Page 16 of Nights at Seaside
“I like you, Sky. I like you too much after just a few hours. I don’t trust myself not to do more than kiss those lovely lips of yours if we go inside.”
Her knees weakened at his honesty. “I’m not sure I trust myself either.”
“See how much we have in common?” He held her close, and she breathed him in, memorizing his scent to carry her through the night. “I’m training in the morning. I’d like to see you tomorrow evening. That is, if you don’t mind hanging out with a boxer.”
A boxer.How could she have let that get so far from her mind? Fighting went against everything she believed in, but she’d never had her beliefs tested in this way before. One look in his dark eyes drew her into his arms again.
“Honestly, I haven’t had time to process how I’ll deal with your career, but I know I feel more connected with you than I’ve felt with anyone before. And that means something to me, so I’d like to spend more time with you while we figure out the rest.”
“I can’t ask for more than that,” he said with a smile. “Tomorrow, then?”
“Oh, wait.” She winced, remembering her promise to Jenna. “I just remembered that my brother and our friends are having a bonfire tomorrow night, and I promised to go. Would you like to go with me?”
“I would love to, as long as I won’t be imposing on your time with your friends.”
“Not at all. It’s just a few of my friends and their husbands.”
“Sounds great,” he said with a sexy smile. “What can I bring?”
“Me.”
With his mouth a whisper away, he ran his thumb over her lower lip and said, “The second before we kiss, you get a wanting and exquisitely feminine look in your eyes, and it’s the most sensual thing I’ve ever seen.”
How was she supposed to think about anything, much less form a single word in response, after hearing that? He left her nearly salivating for a kiss and held her hand as he walked down the first step toward the alley below, then pressed a kiss to the back of it and said, “Good night, my sweet summer Sky.”
She watched him disappear around the corner and finally broke from her stupor and went inside. Her apartment was dark, save for the sheen of red and yellow light streaming in the front window from the shop’s sign across the street. Merlin, her two-year-old longhair Persian cat, wound between her feet. She picked him up and he purred like crazy as she nuzzled him beneath her chin.
“How’s my boy?” She set her purse on the chair by the door and carried Merlin to the kitchen, the memory of Sawyer’s kisses still lingering on her lips. She filled a saucer with fresh water and set Merlin down to eat beside his food and water. He looked up at her with his puckered face that made him appear to be in a constant state ofharrumph.
“Yes, I’m still thinking of him. Don’t look at me like that.”
Merlin rubbed against her leg, reminding her of how good it had felt to lie next to Sawyer in the sand.
“Eat, sweetie. We need to drive down to Wellfleet after you’ve had your fill.”
She heard footsteps rushing up the stairs outside her door, followed by a quick knock. One of the first things Blue had done when she’d bought the building was install a security monitor and a peephole, as well as a slew of locks and other security measures that she swore she’d never need—and he’d insisted upon. The minute her brothers had heard she balked at the idea of all those security measures, she’d landed in the middle of a text diatribe from Hunter and Grayson and a verbal lashing from Matty over the phone. Pete wasn’t nearly as gentle. He’d appeared on her doorstep with a scowl and literally stood between her and Blue, keeping her from interfering with Blue’s efforts. She’d lost the battle but won the war. She was out of her father’s store and in her own place. That was a step in the right direction.
She glanced at the monitor hanging from the underside of her kitchen cabinets and saw Sawyer pacing on the landing, sending her heart into a frenzy.
She reached for the doorknob, hesitating for a moment to try to calm her racing pulse.
“I’m sorry,” he said as she opened the door. Apologetic had never looked so hot. “I forgot to ask for your number.” His cheeks were a little flushed.
“Did you run here?”
“Just from the pier.” He smiled, a sweet, slightly embarrassed, smile. “I was afraid you might have already left for Wellfleet, and then I worried that if you hadn’t left, I’d send the wrong message by showing up again. I…” He exhaled loudly. “I’m babbling.”
“A little, but a big, bad, babbling boxer boy is supercute.”
“Cute isn’t exactly what a twenty-eight-year-old man hopes for.” He laughed and handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s my number, in case either one of us is running late tomorrow.”
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Want me to put my number in your phone?”
He dug it out of his pocket and handed it to her, his eyes warm and grateful as she added her number to his contacts, then handed the phone back to him. She stepped out onto the landing and Sawyer peered around her.
“Someone’s giving me the evil eye.”
“That’s Merlin’s adoring look.” She bent and picked up her fluffy gray kitty and petted him. Sawyer lowered his face to Merlin’s eye level and kissed the tip of his nose.
