Page 66 of Summer Affair

“I’d love to come over,” he said with a chuckle as he helped her out of her car. Then he kissed her and she felt her world righten. All of the worries from the past hours, days, melted away as his arms wrapped around her.

“Please,” she said softly, “take me inside. I need to feel…loved.”

She gasped when he lifted her up in his arms in one quick swoop and carried her to the door. She unlocked the door while in his arms and, once inside, she tossed her bag down before he carried her back into her bedroom.

For the first time in her life, Andrea made love to a man. Sure, there had been plenty of sex. Wild and crazy, hot and steamy, passion-filled sex.

But this, this was totally different. Something more. Something deeper.

Her heart ached before, during, and especially after he touched her. She felt tears roll down her cheeks as he held her in his arms in the darkness of the room.

She was afraid to say anything or even move. Instead, she counted each breath, each beat of his heart until she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke, it was to the smell of bacon and coffee. Hearing Dean moving around in the kitchen, she rolled out of bed and decided she needed at least a few moments to clean off in the shower.

After rinsing off, she wrapped her hair up in a messy bun and pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a camp tank top and stepped out to see him putting a plate of eggs on the table.

“Morning,” he said and easily walked over to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” She smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “You?”

“The best.” He chuckled softly.

“Hungry?” she asked, glancing at all the food he’d cooked.

“Starved.” He nudged her towards the chair. “I was going to start without you if you took too long in the shower.”

Andrea laughed as she settled into her chair. While they ate, they talked about her sister’s shower that weekend and everything the Wildflowers had done to prepare for it.

She confided in him about the disastrous dinner with her mother. He helped her see things in a better light, explaining that she’d tried her best and couldn’t change anyone but herself. It sucked, but she knew in her heart he was right.

It wasn’t her place to change her mother or Amy. They were who they were and it was up to her to choose if she wanted them in her life or not.

As they finished up breakfast, Dean caught her hand across the table, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

“I was thinking, how about we go out tonight? I can have someone cover the second half of the dinner shift for me so I can take off early. When you’re done with work we can head to that little Italian place you like.”

Andrea smiled, the idea of a quiet evening with Dean easing some of the tension she’d been carrying since the night before.

It was wonderful how being with him was so easy. She’d never felt a moment of tension or discomfort with him like she did with her mother or sister. Even when they sat in silence, she felt relaxed, comfortable, and loved.

“That sounds perfect. I’d love that.” She wished more than anything it was the perfect time to tell him just how she felt for him. Was she ready for that? Her heart fluttered at just the thought of saying those simple words to him.

She should have told him the night before when he’d carried her inside. But she’d felt too much to say those simple words she felt for him.

While they cleaned up the kitchen together, they moved in sync. The simple act of doing dishes felt grounding, a reminder that life continued no matter what.

“Ready to head out?” Dean asked as he dried his hands after putting the last dish away.

“Yeah,” Andrea replied. She walked over to kiss him. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“Thanks for letting me crash here. I’ve missed it, and you.”

They rode to the camp together in his truck, the morning sunlight filtering through the trees as they pulled into the lot. They had just stepped onto the pathway when the sprinklers turned on. They laughed as they ran to avoid getting soaked.

“See you at lunch.” He kissed her before heading down the path that led to the main building. She turned and walked the rest of the way into the pool house.

The day promised to be a busy one. Her schedule was packed, but the thought of spending the evening with Dean gave her something to look forward to.