That old tingly feeling flooded back, tsunami-style.
He pushed past me into my room, and flopped onto my bed, before tossing me the bag. “Go on. Open it.”
Inside was a small paper American flag. On a stick.
“Tomorrow’s Independence Day,” he said. “That makes today Independence Day Eve. And I want to spend it wi’ you.”
“Um. Okay.” I smiled and waved the flag at him. “Thanks. It’s just …”
I was going to say that Independence Day Eve was not really a thing, but I couldn’t get it out, because he kicked his boots off one at a time and beckoned me over.
“Come to Uncle Sam,” he said, and patted the bed. I was beside him in an instant, and he reached over to pull my face down for a kiss.
“Hey now baby, is he good to you?” he hummed, and his fingers toyed with the buttons on my shirt.
I closed my eyes. This moment had been so long in coming; I was prepared to even dismiss the Uncle Sam cracks.
Hamish sat up on the bed, his baseball cap on still backwards, and unbuttoned his shirt. All the saliva dried up in my mouth. He looked good, but whether it was the heat of the day or my own hormone rush, I was having trouble articulating.
“I—I …”
“It’s all righ’ lass,” he interrupted, reaching into his pocket for a small foil packet. “No worries. I thought ahead.”
He rolled past me and stood up beside the bed. The torchlight gleamed off the pale skin of his chest. He leaned down and tilted my chin up toward his face with one hand. With his other hand he took my hand and placed it on his flat stomach.
He grinned down at my expression. “Wha’ de yeh think of ’em?” he asked as he gently lifted my glasses off.
“Them?” I said entirely befuddled by the feel of actual male skin beneath my fingertips. “Think of who?”
He chuckled softly and dropped to his knees beside the bed to kiss me again. I actually had to lean against him at that point. Turns out it’s not only fear that makes my legs wobbly.
But his words brought my head back into the conversation.
“Mah abs. No’ bad, eh? I’ve been doing sit-ups at the gym, but ah’m not quite to a full six-pack yet. When we get to California I want to make sure that I’ve got the righ’ look.”
I thought they had the right look already, but it gave me a moment’s pause that it was he and not me pointing out his assets.
He kissed me again, which took my mind off just about everything, and then paused to slide my windbreaker off my shoulders.
I put my hand on his stomach again. I had to admit, his abs did feel pretty good. As a matter of fact, I could not remember ever having felt such good abs. My weak knees agreed. I closed my eyes and tried to lock the sensation in my memory forever.
He began to unbutton my shirt. I took a moment to thank whatever gods were out there that I had worn my prettiest pink bra that day. Kissing me again, he held me close, so that I was kneeling on the bed, feeling the skin of his stomach on my own for the very first time.
“There’s a girl’s section at the gym, y’know,” he whispered.
“Ah … a what?” The blood was rushing away from my head at that point, so I wasn’t hearing all that clearly.
“A girl’s section. Fer’ if yeh want to get yerself a bit more bikini-ready. There’s still time, aye?”
His lips trailed down my neck.
More bikini-ready?
This stung enough to get through the lust haze. I mean, since I had come to Scotland, I had been walking or riding my bike everywhere. I was in the best shape of my life.
For a brief moment, I wondered how Claire would react if Jamie had ever told her she needed to do sit-ups. And then the parts situated below my brain decided that maybe it was not the best moment to take offense.
Pulling my hands away from where they had been feeling the muscles on his back, I quickly tucked my shirt between us so it covered my stomach, while strategically allowing the pink bra to show to its best advantage.
But something was niggling.
His ear was beside my mouth at that moment, so I took the opportunity to whisper in it.
“Uh—Hamish? Still time for what?”
He leaned back and ran one finger along my bra strap. I felt a surge of relief that his attention was off my abs for the moment.
“Before we go to California. Together.”
He beamed at me. “I’ve sorted it all out wi’ Geordie, after we talked on our drive. I can make this happen, babe. We’ll soon be hittin’ those Los Angeles beaches together, aye?”
I closed my eyes and sighed. As I did, he leaned forward and kissed my collarbone. I felt my will power melting away. What was so wrong with going to California with this gorgeous man?