I’m out of breath by the time I’m finished. Can’t quite meet Beau’s eyes either. His fingers leave my hair, to gently grip my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. Those dark eyes are fathomless as they take me in, working overtime to put all my jagged-edged puzzle pieces together. In time, I know he will.
“What were you like as a kid?” Beau asks, curiosity coloring his voice.
“Quiet mostly,” I admit fondly. “I loved to go to the movies. I had a nanny that took me all the time. She said that’s whereeveryone is the same, sitting in a bad seat at the movies, with a big bag of popcorn and a soda.”
“I love the movies too. Growing up, we went into the city to this fancy theater to see old movies. It was so much fun.”
“I love that,” I say around a small smile. “I have this pass where I can go as many times as I want in a month. That and the gym. My two favorite places.”
“We show movies at the farm once a month on a big projector screen. I’ll take you.”
My rib cage suddenly feels just a bit too small to contain my heart. Simple as that. So Beau. So sweet. His smile goes double wide at whatever look I get in my eyes. He kisses me again, no doubt a little reward for all my honesty, then pulls away to crouch down further, until the chilly water covers our shoulders. The blaring light of the sun on my bare shoulders makes the water even colder, but I relish it as Beau tugs me even closer.
“You’re beautiful,” Beau says quietly, eyes twinkling in the sunlight.
“Beau.” I don’t know what else to say.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re safe with me. I promise.”
And then he kisses me for an endless age. By the time he gently pulls away from my mouth, I feel dazed in the best sense of the word. The emotion must show on my face because Beau lets out a delighted, warm chuckle.
“That easy?” Beau asks, fingers tangled in my hair.
“For you, yeah.”
Beau chuckles again. “Hold your breath.”
I obey without even asking follow-up questions. He dips us under the water. The cool water is sharp against my skin, but my skin warms as I rapidly blink under the water, taking in the sight of Beau grinning at me. His lips move under the water, bubbles floating to the surface.
I don’t know what he says, but I can hope.
We swim in the crystal-blue spring for what feels like hours. A game of Marco Polo keeps us distracted for a bit, until Beau finds me, and tugs me against him to kiss the breath right out of me. Being with Beau makes me feel free. By the time we climb out of the spring, our fingers are pruned, but Beau’s joyful smile makes it worth it.
Biting my lip hard, I take in Beau’s naked body. Drops of water roll down his back, coming to a brief stop at the top of his perfect ass, before continuing down his legs. After throwing a towel at me, he smirks when he catches where my gaze had been.
“Checking me out?” Beau asks, tone teasing.
“Yeah, you’re hot as hell. You know this already.”
He hides his flush by rubbing the towel over his face. “I’m just fine.”
“We’re not arguing about this.”
“I’m not much for arguin’, sweetheart.”
“What’s with the sweetheart pet name?” I ask curiously while tugging on my dry clothes.
Beau eyes me as he runs fingers through his wet hair. “’Cause you’ve got a sweet heart.”
And there promptly goes said heart. Gone. Lost to the world. Lost to Beau Callahan and his gaze that tells me everything I need to know. That I really am safe here with him.
The sound of the tailgate opening has me spinning around. In the truck bed is a mountain of blankets and pillows, along with a cooler. Confusion steals my breath for a second, before Beau’s hand strokes down my arm, tugging my gaze back to him.
“Wanna sleep under the stars with me?”
“Mosquitoes,” I murmur helplessly.
Beau aims a wry look at me, then pulls out a device from under the blankets. “It’ll keep ’em away. Promise. I’ve got bracelets we can wear too that’ll keep ’em away.”
