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I swallowed hard before answering. “About a month.”
“Nice. Great time to be here. We have the best summers.” She gestured at the neat line of beach bungalows on the right, blue and white hydrangeas in full bloom lining each sandy walkway.
“The weather is perfect and there are so many fun things to do! You and Hudson are gonna love the Fourth of July festival. It’s in the town square—there’ll be face painting, balloons, arts and crafts, games. Then at night, the town has an amazing firework display. It’s very Americana.”
“Hudson will definitely love that. I’ll have to bring him after work.”
She stopped in her tracks and grabbed my arm. “You have to work that day? It’s a holiday!”
I chuckled. “Break-ups are a 365-day-a-year job. I’ll probably work a half day. The courts will be closed, but there are phone calls, paperwork. Plenty to keep me busy.”
“Well, don’t miss out on the festival. It only happens once a year!” Lana shook her finger at me, her sandy blonde hair brushing against her bare shoulders, and I already missed the feel of her skin against mine.
Shit.
“Here we are.” Lana stopped on the wooden boardwalk leading down to the beach, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. I watched her chest rise and fall with each inhale, perfectly in tune with the waves crashing on the shore. The full moon highlighted every angle of her face, and I noted a slight sprinkle of cinnamon freckles across the bridge of her nose.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, although I wasn’t looking at the beach.
“Isn’t it? I love it here.” She let out a contented sigh, happiness settling on her face.
“Have you always lived here?”
“Yep. My whole life. Some people raced off as soon as they graduated, but I left for college and then came back as soon as I could. I tried the city, but it wasn’t for me. I’m a beach girl at heart. C’mon.” She gripped my hand and dragged me down the steps towards the white sand before I could brook protest.
Shit again.
Now we were touching, and damn if it didn’t feel one-hundred percent right.
I jogged behind Lana, keeping pace mainly because I had a solid seven inches on her, her laughter floating on the night breeze. Every fiber in my body twitched with excitement, her enthusiasm bubbling over.
She stopped just at the water’s edge, throwing her head back to the sky and spinning in circles under the moon. With outstretched arms, her skirt twirling around her, sheer joy radiated off her body.
I could love this woman.
The thought slammed into me out of nowhere as I marveled at Lana dancing on the beach.
I knew then I needed to shut this down. Right now.
“Isn’t it spectacular? It never gets old, I swear. I love how the sand feels warm under your feet after baking in the sun all day, the soft hiss as the waves return to the ocean. It’s magical. What do you think?” She tilted her head, her pink, full lips pursed, waiting for my answer.
“Yes.”
Lana giggled, a sweet, melodic sound. “Yes? That’s it?”
“Yes, I love it.” I took a step forward, my hands dropping down to her hips, electricity rippling between us. We were only inches apart now and I heard her inhale, felt her breath soft as a whisper on my neck, her face upturned to mine.
I tipped my head down, our faces nearly touching. “May I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.
I dropped my mouth to hers, pressing gently against her soft lips. She sighed into the kiss, her body relaxing into mine, her soft curves resting against my chest. I pulled her closer to my body, wanting as many parts of her touching me as possible. A strange departure from my typical modus operandi, keeping everyone as far from me as I could without seeming downright rude. Except for Hudson.
Hudson.
What the fuck was I doing kissing Hudson’s swim teacher on the beach? I should be home, tucking my kid into bed, not out on the beach with a woman.
I broke away, even as every nerve in my body hummed with life. “I should go. It’s late.”
