Chapter Seven
WHEN THEY ARRIVED back at the resort for the bonfire, Desiree and Rick left their shoes in the truck and crossed the dunes to find the others. The sand was cold beneath Desiree’s bare feet, but she was warm snuggled up against Rick’s side. She had worried that her confession would make him think twice about getting any more involved with her, but as they walked along the shore, serenaded by the bay lapping at the sand, she knew it had brought them even closer. They’d talked and laughed over dinner, and she’d shared so much of herself that she felt like Rick knew her better than most people who had known her for years. But when the flames of the bonfire came into view, her nerves sprang to life, pushing all that goodness to the side.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Just a little nervous.”
He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around her with a wide grin. “I promise you will like them, and they will adore you.”
“Why won’t I adore them?”
He laughed and touched his lips to her hers. “You are forever the teacher, aren’t you? I’ll have to be more careful with semantics. You will adore them.” His eyes darkened, and that playful grin turned serious. “Just don’t adore them too much. I don’t share well.”
“Is my big, confident guy jealous?” She flattened her palms on his chest, going up on her toes, anxious for another kiss. “What happens when you get jealous?”
“I up my game,” he practically growled, before taking her in a toe-curling kiss that had her winding her arms around his neck to keep him from breaking their connection.
She needn’t have worried. He kissed her until her knees weakened, and she sank down on her heels, holding on to him in an effort to remain standing. When their lips finally parted, he went back for more, leaving her mouth tingling and her body electrified.
“I…” She swallowed hard to try to force her fuzzy mind into gear.
A wicked grin spread across his face, and he kissed her again.
“You know I can’t resist you when you get flustered.”
His voice was gravelly and low, and she imagined him saying it to her in a dark bedroom, where she was sure to be flustered with an experienced guy like Rick. That thought sent her mind scrambling again, and he must have seen it, because he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her deep and slow, until she was sure she’d turn to liquid and wash away with the tide.
She came away breathless and put her finger over his mouth to give herself time to find her legs again. He smiled and puckered up, pressed a kiss to her finger, and then he sucked it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip.
“Rick.” She pulled her finger from his mouth and stole a glance up the beach, toward the sounds of laughter and guitar music. She fought her needy girly parts begging her to drag him up to the dunes and continue making out, but she couldn’t leave his family wondering where they were.
“My delicious Desiree, you push all of my buttons.” He wrapped his hand around her wrist and kissed her palm. “I warned you about being flustered,” he said in a playful voice, as if he hadn’t just sent her world spinning. “Come on. Let’s go get jealous and flustered.”
A little boy sprinted down the beach toward them, his mop of brown hair blowing in the wind as he plowed into Rick’s legs. “Uncle Rick!”
“Hagen, my man.” Rick hoisted him into his arms and kissed his cheek.
“We’re roasting marshmallows,” Hagen said, his bright blue eyes dancing with excitement. “And me and Dad made In-va-rar-y sand castle.”
“That’s great.” Rick put his hand on the small of Desiree’s back and said, “Des, this is my brilliant nephew, Hagen. Buddy, this is my girlfriend, Desiree.”
It had been so long since she’d been called a girlfriend, she was momentarily stunned. Rick winked, as if to say, Go with it. She was going with it, all right. And she wasn’t freaking out inside or feeling like she wanted to hold back. Seeing her big, brawny, pushy man with sweet Hagen helped bolster her decision.
Hagen’s eyes turned serious. “Hi.”
“Hi. I’m surprised you know about the Inveraray Castle. It’s a beautiful one.”
“I know about lots of castles. Mom says castles are handsome, and their grounds are beautiful.” He wiggled out of Rick’s arms. “Hurry up and get there before Uncle Drake eats all the marshmallows.” He took off running toward the group.
“Slow down around the fire,” Rick called after him, melting Desiree’s heart a little more. “Hagen and Matt, my sister Mira’s husband, have been studying castles. They’re planning a family trip to see a few of them over the winter. Last summer they visited libraries down the East Coast.”
“He’s adorable,” she said. “How old is he? Six or seven?”
“He’s seven. Hagen’s a cool kid. He loves—adores—books and facts. Probably like your children will one day.” He put his mouth beside her ear as they approached the bonfire and said, “I bet my sweet, naughty teacher wants three kids and a white picket fence.”
She’d dreamed of marrying a man who was as loving and stable as her father, and of being the type of mother she always wished she’d had. He’d pegged her so perfectly, she wondered what else he saw in her.
A tall, dark-haired man pushed to his feet, flashing a friendly smile. “There’s the man of the hour. Hi. You must be Desiree. I’m Drake, Rick’s older brother.” He gave her a quick hug. “I’m glad you made it.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She glanced at Rick, sighing inwardly as he blew her a kiss.
A pretty brunette wearing shorts and a sweatshirt hugged her next. “I’m Mira—their sister and Hagen’s mom. My son thinks you’re very pretty.”
“Oh,” Desiree said, surprised. “Well, thank you, Hagen. He’s adorable. I can’t wait to see the castle he’s built.”
Mira reached for another dark-haired man’s hand. The way he was looking at Mira told her he was Matt.
“He and Matt built it,” Mira said.
Matt embraced Desiree. “Nice to meet you. We’ll show you the castle after you get put through the paces with this crew.”
A perky brunette wearing cropped jeans and a purple hoodie pushed between them. “Hi. I’m Serena. I work for the guys at the resort.”
“And we grew up together,” Mira chimed in.
“And she and Drake had a fling,” said a muscular guy who was sitting on a blanket playing the guitar.
Serena waved her hands. “No fling. We just work together.”
Drake glared at the guy. “No, we did not have a fling. Jesus, Dean.” He took the guitar from Dean and gave him a nudge toward Rick and Desiree. “This is Dean, our business partner—and a troublemaker.”
“How’s it going?” Dean gave her a friendly hug.
Rick reclaimed her with an arm around her waist and said, “Welcome to my crazy summer.”
She liked the playfulness of his friends and family. Everyone settled on blankets and chairs around the bonfire. Matt and Hagen roasted marshmallows, and Drake and Dean gave each other a hard time.
Serena handed her a stick and a bag of marshmallows. “We have chocolate and graham crackers, too.”
“Sounds delicious.” She took the stick, and Rick grabbed the bag of marshmallows.
“I’ve got it,” he said as he slid a marshmallow onto the stick, licking the sweetness off his fingers with a lascivious look in his eyes. Oh boy. May I have another, please?
Dean picked up his guitar, playing again.
“Rick tells us you’re staying at the old Summer House Inn,” Drake said.
“Yes. It was my grandmother’s house. My sister and I are running my mother’s art gallery for the summer.”
“Mira, we should check it out,” Serena said. “Is it open all the time?”
She told them how they were just starting to figure out the hours and get the word out about the gallery, and decided not to mention the sex toy shop.
“Why don’t we come by one afternoon when we can both slip away. Maybe while we’re there we can help you brainstorm ideas to get the word out,” Mira suggested. “I just set up a co-op, and Serena is a wiz at marketing.”
“That sounds perfect,” Desiree said, already feeling a kinship with the easygoing girls.
Hours passed in a carefree night of music, marshmallows, and playful banter. Rick kept a hand on Desiree’s leg, or his arm around her, the whole time. Hagen showed Desiree the castle he and Matt had built and explained the history of the structure in seven-year-old terms, blowing her away. It was a magical feeling, being swept into the inner circle of such warm, close-knit friends. She wished she and Violet could get along this easily. Maybe one day…
Rick nudged Desiree’s shoulder, holding a roasted marshmallow between his fingers. “Can I interest you in a little warm, creamy goodness?”
With the seductive tone of his voice, and the way he was visually devouring her, he might as well have been naked and offering her something far more sexual. Her eyes darted nervously around the group, worrying someone else might have had the same interpretation. Matt pulled Mira to her feet and began dancing. Drake and Dean were now both playing guitars. Drake’s eyes were locked on Serena, who was taking a selfie with Hagen, and Desiree wondered if there was something between Drake and Serena after all.
She turned back to Rick, relieved she was the only one with the dirty mind.
Rick’s eyes darkened as she opened her mouth and bit into the marshmallow. She put her hand up to block her mouth as she chewed. He moved it away and sealed his lips over hers, slathering the sweet, sticky treat over her tongue. It melted into their half laugh, half kiss, and she dissolved into him. He drew back just far enough so she could see the heat in his eyes as he sucked the stickiness off his fingers, igniting flames beneath her skin. I want to do that. I want to suck your fingers, lick marshmallow off your entire body. Lick and suck, and—
“You’ve got that flustered look again,” he said in a heady voice.
Anticipation climbed up her limbs, but she caught sight of Hagen in her peripheral vision, and as Rick moved in for another hot kiss, she put her palm to his chest. “Rain check. Hagen might see us.”
Rick made a guttural sound. It was so sexy, she nearly ate her words and kissed him. He rose to his feet, bringing her up beside him, and headed away from the group.
She hurried to keep up. “Where are we going?”
“Dancing.”
Remembering last night’s dance, she couldn’t stop grinning. A good distance from the group, he gathered her close and began moving seductively. She could feel every hard inch of him. His mouth came down over hers as his hands moved up and down her back in a dizzying pattern. He took the kiss deeper, cupping her ass and making her whimper with need. With the bay breeze at her back, and her hot man pressed against her, her body begged for more. He gazed into her eyes, looking at her like he was wrestling with his emotions.
“Sorry, beautiful. I have been wanting to do that all night. Seeing you with my family did something to me.” He tightened his hold on her. He’d been doing that all night, too, as if he were afraid the air slipping between them might steal her away. “I hope you weren’t overwhelmed by everyone.”
“Not at all. You’re lucky. If I had a family like that, I don’t think I’d ever move away.”
RICK TOUCHED HIS forehead to Desiree’s, thinking about what she’d said. He was lucky. Damn lucky. He had a great family and friends who were as close as blood. Thinking of the reasons he’d left the Cape all those years ago, he said, “Sometimes the hardest place to be is where everyone knows you best.”
Confusion rose in her eyes, and he drew her against him, hoping to put that conversation aside for a while. As they danced in the moonlight, he thought of all Desiree had revealed to him, admiring her ability to keep such a positive outlook when her life had been turned upside down by the very woman who should have been watching out for her.
Just like last night, Rick lost track of time and space and anything but the woman in his arms. He didn’t know when his sister and her family had left, or how long ago Drake and Dean had stopped playing their guitars. All he knew was that as they broke away from a particularly hot kiss, he needed to be alone with Desiree.
“What do you say we get out of here?”
She glanced at the bonfire. “Sure, but we should say goodbye.”
He didn’t want to share her any more than he already had, but he respected her too much to deny her the chance for a proper goodbye. They headed back to the group and said they were taking off. As Serena hugged Desiree, promising to come by the shop soon, Rick picked up Drake’s guitar.
“Mind if I borrow this?” he asked his brother.
“No. Go ahead,” Drake said. “You okay?”
Drake knew him so well. He only played when he thought of his father, and right then, thoughts of his father were following him like a shadow.
“Do you play?” Desiree asked.
“A little.” He draped his arm over her shoulder.
“Oh, please,” Serena said. “These three were in a band together as teenagers. He’s really good.”
“Okay, we’re out of here.” Rick dragged her away before anyone could share stories of him disappearing into music after he’d lost his father.
“Why didn’t you play with the guys tonight?”
“And miss holding you? No, thank you.” He kissed Desiree’s cheek as they headed down the beach toward her place. “I’ll bring your sandals by tomorrow.”
“Good. That means I’ll see you again.”
He smiled down at her. “Did you have any doubt?”
“Well, you did call me your girlfriend, so I guess I shouldn’t, but…”
“But nothing, sweetheart. A daily occurrence, remember?” He stopped walking and dropped to one knee, resting the guitar over his other and holding tightly to her hand. “Desiree, will you go out with me tomorrow, and the next day, and every day thereafter, until you either get sick of me or leave the Cape?”
She covered her mouth, but nothing could hide her radiant smile. “Yes, you silly man.”
“‘Silly’ doesn’t sound very manly,” he said as he rose to his feet.
She cuddled against him as they walked along the shore. “On the right man, ‘silly’ is as hot as ‘strong.’”
“Really? Huh. I’ll have to amp up my silliness.”
Desiree laughed. “You’re wonderful just as you are. Full of surprises. Oh, shoot. Tomorrow night I’m going out with Violet. I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”
“Ditching me already?”
“Hardly, but I think our sheets are from the Colonial days. We really need to get new ones.”
“Have fun. I’ll hang out with Dean and Drake, and we’ll get together Friday night. That is, if you’re free.”
“I’m definitely free,” she said, lacing her fingers with his.
When they reached Desiree’s house, they sat in the sand and Rick played his guitar, singing songs that made Desiree smile. He wanted to play all night long, just to see the joy in her eyes.
Deep into the night, when Desiree looked a little sleepy, he played “I Wanna Be That Song,” by Brett Eldredge, and sang it to her. And there, with the moon glistening off the water and his girl sighing dreamily beside him, he knew he was falling hard. He wanted to be the song that got her high and made her dance and made her fall. He wanted to be the melody that made time stand still for her, filled her up, and kept her young. He wanted her to believe she was right where she should be. By his side.
She sighed, and those penetrating green eyes of hers washed over him with so much emotion, he felt like she saw right through him.
“There’s something incredibly sexy about the way you wear your emotions on your sleeve,” he said. “What are you thinking right now?”
“A lot of things. I was thinking about how nice it was to see you joking around with everyone, and wondering if Violet and I could ever be as close as you and Drake. And I was thinking about Mira and Hagen, and how incredible it must be for her to have found someone who loves her and her son so much.” She glanced up at him with soulful eyes. “But mostly, I was thinking that this has been the most romantic night of my life, and I don’t want it to end.”
“Then we won’t let it.”