“Don’t think I can’t feel your eyes undressing me right now,” he said as he slid gracefully into the chair next to me.
“With those things on, there’s not a whole lot left to the imagination,” I pointed out.
“And why would you need to use your imagination? Use your memory.”
“Imagination is still fun.”
“I could always strip them off for you. That would leave nothing to the imagination.”
“As if you haven’t done that almost every morning since we arrived.”
Apparently, renting a house with a private beach, where the nearest neighbor was a couple of miles away, had brought out the nudist in Shane. The only reason he bothered with the speedo in the first place was because he knew how much it got to me. Otherwise, he strolled around, his dick on full display the entire time we were in the house.
Though, I wouldn’t have complained either way.
Considering I had already jumped him once today, dragging him back into bed before he could get too far, I decided I would distract myself by taking a sip of my drink. I grunted when the alcohol rolled over my tongue, only to immediately be overtaken by the sweetness of whatever tropical fruits he had used in the mix.
“Holy strong drink, Batman,” I muttered, taking another sip. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“I’m hoping to get you tipsy, so I can take advantage of you,” Shane said, stretching out on the chair.
“As if you have to get me drunk for that,” I said, eyes roaming over the long stretch of his stomach.
“No, but you are pretty fun when you get drunk,” he chuckled, closing his eyes. “At that point, all subtle foreplay goes out the window. Suddenly you’re all handsy and touchy.”
I squinted at him. “Are you trying to tell me you like sex with me better when I’ve been drinking?”
A frown creased his forehead. “Absolutely not. I like sex with you in whatever state you’re in…except for absolutely wasted.”
I grunted in acknowledgment and settled back into my seat with my drink. Direct communication about his emotions had never been Shane’s strong suit, and still wasn’t. Still, they were far and above what they’d been when we first started dating. There was always the slight suspicion he was holding something back from me, but I had long ago learned that holding him under that suspicion was a bad idea.
That had been the source of our first real argument. I had been convinced he was keeping something from me, something that was bothering him. He’d balked at the accusation, tempers had flared, and words were flung back and forth until we both needed to take time to ourselves. I had been right in my suspicion, but he’d outright told me being treated with suspicion hadn’t helped him want to tell me what was wrong. In the end, I had to settle for finding alternative, more peaceful ways of getting him to talk.
Our system wasn’t perfect, but we were still making strides, which is all I could ask.
“Just think,” he said, bobbing his foot back and forth. “Right now, the snow is probably still hanging around, bitter February air is just starting to fade, and here we are, basking in the sun. Cresson Point is miserable, and we’re content.”
I snorted. “And I’m sure your mother will have the list of lists waiting for you when you get back.”
“Ah, you see, I have no desire to think too hard about that sort of thing,” he told me fondly. “The less I think about that, the better.”
“Which means you’re just going to get slammed with it when we get home.”
“That is a problem for future me.”
As if he wasn’t probably spending at least a few spare moments to think about what was waiting for him. Although Sophia had taken back her position at the head of the family when she was finally in better health, that left Shane with nothing but free time. Although he hadn’t admitted it immediately, he even agreed with Sophia and me that it wasn’t the best way for him to live.
Seeing how much gratification Shane had gotten from his job, I had been the one to suggest they put his personal skillset to use. Shane’s brow had practically climbed into his hair when I mentioned working in the PR department, but Sophia had been delighted. Well, as delighted as Sophia could be.
Shane had been the only one surprised to find he took to the new job like a fish took to water. His playboy background worked in his favor with a few spins, and suddenly he was the handsome, smiling face people could trust. I didn’t even begrudge that he wasn’t afraid to mention his relationship with me, earning at least a few points for his ‘progressive’ relationship…from certain people.
It had taken all my willpower to take a deep drink of my cocktail rather than tell the well-meaning, if ignorant, woman who’d told me that, just what I thought of her ‘progressive’ attitude.
“Well, if you think that’s bad, just wait until I get back,” I said with a snort.
He glanced at me. “You enjoy your job with a passion bordering on obsession. What could you possibly fear upon going back?”
“Sheila.”