Page 28 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
Lily noted the way he tipped her face up and nodded very seriously. “You have my word. But with the ocean—or any water—safety is our number one concern.”
He sounded so much like a by-the-books law enforcement officer, her mouth twitched. His brow suddenly rose, and his blue eyes blazed with challenge.
“That’s what Mom would say,” Reagan said with a heartfelt sigh before turning back to Lily. “Would tomorrow be okay for you, Miss Sunshine?”
“Please call me Summer.” She laid the board on the wet sand. “Tomorrow would be great. But how about you start your first lesson on land? Try standing on the board and holding your arms out. See if you can balance. If it’s okay with your dad, of course.”
Robbie’s jaw tightened. “It’s fine.”
Calling him dad clearly struck a nerve. She would have to remember that. She only smiled at him innocently, knowing it would drive him a little crazy. Her smile seemed to make him frown sometimes, and she suspected it was because it had a powerful effect on him, one he really wanted to resist.Well, too bad, Lieutenant O’Connor.
Reagan cast a glance between them before stepping on and bobbling a little as the board gave. Her eyes flew to Lily’s. “Itishard!”
“Told ya, Miss Pixie.” Tim set Cassidy down and took the little cherub’s hand as he helped her onto the board as well. “All right, sweetheart, keep hold of my hand. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Cassidy jumped up and down, waving her shovel in the air, making Reagan wobble again. Before Lily could steady the little girl, Robbie was next to her in a flash. His capable hands closed gently around her shoulders.
“Bend your knees a little more, Reagan. There you go. Feel your feet.”
He was a good coach, she realized. Patient. Competent.
Stop it, Lily Meadows. Next, you’ll be seeing him in knight’s armor.
“Cassidy is trying to topple me,” she cried out with a laugh as Cassidy gave another series of delighted jumps, squealing nonstop.
Billie and Sheila walked toward them, close enough to touch each other. Progress. Lily studied Robbie surreptitiously. He was paying attention to Reagan, but she knew he was watching her too.
God, he was good at it. In fact, he made that kind of regard totally hot.
“Summer!” Sheila’s hips were all an easy sway, filled with feminine allure. “Billie and I were just saying you’re like a gazelle or something. Girl, you were amazing!”
Her friend put her arm around her waist, and Lily did the same. Two friends having a moment on vacation.
“I know I was impressed.” Billie nudged the back of Robbie’s knee with his sand-covered foot, earning him a glare while Tim fought a smile. “You outran my brother this morning, I heard.”
Robbie looked to be biting the inside of his cheek. “She clearly had someplace to be. I’m on vacation.”
“Well, there’s always tomorrow to see if you can match my stride.” She gave a challenging smile, her insides zinging at the possibility. “Reagan, feel free to play with the board as long as you’d like. You can bring it over when you’re done. Clarice? Are you ready for a little volleyball?”
Sheila swatted her butt. “Girl, you’re insatiable. Why don’t you grab a drink, and then yes, we can play some volleyball. I know how much you love it. It’s been a while for me, so be gentle. Okay?”
Oh, the double entendre. Billie fell for it like the player he was. “If she isn’t, you can count on me, Clarice.”
Her partner batted her long black eyelashes at him, giving a low feminine murmur Sheila swore shot straight to a man’s crotch. Robbie clearly didn’t like the interaction by the pointed glance he sent his brother. She tried to keep her mouth from grinning. He certainly wasn’t going to be happy about her partner maneuvering them into playing some volleyball.
“Give me a sec, Clarice,” she said with extra cheer in her voice. “I’ll be right back with the ball.”
“Thanks for letting me play with your board, Miss Sunshine,” Reagan called as she walked off.
“Yeah, Miss Sunshine,” Cassidy echoed.
She waved without looking over her shoulder, knowing Robbie was watching her all the way. A little sway of her butt, and she wanted to break into a full-on celebratory dance by the time she hit the kitchen and chugged her coconut water. When she returned with the volleyball that came with the rental, as did the already set up net, Sheila was beaming that conspiratorial smile of hers. She could almost hear her partner sayingsee, putty in my hands.The O’Connors were all standing behind their rental house now, as the volleyball net was positioned off the main terrace.
“We have some fellow volleyball enthusiasts, Summer.” She caught the ball when Lily threw it her way. “How do you feel about having Billie and Robbie play against us?”
She shifted her weight to her right side, knowing Robbie would want to give her sun-kissed body a slow, full-on perusal. But he kept his gaze focused on her face as his jaw tightened, as if resisting his impulses cost him.
Their eyes locked. Her mouth went dry at the heat hovering in his clearwater blue eyes. Man, he was intense—and really hot, standing there with sweat glistening on his hard, muscular chest. Sheila was right. The view from the front was as good as the back.
