Page 47 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
“After three days she’s answering the door in your shirt? Come on, man,” Rick said. “She might be good in bed, but just be careful. We care about you.”
Dean’s hands fisted by his sides as he closed the distance between them, chest out, shoulders back. He was sure he was breathing fire. It took everything he had to not lay into Rick physically. “It hasn’t beenthree days. I spent months getting to know her before we got intimate.Months, Rick. Talking every single night, video chatting. I can tell you what her puppy’s name was when she was growing up, who her first kiss was with, and probably hundreds of things that would seem insignificant to you, but to me, they’re everything, because they made her who she is. And I freaking love who she is. She’s honest, smart, and she’s got a love for life like no one else. She doesn’t care about the nonsense most women care about.” As he said the words, he recalled how he and Drake had been just as worried about Rick when he’d fallen for Desiree. “You fell in love with Desiree after knowing her for just a fewdays, remember?”
“Pretty much overnight,” Drake pointed out.
“We’ve hadmonths, Rick. And not months of rolling between the sheets. Months oftalking, getting to know what makes each other tick. I was there for her when she had bad dates and decided to swear off dating guys who were friends. I know what she wants out of life.”And I know how she sabotages it.“I was there for her when she was deciding whether she should leave Virginia, and I’ll be there when she misses her family.” He took a step back, pausing to rein in his emotions. “And she has been there for me. She’s been a calming force every time my father has left me so angry I wanted to kill someone. Just like you guys have been.”
Regret rose in Rick’s eyes. “I’m sorry, man.” He opened his arms and Dean reluctantly stepped into the embrace of the guy he’d known since they were both kids. “I should have known you’ve thought this through. And for the record, she looked verysatisfiedwhen she answered the door.”
She hasn’t even begun to be satisfied, thanks to you guys.“What do you say we go see how satisfied you made your fiancée last night? I’m starved.”
“I’ve got to take off,” Matt said.
“More baby making?” Drake teased. Matt and Mira had just begun trying to get pregnant.
Matt laughed. “Not this time. We’re taking Hagen to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. I’ll catch up with you guys the next time I can make it out for a run.”
“I’ve got to head out right after breakfast,” Drake said. “I’m meeting a guy about that empty retail space in town. Thinking about opening my fifth store.” When they’d bought the resort, Drake had put his plans for opening another music store on hold. It made sense, now that the resort was fully functional, with administrative processes in place, that he’d want to move forward.
“Good luck with it,” Rick said.
“I’ve got a few places I’m checking out next week, too,” Drake said. “I figured I’d start looking now, but I won’t make any offers until the off-season. Better prices that way.”
They headed up to the Summer House, and Dean caught sight of Emery talking animatedly with Desiree in the side yard as they set the table. She was smiling and waving her hands, wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants and a bright pink sports bra, which he couldn’t wait to take off her. He wished she had a shirt on so the other guys wouldn’t get to enjoy the view of her gorgeous body, but he wasn’t a Neanderthal. At least she had pants on.
“I’m really sorry for coming across as a jerk,” Rick said.
“It’s all right. I get it. I know what it looks like, but, man, I’ve been hooked on her since the first time she opened that sassy mouth of hers the night you proposed.” He understood why his friends worried, and the truth was, if Emery had appeared on his doorstep and they had never shared months of deep conversations, as well as light, ridiculous ones, he might worry too. But he knew his feisty girl, and once she stepped out of her own way, no one would question her feelings for him.
Chapter Fourteen
“I AM NOT humming!” Emery insisted, although not only was she buzzing like a hummingbird, but little spasms were quaking through her every time she thought of Dean. She was surprised she wasn’t causing the ground to shake.
“You started humming after Oscar Martin popped your cherry,” Desiree reminded her as she headed back inside for another tray of food, Emery and Cosmos at her heels. “And the only time you hum since is when you’ve had great sex. Why are you denying it?”
Desiree stopped walking, and Emery bumped into her with anoomph!
Desiree spun around, her jaw hanging open, her green eyes wide with horror. “Oh my gosh. We’re growing apart, aren’t we? You used to tell me about your sexy escapades. First we stop telling each other things, and then we’ll stop hanging out, and it’ll only get worse from there…”
“No, we arenotgrowing apart.” Hearing the guys in the yard, Emery took her by the arm and dragged her away from the door. Cosmos scampered back outside. “I shareeverythingwith you. I haven’t had any escapades to speak of for months.”
“But you’rehumming, and you swore there was nothing between you and Dean. Oh no, please tell me you aren’t staying at his place and sleeping with someone else.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I’ve turned into a flaming slut. You’d better lock up the men, or I’ll jump all of them.” They both laughed, and Emery admitted, “There wasn’t anything between me and Dean before, or maybe there was and I didn’t let myself see it. But we haven’t done it!” she whispered emphatically. “At least not full-onit.”
“Ha! I knew it!” Desiree set her hands on her hips and smiled. “The way he looked at you over Christmas is nothing compared to how he looks at you now that you’re here. I knew you two would hook up.”
“Then you’re more intuitive than me, because I didn’t,” Emery confessed. She glanced toward the yard, where Dean’s distinct voice rose among the others’, and her stomach flipped. “Please don’t be mad, but I quit working at the resort and told Dean I’d see their customers here. I know I shouldn’t have said anything without asking you first, but I couldn’t fool around with mybossafter what happened with the nimrod in Virginia.”
“That’s fine, of course, but I’m not buying that you didn’t know you and Dean would hook up.”
“I swear it!” She stopped talking as Violet descended the steps, eyeing them curiously. “Hey, Vi. I love your skirt.”
Violet looked down at the tie-dyed miniskirt covering the bottom of her black bikini. “Thanks. I made it.” She made a dramatic show of sniffing the air and said, “Ah, Rick’s a good man.”
Desiree blushed as Violet made a beeline for the crepes Desiree had set out for everyone. Then Desiree narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, staring at Emery expectantly.
“Denial,” Emery said flatly. “That’s my only defense.”
