Page 13 of Embraced at Seaside
“It’s notmyeyes they’ll see want in.”
She pried his hand off her shoulder and groaned. “You’re infuriating. You think I don’t see how much you want me in the way you look at me?” She stopped walking toward the group and stalked closer to him. “You think they won’t be able to tell that we’ve just had sex?”
“Not by my eyes.” He shifted his gaze casually to the group at the bottom of the dunes and waved.
“Well. They won’t see it in mine, either.” She stomped down the dunes and tried to force a smile, ignoring his chuckle behind her. She wasnotgoing to look at him. Not one single time. Not even a glance.
Their friends were gathered around a roaring fire. She drew in several calming breaths and finally managed a real smile when Sky jumped up and ran to greet her.
“You made it! I thought my brother hijacked you or something!” She embraced Jana, and when Sky walked toward Hunter, Jana made a point of not looking over. She kept her eyes locked on baby Bea, nestled in Pete’s arms, fast asleep.
“Oh my goodness. She’s so precious.” Jana knelt beside him and admired the baby’s tiny pink lips and long eyelashes.
“She’s precious, all right,” Pete said, his gaze shifting over her shoulder.
She assumed he was watching Hunter, but Jana wasn’t about to turn around and check. She felt Hunter approaching. Felt his presence as tangibly as the sand beneath her feet.
Hunter leaned down and took the sleeping baby from Pete’s arms. “Let me hold my beautiful niece.” He smirked at Jana and snuggled his freshly shaven cheek against the baby. Bea had a fluff of dark hair, like Pete and Jenna. The baby sighed as he held her within his heavily muscled arms. Jana had never seen anything sexier than that pigheaded, beautiful man holding the tiny baby. Jealousy tiptoed through her. She kind of wanted to be the baby, all snuggled in safe and warm against Hunter’s chest. His smirk had been replaced with a genuine smile as he lowered his lips to Bea’s forehead.
Her insides went soft at the sight, and she fell a little harder for Hunter.
“Sit down,” Amy said, patting the blanket beside her. Tony, her husband, sat on her other side, with one arm draped over the back of her chair. “We forgot to bring extra chairs, but you and Hunter can use Hannah’s blanket. She’s in the playpen fast asleep.” Amy pointed to two playpens behind Tony. “Summer’s asleep in the blue one.”
“Thanks.” Jana sank down to the blanket, determined not to keep staring at Hunter as he reached one hand into the cooler beside Grayson and somehow managed to grip two bottles, while still holding Bea with one arm.
“So, did you figure out the whole romance thing?” Grayson asked.
Jana’s eyes leaped to Hunter.Romance thing?
The annoyed look in Hunter’s narrowing eyes told her that Grayson had just slipped up.
As if he’d heard Jana’s thoughts, Sawyer asked, “Romance thing?”
Hunter sat down beside Jana, still cradling Bea, and handed one of the drinks to her. When she didn’t take it, he arched a brow and smirked, as if to say,Take it, or they’ll know something’s up.
She reluctantly took the drink, trying not to let her heart swell at the scent of the baby and Hunter mixing together.
“Clark’s having trouble with his wife,” Hunter explained. “I was trying to find ways for him to help their relationship.”
Sure you were.
“Romance will usually do it.” Sky leaned her head on Sawyer’s shoulder. “That’s how Sawyer won me over.”
“I think everything Tony does is romantic.” Amy reached for her husband’s hand.
A wisp of her blond hair blew onto Amy’s cheek, and Tony tucked it behind her ear, then leaned over and kissed her. “What was it that you said last night? Seeing me changing Hannah’s diaper was like watching mommy porn?”
The girls laughed and Caden, Bella’s husband, said, “Bella tells me that listening to me sing to Summer is better than listening to Adam Levine or Luke Bryan.”
“Bella?” Jenna said. “You lie to your man like that?”
“Hey!” Bella leaned in to Caden’s side. “Neither of those guys could look as hot as my hubby does with Summer. They couldn’t hold a candle to him anyway. You’ve never seen my man wearing nothing but his holster and police boots.”
“And she never will,” Pete said as he pulled Jenna onto his lap.
Jana glanced at Hunter, who looked hot as sin no matter what he wore, and even more handsome holding a baby. It had been almost a year since they’d first hooked up, and in the months since Sawyer and Sky came together, she and Hunter had continued hooking up—andarguing like cats and dogs.
Was that why she always snuck away while he was sleeping? To avoid a morning argument? To ensure he knew they’d shared nothing more than a night of fun? She had no idea what the reason was, but she knew it irritated Hunter. Mostly because he claimed that escaping was his modus operandi, and Jana thought that made doing it even sweeter. She loved having the upper hand.
