Page 86 of Digging Up Love
“I absolutely do not.” Alisha threw the sun hat back at her sister, indignant. “Ido notwear it once a week, or at all. Like she would even know. She doesn’t even live near me!”
Quentin descended into spasms of laughter, and she whirled on him.
“You find this hilarious, don’t you?” Her bikini string slipped, and she reached up to retie it. “Excuse me for thinking you smelled nice,” she said, chin tucked to her chest.
Unable to catch his breath, he pounded the sand.
“Okay, dude, it’s notthatfunny.” Simone had stopped laughing. She frowned at him like he ought to be committed to a mental hospital.
He just laughed harder. “You didn’t thinkIsmelled good.” Palm pressed to the burning sand, he coughed the words out between guffaws. “You thought my ...” Quentin howled. “You thought my bro-bro-brother did.” He collapsed onto his forearm, laughter overtaking him again.
“I don’t follow,” said Simone, but Alisha’s eyes widened.
“It wasHector’shat?”
Abs cramped from laughing so hard, he nodded.
Alisha covered her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. I feel like such a moron.”
“Real talk,” he said, “you’ve probably had that beanie longer than I did. I found it in the truck on the way over.”
Behind her hands, Alisha groaned.
“Hey.” Quentin’s chuckles receded, and he sat up to close the distance between them. He splayed one hand on the sun-warmed skin of her thigh and tugged at her wrists until she dropped her hands. “Hey, I’m flattered you were into me from day one.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in reassurance. But midkiss, his stomach shook with laughter again, and she shoved him away with a shake of her head. He fell back, tugging her on top of him.
“Ahem ... guys, I’m literally right here,” Simone said, brushing sand off her straw hat.
“Anyway”—Quentin smirked up at Alisha from where he lay sprawled on the towel—“Hector will be happy to get his hat back. If you’re done wearing it to bed, that is.”
“Hey, no one ever said I wore it to bed!” Alisha lunged at him, and he crab-walked backward a few feet, then stood, kicking up sand as he tore off toward the lake. He whirled back around just before she slammed into him and tackled him down into the cold water.
When he came up, she smiled into his eyes. Their lips collided, her arms sliding up the back of his head, and he angled deeper, kissing her until they were both breathless.
Droplets of water glistened on her dark lashes. “Hector can have his stupid hat back, but you’d better not say a word about me wearing it.”
Quentin raised a brow at her, slipping a hand up under her knees to cradle her, weightless in the chest-deep water. “Oh, so you did wear it?”
She bit her lip, toying with his earlobe. “I thought it was yours. And I didn’t sleep in it so much as lie in bed wearing it.”
“Oh yeah?” His heart beat faster.
“No, of course not, you weirdo!” She laughed and shook her head.
Then they were kissing again. He caressed her rib cage, reveling in the feeling of her body in his arms.
A lifeguard paddled by on a kayak, and Quentin glanced toward shore. The current had shifted them farther down the beach. He set her down and swam a short distance through the waves, then flipped onto his back, floating.
Alisha caught up, face serious. “So my grandparents said things have calmed down at home. Looks like it may blow over. Any word from Dr.Yates?”
“No. We’re still on to meet tomorrow, and I figure no news is good news. The dig will make waves in the scientific community, but as long as the general public isn’t overly interested in it, your family should be out of the spotlight.”
“I appreciate you looking out for us.”
“Of course.” Quentin put his feet down and stood up, the water lapping at his waist. “Speaking of your family, did you tell Simone about your plan to move?” Shoot, where had that come from? But he couldn’t well take it back.
“No.” Alisha gazed out toward the horizon. “I found out this morning someone else leased the property I had my eye on.”
“Do you have more options?”
