Page 55 of Love on Deck

“Don’t feel like you have to—”

“It’s just aloe, Lauren.”

Not to me, it wasn’t. It was neon blue vulnerability. “Okay, you’re right. Thanks.” I laid down on my stomach and pulled the straps down on my tank to make my back totally open for aloe, then folded my arms over the pillow. When Jack didn’t move, I looked at him over my shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry.” He shook his head as if he was shaking off a thought. “I was debating forcing you to outright ask for my help.”

Why not? I’d already sunk this far. “Will you please help me, Jack.”

He grinned. “Was that so hard?”

“Utterly painful.”

“Like this is about to be,” he muttered. He sat on the edge of the mattress, making it dip from his weight.

I closed my eyes while he gently smoothed a thick layer of aloe over my taut, hot skin. I sucked in a breath, feeling the heat radiate while little needles drove into my back from his touch.

“When you said you burned easily, you weren’t kidding.”

I shut my eyes, waiting for the torture to end. “Some of us were cursed with ultra sensitive, impossible-to-tan skin. It’s just life. I have to be extra careful in the sun.”

“I feel bad for making fun of your rashguard, now.”

“When did you make fun of my rashguard?”

“In my head. But I’d wear a full body cover up if I burned this fast.”

I grinned, smug. “You’re paying penance now.”

“How? Oh—helping you?” He laughed, his fingers gliding slowly down my back. “This is no punishment.”

My cheeks went hot.

“It looks painful,” he muttered.

“It is painful.”

“I can kiss it better, if you want.”

“That’ll only make it hurt worse.”

“I wasn’t thinking of kissing the burns.”

My heart spiked.

“But,” he continued, “we probably need to finish our conversation from earlier.”

“It’s not really necessary.” I was glad I could bury my face in the pillow, that I didn’t have to look at him when I said this. “We’re just helping each other out. We don’t have to pretend like this is something more than it is.”

Jack was really quiet. I could feel his hands moving gently down my back, then over my shoulders and around my neck, slowly rubbing the gel into my burn.

Quick. I needed a subject change. “Have you written your best man speech?”

His hand froze. “They want speeches?”

“So I guess you probably haven’t.”

“No, of course not. Who are we giving them to? There are like seven of us, including the bride and groom.”

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