Page 4 of The Summer House

He released her hands. “I made a reservation,” he said. “We can go in now and get a table, or sit out here and talk for a while.”

She considered her options. Standing this close to him was doing bad things to her knees. She kept feeling as if they were going to give way at any moment. So sitting down and staying seated seemed like a really good idea.

“Let’s go in now,” she said.

“Great. This way.”

He indicated the direction with one hand and rested his other on the small of her back. She felt every inch of skin touching her through the dress as if she were being burned by a brand.

Hmm, not exactly a brand, she thought. The pressure was far too nice for that. But something hot. Something that made her want to move closer and rub like a lonely house cat.

Obviously, seeing Rick after all these years had made quite an impression on her. She’d expected to feel awkward, but she hadn’t expected to be blown away. Honestly, she hadn’t expected a lot of things.

Chapter Two

They were led to a table by an open window that offered a perfect view of the ocean. Mandy lowered herself onto the chair and was grateful for the soft breeze that drifted across her face. Maybe fresh air would help keep her senses straight.

Rick sat across from her. Although she couldn’t help thinking that her ability to speak in anything close to full sentences would be greatly increased if he was across the room…or maybe even in another restaurant.

The hostess handed them menus. Mandy took hers without opening it and laid it across her place setting. There were several boats out on the water and children playing along the shore. Lots and lots of activity to capture her interest. But instead of gazing out at the view, or the people, she found her attention drawn to the man sitting across from her.

His eyes were the same blue as the water below, she thought. A deep, dark blue. She was unused to seeing his irises so clearly—normally he wore thick glasses, which blurred the color. Well, not when they’d been in bed. While they’d made love, she’d been able to clearly see his eyes, which made looking at them now a distinctly sexual activity. Like she needed to sweat her attraction to him even more!

“It’s the glasses, right?” he said cheerfully. “You’re not used to seeing me without them.”

“Exactly.”

“I had the laser surgery a few years back. Now I have perfect vision.”

She winced. “I don’t think I could stand the thought of someone pointing a laser at my eyes. I’d be forced to run screaming from the room.”

“You never wore glasses so you don’t know what a pain they can be. I was forever having to push them up. When I started scuba diving, I wanted to be able to see the fish and whatever else was floating around down there. My corrective mask helped, but not enough. Once they perfected the procedure, I went ahead and had it done.”

Mandy stared at him. “Scuba diving?” she repeated. As in being in the water, getting wet and swimming? Rick? The man who considered turning on his computer close enough to a sport to call it exercise?

“Wow,” was all she managed before the waitress appeared at their table.

The woman was petite and blond, with a bright, sassy smile and a gaze that lingered on Rick. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked, focusing all her attention on him.

Rick barely glanced at her. “Mandy? What would you like?”

“Just a diet soda,” she said.

“I’ll have iced tea,” he told the waitress.

The young woman nodded and left. Mandy had the impression that Rick had noticed her interest in him and had not been impressed. Talk about a change. Eight years ago if a woman other than Mandy even spoke to him, he generally started blushing and dropping things.

He leaned toward her, his elbows on the table. “You’re very much the same, only better,” he said lightly.

“Thanks. I could say the same about you.”

He chuckled. “I’m not a nerd anymore?”

She eyed his muscular arms, visible in his short-sleeved shirt, and the breadth of his chest. From there she admired the square set of his jaw, the killer blue eyes and mouth that curved at the corners.

“No hint of a nerd at all.”

“I sent in for one of those study-at-home courses,” he confessed in a low, teasing voice. “From the James Bond school of male behavior. I have a small pistol tucked into my sock.”

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