Page 21 of The Love Shack

Didn’t like it, but understood it.

He stood there hesitating for so long, he nearly lost sight of her. “Screw it.” Jogging, he went to his truck, loaded the food into the oversize cooler he’d bought for just this reason, then locked it up and took off in a sprint.

Why did it feel like he needed to catch up to her? She was clearly fine, out walking on a beautiful day. She couldn’t be lonely, or she’d have visited again.

Hedefinitely wasn’t lonely—and yet, he ran fast enough to catch up to her, past people who gaped at him, dodging around two kids, jumping over a rough-edged rock. In jeans and work boots.

No wonder people stared.

When he finally got near enough to call out to her, he noticed that she’d taken off her sandals, removed her shirt and shorts, and was now wearing a red two-piece bathing suit.

His heart punched hard against his ribs. Naturally, his gaze devoured her. Now, seeing her like this, he was glad she’d sought privacy. In many ways, Berkley felt like his own personal...what? Fantasy? Regret? A combo of both?

She looks amazing.

Body toned from all the work she did around the shelter, yet still curved in the right places, she had a body to draw attention. Standing ankle-deep in the lake, she stared out at the horizon. Lost in thought, or maybe musing over the future.

When her head dropped forward, his heart twisted in actual pain and he automatically got moving again.

Hero heard his noisy approach, turned with a warning bark and nearly jerked her off her feet. She flailed, lost her footing and landed with a splash on her rump.

He should feel guilty, he thought, and instead he grinned as Hero’s warning turned into a happy woof, his body wiggling with excitement. And yeah, Berkley’s scowling face. Her awkward posture in the lake. Now doused in lake water.

When he was near enough, he slowed to a walk until he could greet Hero properly. “Dude, you are a menace. First you jerk me off my feet by my shorts, and now you’ve dunked Berkley in the lake.” He rubbed the dog’s ears and scruff, then patted his sides.

“He’snot the menace.” The leash slapped into Lawson’s chest and Berkley snarled, “Hang on to that.”

He quickly got hold, but it wasn’t an issue. Hero wasn’t going anywhere. The dog was far happier to see him than Berkley was. As she sat in the water fuming, he strode closer and smiled as she jammed her now wet hat back onto her head. “Do you need a hand up?”

From beneath the brim, she shot dagger-eyes at him.While wearing a little red suit.

You’d think he’d never seen a woman before, given the way he struggled to keep his attention on her angry face. Fact was, though, he’d never seen Berkley like this, showing so much skin.

And what beautiful skin it was.

“Why in the world did you charge us like that?”

“I didn’t. I was just...” Jogging? Again, jeans and work boots. He’d sound like an idiot if he said that, so instead he knelt down and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The antagonism left her, replaced with disbelief. She slapped the water with an open hand. “What makes you think anything is wrong?”

“I don’t know.” He felt it, though. Years ago, when he’d see her out and about, her expression had often been firmly neutral. He’d understood that. In the neighborhood where they’d lived, a wrong look could set off a dozen bad reactions. Someone would feel challenged.What? What the fuck are you looking at?Or they’d get ideas.Where you going, baby? Come and play.The worst was if they felt targeted, because that always resulted in violence.

It was best to be invisible when possible. And when that didn’t work, stay utterly blank.

That was how she’d usually been, so neutral that she nearly disappeared—until the scandal.

Seeing the stiffness in her shoulders, he tried a smile. “Come on.” He caught her upper arm and helped heft her to her feet. From her waist down, water dripped along her body. “Careful.” Tiny waves lapped at his boots, but he didn’t care.

Stepping away from him, she irritably slogged through the moss-filled water and over to a flat rock, where she sat with an audible plop.

Hero was at her side in an instant, laying his block-shaped head over her thighs and staring at her in worry.

“I’m okay, bud.” She bent over, pressing her face to him and effectively hiding.

The curve of her spine intrigued him, rising from those minuscule briefs, past her narrower waist and up to her drooping shoulders.

Lawson was starting to feel like a dick. Without being invited, he scrunched onto the limited space beside her. He shouldn’t—he’d already overstepped enough—but his palm touched her sun-warmed back before he made the conscious decision to do it, and since it was already done, he stroked her. Lightly, gently, a touch of commiseration before he removed his hand. “Rough day?”

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