in all her glory. Cin. Bella. That fucking girl.

She stood near the workbench out back, the upper half of her wet suit zipped down to her navel, tied at her bronzed waist, revealing that same, damn, black bikini top that drove me mad. Her hair was tied low at her neck, exposed skin glinting with droplets under the sun, as if she had already been in the water.

I was so damn enraptured with her, so fucking consumed; I didn't even realize that she wasn't alone.

I didn't recognize the stranger, but he was entirely too close to her for my liking. Luckily, her board separated them as she continued waxing and laughing at something he said. I felt my throat tighten, my fists balling at my side, steam filling my head, damn near emptying out of my ears.

They were all smiles, too many fucking smiles, and at one point, he had reached over grabbing the tin can in her fingers, their skin just barely grazing.

That small touch was enough to send me in a tailspin.

Not a fucking chance.

With my chest broad and my arms flexed at my side, still holding my board, I felt the heat radiating down my neck as I moved towards them. I made my presence known with loud footsteps, huffing all the way there until I caught his attention, our eyes meeting only briefly, and I immediately steeled him with a glare that held a tense warning.

Fuck, I was overstepping, but I'd be damned if I was just going to sit here and let this prick take her right from under me.

"Hey, rock star."

I could hear the smile in her voice like she was fucking happy to see me, which was a stark difference from any other encounters we had. Had it not been for the stranger, I'd be reveling in it, soaking in the goodness.

But the jealousy consumed me, my instincts wanting nothing more than to knee this prick right in the groin and send him on his way.

"You're five minutes late, and I paid for a full two hours." My tone was sharp, ungenerous. I was still staring at the intruder, not taking a chance to look at Cin. I didn't have to look at her to know she was pissed.

The man hesitated, his eyes bouncing between the two of us. It was clear he wasn't getting the picture. I slammed the end of my board on the ground, nearly wedging it between him and us.

Fuck. Off.

"I'll call you about next week," His voice was low, unsure. I could feel the anger rolling off Cin in lapses, but even as he left, I couldn't help to feel relieved.

When I finally chanced it and turned to her, I saw the fury in her eyes as her arms curled around, making her tits pop in the most incredible way.

Damn it; this woman was fierce. And even in her anger, I couldn't help but appreciate every inch of her. I stared a beat too long, realizing my mistake a second too late. She scoffed, rolling those honey eyes before turning back to her board and clutching the wax, moving up and down in a furious rotation, releasing her anger.

Before I had a chance to speak, she halted, leaning up to spin back in my direction. "If you wanted to make a point, you could have just whipped your dick out and pissed on my leg."

I couldn't help the slow, lazy grin that formed at her suggestion, even when she turned back away from me. I wouldn't take it that far, but I certainly was trying to make a point.

I was a fucking Neanderthal; I knew that. I never claimed to play fair.

The sea brine scent was strong today, but even that couldn't cover cinnamon. I eased forward, taking it all in as the waves crashed just a mile away, seagulls crying above, conversations wafting just at the beach. I watched her at the board, studiously avoiding my gaze, her shoulders tense with irritation.

She was pissed, and she had every right to be. That alpha-male shit may work on the women in LA, but Cin was far from impressed. I needed to lighten the mood.

I stepped forward, watching her chin tilt in my direction, her eyes pooled with an earthy-brown color under the sunlight, brows furrowed as they held warning to stay where the fuck I was.

I froze in my spot, still smiling, hoping it would thaw her ice. I could see resistance, but her will was stronger. It would take more than a smile to get her to forgive me. Her palms rested on her board, a strand of hair escaping from the low bun, falling just past her cheek.

Absentmindedly, I reached out to grab the stray hair, pushing it back and tucking it behind her ear. I didn't let go, my fingers curling under as my knuckles stroked against her cheek, down her jaw as I watched her lips part at my touch. The caution in her eyes melted, vulnerability replacing it as her bottom lip caught just under her teeth.

She didn't realize it, didn't expect it, but not even she could deny the energy. The pulse that I felt anytime we were in skin to skin contact. It was like billions of tiny vibrations, dancing between our flesh.

Did she not feel it too? She had to. Her body reacted, even when her words denied it. Her pupils dilated, her pulse quickening just at her throat where I craved to kiss. She wanted my touch just as I wanted hers.

"That would insinuate you are mine," I paused, feeling the warmth of her skin just under my fingertips. "Are you mine, Cin?"

My voice was low, ebbed with a grittiness that was invoked only from her nearness. That's what she did to me.

But Cin didn't like my question. She straightened her back, moving her chin, the energy dying when my hand fell from her cheek, losing those wonderful ambiances. I realized that something in my words had angered her. She stood tall, watching me with a viciousness I swore would bring me down to my fucking knees.

"I'm no ones," Her voice was dangerously low, her words laced with conviction, and it was unrelenting. "Least of all, yours."

I had to reel it in, the possessiveness I seemed to find when I was with her wasn't the way through. No, Cin wasn't like the other women I met. She wasn't shallow or timid. She wasn't ready to throw herself into my bed because of my status or give any piece of her soul or body to me simply because I asked.

She didn't give a fuck who I was or what I wanted.

And damn, if that wasn't so alluring. She was nomadic, free in her wildness, biding by her own rules and not following anyone's map. She drew her own and said a big fuck you to everyone else. She was a woman of confidence and sureness. And I had never met anyone like her.

And before she even gave me the ability to respond, she was moving with her board, leaving me behind the surf shack with a wild grin as she made her way to the shore.

I grabbed my board and sped up, hitting the hot sand, only needing just a few strides to be next to her.

"Am I actually getting into the water today?" I asked, watching as her mouth was still pinched, her anger had not yet settled, but I was determined to turn it around.

Cin huffed. "Do you think you're ready for the water?"

"Absolutely," I said just as we hit the shore. "Was ready for it when you had my ass out here surfing on the sand like an idiot," I let my cockiness show, but it earned me the smallest smirk that tugged at her cherry lips.

She let go of her board, looping her arms into the rest of her wetsuit, and much to my disappointment, hiding her bikini top.

But not even that could overshadow the swelling in my chest, knowing that my confidence was changing her mood. Even if just slightly.

"Fine."

I blinked at her, surprise masking my face. "Fine?"

Cin nodded. "If you think you're ready for the water, then let's go."

"That's it? No argument? No telling me that I'm not ready? You okay, Cin?" I reached for her forehead, but she shooed me away, turning back to the water.

She left me in the sand as she treaded into the splashing sea, keeping her balance even as the waves rocked her. I winced every time a wave catapulted, prepared to see her wipeout, but Cin was no fucking delicate flower.

Passing through the crashing waves until the white turned blue and hit just at her waist, she climbed up onto her board and straddled it, the sun leaking behind her, giving her a golden hue.

"Get in the water, rock star, before I change my mind."

I didn't need any more encouragement, her calling to me was enough to make me run.

She was a few yards away, past the point where the waves crashed on the beach, watching me with eagerness.

Where she was able to walk with grace, I found myself stumbling, holding onto my board for stability until one wave knocked me down on my ass and right into the sand. "Fucking Christ," I growled, catching my balance until another one hit.

"Don't forget to jump the white water!" I heard her shout, her tone soaked with amusement. I rolled my eyes, feeling like a tool but regained my footing, holding my position, and wading out farther. When the waves came, I was prepared, jumping with my board, moving with the motion so they wouldn't topple me.

Confident in where I was, I gripped onto the board and jumped, my balance off, causing my board to tip, forcing me back down underwater.

Surfacing, I could hear her giggles. Jesus fucking Christ. Here I was, all fucking talk, and I couldn't even get on my board. I shook my head, ridding the excess water as I gripped my board with intention, glaring at it until it compromised. Between breaks of waves, I swung myself over, finally straddling it.

"Fuck, yes," I lifted my arms, victorious in my accomplishment.

"That's just the first part, rock star," I turned to see Bella paddling to me, stopping just in front of my board. "How do you feel?"

"Great. What's next?"

"We'll practice paddling out and then standing."

"Then, riding?"

"Oh, no," She paused with a laugh. "You aren't ready for the waves yet."

"This is our third session. I finally get in the water, and I still can't ride?"

"Did you think this was going to happen overnight?" She asked, starting again before I had a chance to interject. "This is how I teach; if you don't like it, I can give you to someone else."

Goddamn, I loved her feistiness. The bite in her tone made me smirk, and that only fueled her annoyance. And maybe I truly was a cocky bastard, but I saw the red in her tan cheeks, even seconds before she turned to look away.

She wasn't getting away that easily. But for now, I'd concede.

"All right, fine. What's next?"

"Before you even ride a wave, you've got to make it out to a wave. All that time in the sand you were moaning about? Those techniques will help out here."

"So, you mean, there was a reason I spent two hundred dollars an hour learning how to surf without the actual waves?"

"Yes." She deadpanned, ignoring my sarcasm. "I want you to paddle out, remember the methods. It's much easier to wipe out when you're on the board. When the white water comes, you either push up, or you punch through. Don't hesitate, or you'll get swept right off. Be confident. Shouldn't be too hard for you."

I shot her with a smile, cocking my eyebrows.

"Was that a compliment, Cin?"

"Whatever strokes your ego, rock star. Get out there." She tilted her head to the sea as I bit back an innuendo. Now wasn't the time, not when she was trying to help. I laid flat on my chest on the board, remembering the arm strokes she taught me as I moved past her. The waves were rough today, white water tumbling through, but each time it hit, I did what she said and pushed up.

Only once did I get nearly knocked, clutching onto my board before it could wipe me into the water. At my success, I turned to Bella, who was farther behind me than I anticipated, lifting my arms once again in success.

In my distraction in trying to impress her, I didn't hear the impending wave coming, not until it was too late. The wave flushed me right off, my ankle cuff tugging the board along with me until it passed. Tumbling under the water, I finally caught my motion, swimming up to the surface, gasping for a breath.

"Edward, are you okay?" Her voice rang through my coughs, my upper half laying over the board as I wiped my eyes, seeing her just in front of me. I wasn't sure if she had swum to me or if I was just thrown back to her, but either way, it was good to be near her again.

"Yeah, I'm good," I assured her, gripping the board before pulling myself back up.

"Good," She said, just before sucker punching me in the arm, nearly wiping me out.

"Ouch! What the fuck?"

"What did I tell you about turning your back to the waves?"

"Uh … Don't do it?"

"This isn't a game, Edward. The ocean doesn't care if it's your first time or if you've done it thousands of times before. If you aren't paying attention, you'll get yourself killed," She was serious, her voice set with the determination of educating me how dangerous this was. But I sensed a fault in her tone, her immediate reaction to me getting swallowed, scared the shit out of her.

My face lit up. "Cin, were you … Worried about me?"

"Don't be a dick," She scowled. "If any of my students got thrashed like that, I'd say the same thing."

"You don't have any other students."

"Doesn't matter," She waved her hand. "Just don't be stupid. Okay?"

"All right. I didn't mean to scare you. But loosen the leash a bit. I'm new to this, and I'm going to fuck up."

She rolled her eyes at me. "If you'd listen to me, you wouldn't."

"God, you so care."

This elicited another frown, but her blush revealed her truth. "Don't flatter yourself."

I tilted my chest, paddling around her board to catch her eyes. "What's going on next week, Cin?" I asked, indicating to the stranger who said he'd call her. And she immediately knew what I was asking, as if she had been waiting for me to question her.

"That's none of your business."

"Are you letting him take you out on a date?" I couldn't help my growl. I grabbed the nose of her board, the quick motion causing her to grip onto it as I turned her to meet my eyes. "Not that oiled up dickwad. You're better than that, Cin."

"You don't know anything about me. You don't even know my name."

She was challenging me, her chin tilted upward. She had to have known I figured out her name. I mean, I requested her. And no one else called her Cin but me. And it would be too easy to tell her. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I was ready to give up this back and forth we had, or her nickname.

Instead, I called her bluff. Still holding onto her board, I brought her closer. Her eyes widened the moment our knees hit, my hand releasing the board and anchoring it to the top of her thigh, just at her waist. Her eyes swiveled to where we touched, slowly rolling back up to look at me, wanting to push away but the change in her breathing, telling me she enjoyed the contact just as much as I did.

"I want to know everything about you," I whispered as our boards moved with the motion of the sea, up and down, left to right. My hand slid to the small of her back, pushing her forward just an inch. "Forget about him; let me take you out."

She scoffed. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

"I don't date my students."

I shrugged. "Then you're fired."

"Fired?"

"Yep."

"You probably didn't even need these lessons, did you?" She challenged, gripping my hand that held her waist as she pushed it off.

Nope. Sure didn't. But she didn't need to know that. The paddling will help, but a stunt double would do the surfing. I wasn't naïve enough to think that she could teach me in less than a week's time.

But before I could respond to her, we heard paddling coming up next to us. It was her cousin, Emmett, and the oiled-up dickwad from earlier.

I tried not to be that possessive asshole again, but I couldn't help when my hand reached out, avoiding her but staying on her board, keeping her close to me.

If she noticed, she didn't say anything and instead greeted our intruders.

"How's it going, Hollywood? Crushing those waves?" Emmett asked as Cin snorted, looking back to me with those full lips, waiting for my response. "Wait … Is he on 'Ion?"

Cin continued to watch me with a smirk. "He sure is."

"Bro, you know that's not the board for you."

I scoffed, patting the blue board beneath me. "What are you talking about? I think it's damn perfect."

"He hasn't hit a wave yet." Cin glanced over to Emmett, who choked out a boisterous laugh.

"I haven't hit a wave yet because you had me balancing on sand for the last two sessions."

Cin turned to look behind her, swinging back with that stellar smile. "Well, here's your chance, rock star."

A wave was coming, barreling in the surf. Jesus fucking Christ, we hadn't even gotten past paddling, and now she wanted me to ride a wave?

But her smile told me she didn't think I would do it.

"Hollywood, don't do it – "

"No, no, no. Let him. He's clearly ready. Said so himself."

I turned, despite Emmett calling after me, my adrenaline pumping as I punched my way towards the wave. I had some false confidence about me that made me think that I could fucking do this. I'd show her, show Emmett, show that oiled up dickwad that was trying to steal Cin right from under me.

I made it just a few feet to the wave, remembering Cin's lessons in the sand. Keep your hands on the board when you are lifting. Slide one leg back and the other forward. I did all of this, readying myself until I felt sure in my footing.

But my bravado was absolutely nothing against a wave who had no remorse for me. I was in the air for less than a second before I was thrashed off, plummeting into the water just before getting rag-dolled by the waves for a second time today.

This time, however, I knew it was coming. I was able to pull myself together, avoid getting confused under the pulsing waves, and kick myself to the surface, grabbing hold of my board for steadiness.

Emmett and dickwad were losing their shit on their boards. Cin just watched me with a knowing grin, shaking her head.

"Are you ready to admit that the board is not for you?" She asked once I got closer, balancing myself back on top.

"What are you talking about? At least I got up on the board."

"Barely."

"Nah, I'm going to master it, Cin. But I am looking for a new teacher," I said to Emmett.

"A teacher?" Emmett asked, looking between the two of us.

"I'm looking to transfer. She won't let me take her out if she's teaching me." I shrugged as Cin's cheeks flamed red, her lips pursing as if she were ready to argue. Emmett shot her a cocked eyebrow, his large arms crossing over his chest as a smirk rested on his lips.

"I mean, Irina is available."

"Irina?" Cin balked, shaking her head. I didn't know who Irina was, but I was grateful for Emmett's suggestion, just based on Cin's reaction alone. "Not happening."

"Then you won't mind if I give Hollywood her number?"

"What?"

"She asked me to pass it along the last time he was in the shop. Seems like he's got himself a fan." Emmett turned to me, waggling his eyebrows. He was egging her on, and it was working—finally, someone in my damn corner. And the cherry on top? Dickwad seemed to be even more uncomfortable than Cin was.

"No, that's completely unprofessional. He's a client." Cin tone was terse, her hands clutching at her board as if she were going to implode at any moment.

"I don't mind. Is she cute?" I asked Emmett, ignoring Cin, just to light a fire under her.

"Hell yeah. Blonde hair, big tits, and big ass."

"You are a pig," Cin bit, turning towards me. "And if you even think about letting him give you her number, then you're just like him."

She didn't give me a chance to respond before she was paddling away, back towards shore. I watched her go, ready to follow until I felt my board tilting, Emmett smacking it to get my attention.

"You're driving her crazy, you know. She's never been this rattled by someone."

That slice of information was inarguably the best part of my day. Maybe he sensed my dilemma, or perhaps he knew something I didn't. Either way, I was thankful for him revealing to me that I got to her, just as much as she got to me.

"She's keeping me guessing, that's for sure."

"And she will until you prove it to her."

"Prove what?"

"That you're worthy. But even then, it may not be enough. I hope you're up for the challenge."

For Cin? Fuck yes, I was.

"Got any advice?"

Emmett nodded. "Come back tonight. I'm throwing a small get together in the garage at the shop. Very chill, but she'll be in her element. You may have a chance."

"Thanks for helping me out."

"Not for you, brother. It's for her." He left me with those parting words, leaving me guessing the meaning. It was clear that Cin was always closed off, that hard exterior protecting her from something I wasn't sure of. I watched from the water as she made it to the beach, passing the crashing waves and back up to the shop, but not before turning back to give me one last look.

And despite the distance between us, I could see it in just the expression alone.

She was breaking.

AN: This guy. He's a joy to write. In all of his cockiness and possessive behaviors. Cin knows how to knock him down, but I promise you, she's starting to falter.

Someone had asked me how old these two are. Both are in late 20's, Edward is 28, Bella is 27.

Shout out to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed. Is it okay that I call you my best friends? Because I really think you all are. That's how much I heart you.

Thank you to my beta, Fran. What a delight to work with her every week.

I know the back and forth is both satisfying and frustrating. I promise you, Cin is in for one next week. And I can't wait for you guys to read it.

Until next time,

ii