I blow out a breath.
He’s complicating this.
But I want that.
And…fuck. I nod. “Okay.”
“But weekends only,” I reiterate.
We need rules. We need guidelines. And we all need to remember what this is.
But as he walks me to the front door and says goodbye to me and we both hesitate as if we’re considering kissing each other goodbye and then decide not to, it is clear that we are already fucking up.
At least I am.
Casual. Casual. Casual.I keep repeating the word to myself all the way back to the beach house.
And I still don’t think it’s completely sunk in when I get there.
CHAPTER24
James
“This is not a good idea.”I eye my husband warily. “You don’t know anything about shucking oysters, babe.”
Cas shrugs, confident he can do anything, which truth be told, he usually can. “What could go wrong?”
“You could stab yourself with the knife, for one thing. Have you had a tetanus shot?”
“James has a point,” my mother says, sitting next to me and Caroline, holding Noah. “You should be careful, Cas.” She stands up and makes sure Noah’s beach hat is covering his head. “I’m going to go change Noah’s diaper.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Caroline has Evie on her lap so that both babies are safely under the giant beach umbrella. It’s not a super hot day, but the Carolina sun, even in late September, is still no joke.
“I’ll go with you, Miss Becky. I think Evelyn needs a change, too.”
“We can just run on into the girls’ house. The babies could use some air conditioning for a minute. We’ll be right back, you two.” She gives me and Cas a finger waggle.
“You’re going to miss my rise to greatness,” Cas tells Caroline, his voice just ever-so-slightly suggestive, given the presence of my mother.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll catch your rise to greatness later,” Caro quips back.
The teasing innuendos between them have me fighting the urge to moan. I shift in my beach chair. Their vibe together never fails to turn me on.
Caroline and my mother disappear across the sand toward the street.
We’re all having a beach day arranged by Frannie and Fiona, probably the last of the season, culminating in a bonfire tonight that we probably won’t be able to attend because of the babies, but I’m glad we’ve carved out time to spend with our friends and family.
It’s a boisterous crowd of about fifty people, with heaping platters of food, coolers bursting with lemonade, sweet tea, soda, and beer. There is upbeat music playing from someone’s speaker, and apparently, there is a spontaneous oyster shucking contest about to commence.
Cas bends down and gives me a kiss. “I appreciate your concern, but I’d prefer you have faith in me.”
“It’s not about faith,” I protest. “It’s that you’re going up against guys who have been shucking their whole lives. You’ll get competitive, I know you will, and you’ll go faster than you should.”
He cups my cheeks. “I want you to think I’m hot.”
That makes me lean forward and nip at his bottom lip. “I already think you’re incredibly hot. You don’t need to prove that to me.” I sink back into my chair. “And this isn’t about me. You just want to beat Grayson.”
