Sean stares at me. When he doesn’t respond, I look over at him. His blue eyes are wide. When our gazes meet, they lock. I can’t look away. Something inside me responds to him, to the way he looks at me. I feel the tug at the core of my body telling me that he’s more than he seems. I try to force the sensation back, but I can’t.
For a moment, Sean just breathes. When his lips part to say something, I feel the kite string go slack. Before the words are out of his mouth, the kite collides with his head. It falls to the sand in a pile of plastic and string. Sean jumps a mile, and holds his hand to his ear.
I step toward him, my feet getting tangled in string. “Are you all right?” I kneel in front of him and turn his face to the side.
Sean’s hands fall away from the spot where he was hit. There’s a little scrape on his cheek that’s beading with blood. I reach into my pocket and take out a tissue. I press it to his skin and hold it there. I feel stupid for hurting him. Sean takes my hand in his. When I feel his gaze, I turn and look into his eyes. The wind ruffles his hair, tossing it every which way. He looks at me like he’s never seen me before. The expression worries me. My stomach flips in response.
I manage, “I’m sorry.”
Sean doesn’t answer. He just watches me, intently focused on my face. Sean’s eyes drift to my mouth. After a moment, he leans in and kisses me lightly. My lashes lower as he does it and my heart pounds harder. Sean pulls back slightly, and looks into my eyes. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but nothing comes out.
My voice is so sweet, so soft. I cup his face between my hands and say, “Oh, no. Did that blow to the head break your brain?”
Sean seems to come back from wherever his mind drifted off to. The panic in his eyes vanishes. I have back the flirt with the bike, the man with the kite. “If I’m bludgeoned by a piggy kite and lose my mind, you have to promise to tell people that I was done in by something much more manly.”
I nod slowly, smiling. “Mmm. Bear attack. There are bears all over the beach. Totally believable.” I wink at him.
“That mouth is going to get you in trouble,” Sean says, smiling. The look in his eye is playful and carefree.
The kite is behind him. I lean forward, like I’m going to hug him. Sean tenses slightly. I have no idea why. We’ve had sex, how is he still tense when I touch him? The hug was a diversion anyway. I reach behind him and grab the kite.
Smacking the kite into his back, I giggle, saying, “Bear attack! Bear attack! Rwoar!”
Sean’s jaw drops open. He lets me smack him with the kite at least three times before he tackles me, and knocks me back into the sand. Sean’s fingers find my bare skin under my sweater and he tickles. I laugh and continue to taunt him. “Next time we should get a bear kite. That way it’s more believable. Millionaire, Sean Ferro, attacked on Jones Beach, by a bear. Channel 12 will come running out if we call that in.” I reach into my pocket, or rather I try to, but Sean yanks the phone away.
“I’m not a millionaire and Channel 12 doesn’t cover bear attacks—too exciting.” He pins me down, and manages to straddle me. Sean’s breathing hard. He looks down at my face and I go still.
“You’re not rich?”
“I didn’t say that. I said I’m not a millionaire.” Sean has a strange look on his face.
“Ah, since we’re playing coy, I’m not a millionaire, either. I’m a twentyaire. I have twenty-five bucks in my pocket until I get paid.” I try to pull my wrists free, but Sean doesn’t budge. “So, come on. What are you? I told you how much I’m worth.” I smile at him, laughing. “By the way, I’m paying for lunch. The $1 menu at Wendy’s has some bitchin’ chicken nuggets with your name on them.” I waggle my eyebrows at him, not expecting him to tell me anything.
“You’re treating me?” he asks, surprised. I nod. Sean pauses for a second. Then he licks his lips and leans down and whispers in my ear. “I’m a billionaire, maybe a few times over.”
I giggle when he pulls back and say, “Like the Monopoly man?” I stare at him. Holy shit. Sean watches me, waiting to see how I take it. I act like I’m going to be serious, and ask, “Do you have that kickass top hat? Nah, I bet you’re more of a monocle man.” I reach into his pocket and Sean squirms.
He grabs my wrists and pins me again. “Seriously? That’s your reaction? You ask me if I dress like a cartoon character?” My eyes shift back and forth between his. Sean seems surprised.
I’m more distracted by his eyes. I shrug. “Money’s money. You need it to live, but beyond that, I don’t care. You can’t take it with you. Hey, and this doesn’t mean that I’m going to stiff you on lunch. Don’t worry. I’ll get you a drink and some fries, too. What’s mine is yours.” I grin at him, expecting him to laugh, but he doesn’t. The pressure on my wrists disappears as Sean sits up. He slips off of me and I sit up next to him. “Did I say something wrong?” I ask, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Because I do that a lot. I didn’t mean to be ass-y Avery.”