I took Lilah to breakfast at Seabrook Cafe, the best greasy spoon in town and now we’re walking down Main Street. Lilah has dragged me into more stores than I’ve ever been in, but the excitement on her face is worth my temporary pain.

“Ooh, I want to go in the gallery. I need some artwork for my walls at home.” She tugs on my hand leading me to the entrance. Reaching in front of her, I pull the door open and gesture for her to pass through.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, stepping inside. She smiles, her eyes eagerly scanning the brightly lit space. “I love this place already.” Her head excitedly swings from side to side.

“Go ahead,” I urge, releasing her hand. “I’m going to hang back here and let you do your thing.” I nod to the bench near the front door.

“Okay, I have a feeling I might be awhile.”

“Take your time. I’m a big boy.”

“Oh, I know you are,” she teases.

“Behave.” I grimace. I don’t need a hard on in public.

She shoots me a flirtatious look over her shoulder and practically skips off. Who knew art was so exciting to her?

“Can I be of assistance, sir?” A twenty-something male asks me.

“Yes, please.” I rise to my feet, towering over his slight frame. “I’m looking for a painting of strawberries for my girl,” I mention, keeping my voice lowered. I gesture with my chin toward Lilah. “I want to surprise her.”

“Let me show you what we have,” he replies leading me off in the opposite direction. Stopping in front of a wall containing fruit still lifes, he glances at me. “This is what we have in stock. If you’d prefer, you could commission one of our artists to paint something specific.”

I move slowly along studying each one. They’re all great quality by talented artists but not what I’m looking for. I’m just about to give up and speak to him about having one painted when I spot the perfect option. There’s a painting of chocolate covered strawberries on a white plate. One of them has a bite out of it. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The simplicity is perfect and it’s just what I was looking for. I laugh out loud at the absurdity of finding this picture here. It’s like I ordered it to my specifications. “I’ll take it.”

I run to my jeep, placing the wrapped painting under a blanket in the back, so Lilah won’t notice. When I get back to the gallery, she’s purchasing a painting of Seabrook’s main street. The colors are vivid and eye catching.

“I couldn’t resist this painting. It’s so lifelike you can practically step right inside it.” Her face is flushed with excitement.

“I had no idea you were so passionate about art.”

“I’m not necessarily. I’m a fan of talent and the artist who painted this has that in spades.” Her sparkling eyes connect with mine. “I think I’m in love with Seabrook. You asked me where I’d live if I could go anywhere.” She shrugs. “I think I found my place.”

I pull her into my arms and rub the tip of my nose on hers. “I’m glad you agree with my plan because I wasn’t going to give you a choice anyway.”

* * *

“Your ass looks red. I think you need some more sunscreen on it.” I grin down at her prone form on the bright green beach towel.

She raises her head, peering over her shoulder. “Are you screwing with me or are you serious? I’m too tired to tell.”

“I’m being serious. You do look a little red all over; not just your ass.”

“If you want to slather some sunscreen on then feel free. I’m going to keep napping.”

Dropping to my knees on the towel between her legs, I lean over her and grab the sunscreen from the sand. “Are you sure you can sleep through this. My hands might wander places they’re not supposed to.”

She snorts into the towel. “Don’t take it personally if I sleep through it. Someone kept me up most of the night and the sun is draining any remaining energy.”

Squirting some sunscreen on my hands, I rub them together, then smear the lotion along the top of her back and shoulders. Once it’s rubbed in, my fingers dig deep into the tight muscles along the curves of her shoulders and up the back of her neck. She moans when my thumbs rub the base of her skull.

“You need to relax, baby. So much tension in these sexy shoulders.” Adding some more sunscreen to my hands, I move to the lower part of her back. Spreading it out evenly over every inch, I make sure she’s protected from the sun. Focusing on making her feel amazing, my fingertips work up and down either side of her spine all the way to the edge of her bikini bottoms. Her ass wiggles and I grin. I know she wants my hands on her and fuck if she’s not going to get what she desires.

Glancing around, I check to see if anyone is close enough to me to witness what I’m about to do. No one is paying attention or situated close to where we are. My index fingers hook under each side of her bottoms, tugging them upward until they’re snuggly in her ass.

“Hey, you gave me a wedgie,” she groans into the towel.

“I thought you were asleep?”

“It’s hard to sleep when something’s being shoved up my ass.”

I laugh. “I didn’t ‘shove’ anything up your ass. When I do, trust me, you’ll know the difference.” Adding a dollop of sunscreen to one palm, I rub my hands together and then cup her glorious ass cheeks in each hand. My dick is immediately hard, tenting my board shorts. Thankfully, no one is sitting nearby. Rubbing circles over her silky-smooth globes, I groan and can’t resist squeezing each side in my grip. I want to tug her bottoms to the side and sink inside her more than I’ve ever wanted anything. “Whooo,” I exhale loudly. I think I need to take a dip in the cold water again. “You’re too fucking sexy.”

She rises to her hands and knees, ass aimed right at me. “You’re killing me.”

She titters and stands, adjusting her bikini top. My gaze locks on her full tits covered by the small purple triangles. “First one in the water gets oral sex,” she says flippantly, before making a rapid break for the ocean. Still distracted by her tits, it takes me about three seconds to register what she said before I jump to my feet and take off. Even with running as fast as she can on the soft sand, she’s no match for me. I scoop her up in my arms without slowing down, surging into the water full speed. She shrieks when the cold drops splash up on her heated skin. I move deeper until I dunk us both under a wave. She comes up sputtering and squawking about the freezing temperature of the sea.

“Looks like we’re both getting oral, tonight.” I grin lecherously, already anticipating the interesting night ahead.

* * *

“Wow, you did this all by yourself?” She’s surprised, and I’m pleased by her reaction.

“I did.”

She looks around at the lit candles embedded in the sand and the blanket laid out in the middle of them. “When did you have time?”

Glancing at my watch, I raise my arm to show her it’s eight o’clock, but she’s too far away to read it. “I think you underestimate the amount of time you take to get ready.”

“Ha ha. You got me there, but in my defense, I wanted to look extra nice for you.” She poses with her hands on her hips, before twirling around. Her green dress swells outward like an open parachute before landing just above her knees. Her bare toes curl in the sand and there’s something about that small innocent detail that has my chest aching with love. Rubbing a hand over the sore spot, the rapid drumming of my heart pounds beneath my skin. “You...look... breathtaking.” My voice is a gravelly husk. The sight of her so carefree and happy has me tripping over my words.

“I’m glad you think so,” she answers coyly.

I hold out my hand. “Come sit down with me.” She takes hold, sinking down to the soft white blanket, stretching her legs out in front of her. Sitting beside her, I wrap my arm behind her shoulders and kiss her temple. “I wanted to take you out for dinner tonight followed by some dancing, but the more I thought about it, I realized I didn’t want to share you with other people.” Leaning over, my lips press delicate kisses along the length of her neck. “Having you here with me has been wonderful and I never want it to end.” My nose nuzzles the graceful curve behind her ear. She smells as delicious as she tastes. “It’s like we’re in our own perfect bubble and nothing can touch us. There are no work distractions or fans interrupting us. No concern about anyone seeing us.” Our eyes lock. “Only you and me.” Pressing my forehead to hers, I’m overcome by the love I feel for this woman. “I love you so much, Lilah. So much, it fucking hurts my heart.” I rub a hand over my aching chest.

“I love you too, just as much.” She rubs her palm in circles over my heart. “You’re getting kind of old. I hope you’re not having a heart attack from dating a younger woman,” she jests. “Maybe you can’t keep up with me?”

Growling against her neck, I knock her back on the blanket. “I’ll show you just how much energy this old man has, baby.” Capturing her lips, we sink into a kiss. Her body feels like warm silk under my fingertips as I trace every bare inch I can find. Hearing voices in the distance, I pull away from her delectable lips. “It’s getting late. I better feed you and then later I plan on us both collecting on your bet.”