Page 32 of #Starstruck

Chase pushed a button on his key ring, and the doors on both sides of the minivan opened, allowing me to buckle in the car seats. I felt a bit bad about installing those seats, encrusted with hardened liquids, gum, and what looked like melted crayons, into this pristine car. At least it had captains’ chairs instead of a long row, like my mom’s minivan. It would keep the girls from smacking each other when they were tired at the end of the day.

“Zo, can I bring my iPad?”

“No!” I called back. “You’re getting some fresh air today. Leave it here.”

Zander bore a mutinous look until I reminded him that if he accidentally dropped it in the ocean, it would be ruined.

Chase then corralled the boys into helping him bring everything out to the minivan while I got Zelda and Zia buckled into their seats. As Chase arranged things in the back of the car, I told Zane and Zander to get in. I went in the house to make sure we had everything and then locked the front door behind me. Chase and I got into the van at the same time, and we smiled at each other.

It almost felt like we were playing house.

“Everybody ready?” he asked, and the kids let out a chorus of yeses.

My siblings had the ability to make any car ride, no matter how short, totally miserable if they decided to. Fortunately, today they were all in a good mood and looking forward to spending time in the water. It probably also helped that the beach was only a ten-minute drive from our house.

When we arrived, I helped the kids get out of their seats and turned them loose. They had grown up going to the beach almost every weekend during good weather, so they knew to stay clear of the waves unless they had an adult with them.

I went to help Chase with all the gear, including the lunch he’d brought, and when I realized there was too much, I said, “We can make a couple of trips.”

“No way. I got this.” And in true male fashion, he loaded himself with so much stuff I worried he might fall over. “Lead the way.”

With my own arms full, I decided to pick a spot not too far from the car. It was a good thing I’d brought a couple of blankets, as I discovered Chase hadn’t brought one. He dumped everything in a pile, unloading bags, towels, and toys.

Wondering what a movie star thought constituted a picnic lunch, I peeked inside the basket as Chase set up our family’s massive beach umbrella. I was pleasantly surprised to see fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits from a chain restaurant. “Huh.”

“What?” he asked, turning the umbrella to keep the sun’s rays off the blanket.

“I’m just surprised. I thought I’d find, like, caviar and capers in here.”

“Caviar is disgusting,” he said, plopping down next to me with a grin. “Capers aren’t much better.”

He smelled so nice. Like sunshine and oranges and sea breezes.

“Your hair looks red in the sun.”

“That’s why they call it strawberry blonde,” I said, ignoring the way his observation made my heart skip a beat. It was like he was making this list about me, noticing all these little things that nobody else had ever bothered to see.

I cleared my throat and called for the kids to leave their sand castles to have lunch. Zane tore into the food like he hadn’t eaten in a month. Zander was uncharacteristically not hungry, and I wondered if his cold was worse than Mom had let on. Zelda wanted only mashed potatoes, and Zia had three bites before she was ready to dash out and play. I made them all line up for sunscreen when they decided they were finished. Chase offered to help, which made it go twice as fast.

The kids scampered off to play, and Chase stood up to remove his T-shirt. I was so glad I was wearing sunglasses and could watch the interplay of his muscles as he stretched and tossed his shirt to one side. Then it got even better as he began to apply sunscreen in smooth, hypnotic motions over parts of his body I wished I could run my own hands over.

“Can you get my back?” He handed me the bottle.

OMG, OMG, OMG. Chase Covington wanted me to put sunscreen on his back. His very beautiful, well-defined back. He sat down and leaned forward, giving me full access to his sun-kissed skin.

I sat there for too long, overwhelmed and freaking out about what he wanted me to do. It wasn’t until he looked over his shoulder that I squeezed some sunscreen into my hand and tentatively applied it to his back. His skin felt warm under my fingertips.

It didn’t help matters when he sighed with pleasure and said, “That feels good.” His shoulders lowered slightly, and his head drooped, as if he was relaxing.

It gave me a sense of feminine power that I could touch him and make him feel that way. It emboldened my moves, and I spread my palms flat against his back as I rubbed lotion all over. I probably applied more than was necessary.

“My turn.” His voice was low and seductive, and I had never been so aware of the blood pulsing through my veins. He stood up and held his hand out for the sunscreen bottle. Aware that I still had a shirt and shorts on, I did my best to take them off without making eye contact. He sat behind me on the blanket, and I had to fight the instinct to lean back against him.

It was like every sense was heightened. The sound of the squawking seagulls overhead, the rhythmic ocean waves lapping against the shore, the sun overhead warming me, the coconut scent from the sunscreen, the taste of salt on the breeze. They were all magnified in a way I’d never experienced before.

I heard him squeeze the bottle, and my whole body tensed, waiting for the touch of his hand. The shock of the cold lotion against my hot skin made me gasp. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I needed something to hold on to.

He rubbed sunscreen on my shoulders first. And he didn’t quickly brush it on. He carefully massaged the lotion into every inch of exposed skin.

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