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“Thank you.” Austin wiped his hands on the towel he’d thrown over his shoulder, took the beer from my hand, then tapped his bottle with mine before taking a swallow. I tipped mine back, but kept my eyes on him as his lips lovingly caressed the open end of the bottle. He smelled of coconut and mango, my favorite locally sourced body wash and shampoo, and I lost myself in his proximity.
“Greer,” he called, stepping closer. “You okay over there?”
My pulse elevated the closer he got, and when I reached out to run a hand down his back, I almost lost my mind. I expected it to be awkward and strange, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. His warmth radiated from under the fabric of his t-shirt and felt so good under my hand. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, skating my hand up and down his back as if he were mine. “Just thought I’d practice touching you since I’ve never really done that before. At least not like this.”
Austin leaned into it, his voice a little husky. “You can do that to me any time you want.”
I released a single chuckle, but didn’t take my hand off him. “You might want to be careful what you wish for, Lieutenant.”
“It wasn’t a wish. It was a statement of fact.”
I wanted to stay in that moment forever, but unfortunately, my stomach had other ideas. “Can I help with anything?”
He looked up and smiled, moving toward the stovetop grill. I wanted to follow him to keep the connection. “Can you grab the plates? The steak is almost ready. Medium-rare, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect,” I said, moving to the cabinet.
After setting them down, I collected our silverware and napkins, then picked up my bottle of beer. “Where would you like to eat? In here, or out on the veranda?”
“Outside. It’s a nice night.”
Nodding, I moved toward the veranda. Austin had built a fire in the outdoor fireplace and moved the table closer to it.
“This is nice,” I said, taking a seat at the candlelit table. “We could have ordered in, but I’m really glad you decided to cook. Much faster.”
He set my plate down in front of me, then placed his beside mine rather than across the table. We faced the open, low-burning fire, and enjoyed our food.
“I thought we could talk while we eat. Can’t imagine you use this very often.”
“You’d be right.” I cut into my steak and moaned when it hit my tastebuds. The seasoning was perfect and enhanced the natural flavor of the meat. “That is so good.”
“I am from Texas. Knowing proper grilling techniques is a requirement for citizenship.”
I laughed. “No wonder Carter doesn’t live in Texas. Unless something has changed, he can’t cook at all.”
Austin chuckled as he took another bite. “How long have you owned this place?”
“About ten years. I came down for a competition and fell in love with the place.”
He stopped eating and turned his head to look at me. “Really? You came this far for a race?”
I shrugged. “Yes. It was the offseason. What else did I have to do? Central America is beautiful. I can’t believe you haven’t been here.”
Austin narrowed his eyes just enough for me to notice. “Do you have any other international homes?”
“No, this is it.”
While I went back to concentrating on my food, Austin stayed quiet, then took a sip of his beer. He was making me nervous.
“This is really delicious. My compliments to the chef. If you need a part-time job, Stella might could use you at Bernardo’s.”
“Yeah?” he said, going back to his food. “You think it’s good enough for Stella’s approval?”
I nodded. “I really do.”
We talked about all kinds of irrelevant things that felt like monumental moments. And when we were finished, I picked up our plates and took them into the kitchen. When I returned, Austin was standing in front of the fire, looking deeply into the flames.
“Are you okay?” I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder.
