Page 8 of Unexpected Adventures

Chapter Three

“Careful. Gotta watch where you’re going,” he teases.

“Apparently. Sorry about that.” I reluctantly push away from his body.

“No harm. I came looking for you, actually. Figured you’d be ready for one of these.”

He holds out both hands, a beer in one and a wine cooler in the other. I surprise him by grabbing the beer and taking a lengthy pull on it. “Thanks,” I say, coming up for air. “I really did need that.” I put the bottle to my lips again, his eyes never leaving mine. I finish the bottle in two more gulps.

“That went down entirely too quickly,” I manage, and gasp for more air. “And now I think I’m going to truly embarrass myself by burping.”

“Hey, go for it.”

I laugh, and sure enough, I go for it. A squeak escapes me, followed by a quick inhale, followed by more squeaks. Shaun’s looking at me with a very puzzled expression as I laugh more.

“Is that your idea of embarrassing yourself?”

“Sorry.” I hold my hand over my mouth.

“For what? Squeaking like a mouse?” He laughs. “I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but if that was your version of burping, that was damn cute.”

I watch him as he takes a drink of the wine cooler. His lips pucker and his eyes squint. “People really drink these? That is way too fruity and sweet.”

“Not this gal. I always go for the beer.” I hold up the empty bottle. “I guess I owe you.”

“I’ll extract payment immediately,” he says smoothly.

“Which is?” I hear myself purr. One beer has now become my instant-change-O, now-I’m-a-sex-kitten elixir.

My eyes never leave his as he leans in, bringing his hand forward. Just when I think he might reach up and touch my face, he traces his hand down my forearm, taking the empty bottle.He transfers it to his other hand before taking my hand in his, which is warm and comforting.

“Another beer with you.” He gently pulls me in the direction that Denise took, leading us around to the back of the house.

Which, by the way, is stunning. A well-groomed lawn is framed with perfectly manicured hedges as they wrap around this side of the house. A stone pathway with solar lights leads us to the back area that looks like a resort. There’s a gorgeous pool with a rock waterfall and a pool house. Or is it a guest house? Heck, it’s an entire other house, nearly as big as my parents’. And the size of the main house looks like an HGTV Dream Home.

The area is filled with people. Many are already in the pool while others are lingering on the decks. That’s right––plural. There are multiple levels of decking, scattered with chairs and loungers and beautifully potted plants, all leading up to the main house. Mixed sounds of conversation and water splashing surround me. Somewhere in the crowd I hear, but can’t see, the happy yips of dogs. I cast another quick scan around, and the view of the hills from out here is marvelous.

Shaun leads me up to the middle deck area where the bar is located under a gazebo-like structure. A beautiful blond is mixing drinks, laughing delightfully with several guests. “Abby, meet my sister, Sherri.” Yep, her eyes are a beautiful blue, matching Shaun’s.

“Sopleased to finally meet you.” She smiles. “Denise said you’d be coming down this weekend. Welcome to my home.”

“It’s beautiful! Thanks for having me. Denise sprung this party on me when I got to her place. Hope you don’t mind another guest.”

“Not at all.” She waves her hand out in front of her. “As you can see, there’s plenty of room. I love entertaining.”

“She’s the party diva,” Shaun adds.

“That I am, little brother, that I am. Can I get you another beer?”

“Actually, you can get me myfirst. Abby drained this one, and I don’t do wine coolers.”

She chuckles. “No, you don’t.” Taking the bottles from Shaun, she places them somewhere under the bar before coming up with two more beers. She pops the tops off, handing one to each of us.

“Thank you,” I reply, taking a healthy drink. Before I can stop it, a string of squeaks and hiccups escape me. I flush deeply, covering my mouth with my empty hand. “Excuse me, I am so sorry.”

“Are you okay?” Sherri asks.

“That’s her excuse of a burp. Well, I guess that’d be a string of burps.”

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