Page 17 of Sweet Love at Bayside
How the heck did he do that with just a look?
“I’m kidding,” he said. “If I remember correctly, I gave you my number when you were drenched like a kitten caught in a storm. A sexy-as-sin kitten, but still. Desiree, I don’t care if your shirt is stained, if you’ve had a few drinks, if we stay here and take a walk on the beach, or if we go out to a fancy dinner. I just want to spend time with you.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. She was used to being wined and dined by men who would never say anything likesexy-as-sin kitten, and they definitely would have issues with her being tipsy and sloppy on their first date. Everything about Rick was refreshing and tempting.
“If you’re worried about what I think of all of this,” he said with a serious tone. “Don’t. It’s life. It’s fun. Besides, I’ve been known to sneak into my brother’s house and fill his drawers with ladies’ lingerie before his dates.”
“Really?” She loved how he made her laugh.
“Heck, yes.”
“I can’t believe you’re really not turned off by my wine drinking and sloppy clothes and all this…stuff.”
“Not even a little. But if it’ll make you feel better, go shower and change and take care of whatever else you might be worrying about, and I’ll pick up in here. Unless you’re using this as an excuse to blow me off?” A devilish grin lifted his lips. “In which case, I’ll have to turn on the charm and show you what you’d be missing out on with that very bad decision.”
“You can be even more charming than barely knowing me and being willing to change your plans and clean up my inappropriate toy mess?”
“Only if you’re lucky.”
She wanted to be lucky.Verylucky. No part of her wanted to leave him, not even for a minute. “I’d take you up on that very generous offer, but you’d probably clean the place out, and then I’d have to bring Cosmos over to swim in your pool morning, noon, and night as payback.”
“That would make me the lucky one.” Rick patted her butt, and she clamped her mouth shut to keep a squeak from slipping out. “Go do whatever it is you need to do, and I’ll start loading up my truck.”
How about you load me up?
Holy moly.
Rickmade her feel bold and sassy. He was opening a door to who she used to be. Who she’dforgottenshe was. She’d suppressed the sassier side of herself when she’d graduated from college. Sassiness had no place around three- and four-year-olds. But apparently Little Miss Sass was done being held back and was trying to rush to the head of the class.
“No, thanks,” she said. “I think I’d rather stay right here with you.”
“Don’t trust me alone in the store with her?” He grabbed the mannequin and set the empty wine bottle on the table. “She’s pretty sexy, and she doesn’t complain when I curse or get mad when I leave the toilet seat up.”
“She sounds like the perfect girlfriend.” Picking up a box with MR. MASSIVEprinted on the side, Desiree said, “But maybe she’d like to meet anew, battery-operated boyfriend.”
“Someone’s selling women a load of bull. I’d say that’s Mr. Tiny.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Such a man.”
“I’m all man, baby.” He grabbed a whip from the floor and tapped her butt with it. “What exactlywasgoing on in here?”
She gasped and grabbed hold of the whip. Their eyes connected, sending heat coursing down her body. How was she supposed to form a response when he was looking at her like she wasdinner? And why wasn’t she running away?
Because dinner would be amazing with you. Dinner, dessert, tomorrow’s breakfast.The whip dropped from her fingertips. The sinful look in his eyes made her wonder if he could read her thoughts.
“Um…” He’d asked her a question.What were we doing? Right.“It started out as a sisterly bonding thing,” she managed. “And somehow turned into one ridiculous joke after another.”
“And this is your mother’s shop?” He picked up a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs, dangling them from his index finger. “Not that I’m into cuffs, but it looks like Mama knows how to party.”
She took the cuffs from him and set them on the shelf, glad he wasn’t into handcuffs.Am I glad? Yes! Of course I’m glad. I think. Hm…She tried to focus on her mother, which was surprisingly safer than where her mind was heading. “My mother is an anomaly. I don’t really know or understand her.”
“That must be difficult.” He stopped straightening up to give her his full attention.
She’d never shared her feelings about her mother with anyone other than Emery, and she wasn’t quite ready to share them now. Especially since she didn’t trust what might come out of her mouth at the moment. Apparently wine was the key to loosening upandthe key to saying things she shouldn’t. She kind of liked the combination, but her thoughts about her mother weren’t cute or funny.
“It is what it is,” she said, hoping she sounded casual. “How about your parents? Are you close to them?”
A look of longing washed over him, and just as quickly it disappeared. “My mother lives in Hyannis, where I grew up. She’s great. Strong. Doesn’t take guff from anyone. She loves the outdoors, and spoils Mira’s son, Hagen. And my father…” His tone turned mournful. “He was a great guy. Unfortunately, he died when I was a teenager.”
