Page 100 of Sugar Baby Mine

And now, when it’s our last night in the Hamptons after a quick four-day weekend, I’m not sure what to do with myself. It’s all I can do to roll over on the blanket stretched out over the sand, staring up at the fluffy clouds dotting sky. It’s been an usually warm day for November, a good time as any to utilize the private beach.

I don’t exactly want to go back home for some reason, but I can’t put my finger on the exact reason why. Other than the cleaner air, the greenery, the ocean front view, the small town vibes, the bathtub in this place—okay, maybe my list is actually pretty extensive.

My fingers card through the soft, loose, white sand, growing cold with the dipping sun in the sky.

“Are you sad we’re going back to the city tomorrow?”

I glance up, lifting my chin from where it’s tucked in the crook of my elbow. Ben is reclined on the blanket next to me, a ball cap pulled low over his face. He tips it back into place, rising up to his elbows.

“No.”

He raises an eyebrow at me, reaching out to tug the shoulder of my coverup into place over the goosebumps rising on my skin.

“Are you sure about that? You’re pouting at the sand, Emmeline.”

I give him a little huff, wiggling in place on the blanket. “I like it here.”

“Better than Manhattan?”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I never wanted to live there, but even outside the city, I wasn’t able to afford anything on my own. Cora has been my backbone for a long time.”

“Really?” He sounds surprised. “I would have taken you for a city girl any day.”

“The luxury of having everything at the tips of your fingers is nice, don’t get me wrong. But I like the slower pace, the serene quietness out here.”

“Hmmm.” Ben sits up fully, stretching his arms and shoulders out, and I watch the stretch of his long-sleeved shirt with disdain. “That makes sense. I’m not sure I could live out here full time, though.”

“Well, you’d be away from your business,” I say, following his motion to sit up.

“I could work from home if I really wanted. These days, I only have meetings with clients about bigger projects. It’s mostly managing everyone else and what they’re doing right or wrong.”

He reaches out for me, and I turn over onto my knees to shuffle forward to his side.

“Well, back to the grind after tomorrow.”

“We still have the rest of tonight,” Ben says, his thumbbrushing my bottom lip. “Do you want something from the beach?”

My brows pinch together and I look over his shoulder, over mine. “What do you mean? I bought those pajamas and clothes from downtown.”

“No, like—” He gestures to the sand, reaching out over the edge of the blanket and picking up the first remnant of a seashell within reach. “A seashell. Or a jar of sand. A rock.”

“A rock?”

“Yeah. We could try to find the rock closest to the other’s eye color.”

I perk up, rising up off my heels and placing my hands over his cheeks to pull his face down to mine.

“What are you doing?” His lip twitches, gaze darting down to my lips before popping back up to my eyes.

“Looking at your eyes.” Even though I can picture the warmth of the dark brown anytime I close my eyes. “You have a little bit of amber, right around the inner circle.”

Ben makes a pleased sound that crawls up my arms to tingle on my scalp. I want nothing more than to stay in his arms forever when his palms curve over my hips, warmth seeping through the layers of my swim shorts and coverup.

“And yours are the loveliest shade of jade.”

My head tilts, leaning in until I can tuck myself under the lip of his cap to press a kiss to his lips. “Stop buttering me up.”

“You’ve convinced me butter is delicious. I’d love nothing more than to lick it off every inch of your skin.”

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