Page 19 of Reluctant Chemistry

“What is?”

“Maybe I’ll tell you one day.” Reaching for a small container, CeCe lifted the lid, grabbed some carrot and cucumber sticks, then offered it to Luka. “Don’t you think it’s unrealistic how everyone expects you to know where you’re heading in life when you’re still in school?”

“Yeah, a bit. But we don’t have to be constrained by our initial choices. That dated concept of staying in the same job all your life isn’t a reality these days.”

“That’s true.” She thought for a moment. “Do you miss Clifton Falls?”

“Sometimes. Not so much when I’m with you.”

CeCe leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re so sweet.”

He laughed. “Not always.”

“By the way, thanks for the book. I look forward to reading it. But it’s not from the library?”

“I couldn’t find the one I wanted, so I grabbed you a copy from the bookstore by the supermarket. Have you read any of Baldacci’s before?”

“No. But the blurb captured my interest. So, can I keep it?”

“Of course.”

“Interesting series of numbers on the bookmark.”

“Yeah, I thought it was about time you had my number.” He smiled. “Just in case you felt the need to text.”

With their stomachs full and the shadows lengthening across the glen, CeCe stretched out, her sight fixed lazily on the faded blue sky above. Luka sat beside her, hands resting on his knees as he sipped from a bottle of Corona.

“Are you game for a dip?” he asked.

“I didn’t bring my suit. But you go ahead.”

“I won’t look if you skinny-dip, promise.”

“You are a bare-faced liar.” CeCe picked up a strawberry, twisted off its stem, and popped it into her mouth. Despite having skinny-dipped many times, it somehow didn’t feel right being naked in front of him just yet.

“How is it you know me so well after such a short time?” Luka grinned as he reached for his bag. He pulled out a T-shirt and offered it to her. “Here. You can wear this.”

She screwed up her face as she imagined the cotton knit clinging to her breasts.

“What?” he asked. “It’s clean.”

“Yes, and thin and white. I may as well be naked.”

Smiling, he jumped to his feet. “Close your eyes.”

CeCe flopped back on the rug and did as instructed but almost opened them again at the sound of his fly unzipping. When she did finally look, he already stood waist-deep in the water, his wet hair slicked back, and his gaze fixed on her.

A soft breeze rippled across the water, and he dipped under, his naked butt on brief display as he dived to touch the bottom. CeCe wanted to go to him, to wrap her legs around his waist and feel him erect as he carried her across the crystal-clear pond. It was a longing lost to her in recent months. But ever since that first day in the library—when her heart had beat a little faster as he’d read the blurb of the book she’d recommended—her lust for this man had grown stronger every time they met.

While Luka swam short lengths back and forth, she swapped her top for his T-shirt, then walked to the edge and dropped her skirt on the grass. Given that it had been such a hot day, the water was chillier than she’d expected, and as CeCe waded into the middle of the pond, the white cotton clung to her every curve like a second skin.

As if sensing her presence, Luka stopped and wiped the water from his face. She stepped back into the shallows and stood before him, his T-shirt tied off-center at her waist, and her pink lace G-string clenched between her thighs.

Luka stared. Longer than he’d ever stared before, and when he caught her slight smile, he slowly shook his head. He offered his hand, not outstretched, but close to his side, so it would be her choice whether she took it.

CeCe stepped forward and swam into his arms. Wrapped her legs around his waist. Kissed him like she’d never let him go. She’d known this evening would be their first time before she’d left home. She wanted him and wasn’t opposed to a spot of visual seduction, even if it meant stepping out of her comfort zone.

“I am never, ever going to look at that T-shirt the same way again.”

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