Page 98 of Reluctant Chemistry

“Occasionally.” Barely suppressing a grin, CeCe checked him over. Fitted dress pants, tan leather shoes, and a white button-down shirt.Very nice!“You’re looking smart today.”

His hands went to the top two buttons of his shirt, and he undid them. “Yeah? I had to meet with the council about water rights for our road, so I thought I’d better ditch the jeans and try to look respectable.”

CeCe nodded. After three summers of drought, the lack of water in Clifton Falls was an issue.

He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers. “Light beer okay, or would you prefer something else?”

“Beer’s good.” She turned in a slow circle, taking everything in. “This is fabulous. You must love living here.”

“Yeah, I’m thrilled with it.” Luka rummaged through a drawer, pulled out an opener, and flicked the caps off the bottles. He handed her one, and they clinked the necks together. “Cheers.”

CeCe took a swig, then watched as he guzzled almost half the bottle in one go.

“I needed that. It was so hot in the council chambers, and some of those guys are completely useless. Shit, I hate dealing with bureaucratic idiots.” He noted her amused expression. “What?”

“Sounds like you’re getting cynical in your old age.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ve been a little on edge lately.”

She took another swig of her beer, the cool bitterness hitting the back of her tongue. “Why’s that?”

His bottle halfway to his lips, Luka gave a little huff. Was his edge anything to do with her edge? She wanted to make love to him, and he probably wanted to get laid. In the end, it amounted to the same thing, no matter the variance in romanticism.

“Do you have food?” he asked.

“Food?”

He chuckled, then drained the rest of his beer. “To take to the beach?”

“Oh. Yes. In a cooler. In the van.”

“Great.” He undid the rest of the buttons onhis shirt, putting his six-pack on blatant display. CeCe averted her gaze, heat flushing up her neck and face. “I’ll just get changed.”

* * *

In the sanctuary of his bedroom, Luka sat on the edge of his bed and undid his shoes. CeCe was right; he’d let things get to him lately, especially the damn water issues. But when he’d driven along his driveway and noticed her sitting on the deck, that soft smile of hers welcoming him home, he wished it could be like that every afternoon.

With her hair settled in loose waves about her makeup-free face, she reminded him of the old CeCe. She’d discarded the cutoff shorts in favor of a floaty summer dress that skimmed her ankles and hinted at a lack of a bra. But her bracelets, feather earrings, and leather sandals were similar. And when she’d smiled, he’d wanted to kiss the gloss from her lips, then take her to bed and lose himself in her until they both collapsed withwhat the hell was that?exhaustion.

After stuffing shorts, a towel, and a sweater into a bag, he hurriedly swapped his pants and shirt for jeans and a T-shirt. But as he stood at the side window to lower the blind, he stopped still. “No freakin’ way!” He grinned from ear to ear. “CeCe?” he yelled down the hallway. “What the fuck?”

He turned when he heard her come up behind him. “You like?”

“How…?” Luka opened the sliding door onto the deck and stepped outside as CeCe followed. “Is it even the same Kombi?”

“Course it is.”

One hand stuffed in his pocket, he walked around the vehicle, bending down to rub his other hand over the paintwork in places. “Wow. It looks incredible. Who did this?”

“Andy from that Classic Restore place in the industrial park out by the airport.” She opened the passenger door. “Check out the seats.”

“And you actually drive it?”

“Says the guy who drives a brand-new SUV and has his own chopper. I’m hardly going to keep it locked away in the garage at Mum and Dad’s, am I now?”

He slid open the side door and laughed when he saw the mattress. “Good point.”

“Anyway”—she tossed him the keys, and he caught them—“you drive. I’ll just change into my bikini. Do you want me to grab your bag and lock the door?”

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