Page 79 of A Shore Fling
He slips from me and says, “Don’t move.” I hear him step away, and then he’s back, gently wiping between my legs with paper towels. He tosses them in the trash, and when he returns, I rise onto my toes, pressing a kiss to his soft and supple lips to show him how much I appreciate his sweet gesture. What’s meant to be brief turns into more when his arms slip around mywaist, pulling me close. Our tongues dance together leisurely, neither of us in a rush to part.
When we finally draw back, Travis sends me a rueful grin. “It seems I can’t get enough of you.”
“I know what you mean. Also, we just gave a new meaning to ‘chew and screw.’”
He barks out a laugh. “I’ll never think of that phrase the same again.”
I lean back in the zero-gravity lounge chair and close my eyes, basking in the tranquility of my surroundings. Travis’ home is closer to the shore than my rental, and the salty scent of the ocean and the sounds are that much sharper. And I’ve been here a lot, just as he’s spent an equal number of nights at my place.
“Hey, do you want a burger and a hot dog?” Travis calls out from across the deck, where he’s manning the grill.
“Yes, please.” My eyes remain closed, but I’m smiling, which I do a lot these days because of him.
We’ve been spending all our free time together for the last couple of weeks. I can’t believe it’s already the second week of August. I feel like a giant clock is ticking down the time I have left here. With how well everything has been going between the two of us, I try not to think about what will happen at the end of this month. But sometimes when I’m alone, it’s impossible to fight off the feeling of dread, and I briefly allow myself to wallow. However, when Travis and I are together, I focus on the present and make the most of every second we share.
“What do we have here?”
My eyes snap open at the sound of Reed’s voice. But he’s not alone. Jordan and Drew are behind him with Willow and Gingerin the back of the group. Willow rolls her eyes at me, letting me know this invasion wasn’t her idea, but I already figured as much.
Travis points toward Reed’s house. “Go back.”
Reed grins, continuing across the deck. “Aren’t you happy to see us, bro?”
Travis shakes his head. “Not at all.”
“We could smell the meat grilling, and it made us hungry,” Drew says, moving over to stand next to his oldest brother.
Travis barely glances at him. “I’m cooking for Nina and me.”
“Are you sure you don’t have enough for the rest of us? I mean, you are the grillmaster of the family,” Drew says.
Travis points at Drew with the spatula. “It’s about time one of you fuckers acknowledged that.”
“So will you feed us or not?” Jordan asks.
Travis grunts, then reluctantly grumbles, “I’ll throw more burgers and dogs on.”
I snicker to myself, knowing it was inevitable he’d agree. Especially with Drew buttering him up, and then Jordan came in with his get-to-the-point manner.
Willow and Ginger sit down in a couple of blue rocking chairs. “What’s up, girls?”
“Not much.” Willow sighs. “I had a hellish day at the garage.”
“Oh no, what happened?” I ask.
“I had to fix an electrical system issue, and it’s my least favorite thing to do.”
“That sounds complex,” I say.
“And tedious,” Ginger adds.
Willow waves away our concerns. “Don’t mind me, I’m just whining.”
“You’re allowed to whine,” I say. “God knows I’ve done my fair share of complaining to you about my job.”
“When do you have to head back to New York?” Ginger asks innocently, and I feel my stomach drop.
“The end of the month,” I say, trying to sound casual even though the words taste bitter. I see Travis’ hand pause for just a moment before he continues arranging more food on the grill. The silence that follows is heavy, and I’m grateful when Reed breaks it.
