Page 73 of Best Kept Secret

His eyes flared with desire, and she grinned. “Besides that, I mean.”

“We could go for a bike ride, hang out by the pool, whatever your heart desires.”

Her heart desired him, no matter what they were doing. “What about Annie?”

He’d just brought the coffee to his lips, but he set the cup down. “What about her?”

“Did you talk to Emily? Will we get to see her?”

“I think so. I have to text her,” he said, picking up the mug again.

“Good. I can’t wait.”

She thought he smiled, but the mug was partially blocking his face. Was he hiding behind it on purpose? She quickly dismissed the thought. It was July Fourth, and a beautiful one at that. She was with the man she’d wanted for a very long time, and she refused to let anything ruin the wonderful weekend they’d planned.

She stood up, gathered the dishes, and carried them to the sink. While she was rinsing them, he came up beside her to rinse his mug.

“Ready for that shower?” he asked. He smiled at her full force and held out his hand.

Nodding, she returned his smile, slipped her hand in his and followed him out of the kitchen.

They went into the bathroom, and he turned on the shower. While he was adjusting the temperature, she quickly removed her clothes and set them on the counter.

When he turned around and found her naked, his gaze roamed over her appreciatively.

“You’re still dressed,” she teased, her eyes drifting down to the bulge in his shorts.

In a flash, his shorts hit the floor. “Not anymore.”

They stepped into the shower, and as the warm water rained over them, his arms went around her. Her worries were soon forgotten, swirling down the drain with the shampoo and soap, only to resurface later when she’d least expect it…

Twenty-Two

They held hands as they strolled from his apartment to the pool in their matching patriotic T-shirts. He carried her beach bag, which she’d stuffed with drinks, snacks, book (hers), magazine (his), sunscreen, and beach towels. No matter what she did, she went all out, and he added that to the growing list of things he loved about her.

“You really thought of everything this weekend,” he said.

“I tried to.”

Soon they reached the pool area, and he punched in a code to unlock the gate. As he’d expected, the pool was nearly empty. Many Michiganders had gone Up North, like Jared, or to picnics and cookouts, like Sonia and Annie.

Oh no. I forgot to text Sonia. He patted the pockets of his swim trunks, even though he knew they were empty. Where’s my damn phone?

He’d been so preoccupied with Kelsey he hadn’t looked at it once since she’d come over. He racked his brain, trying to remember the last place he’d had it. He hadn’t brought it into the bedroom with them because he hadn’t wanted to be interrupted, which meant it was probably in the living room somewhere.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“I was just looking for my phone.”

“I haven’t seen it.”

“I must have left it in the living room.”

“Do you need to go back and get it?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ll check it when we get back.”

“Oh, that’s right. You were going to text Emily.”