Page 40 of Beautifully Used
Then I was sure the dam had broken on the seal of our little kissing event as Kipper blurted out. “Damn, Denny, you and I need to find some women. With the way things are progressing around here, it’s bound to be an interesting week.” He slapped Denny on the back and they both laughed. These guys were no dummies, and I knew they had their suspicions of just what Gabrielle and I had been doing.
“What happened to you two?” Lena asked.
“What’s it look like? We went swimming,” I said, but Gabrielle’s cheeks turned an even rosier shade giving everything away.
Lena’s and Jackson’s glances went to me then back to Gabrielle. “Is that all?” she asked.
“Um…” Gabrielle stole a glance at me, opened her mouth to speak, but simply looked back at Lena and smiled.
I had to interject. Otherwise, Jackson would be all over this in a second or two. “Yeah. We were walking, and well, you know me, I couldn’t resist the urge to start splashing her. One thing led to another until we were waist deep in the waves.”
Jackson nodded that all-knowing nod he usually does when he knows something he’s not supposed to know. “Sounds like it was fun. Did you see that gorgeous sunset?”
“Oh, yeah. It was one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen in a long time. Made me remember how much I miss the beach,” Gabrielle said with a sigh.
After finally ordering the drinks, we made our way upstairs. I gave Gabrielle a chance to shower and change while I ordered a couple of burgers from room service.
Chapter 32
Gabrielle
* * *
As I towel dried off from the much-needed shower to remove the sand, some of which was lodged in places I didn’t think it could penetrate, I glanced in the mirror. I thought I looked different, but didn’t know what it was. Nothing I could really pinpoint. I felt a little different. Relaxed for one, but that’s not usually something that shows up in the mirror, is it? Maybe it was the grin that I couldn’t seem to contain. I couldn’t believe I had kissed Brodie on the beach and that he had returned the kiss. Following it with another, then another. Wow. I never imagined he could feel that good. I must have been nuts to be so upset with him last year, but it had been such an unexpected development at the time. This time though, he never let his hands go wandering places where they weren’t welcome. I’m not entirely sure they would have been unwelcome anywhere on my body this time. I’d gotten to know him much better. We’d become friends. Having his hands on me felt … well, absolutely wonderful.
I finished drying off and put on a clean pair of shorts and a white, button down sleeveless shirt that tied at my waist. I glanced in the mirror briefly before leaving, thinking all I needed was a pair of cowboy boots and I’d look like a dark-haired Daisy Duke. Not quite the look I’d been going for, but too late, all my other clothes were out in the room in my suitcase, and this is what Brodie would see me in as I came out of the bathroom. No hiding until I got a chance to change. Sheesh.
Brodie sat on the edge of the bed, just turning around after hanging up the phone. “I ordered some burgers.”
“Great! I’m famished.” Smiling, I added, “Getting dunked in the ocean seems to have spiked my appetite.”
He rose and pulled me against him, tilting my face up to his. He still smelled of saltwater, and he was still a bit sticky and sandy, but I didn’t care. I liked being against his hard body. “How about kissing. Did that have any effect on you?”
I grinned. “Yes. A great deal.”
“Good? Or Bad?”
“While being dunked in the ocean raised my hunger, remembering the kisses has only put my appetite into remission with the prospect of more.”
“Really?” He laughed. “That was most profound, Miss Demeres.”
“Hmmm … if you’re going to start being so formal and calling me by my last name, I don’t think we should be so close together like this.”
“Just showing my respect. I’ll call you anything you want. I like Gabrielle though.”
“Gabrielle is fine.” He held me so close I thought I would fall over if he let go. When he lowered his lips to mine, I forgot about names, burgers, or even Daisy Duke attire and let my mind escape to that spot it had on the beach; just enjoying the softness of his lips, his tongue as it melded with mine. When he stopped kissing me, I groaned a little.
“I need a shower,” he said and kissed me on my forehead before turning to walk into the bathroom.
When I heard the water start, I went to my suitcase and pulled out another top that didn’t look quite as hoedown as the white shirt. A simple t-shirt with black and white roses on the front.
As I pulled the shirt over my head, my phone rang. “Hello?”
There was silence at first, then a strange, deep voice, “You’re a slut, after all. I knew it.”
I didn’t recognize who it was. The voice sounded muffled, almost like the person had a towel over the receiver of the phone. “Who is this?”
“You can’t hide from me. I’m always watching.”
