He winced and held his hand dramatically. I laughed giddily. I hadn't really hit him hard. Oddly enough, even after anonymously hating my neighbor for all this time, I didn't want to.
"You deserve it for waking me up all those mornings!"
"It wasn't me! If I had known I would have told them to start work at nine. No- ten!"
I laughed. It was impossible to stay angry at the man. He wasn’t just devastatingly handsome, or rich, or talented.
He was funny as hell.
I harrumphed and nodded to him.
“Well, ten am is the perfect time to get out of bed."
His eyes warmed up and he leaned forward, stroking my cheek.
"Or get into it."
He was going to kiss me. I knew it. I hesitated for a moment and then turned away imperceptibly.
"I should go. Basil needs to go out."
"I'll come. We can try and finish some of this champagne."
I didn't say yes or no but when he followed me homeward, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Nobody had paid me this much attention in years. Mostly because I hid away from the world but-
Now where had that come from?
I loved my quiet little life. I was safe here. Nobody bothered me or made demands. Sure it got lonely sometimes but…
Aw, hell.
It got lonely a lot.
"Hey, Basil!"
Basil was ecstatic to see us as we came in the door. He grabbed his leash between his jaws and rolled onto his back, encouraging Slade to rub his belly.
It was a bonafide love fest.
Strangely, I felt left out.
"Alright, let's go you two."
Slade followed me to the beach, with Basil leading the way. I always leashed Basil, mostly for his own safety. I’d heard of dogs getting lost out here and didn't want to take a risk.
After all, Basil was all I had. Basil and a beach house. And my business, Jenny Cakes.
Gee, that was depressing.
I swigged deeply from the champagne bottle Slade kept handing me. They were laughing while Basil ran circles around us. Slade looked serious all the sudden as he reached out and grabbed my hand.
He rubbed his thumb over my palm and pulled me towards him. My laughter faded as I stared up at him. He was smiling softly as he looked hungrily at my lips.
He moved in. I moved away.
I took another swig and pulled free of his hands.
"Let's go swimming!"
His eyes lit up as I reached for my waistband, swiftly unbuttoning it and tugging down the zipper. His jaw dropped when shimmied my jeans off and ran into the water.
"Hey, wait for me!"
I turned back to see Slade stripping down to his undies and chasing me into the bay.
Chapter 10
Slade
I was having the time of my life. No joke. It literally felt like the best time I’d had in my entire life.
Because of her.
There was no one on Earth like her. Jenny was so raw and present. So real. So free.
So intent on not letting me kiss her.
But if there was one thing I knew, it was that I was going to convince her otherwise.
Starting now.
We were swimming in the cool, easy waves that rolled into the bay. It was free from the dangerous undertow or rough currents that you faced on the ocean side. It was also a haven for biting flies and mosquitos.
Not that the real estate agent who'd sold me the lot even mentioned that.
But that made it safe for a midnight swim, even slightly inebriated. Which we both were.
Well, maybe more than just slightly.
I grinned as Jenny flipped over onto her back and stared at the sky. She couldn't know how entrancing her face looked, with just her nose, chin, forehead and lips visible above the surface.
Oh, and her breasts. It was hard not to be distracted by those glorious bouncing globes.
I licked my lips as her breasts bobbed against the waves. I was instantly hard, just like that. I almost had to shake myself to focus on what she was saying.
"There's no place like this on Earth."
"You're right."
"No place so beautiful. Or unspoiled."
I grinned and decided it was time to make my move.
"Especially now."
She turned to look at me as I rolled her to her feet. The bay was only four feet deep this close to shore. Deep enough to get wet, but hard to drown in.
Jenny was so tiny that the water reached up to her chest.
"What do you mean?"
I brushed my hand over her silky cheek. It was now or never.
"Jenny…"
The raw hunger in my voice was unmistakable. I lowered my lips to hers. I couldn't have stopped myself if I’d tried.
Not that I was trying.
Jenny felt, and tasted, incredible. She was a feast for my senses. In my hands. Under my mouth. Against my tongue. And when she opened her mouth to gasp in surprise I wasted no time.
I went for the gold.
My tongue danced inside teasingly to explore Jenny's delectable mouth. I swirled it against her delectable tongue. She stood stock still as I teased her mouth, begging her to kiss me back.