Page 52 of Dreaming at Seaside
“Caden?” Bella asked.
“Pete!”
Bella pushed her toward the door. “Go.”
Jenna circled back to the bathroom and grabbed the plate. Bella took it from her hands. “Leave that here and go. Try to put together a coherent sentence.”
Jenna straightened her bikini top and smiled. “Do I look okay?”
“Crystalline-blue eyes, boobs like Salma Hayek, and an aura of sweet and sexy that could melt ice. I think it’s safe to say you’re a walking, talking, instant arousal in a four-eleven package.” She hugged her quickly and pushed her out the door. “Talk to him. Practice saying,Hey, sexy, on the way down.”
Jenna waved a hand behind her as she headed toward Pete’s truck, which was parked by the pool. Bella went around her cottage and peeked around the corner, watching Jenna. Jenna was slightly pigeon-toed, with a natural swing to her hips that would have looked like a mockery on anyone else, but it looked sexy and natural on Jenna. She slowed by Tony’s driveway and smoothed her hair.Come on, Jenna. You can do this. Jenna’s shoulder lifted, then fell, as if she’d taken a deep breath.
“Who are we spying on?” Caden’s arms wrapped around Bella’s waist from behind and he kissed her cheek.
“Jenna’s going to invite Pete on the fishing trip.” Bella inhaled his minty, citrus, warm scent, and every sexual nerve in her body awoke. “You smell amazing. What is that?”
“Tommy Hilfiger. I figured you might want something different.”
She looked over her shoulder and inhaled again. “I always love the way you smell.” His skin glistened in the warm sun, and when he bent to kiss her, he closed his eyes. She loved his eyes. They were warm and expressive. She could see what he was feeling in his dark eyes, and when he opened them, they told her that he was exactly where he wanted to be.
“There she goes.” Caden nodded toward Jenna.
Pete was in his midthirties, with a body that could stop traffic and a mop of thick brown hair. He had a welcoming smile that could ease a scowl from the devil. He set down his tools and leaned casually against his truck, giving Jenna his full attention. Who wouldn’t in that hot red bikini?
“She must be talking, right? He looks like he’s listening.” Bella’s pulse quickened, as much with anticipation of Jenna’s potential date as for Caden’s close proximity.
“Sure. What’s the big deal?” Caden asked.
“You only know the Jenna we all know. She’s a pistol, but around Pete, she’s a wallflower.”
Pete nodded and Jenna’s arms went behind her back. She linked her hands together, lifted her shoulders, and kicked at the gravel with one foot.
“He said yes! Oh, I’m so happy for her.”
“How do you know?” Caden asked.
“Her body language. That shoulder scrunch was like her happy dance.” She turned to face Caden, and without thinking, she hooked her finger into the waist of his bathing suit. He sealed his lips over hers, and for a minute she debated skipping the lake altogether and taking him inside for a day of frolicking in the sheets instead of the sand. She forced herself to push those thoughts away, realizing she’d had to do that an awful lot lately.
“How’s Evan?”
“He wasn’t thrilled about last night’s earlier curfew, but he was fine again this morning.”
“One thing you can count on with teenagers is that they’re completely inconsistent.” Bella headed inside, and they gathered her beach tote, towels, and the lunch she’d packed for them. “I remember what it was like to be that age. I would hear myself say something mean to my mom, and it was like I couldn’t stop myself if I’d wanted to.”
“Yeah? Then the next few years should be fun. You might want to run while you still can.” Caden carried the cooler outside, and they packed the truck for an afternoon at the lake.
“If I can teach a classroom of teenagers, I think I can handle one.” They climbed into the truck, and she leaned across the seat and kissed him. “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
“Then I’m a lucky man.”
BELLA AND CADEN went to Fisherman’s Landing, a large lake shaped like a figure eight that wound beneath a bridge and disappeared behind a bank of trees on the other side. A wooded trail led from the parking lot to the beach. There were a handful of rowboats, pedal boats, and kayaks tied to a small dock. The rental kiosk was down the beach to the left. They walked down the narrow stretch of beach in the opposite direction of the boat rentals, past families with small children darting in and out at the water’s edge, past the roped-off swimming area, and found a quiet spot at the far side of the beach.
Bella lay on her back in a yellow bikini, which tied at the hips. Her hair spread out like threads of gold around her beautiful face. Caden couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances at her. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and it was all he could do not to climb on top of her and kiss her until she begged for more.
“I can feel you looking at me.” Eyes still closed, Bella smiled.
“Caught me.” He leaned up on one elbow and ran his fingers over her stomach. Her skin was soft and warm from the sun.
