Page 40 of The Perfect Distraction

“I gave you a warning.”

Once she could see again, their eyes locked, and her breath caught right before his lips crashed down on hers. Twining her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, she opened her mouth, inviting his warm, wet tongue. Being this close with only scraps of material between them, she felt everything, and she welcomed it. His hard length nudged against her center, and she resisted the urge to rock into it. After all, there were people nearby. The sound of children’s laughter was what finally forced them apart.

They swam for a while and then got out, dripping water across the hot sand. After drying off with towels, Colton suggested taking a walk down the beach, and she agreed. They strolled along the water’s edge in the opposite direction of the crowd until the sandy beach narrowed down to a rocky path. Picking their way carefully, they searched for Petoskey stones among the debris that had washed up on shore. Sure enough, after a few minutes, Colton held up a stone.

“Found one!”

She went over to examine it, and he placed it in her hand.

“You can have it,” he said.

“But you found it.”

He chuckled. “That’s okay. It’s not like I don’t have tons of them already. I’ve lived here all my life, remember?”

How could she forget? His statement only cemented what she already knew—that Colton and Joey would never leave here. And why would they? This was their home.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling at him like he’d just given her something truly special. But to her, it was because the stone would serve as a reminder of the time they’d spent together.

“You hungry?” Colton asked.

“Starved.”

“Me too. Let’s go back.”

As they picked their way back across the rocks, he casually took her hand, and he didn’t let go until they got back to their spot. He unpacked the cooler, and her eyes widened with each item he took out.

“You brought enough food for ten people!” she said, laughing.

“Well, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I packed a little bit of everything.”

She opted for a ham and cheese sandwich, strawberries, and a soda.

“Mmmm,” she said once they’d dug in. “Thank you for this.”

“My pleasure.” Colton took a bite of his sandwich that he’d piled high with deli meats, cheese, and vegetables.

When she noticed a splotch of mustard at the corner of his mouth, she reached over and wiped it off. But when she went to move her hand away, he clasped her wrist, put her finger to his mouth, and licked off the mustard while eyeing her intently.

“You’re not making this very easy,” she scolded, although her voice betrayed her desire.

“It could be very easy if you let it,” he said, letting go of her wrist.

After polishing off their sandwiches, Colton reached into the cooler and produced a plastic container of chocolate chip cookies.

“Dessert,” he said, holding them out to her.

“Wow! You really thought of everything.”

“Tried to.”

Leaning back on her elbows and munching on cookies, she realized she felt more relaxed than she had in quite some time. While she’d been enjoying her alone time, having someone to share things with made her feel even better. Too bad it would be short-lived.

When Colton turned to look at a flock of seagulls flying by, Beth gasped.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your back. It’s bright red.”