Page 16 of Beach Cottage Kisses
Some would be staged. And she’d be doing live shots of actual training, too.
She’d done her research. Knew what to expect. Was completely professional as she homed in on taut muscle in action, on bodies in superb shape, seemingly indefatigable as they ran on the beach carrying heavy rubber boats above their heads, did sit-ups, rowing, surfing boats onto rocks,underwater training and grinned at her when they were posing for hunk shots.
But that night, as Angel bounded ahead of her out the door and down the beach toward the water, as she caught her first sight of Scott jogging up the beach toward them, all she could think about were his muscles.
The perfectly toned, tall, lithe body coming toward her.
The swelling she’d noticed in his dress pants when he’d first stood up off the bench on a different beach four nights before.
She’d looked away.
He’d covered it, quickly, buttoning the jacket of his tux.
And there the image was, in her mind’s eye.
She blinked it away.
It came back.
She blinked again. And found herself in a loop where she couldn’t stop thinking about it because she was thinking about not thinking about it.
While she was busy trying to escape, her body lived in the moment. Reacting to a previous hard-on from the man running toward her.
Her nipples were hard and she was wet by the time he reached her. Crossing her arms, she nodded at Scott, and then almost immediately dropped to the ground to greet Morgan. The corgi’s enthusiastic greeting knocked her to her butt and Iris stayed there, loving on both dogs, letting them pounce on her, laughing.
Grateful for the distraction, she was still smiling when Scott offered a hand down to her to help her up. She took it automatically, swung up and stood there, inches from his face. Staring at him eye to eye.
For too long.
Neither of them could pretend it hadn’t happened.
But they tried. He dropped her hand as though he’d been burnt. She turned down the beach. Toward his place. Which took them to Sage’s old cottage next door to Iris. And she latched on. Asked if there’d been any more showings since Monday. If there’d been any offers.
He answered in a kind tone. But succinctly. As though his thoughts were elsewhere.
The dogs had raced down to see Dale’s Juice.
“It’s really strange, not having Sage here,” Iris blurted. Needing desperately to make whatever was happening to her where Scott was concerned just go away. “And Leigh.”
That was it. Most days when she and Scott were together, Leigh spent time with them, too. Not the entire time. They always had the chance for their adult conversation. But they never knew when they’d be interrupted.
And with Sage… Scott’s sister had been the supreme chaperone. At least where Iris was concerned. No way she wanted her friend to think she was developing feelings for her twin brother. Because when Sage discovered that those feelings only went skin-deep, Iris could lose one of the most important females in her life.
Or both of them, if she lost Leigh, too.
“I had no idea how much seeing Leigh lightened my days,” Scott said as they walked at their normal pace. With maybe a few more inches than usual between them. “The beach is too quiet without her.”
The elephant was there. On the sand in between them. In front of them. Beside them. Behind them. “That’s all this is,” she blurted. “Our daily routines have been disrupted. It’s kind of like being alone together on a desert island out here…”
No. Wrong words. The image they created had to be crushed.Quickly. Islands. Coronado. A day behind her lens filled with testosterone overload.
“I like that.” Scott’s words ricocheted through her. Sharply. Leaving vibrations in all her womanly places. And then he added, “There’s nothing different about the two of us. It’s the lack of the rest of our immediate gang that’s plaguing us. Take away the sister, the best friend, the kid…and you’ve got…”
He stopped.
Neither of them needed to hear what was left. They both knew.
She kicked up sand with her tennis shoe. Watching the dogs. Looking for Dale, but not finding him, she did what she’d learned to do to save her life. Faced the challenge head-on. “You’re still feeling it, too, huh?”
