Page 32 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
Nice redirect.
He wanted to push her over the hump between friendship and something more, but her abrupt subject change told him to hold back. Struggling to douse the inferno inside him, he set the landscape plans on the table and said, “Most of the time the right materials speak to me as I design the project, and I know immediately which will be a perfect match.”Like I did with you.“But this is a really special project, and it’s got me a bit perplexed. I’d like your opinion.”
“You reallydowant my opinion? I thought you were just saying that to Blaine.”
“Yes, Emery. I truly want your opinion.”And so much more.
AS DEAN ROLLED out the landscaping plans, Emery tried to calm her racing heart. She’d seen the way Blaine had looked at her, and normally, a good-looking guy like that would capture her attention. But she hadn’t felt a single belly tingle or had any lingering lustful thoughts. She’d felt nothing.Nothing!Her body had been too consumed with the rush of sensations caused by Dean’s nearness. And every word he said, every heated glance, everybreathsince had proven she’d been dead wrong earlier, when she’d thought she could lock her emotional floodgates closed. Even now, as he leaned over the table, holding down the edges of the plans to keep them from curling up—not looking at her, not speaking to her—her stomach fluttered and her pulse skyrocketed.
How could she possibly process all of the emotions crawling up from the depths of her soul, where she must have been unknowingly hoarding them away?
“Here, let me show you,” Dean said, drawing her from her thoughts.
She told herself she was just getting carried away because of his earlier confession and his brazen comments. She could totally regain control.No problem. Just switch back into friend mode.
She tried to look over his shoulder, but he was too big. She went up on her toes, but he was still too bulky for her to get a clear view of the plans. She ducked under his arm and stood within the confines of his body. See? She could handle this.
His chest grazed her back, and she fought the urge to lean into him. He reached around her with his right hand, still holding the edge of the plans with his left, and pointed to the drawing, bringing his chest tighter against her back. Her temperature spiked, obliterating her ability to concentrate on what he was saying. Every time he moved, his body pressed closer, making her hyperaware of every blessed inch of him, from his abs moving with every inhalation, to his hips, and lower… She clenched her teeth, trying desperately to catch his words so she could hold on tight and climb free from the lust dragging her under, but his breath smelled minty, and her mind spiraled down a dark path. What would his mouth taste like? How would he kiss? Rough and demanding? Or would his kisses be tender and giving?
“Doll?”
She started, her body burning and flustered. She’d never been so affected by a man.Ever.The truth of their situation hit hard. She inhaled a calming breath, but there was no calming her racing heart. Weren’t there steps for dealing with denial like there were for grief and addiction? She felt like she’d been cut off cold turkey from her safe haven. The gates leading to Denial Palace had slammed closed and locked up tight—leaving her to face her attraction to Dean head-on.
Turning to face him, she was immediately drawn into his piercing blue eyes. Fear and lust coalesced, as she mentally batted away the darts of friendship and career that bombarded her. He was so confident about them. Could he be right? Did she want him to be?Oh, yes! Yes, I want you to be.
She inhaled deeply, hoping she wasn’t about to ruin their friendship and everything she’d pinned her future on, and said, “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Nine
DEAN WASN’T SURE how to take Emery’s sudden all-in attitude. He wasn’t sure if she was talking about deciding on materials for the landscape plans or moving forward with the two of them. Because of that, he played it cool, which was next to impossible. Over the course of the next hour, Emery went from barely breathing, emanating body heat like the Sahara and clearly struggling to focus on Dean’s explanations of Ashlar patterns, cobblestones, and flagstone, to being drawn in to the beauty of the plans. She’d become so swept up in ideas for the garden and patio, she was mesmerizing.
Her eyes sparkled with possibilities as she described her ideas for the project. “Can’t you see it?” She waved her finger over the designs as she spoke. “A free-form flagstone patio here, instead of making those edges sharp. Sharp isn’t warm. Sharp says, ‘Don’t come over here,’ while rounded edges say, ‘I’m easy, come over and relax.’ Oh! Can you use recycled flagstones? The ones that are all different sizes and colors?”
He loved the way she thought. “Definitely. I use recycled materials whenever I can.”
“A man after my own heart.” She paused, her gaze finding his. Then quickly, nervously, she pointed to the plans again. “And what’s over here?”
“A view of the water.”
“That makes it even more beautiful. And this?” She put her finger on the center of the patio where he’d marked the tree he was going to build the patio around.
“A gorgeous oak tree.”
“I love that,” she said dreamily. “Such a wonderful patio should be surrounded by flowers. What are those tall orange flowers I love so much?”
She scrunched her nose, looking so adorable he couldn’t resist slipping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. “Tiger lilies. They’re all over the Cape.”
“Yes! I adore them. What were those yellow flowers you just showed me a picture of?” Her hand dove into his back pocket and retrieved his phone. She navigated to the browser.
Maybe he should be bothered by her breaching his privacy like that, but how could he be bothered by EmerybeingEmery?
“Yellow flag blossoms,” they said in unison.
“Yes! And Queen Anne’s lace, and”—she studied his phone, flipping through the pictures he’d shown her—“purple lace cap. This will be so pretty. The perfect meditation spot. Can you see it? All billowy with color and life with the sounds of the bay beckoning your inner calm?”
He felt himself falling for her a little more with each excited word she uttered. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d already planted most of the gardens. Luckily, they were quite similar to what she’d described. “I can see it perfectly.”
She slid his phone into his back pocket, leaving her fingers tucked there as she gazed up at him a little nervously. “Me too,” fell breathlessly from her lips.
