Page 102 of Tempting Me

“I know. I just hate hiding how I feel about you. Hiding this. It sucks.”

“I know, but it won’t be forever,” I tell him and hope it’s enough for now.

He leans back to peek into the store. He must deem it clear—he grabs my hand and pulls me out the back door.

Behind the building is a small alley that has a back entrance to every business on this side of the block, including where Sadie and Hudson live above the bar.

Luca leads me to the door to their place and ducks inside.

I follow and he pulls me in for another kiss.

“I just need another minute with you before I have to pretend like we aren’t even friends for the rest of the afternoon.”

He kisses me with so much passion that I have the urge to sayfuck it. I’m a grown woman. Who cares if word gets back to my family?

But … I do.

Until The Marina is in my name, I do.

For the next ten minutes, Luca and I make out like teenagers who don’t want to get caught by the faculty at a Friday night football game.

Then we go our separate ways back to the festival.

For the rest of the afternoon, I tell everyone I meet about Beach Bum Day, and each time I pass Luca or see him nearby, I wish it were dark already so that I could touch him again.

It’s only for the summer.

After that, I can touch him anywhere and anytime, right?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LUCA

I misjudged my self-control when it came to Shay.

For the last two weeks, it’s taken everything I have inside me not to grab her when I see her in line at B’s Bakery and kiss her, or to pull her into a quiet corner when I catch her walking down Main Street, or to show up a girls’ night and whisk her away because I want more time with her. I crave more time with her. Every night, we work for a few hours, then either we can’t wait a moment longer and start stripping right there in The Marina or we rush back to her place. But that’s not enough for me.

I want all her moments.

I want every moment of the day with her.

I’m so completely screwed.

As soon as my family and I hit the sand and set out chairs with a few other items to settle in for an afternoon in the sun, other locals started to trickle in.

It’s Beach Bum Day and nearing a hundred degreesoutside. Being in the water sounds like a wonderful way to cool off.

But more people also means keeping my hands off Shay. Watching her play and laugh with my family and then mingle with everyone else, completely in her element … I’m both proud and I hate every moment of it, because I want to be right next to her. Sharing this with her.

I walk back to where Ruby and Max set up an umbrella and some loungers and take a seat, digging into the cooler next to me to grab a beer.

I don’t plan on going back to my house tonight, and Shay’s house is a quick walk from here.

I pop the top and take a sip just as Hudson sits down next to me.

I can see him watching me out of the corner of my eye.

“So,” he starts. I wait for him to say more, but he just chuckles as if that explains it all.

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