After telling her which vehicle I arrived in, Hannah puts my clothes in Jake’s Jeep and then we make our way back to the party. We stop by the cooler for Hannah to refill her drink.
“You want another one?”
I know I should say no, but I’m feeling lighter by the minute. Happier. More carefree. Like my smile just might be permanent. And the drink really is good . . .
It takes me all of three seconds to consent.
“Sure.”
After she hands me a cup as well, we head toward the beach.
The sun is glistening on the water and laughter can be heard from every direction, even over the music the guys from Saltwater Creek are playing. The smell of grilled hot dogs hangs in the air, and my head is as light and fluffy as the few clouds overhead.
Feeling bold and brazen for some reason, I stop and scan the crowd until I see Jake. He’s talking to a couple of guys that look vaguely familiar. They’re both laughing at something. That’s the only attention I pay them before turning my gaze back to Jake. He’s the one I’m most interested in. And getting more so by the second.
Jake changed his clothes, too. He’s wearing black swim trunks. And nothing else. I scan him from head to toe. I notice two things. Number one, he makes my stomach quiver. Number two, his smooth chest and rippling abs seem to be begging for me to touch them. Then maybe kiss them.
As if sensing my eyes on him, Jake looks up from his place near the water and his gaze collides with mine. His mouth drops open a fraction as his eyes cruise every inch of my exposed skin. I tingle everywhere they touch—my throat, my stomach, my legs.
The song the band is playing brings a smile to my lips. It’s an old Warrant song called “Cherry Pie.” It makes me feel sexy and wanted and . . . daring as I step off the grass and into the sand to make my way to Jake.
The cool grains tickle my toes as I walk and a pleasant warmth suffuses my entire body. I’m not sure if it’s from the drink or from Jake, but, at the moment, I couldn’t care less.
He backs away from the other guys as I approach. I stop in front of him, pleased to see the heated glow in his eyes. “You’re gonna make me regret your change of clothes, aren’t you?”
“Why would you regret it?”
Jake takes a step forward, bringing his body to within an inch of mine. “Because I promised I wouldn’t be kissing you again until you asked me to. And this,” he says, reaching down to drag the backs of his fingers over the skin of my bare stomach, “isn’t going to make it easy.”
I’m trapped in the caramel pools of his eyes, in the low rumble of his voice, in the delicious web of this unfamiliar desire. The part of me that would normally resist him is curiously absent, leaving only the part of me that is fascinated by him and what he makes me feel.
I sway toward him. “Maybe I don’t want it to be easy.”
One inky black brow shoots up. “Are you teasing me, beautiful?”
“Maybe.”
“Have you ever heard that expression about messing with the bull?”
“Are you threatening me with your . . . horns?” I ask, knowing full well that I’m playing with fire, yet not quite able to care. I just feel the heat. And I want it.
I want him.
“Baby, I don’t make threats. I make promises.”
For a second, I forget that we are in the middle of a crowd, that we aren’t alone and that I shouldn’t be tempting fate this way. For a second, I just want him to kiss me. And touch me. And make me forget everything in the world and in my life except him. And I know Jake is just the kind of guy that could do that.
An unwelcome voice interrupts the moment. It’s Hannah. “There’s no excuse for you to still be dry, Laney,” she says. I don’t even glance her way, hoping that if I ignore her, she’ll go away. Only she doesn’t. “Come on, you two. Let’s go give that tire swing a whirl.”
One corner of Jake’s mouth curves up into a wry grin. “Didn’t you say you were here with a friend? What was her name, Lisa? Where’s she at?” he asks without taking his eyes off mine.
“Oh, she’s off flirting with some guy she met.”
While I am a bit irritated by the interruption, Hannah has been very nice to me, and I feel bad for her that her friend abandoned her so easily.
Swallowing my sigh, I turn to her and smile. “Lead the way.”
“Yay!” she exclaims, clapping her hands as she bounces, setting her generous boobs ajiggle. She flips her red hair and turns toward the huge rock where several people are waiting for their turn on the swing.
Jake and I follow, stopping behind her in line. I feel his warm palm slide around the curve of my waist to settle at my hip. It’s an intimate gesture, and I feel the heat of his hand all the way to my core, making me wish again that we were alone.
I don’t turn to look back at him. I don’t want him to see my smile.
I sip my drink until it’s my turn to climb up on the rock, then I hand it to Jake. “Here. Hold this.”
Jake takes it in one hand, glancing down at it before he winds the fingers of his other around my upper arm. He stops me from moving forward to take my turn. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay to do this? I get the feeling you’re not used to drinking, and this stuff isn’t exactly a wine cooler.”
His comment stirs up the resentment that I’ve been battling since things with Shane took a turn for the worse. I pull my arm free. “I’m fine. I’m not the goody-two-shoes you think I am.”
He quirks one brow, but says nothing as I turn and climb onto the rock.
The first level isn’t too bad, but the thing is, you have to climb up onto another, higher part of the rock to get to the tire and swing out over the water. When I reach the top and a guy pushes the rope tied to the tire into my hands, I look down. It seems that I’m at least a mile above the surface of the water.
“Uhhh . . .” The guy looks at me, raises his eyebrows and tips his head toward the water. “Umm, I’m not sure I want to do this,” I tell him.
“Aw, come on. It’s fun. You’ll be fine.”
I start to back away. “I don’t think I should.”
“Can you swim?” he asks.
“Of course I can swim.” I feel like saying Duh! Why would I be up here if I couldn’t swim? But I don’t.
“Then you’ll be fine. Just put your foot up here and I’ll swing you out.”