“Arg! s**t!” Kade gritted out as he stumbled to a stop in the warm sand. His chest heaved with exertion and his body’s desperate need for more oxygen.
The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears, drowning out the rhythmic sound of the ocean waves rolling onto the beach just a few feet away from him. Sweat streamed down his temples, stinging his eyes with salty irritation.
In frustration, he attempted to swipe away the perspiration with a sweaty hand, but it only smeared the sweat and the sand clinging to his fingers across his face, leaving him feeling even more sticky, grainy, and uncomfortable. He desperately needed a refreshing shower and a couple of cold bottles of water to rehydrate his exhausted muscles. Especially with the relentless sun beating down on him, intensifying the se
