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. It wasn t.When it came to bikinis, this one was relatively tame.He frowned as he inspected myswimsuit again. All I m seeing is a fewtiny triangles and a whole lotta string,Luce, he said, looking tortured all overagain. And you re trying to tell me thisisn t skimpy? I answered with a noncommittal shrug. Only one way to settle the skimpydebate. Jude s eyes swept up anddown the boardwalk, narrowing a fewtimes along the way. I win, he said atlast. Every single bastard within seeingdistance is checking you out, Luce. I glanced around the beach. We llhave to agree to disagree, I said. Because I m positive it s not me but youthey re staring at. He made a face.He d arrived at a different conclusion. No, not for that reason, I said, givinghim a gentle shove. Do you think thatmaybe, just maybe, they re looking at youbecause you happen to be the newestChargers quarterback? It wouldn t matter if I was PeytonManning, Jude said, pursing his lips. With you running around in that more-string-than-swimsuit thing his handsgestured up and down me again no eyeswould be turned in my direction. I tried to hold it in, but I couldn t helpthe laugh that sneaked out.It was kind ofcute when he was mildly upset.It wasn tas cute when he was full-blown pissed.Jude s eyes latched onto something behind me. Hey, jerk-off! he hollered,narrowing his eyes. Unless you want tobe reading your monthly issue of Playboyin braille the rest of your life, you d betterturn your eyes now! I rested my hand on his side and ran mythumb in slow circles.Slow, calmingcircles. Could you get any moreterritorial? I teased. Ever heard of the Middle East, Luce? he said, smirking. Covered head to toe inlayers upon layers of material. He tickledmy sides.The worst was over. Ever heard of Europe? I shot back inbetween fits of laughter. Toplesssunbathing? I thought you d once said youwere a fan of it. Ballbuster, he mumbled, before holding the sweatshirt back up. Come on.Put this on? he asked.He asked.Hedidn t order, demand, or command.Heasked.Well, he almost pleaded. Okay, I said, because I couldn t sayno.I grabbed the sweatshirt from him andslid it on.Warm, cozy, and smelled justlike him.I was half considering jackingthis tomorrow when I headed back toNYC. Okay ? He was looking at me likehe was waiting for the punch line.I slid the hood into position for goodmeasure. Okay. Just when I think I ve got you allfigured out, Lucy Larson, he said,winding his arm around my neck andpulling me close, you go and do something totally unexpected.Like listento me. I slid my hand into the back pocket ofhis jeans as we headed toward my littleslice of beachfront property. Also in thefine print, below ballbusting, I said, hip-checking him, soon-to-be wives arerequired to keep soon-to-be husbands onpins and needles at all times. Ahh, he said, I really need to checkout all that fine print. If you don t get to reading it, I m sureI ll manage to give you a real-lifedemonstration of each and every pointsomewhere along the way, I said as weapproached my beach towel. What s fordinner? And please don t pull a can ofcaviar and a bottle of champagne from that bag or else I m calling for anintervention. He held out the paper bag for me. Because I knew it would. My browslifted. .absolutely not make you happyor unhappy, because money has no say inyour happiness meter he popped hisbrows, obviously pleased with himself I picked up a few fish tacos from astreet vendor and some cheap beer from agas station. He grinned like the devil and shook thebag.I grabbed it and plopped down on thetowel before tearing it open. Fish tacosfrom a street vendor and PBR? I said, notsure whether to go for the beer or thetacos first.My stomach made the decisionfor me. That, my love, makes me very, very happy. I pulled out a wrapped tacoand tossed it into his lap once he satdown. Of course a dinner that cost me tenbucks would make you happy, he said,tearing the wrapper back. Can you be anymore infuriating? That was the million-dollar question.Snagging a beer from the bag, I twistedthe cap off and handed it to him. Wow.You really missed the fine print if youdon t know the answer to that, babe. He bit off half the taco and rolled hiseyes. Eat your dinner, he said around amouthful of food. I can hear your stomachgrumbling from over here. Tearing my wrapper back from mine, Itapped his before taking a bite. Damn.Okay, so Cali could rock thesun, the beach, and the fish tacos. Good? Jude asked as I continued thelove affair in my mouth.I remembered my manners and waiteduntil I d swallowed my food beforeanswering. Good is an insult to thegreatness that is this fish taco. I tookanother bite as Jude grabbed another beerout of the bag.After twisting the cap off,he held it out. Finish it with a swig ofthis and life will be redefined as youknow it, Luce. I didn t even wait to finish chewingbefore I took a drink.Holy taste-budorgasm. Yeah, that s the stuff, he said,clinking his bottle against mine before taking a drink. I.Love.You, I said, taking anotherbite. So.Much.So, so much. Stuffing the other half of the taco intohis mouth, he stared at me in that way I dgrown accustomed to.Like I waseverything he wanted and everything heever would want.I don t know how hiseyes were able to express this, but theydid.Finishing his ginormous bite, hemolded his hand against my cheek. I loveyou.So much.So damn much, Luce. Leaning into his warm hand, I clinkedmy bottle against his. Cheers. TENTwo fish tacos, two beers, and two hourslater, I was still not ready to leave.Noteven close to it. You want the last one? Jude asked,holding out a taco. It s all yours, I said.Scooting behindhim, I skimmed my hands up his shirt. You want a massage? It wasn t so mucha question as a formality.In four years, I dnever known Jude to turn down a massage. Hell yes, he said around a mouthfulof fish taco.Applying pressure, I worked my thumbs up the muscles of his spine.Hesighed, leaning into my touch. Does thatfeel good? Hell yes. He dropped the taco andhung his head.I pressed my thumbs into the exposedmuscles of his neck. How about this? Isaid, never sure how much pressure he dwant applied.Some days it was barelyany, like he just liked the feel of my handson him.Other days I couldn t seem topunish the muscles hard enough. Is thatstill all right? I asked, pinching themuscles running from his neck to hisshoulders.He groaned. Hell yes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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