Page 43 of Ravished By Her

“You’re welcome. Thank you for agreeing to go with me.”

Lacey’s eyes flicked to my head where I was still wearing her hat. I started to pull it off, but she put her hand on the hat to stop me.

“Keep it. Looks good on you.”

Lacey winked at me and then leaned down, placing a brief kiss on my cheek as I stood there, unable to move.

“See you tomorrow,” she said, leaning back and then stepping away.

I wanted to follow her. I wanted to ask her to put her lips on other places. I wanted to peel that bathing suit from her body and see every single inch of her. I wanted to kiss and taste the salt on her skin.

I wanted…

“See you tomorrow,” I said, fumbling to find my keys. I got my hands on them at last, and Lacey watched as I got in my car and pulled out. She didn’t go into the house until I was nearly out of sight.

* * *

“Did you go to the beach?” Sterling asked when I walked into the house after trying to get off as much sand as possible so I didn’t track it in with me.

“I did, and now I desperately need a shower,” I said.

“Go for it,” Sterling said. “Kai should be here in a little bit. She had to stay later at Tenley’s to get the subscription boxes out, so she’s going to bring pizza from Nick’s and there’ll be plenty if you want some.”

I’d literally just had Nick’s, but I wasn’t going to turn down free pizza again.

“Great,” I said, but Sterling wasn’t done with me.

“You, my workaholic sister, went to the beach in the middle of the day during the week when I know you’ve been busting your ass cleaning out Lacey’s house. So. Details?” She motioned for me to tell her.

“Lacey was having a rough day and she didn’t want to do any more painting, so I suggested we go to the beach in Castleton. She went swimming, I read a book, nothing happened.”

Sterling smirked and tapped the hat on my head. “This is new. But it doesn’t look new. She give you her hat?”

She was never going to let this go.

“Yes, she gave me her hat. I don’t know why. She has a bunch of them, so it doesn’t really mean anything.”I didn’t add that this was the second hat that Lacey had given me, if you counted the READ MORE SMUT hat.

Sterling’s smirk got smirkier.

“Shut up,” I told her, shoving her as I walked by on my way to the bathroom.

“I didn’t say anything,” she sang after me as I slammed the door to the bathroom. I could still hear her cackling even when I turned on the water.

* * *

Kai was back when I got out of the shower and the house was full of the scent of fresh pizza, garlic knots, and fried pickles.

I’d taken the hat off and set it on top of my beach clothes.

“Hey, I heard you took a day off, good for you,” Kai said as she flipped open one of the pizza boxes.

“It wasn’t a plan and Lacey was the one who suggested taking off. She’s got all this family bullshit that’s been wearing her down, so I saw a chance to give her a break,” I said, and Kai looked at the hat with a grin.

“And she gave you her hat. That’s definitely a sign that she likes you,” she said, pulling a pepperoni off the top of one of her slices.

I was never going to hear the end of this hat thing. I wish I’d just left it in my car or hid it in the van with the other hat.

Kai handed me a plate and I set my stuff near the door, including the hat.

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