Page 25 of Seal of Approval

Ethan stood and peeled his shirt off. His shoulders were broad up close. Broader than I thought they were, and his waist was slim in comparison. I directed my eyes to the problem area. His neck and shoulders had a pink tinge. Not bad in the scheme of things, probably because he was already tanned.

I squeezed some aloe vera onto his smooth skin. He tensed when it hit and small goose bumps erupted on his flesh. As I rubbed it in, the bumps disappeared. There was a splattering of light freckles on his shoulders that I’d never noticed before. My fingers trailed along the pattern.

“That feels better already,” he said.

What was I doing? Not the task I set out to perform. I blushed and finished massaging the aloe in, grateful Ethan had no idea I’d enjoyed touching his skin.

“All done.” I stepped away, bumping into the bench. Nothing like drawing attention to myself.

He swung his head in my direction, cocking it. I smiled. At least I hoped it was a smile and not a grimace.

“Thanks.” He pulled his t-shirt back on.

I busied myself to give distance between us. Anyone would think I’d never seen a male body up close. He was my co-worker and housemate. I needed to keep my hands to myself. And my thoughts. And everything else.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Ethan

Every time thunder struck, Timmy’s eyes widened. They were going to take over his whole face soon. I picked him up and held him close. Jasmine and Bailey were outside putting the bikes away. Rose was gathering torches and placing them on the dining room table.

From where I stood in the dining room, I could see the rain approaching. It was like a curtain of water pelting down on the sand. Everything before it was sharp, noticeable. Everything behind it was hazy.

Where were Jasmine and Bailey? I strode to the front door. Rose followed.

“Here, take Timmy,” I said, handing him to Rose. “Stay inside. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I pushed my way out the door. Wind and sand whipped at my face. A quick scan of the yard showed me that Jasmine and Bailey weren’t there. I spun around and spotted them at the house next door, clearing away items the builders had left on their last visit.

I ran over and grabbed Bailey’s arm. “Go inside with Rose,” I yelled but it still sounded faint. He nodded and ran to the house. I grabbed lengths of wood and dragged them into the house. Jasmine was slamming windows closed. The rain was in the yard now. I ran from window to window, closing them.

Jasmine went outside. “We can’t save anything else.”

I nodded and grabbed her hand. It was small in mine but strong, like everything else about her. We ran to the house. Rain flew sideways, stinging as it hit my bare skin and following us into the house until I forced the door shut behind us. Puddles formed at our feet.

Jasmine did a quick scan of her children. “Are you OK?”

They nodded. She always thought about them first. Like a good mother should. Like my mother hadn’t.

“Timmy has gone into hiding,” Rose said.

“I don’t blame him.” Jasmine smoothed down Rose’s hair. She turned to Bailey. “Can you get us some towels, please?”

He was gone before she even finished the sentence. And was back just as quick. He dropped towels on the floor for us to stand on and handed us a towel each. Jasmine’s clothes were plastered to her skin, revealing every curve I’d only imagined. Every single one. Heat surged through me. I snapped my mouth shut and turned my attention to drying myself enough to walk to my room to get changed. The only thing better than what I’d just seen would be seeing Jasmine naked.

What the fuck? Mind out of the gutter now. This was Jasmine I was thinking about. Jasmine who had children. Jasmine who was only going to be a part of my life for another four months. Jasmine who I worked with.

She was cooking dinner when I came out of my room. The storm was still raging. Rain hammered the windows which rattled from the strength of the wind. Rose and Bailey were playing Snap at the dining room table.

“All the electronics have been unplugged,” Jasmine said. “We’ll likely lose power from the storm.”

A bang on the roof caused Rose to yelp. Bailey tapped the table, demanding her concentration on the game.

Jasmine edged closer to me and whispered, “Rose is not good in storms. When she was four, a bad thing happened during a storm. She doesn’t remember it much, but the storm brings her fear back.”

I nodded. It must have been bad if the fear stayed with her for five years. “Do you need help?”

“No. I’m nearly done.”

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