Page 37 of California Waves

Archer jumped in and said, “Yeah, we’re talking about guy stuff here. Why don’t you go upstairs and do whatever secret girl thing you and Tessa have planned?”

Mila rolled her eyes. “First, we both know I could take you down in under five seconds. And second, I’m pretty sure ‘guy stuff’ isn’t dressing up and pretending to be someone else. So, yeah, I’d definitely rather go upstairs.”

She turned to Hersch. “Good to see you.” To Jay, she said, “Wish I could say the same,” with a teasing smile, and disappeared upstairs.

A few minutes later, Hersch heard her come down, and then the front door clicked shut. Jay and Archer had long gone back to talking about the movie, but all Hersch could think about was Mila. Their surprise encounter made him think that maybe she wanted him as badly as he did her. Hersch wasn’t the kind of guy to sit around and do nothing. He was going to win over Mila Davenport, even if she would give him only one night. Casual sex had never been his thing, but at thirty-five years old, maybe it was time to try something new. Having made that decision, he felt better than he had in days.

Because once he’d made a decision, he tended to act on it right away.

Chapter Nineteen

“Mila Davenport.” Mila answered the call in her business voice, even though she knew it was Hersch calling. Her true feelings for him had been written all over her face when she’d bumped into him at Arch’s, and now she felt a little embarrassed, as though she needed to claw back some mystique. Especially since she was the one who’d kissed him in the first place.

“Mila, it’s Hersch,” he said, obviously not understanding that she had put him in business mode.

“You sound out of breath. Is everything okay?”

“I was setting up my home gym.”

Mila licked her bottom lip, wishing he hadn’t told her that. Now all she could do was picture him in tight workout gear improving that already perfect physique. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Pull it together, girl. “Isn’t moving enough of a workout?”

He chuckled. “I seem to have more energy in Carmel than I do anywhere else.”

He let the statement linger, and she wondered if she might be the reason for that. Over the past week, she’d surfed for longer and lifted heavier weights, trying to burn off some of her sexual buzz. Although she had her reasons, she’d continued to regret running away from him on the beach. Surely she could allow herself just one night of hot sex?

Even now, she was still fantasizing about him all sweaty and hot when she realized she hadn’t replied. “I know you might not want to hear it, but honestly, it’s that Carmel ocean air that gives people a new lease on life.”

He said softly, “That and other things.”

Were those other things thinking about a night of furiously hot sex? “What can I do for you?”

“I’m inviting you to my housewarming party.”

She couldn’t have been more surprised and laughed out loud. “You’re having a housewarming party? You’ve barely moved in.”

“I know. It’s tomorrow night.”

“Great.” She imagined a cocktail party with little squares of cheese and glasses of uninteresting wine. She’d been to enough of them in Carmel. And then she remembered he was completely new in town. “Who else is coming?”

His voice went low and a little bit sexy. “The guest list is very small.”

Her blood began to pound at the blatant invitation beneath the words. “How small?”

“You. And me, obviously, as the host.”

She’d planned to catch up on paperwork tomorrow night, but he didn’t need to know that. A housewarming party for two? Oh, she could find time for that. “I happen to be available tomorrow night. And I would love to come to your housewarming party.”

“Great!” He sounded as excited as she felt at the prospect of the two of them alone together in his new house.

“Come around seven. I’ll see you then.”

* * *

Mila was surprised at the buzz of excitement she felt as she thought about the housewarming party with Herschel. If she had her way, that house would be very warm by the time she was finished with him. She got through her work with her usual dynamic enthusiasm, but if she was honest with herself, there was always a low-level hum inside her as the hours passed until she would see him again.

By the following evening, Mila’s excitement was off the charts. As she prepared for her date, she opened her bathroom cabinet. Erin had teased her that going into her bathroom was like walking into a high-end spa. As someone who had spent the better part of her life in sunshine and salt water, she’d learned early on the importance of good skin care. Between the various sunscreen products and moisturizing lotions and botanical scrubs, she could easily run her own spa. But her skin-care routine had paid off. She liked to think that if they happened to touch her naked body, no one would know how much of her time she spent in sun and salt water.

She showered and primped and then chose a body cream that was a little floral and a little spicy. As she rubbed the cream into her skin, she could feel how sensitive she was, with a heat coming off her that surprised even her. She’d always had a strong sexual appetite, but somehow, with Herschel, she felt connected on a deeper level. It was exciting but also mildly terrifying, if she was honest with herself—and she always tried to be honest with herself.