Riley concedes easily; I think they were just trying to rile up Brooks again.
I put on the playlist from the demon hunters movie we watched the other night, bobbing my head and singing along as Brooks drives us away from town. He has his pretty auburn hair up in a bun as usual, and I clench my fists in my lap to resist digging my fingers into it. I want to yank him down to me and cover him in my scent. Get those full lips to smile at me, and maybe see how his beard feels against my skin.
Eventually, my mind drifts back to our mystery date. Brooks’ scent is so cozy and comforting, it’s almost impossible to not be half-hypnotized by it.
“Where are we going, anyway?”
“I didn’t want to say it in front of Riley, because I know they’d be jealous. But I wanted to take you to the beach. What do you think?” He glances over at me, a note of uncertainty in his gaze.
“I’ve never been,” I say. “But that sounds amazing.”
“Perfect,” he says. “Because we’re here.”
His words jolt me out of the stupor I was in as I stared at him, blind to all else around us. He pulls into a spot along the road with sand dunes on either side, spiky green grasses waving in the breeze.
“This doesn’t look like a beach,” I say, then frown. “And also, I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“I brought you a couple gifts, although I suppose thatgives away what they are,” Brooks says, rounding the truck to my side and opening the back door. “Here.”
He places three different bags onto the seat, and I open them to find a skimpy black bikini that makes my cheeks instantly flush, a one-piece that’s a beautiful, vibrant turquoise color, and another two piece. This one looks more like a sports bra with matching, high-waisted bottoms.
“Hop in and try them on, you should have plenty of room. I’ll keep watch out here,” Brooks says.
I definitely don’t have the confidence to pull off that bikini, but I slip into the one-piece and instantly love how it makes me feel. Pretty and sexy, with the cut-outs on the sides and lacy pattern running over my breasts. I wrap one of the towels around myself and hop back out of the truck, then Brooks hefts a cooler into one hand and a big beach bag in the other.
We climb up the short dune, and my breath catches in my chest when we reach the top. Nowthatis a beach.
Soft sand as far as the eye can see in either direction, and the water is like a painting. Shades of teal and blue in broad strokes stretching all the way to the horizon.
“Wow,” I say, breathless.
Brooks smiles down at me, and I realize he’s waiting to continue walking until I’ve looked my fill. We head down the sand dune toward the water’s edge, picking a spot with plenty of space.
“It will probably start to fill up more in the next couple of hours,” Brooks says. “We can stay for as long as you like.”
He drops the bag and cooler, and I wander closer to the water to dip my toes in.
“It’s cold!” I say with a laugh, turning to see Brooks’ eyes crinkled in amusement.
“Yes, well, it’s quite a big lake. It’ll warm up a little more over the next couple months, but not much.”
When I head back over to him, he’s spread a wide blanket over the sand, kicked off his shoes, and is taking off his shirt. His muscles bulge, biceps looking like they’ll rip right through the fabric if he’s not careful, and my eyes drift lower as his muscular stomach and chest are exposed.
He has the perfect amount of auburn hair dusting what look like rock-hard pecs. His abs aren’t as chiseled as I would have expected, which simply reinforces that his muscles are the result of the hard work he does every day.
“See something you like, Petal?”
My eyes snap up to his and I bite my lip, then nod.
“Words, Sage,” he purrs, taking a step closer to me.
I gulp. “Yes, Brooks. I see a lot that I like.”
He steps close enough to touch, and I reach out, trailing my fingers through the hair on his chest, then run my hand down his side until it reaches his swim trunks. I skim my fingers along the top edge, tickling his skin, and then dip the tips of my fingers beneath the hem.
Brooks sucks in a breath, then grabs my wrist. His hand closes around it entirely and my breath catches, but his grip is loose, gentle.
When I look up though, his eyes are blazing.
