Page 30 of Sweet Love at Bayside
“And she and Drake had a fling,” said a muscular guy who was sitting on a blanket playing the guitar.
Serena waved her hands. “No fling. We just work together.”
Drake glared at the guy. “No, we did not have a fling. Come on, Dean.” He took the guitar from Dean and gave him a nudge toward Rick and Desiree. “This is Dean, our business partner—and a troublemaker.”
“How’s it going?” Dean gave her a friendly hug.
Rick reclaimed her with an arm around her waist and said, “Welcome tomycrazy summer.”
She liked the playfulness of his friends and family. Everyone settled on blankets and chairs around the bonfire. Matt and Hagen roasted marshmallows, and Drake and Dean gave each other a hard time.
Serena handed her a stick and a bag of marshmallows. “We have chocolate and graham crackers, too.”
“Sounds delicious.” She took the stick, and Rick grabbed the bag of marshmallows.
“I’ve got it,” he said as he slid a marshmallow onto the stick, licking the sweetness off his fingers with a lascivious look in his eyes.Oh boy. May I have another, please?
Dean picked up his guitar, playing again.
“Rick tells us you’re staying at the old Summer House Inn,” Drake said.
“Yes. It was my grandmother’s house. My sister and I are running my mother’s art gallery for the summer.”
“Mira, we should check it out,” Serena said. “Is it open all the time?”
She told them how they were just starting to figure out the hours and get the word out about the gallery, and decidednotto mention the sex toy shop.
“Why don’t we come by one afternoon when we can both slip away. Maybe while we’re there we can help you brainstorm ideas to get the word out,” Mira suggested. “I just set up a co-op, and Serena is a wiz at marketing.”
“That sounds perfect,” Desiree said, already feeling a kinship with the easygoing girls.
Hours passed in a carefree night of music, marshmallows, and playful banter. Rick kept a hand on Desiree’s leg, or his arm around her, the whole time. Hagen showed Desiree the castle he and Matt had built and explained the history of the structure in seven-year-old terms, blowing her away. It was a magical feeling, being swept into the inner circle of such warm, close-knit friends. She wished she and Violet could get along this easily.Maybe one day…
Rick nudged Desiree’s shoulder, holding a roasted marshmallow between his fingers. “Can I interest you in a little warm, creamy goodness?”
With the seductive tone of his voice, and the way he was visually devouring her, he might as well have been naked and offering her something far more sexual. Her eyes darted nervously around the group, worrying someone else might have had the same interpretation. Matt pulled Mira to her feet and began dancing. Drake and Dean were now both playing guitars. Drake’s eyes were locked on Serena, who was taking a selfie with Hagen, and Desiree wondered if there was something between Drake and Serena after all.
She turned back to Rick, relieved she was the only one with the dirty mind.
Rick’s eyes darkened as she opened her mouth and bit into the marshmallow. She put her hand up to block her mouth as she chewed. He moved it away and sealed his lips over hers, slathering the sweet, sticky treat over her tongue. It melted into their half laugh, half kiss, and she dissolved into him. He drew back just far enough so she could see the heat in his eyes as he sucked the stickiness off his fingers, igniting flames beneath her skin.I want to do that. I want to suck your fingers, lick marshmallow off your entire body. Lick and suck, and—
“You’ve got that flustered look again,” he said in a heady voice.
Anticipation climbed up her limbs, but she caught sight of Hagen in her peripheral vision, and as Rick moved in for another hot kiss, she put her palm to his chest. “Rain check. Hagen might see us.”
Rick made a guttural sound. It was so sexy, she nearly ate her words and kissed him. He rose to his feet, bringing her up beside him, and headed away from the group.
She hurried to keep up. “Where are we going?”
“Dancing.”
Remembering last night’s dance, she couldn’t stop grinning. A good distance from the group, he gathered her close and began moving seductively. She could feel his arousal. His mouth came down over hers as his hands moved up and down her back in a dizzying pattern. He took the kiss deeper, cupping her butt and making her whimper with need. With the bay breeze at her back, and her hot man pressed against her, her body begged for more. He gazed into her eyes, looking at her like he was wrestling with his emotions.
“Sorry, beautiful. I have been wanting to do that all night. Seeing you with my family did something to me.” He tightened his hold on her. He’d been doing that all night, too, as if he were afraid the air slipping between them might steal her away. “I hope you weren’t overwhelmed by everyone.”
“Not at all. You’re lucky. If I had a family like that, I don’t think I’d ever move away.”
RICK TOUCHED HIS forehead to Desiree’s, thinking about what she’d said. He was lucky.Reallucky. He had a great family and friends who were as close as blood. Thinking of the reasons he’d left the Cape all those years ago, he said, “Sometimes the hardest place to be is where everyone knows you best.”
