Page 26 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
Her strategy had paid off.
Granted, it had taken her two days to find the right opportunity, but Robbie had flirted back but good. He’d stolen her breath when he’d stripped off his sweaty shirt, revealing the kind of muscular, masculine back guaranteed to make women drool. Of course, it wasn’t professional to check out a target like that, but she was only human.
Lily practically skipped back to the house at her success. The moment she entered, she caught Sheila fanning herself as she fussed with the flowers they’d bought at the store and stuck in a round white vase. Little domestic covers like that could help an op seem legit. Buck always said it was the details that counted, and as Lily looked around their rental, she decided it was starting to pay off.
“Robbie O’Connor certainly takes care of the body God gave him,” Sheila declared with a breathy sigh as she righted a red gerbera daisy. “I’m only sorry you didn’t get a chance to see his chest. It washold the phonegorgeous!”
Lily could imagine. If it was anything like his back…but she refrained from saying so aloud. “I told you he wanted a challenge.”
Sheila’s soft drink hissed as she opened it, and she took a healthy sip before smacking her lips. “I assume you have another challenge planned for Lieutenant Hottie O’Connor? Wanna bet how long it takes before we have a dinner or drinks with him and his brother? Poor Billie has wanted it so bad the last couple of days even I felt sorry for the guy. But he gets props for not pulling the trigger without his brother’s consent.”
“Billie loves those girls and his family.” She grabbed a coconut water from the fridge and then a beach towel she’d set out earlier on the white barstool, rubbing it over her sweat-slicked skin. The humidity was suffocating outside, and it was barely eight o’clock. “But I think I got us some new momentum. I’m going to do a little surfing with the surfboard I rented so I can intrigue Robbie a little more. How could I pass up the best surfing on the Atlantic Coast? Later, how do you feel about some bikini volleyball? Do you think you can maneuver the O’Connor boys into a game?”
“Honey.”Sheila mimed striking the ball as she shot her a dry glance. “Putty in my hands—only I’d better wear my sports bra. The girls would fall right out of my bikini when I serve. While some would love the view, there are children around.”
Lily saluted her as she left for the shower. “I give it two days before Robbie breaks and agrees to a date. Which will put Billie out of his misery.”
“One!” Sheila shouted back.
Grinning, Lily headed upstairs. Sheila really was an optimist sometimes. Nothing would please her more than for her partner to be right. She was itching for movement on this case.
When she exited the house again after a light breakfast, carrying her new yellow surfboard, the men were playing with the girls on the beach. Reagan was shoring up a new sandcastle with Tim while Cassidy attempted to shovel their construction material into her matching red plastic bucket with Robbie as her assistant. Billie was making some kind of moat with his pointer finger. If she was a normal person not on an undercover case, she would have thought they all looked completely adorable together. Three large men and two little girls. Quaint.
“Put a sway into those little hips of yours, Sunshine.” Sheila sauntered beside her, decked out in a white sports bra with matching bikini bottoms, white sunglasses, and white flip-flops. She looked hot. Like straight out of a music video hot.
“I’ll do my best,” she answered, throwing a little motion into her gait. But she knew she didn’t have the curves or hip rotation Sheila did.
One pair of eyes found them immediately. Billie waved, which prompted Reagan and Cassidy to pause their playing and do the same. She and Sheila both returned the greeting, but Lily kept her pace casual as she left Sheila to spread her towel and catch some sun.
Carrying her board toward the water, she could feel Robbie’s eyes on her. She didn’t know why, but she knew it was him. His gaze seemed to sear her skin. No question about it, he knew how to watch and assess discreetly—but thoroughly—like any seasoned law enforcement officer. She wondered if he’d worked undercover before. They would have that in common.
Stop it, Lily. Eyes on the prize.
“Hey, Summer!” She turned as Billie called her name, sprung up like a giant, and jogged over. “Wow! You surf?”
“Yeah.” She kept walking as he trekked alongside her, waving at Sheila playfully with his power-wattyou know you want thissmile. “Since I was a kid. I can’t wait to get out on the water.”
“Cool!” His fingers skimmed the board with obvious appreciation. “I’ve only boogie boarded and even then, they don’t make too many boards big enough for me. Hey! Watch out for jellyfish. There seems to be a ton today.”
“Thanks!” she responded, heading into the water, not wanting to get stopped for more conversation.
She had a focus, and that was intriguing Robbie O’Connor more. She waded out into the ocean, enjoying the feeling of the warm water moving against her skin. Growing up beside the Pacific, she’d had to balance her love of the water with its coldness, ensuring her core temperature stayed strong. Here, she was already misting with sweat.
The ocean was one of the few places she felt safe, free, and in control, perhaps because she had no one to rely on but herself. No one interfering with her. That had been a heady feeling for a young girl who’d often felt trapped.
Breathing deeply, she tuned in to her surroundings, letting the waves rock over her. Sure enough, she spotted a pale brown undulating jellyfish. She wasn’t thrilled about the bell-shaped stingers, but the ocean always carried some risks. Undertow had been her greatest in the Pacific, but she’d managed. She’d manage today too.
She slid onto her board and started paddling out, eyeing the crest of approaching waves. God, they were beautiful with their turquoise and darker blues mixing with the white where the waves broke. She chose her wave, preparing herself to rise up onto her board and ride it out. Right before it reached her, she pushed up gently onto her board, setting her feet and balancing her weight. The thrill of it had her heart dancing in her chest.
God, she loved that moment. The wind rushed over her face, and she felt the water hold the board as she moved in harmony with the subtle movement under her feet. She’d tried to teach her ex-boyfriend to surf, but he’d fought the water. One had to move with the water to balance on top of it and let it carry you.
Much like she’d learned about life.
When the wave brought her in and receded, she heard enthusiastic clapping from little people. She’d wondered if the girls would be curious. Not all children liked the water. Sure, Cassidy seemed to try and run into it every chance she had, but so far, none of the O’Connor brothers had let Reagan and Cassidy into the water much past the tide coming in.
They were smart about disguising their protectiveness by putting the girls on their shoulders and wading into the water, but she’d noted it. The girls had floaties for safety, but the brothers didn’t let them get in the ocean alone for one minute. She wondered if they would have been as vigilant if the girls were older. When she’d been young, no one had worried about her being in the water, and frankly, she’d been glad. There had been enough stifling in other quarters.
When Lily slipped back into the water, she heard a male whistle of appreciation and Sheila’s hoot. Sure enough, like he had for the last couple of days, Billie was sitting next to her partner on the beach as Sheila slowly applied sunscreen to her arms. He hadn’t reached for the bottle to help yet, but Lily wouldn’t be surprised if Sheila let him help her with her back today.
