Page 57 of Love on the Line

She stood and moved to avoid being stepped on by the fans. He posed for several more pictures, and the crowd kept growing. This was getting out of control. A thread of annoyance wove between her ribs. This was supposed to be their special day together. But he’d told her before that he hated to disappoint anyone and appreciated his fans. She couldn’t blame him for caring about them.

Once again, though, she’d been nudged to the outskirts of the group.

A whiff of coconut oil and suntan lotion floated from a sundry shop she now stood near. Wyatt’s gaze darted across the people in front of him until he met hers. His cheeks puffed and he blew out a breath.

He didn’t look too happy about the situation, but the fans were so excited that Anne didn’t want to make him feel bad. She touched a finger to her chest and pointed to the store before entering. She’d kill some time in there away from the mob.

The tiny shop was jam-packed with beach toys, towels, and souvenirs. She picked up a big conch shell with a bright painting of a dolphin jumping through the waves and “Ocean City, Maryland” written across the bottom. She held it up to her ear to “hear the ocean” like she’d always done as a child.

A large, warm hand covered hers over the shell, and Wyatt’s clean, fresh scent surrounded her.

“I’m sorry about that.” He brought his other hand around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. “It seems like all I do is apologize to you when we go out.”

The timbre of his deep voice against her ear made her insides quiver. She lowered the shell and spun around in his arms. “It’s kinda hard, is all, with no privacy and fans always flocking you. I’m starting to think you need a disguise like the Hollywood actors. What did you say to the people out there?”

He stroked his thumb over her knuckles. “I told them I was flattered and wished I could take pictures with everyone, but I was here with someone special and needed to get back to her.”

Warmth flooded her chest. He’d put her first.

“How about if we drive up north to the less crowded beach?” he asked.

That sounded way better. She nodded, and he let go of her hand. “This is a huge conch.”

“And you women say size doesn’t matter.”

For the love of God, she always said something suggestive around him. Maybe because he screamed sexy, and her brain fixated there. Then again, he sure never missed a chance to jump on it, so his mind had to be in the same place.

He snatched the shell and headed toward the register. “Gotta get it now. A souvenir from our weekend.”

They snagged a slice of pizza to eat on the way to the car, and thankfully, no one interrupted them.

When they reached the quieter beach, Wyatt dropped her off at the bath house so she could change into her bathing suit and told her to meet him down by the water. The sun, high in the sky, had brought the temps to the promised mid-seventies.

She slipped on a black halter-top bikini she’d bought for the trip. Sexy in its simplicity, or at least she hoped. Then again, he’d been with super models who probably wore Sports Illustrated special-edition bathing suits. Her stomach twisted.

She shook her head. Comparing herself to other women served no purpose. She slid her arms into a white mesh cover-up, leaving it unbuttoned. After grabbing her beach bag, she climbed the fence-lined slope leading to the beach. Her flip-flops dug into the sand, spitting it up against her calves after every step. When she got to the top of the hill, the fresh, salty ocean breeze hit her face. Heaven…

Wasn’t hard to find Wyatt on the almost deserted beach. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him, bent over, twisting the umbrella holder into the sand. The sun beat down on his shirtless, muscular body. His arms flexed as he twisted the pole deeper. It was one thing to feel his muscles rippling under his shirt, but quite another to feast her eyes on them. She didn’t move for a moment, enjoying the view.

She kicked off her shoes and grabbed them with one hand. Her feet sank into the sand, warm on the top, cool underneath as she walked.

As if he sensed her presence, he glanced up and then slowly straightened. He stood frozen in place as she made her way toward him. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but there was no doubt his focus was completely on her. Her insides quaked, but she tried to strut down the beach with complete confidence.

When she reached him, she dropped her bag on the blanket and her flip-flops on the sand. “I can’t believe how warm it is.”

Wyatt stepped over to her. “That’s an understatement. Holy smoking-hot.”

His voice sounded strained, and she tried to look up at him, but her gaze didn’t make it past his chest. Bulging, hard muscles flexed as he ran his hands down her sides, settling them on her hips.

“You’re freaking gorgeous.” He drew her closer until her breasts pressed against the granite surface of his abs. Another plane she’d like to explore.

With her tongue.

She shivered.

He wrapped his arms around her. “You cold?”

“Not even close.” This time she did gaze up at him, but her face reflected in his sunglasses. Her pupils were huge and her eyes wide. If not for the breeze, her breath would fog his shades. Is that what she looked like aroused? She glanced back down to hide a certain blush.

---