Page 59 of Tempt Me

“More like a wetsuit.” She shivered. “The water’s ice cold. Besides,” she said with a wolfish grin, “I like that dress on you.”

“This one?” I fluttered my eyelashes and looked down at it like I didn’t know exactly what I was wearing, a deep pink minidress so short I could barely sit without exposing myself. It had a tease of a cutout just below my breasts that, I hoped, would tempt Jamila’s fingers to trace it.

“You know I do.” She turned back to the road.

“It’s not like I’d go swimming today. The swimsuit would be for the sunshine.” Like a flower, I tilted my face up to the sun.

“Hmm. Maybe I should’ve told you to bring a suit,” she purred.

Yes, please.“I could borrow one of yours.”

“That could be arranged.” She kept her eyes on the road and her hands on the wheel as we navigated through the city.

We pulled up in front of a two-story house that was enormous compared to her place in Menlo Park. In the narrow space between it and its neighbor, I glimpsed a sandy beach and blue water beyond. This was the kind of house I’d expected her to own. But now that I knew her better, I understood her need never to owe anyone anything. I respected her modest home in Menlo Park. And I marveled at this beach house. Jamila must have dropped multiple millions—in cash.

Grinning, Jamila let me admire it for a moment, preening at my awestruck expression, before she unlocked the door. She grabbed the picnic basket in one hand and my fingers in the other and tugged me inside.

The opulent home, one of several clustered around a stretch of sandy beach, had an open floor plan scattered with low-slung furniture and showcased a magnificent view of the ocean. Sunlight sparkled on the blue water, and the golden sand was dotted with the umbrellas and beach towels of the families who’d come to play in the sand and surf.

“Eat first or beach first?” she asked, setting the basket on the kitchen island.

“Can we do both? If you’ve got a beach blanket, we can take our lunch outside.”

“Sure.” She went to a cabinet and pulled one out. From another cabinet, she pulled a scrap of lilac-colored fabric. She nodded at a door. “You can change in there.”

Taking the swimsuit into the powder room, I stripped off my sundress and shimmied into the bikini. I wished I had less cellulite on my thighs and that I’d thought to get a spray tan. At least I’d waxed everything in the hope that I’d get some naked time with Jamila. I met my own gaze in the mirror. Wearing Jamila’s suit, I tried to channel a little of her confidence.You’re going to walk out of here—no,marchout of here—and act like you deserve her.Nodding at my reflection, I strode out.

Jamila was in the kitchen already wearing a white two-piece that was much more modest than the bikini she’d given me. Her smooth expanse of skin made my mouth dry as the sand outside. I wanted to touch her everywhere and see if her skin felt as silky as it looked.

She cleared her throat, and I snapped my gaze to her face. Did friends with maybe-benefits ogle each other? I needed a rulebook for this.

But she was staring at me too. Specifically, at my boobs.

“You should keep that suit,” she said, her voice rough. “It doesn’t fit me like that.”

The lilac bikini had triangle-shaped cups, and some of my skin spilled out around where the spandex covered. Boldly, I looked at her top. Her breasts were roughly a cup size smaller than mine, but they nestled perfectly into the halter top. Her nipples were pebbled, and I wanted to rub my palms over them.

She cleared her throat again.

“Shall we?”

“Where’s Quill? Is he coming with us?”

“Nah, I put him into his habitat for a nap. He’s got sensitive skin. Speaking of which…” She grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and handed it to me. “Slather up, Empress Daywalker. You look like one of those Twilight vampires.”

I shot her a flat expression. “Funny.”

Still, I did as she said and rubbed the sunscreen from my neck to my toes.

“What about your face?” she asked.

“My makeup has SPF.”

“Turn around. I’ll get your back.”

I turned, squeezing my glutes to try to make them look as firm as hers. The second her fingers hit the back of my neck, I shivered.

“Cold?”

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