Page 76 of Bayside Heat
“I might have you covered, too, princess.” He went to the armoire and returned with another box. “If you like them, they’re my wedding gift to you.”
Desiree opened the box, and happiness bloomed in her eyes. “I love them!”
She held up a pair of gorgeous sandals, also with a wedge heel, a shade lighter than her dress, with tiny pearls on the thin strap across the front of her foot and on the thin ankle strap.
“With a beach wedding, you want flats or a wedge, and since Ricky’s so tall, I thought you’d want the additional height to be closer to his lips.” He winked.
“Can you help me with my wedding dress?” Emery asked. “I wasn’t going to do anything fancy, but…”
“How about a triple wedding?” He looked inquisitively at Emery and Serena—as did the others.
“Dean and I are not crashing Des’s wedding,” Emery said. “Count me out.”
Serena’s stomach twisted nervously. “I…um…no. Drake and I just started dating. We’re not even close to being engaged.”
“We’ll see about that,” Desiree said. “Rick and I didn’t date long before we got engaged. And look at Em and Dean. When you know, you know.”
“Don’t fall prey to their pressure,” Violet said as she stepped out from behind the curtain wearing her own clothes. “Stay strong, little one.”
She’d been strong for so many years when it came to Drake, she sort of hated that expression, but her life was in Boston and his was here at the Cape. “I’m going through enough life changes at the moment. We’ve only just begun trying to figure out how to be a long-distance couple.”
That didn’t stop her from thinking about Donovan’s suggestion and toying with the idea through lunch at the Red Eye Coffee and Café later that afternoon. Thinking of Drake made her think of making love with him, which reminded her of her shopping list. As the girls chatted about everything under the sun, Serena thought about her earlier conversation with Drake about her impending shopping trip.
You probably want me to get handcuffs or silk ties. His gaze had nearly ignited, and she’d taken it a little further. Or maybe edible underwear? Violet told me about a wedge pillow that’s supposed to be great for hitting the spot. Not that you have any trouble with that…She’d always thought herself to be open to anything and fairly well versed in the sexual realm, even if she didn’t have hands-on experience with much kink. But with Drake, she had a feeling she came across as a novice. He’d chuckled and said, Baby, you’re all I need, but I’m all for exploring a darker side with you.
The passion in his eyes, the heat in his voice, and the fact that Drake was the man she’d loved forever made her want to explore with him, to test her limits.
“Let’s eat quick and go see Lizzie and Brandy,” Desiree suggested.
“Remind me to stop into your little pleasure trove of dark and sexy secrets when we get back to Wellfleet,” Serena said as casually as she could.
Violet’s catlike green eyes landed on her. “Guess you got my note.”
“You left her a note, too?” Desiree speared a tomato from her salad with her fork.
“I think Vi modified yours,” Serena answered. She’d never been the least bit nervous about wandering around their sex shop. But now, just thinking about buying things to actually use with Drake, made her all kinds of jittery, and she second-guessed her suggestion.
“You modified my note?” Desiree gave Violet a disapproving look.
Violet slung her tattooed arm casually over the back of her chair and said, “Clearly mine made an impact.”
Violet’s note might have opened the gates to Curiosityville, but it was Drake’s interest nudging her through.
DRAKE PUSHED THE couch to the area Serena had laid out in her designs for the reading nook in the music store. She was running late with the girls, but she’d sounded happy when she’d called, and he knew how much she missed them. She’d been right about the couch. The rounded back even made him want to sit down and relax, and the style fit right in with the bohemian theme they used in the stores. Although they maintained the same theme for each of the stores, Serena had come up with unique ideas for setup and furniture that fit in with each of the locations they were serving. For example, his store in Florida used brighter colors and a beachier bohemian theme, while the store in West Virginia was more rustic. As he moved the two armchairs into place, rounding out the reading nook, he thought about how well he and Serena worked together. She hadn’t dropped the ball once, even with her move, her new job, and her longer hours, and he hoped she’d be excited to see the store set up and ready for the grand opening.
