“Well, I should rectify that right now.” Dean leans in and presses a kiss to my neck. I tilt my head up as he trails kisses along my jaw and throat, each one burning on contact.
A heavy knock on the front door has us both groaning as we separate. Dean starts to head for the door, but I shake my head. “I think it’s best if I get it.”
“Why?”
I glance down at the front of his shorts and the massive erection tenting the loose fabric. He follows my gaze and nods. “Yeah, I guess that’s probably best. But you’d better tie up your robe.” He reaches up and runs the pad of his thumb over my hardened nipple easily visible through my tank top.
“Touché.” Tightening my robe, I watch him disappear down the hall before pulling the door open. Gary stands on the other side, a bright smile on his face. “Gary!” I reach forward and give him a quick hug before stepping to the side so he can come in.
“Morning, Kleo. Dean around? We have some last-minute kitchen things to go over.”
“He is. He should be out in just a few minutes. Want some coffee?”
“That would be excellent.” Gary follows me into the kitchen, and I grab a mug down, filling it with hot liquid.
“How are you doing?” I ask, leaning against the countertop opposite of where he stands.
“Good, just getting everything prepped for the camp to open up. It’s going to be a great summer.”
I smile. “I couldn’t agree more.”
The very reason why I couldn’t agree more walks in wearing a T-shirt and jeans, no more tented shorts. “Morning, Gary.” Dean stands beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head.
Gary’s eyes widen, and he nods appreciatively. “Glad to see you two are getting along better.”
Dean chuckles. “I tolerate her now.”
I slap him lightly on the chest and shake my head.
“You have some time to go over the meal schedule one last time?” Gary asks. “I have all the files in my truck.”
“I do.” Leaning down, Dean kisses me quickly. “Want to come too?”
His invitation means the world to me, especially since a few days ago, he was determined to keep me out of all Camp business. But today, I have other plans. “I would, but I have some stuff to take care of. Rain check?”
“Sure. See you in a few hours.”
“Sounds great.”
Gary chuckles. “See you later, alligator,” he says to me with a wink. It’s something he’s said to me ever since I was old enough to remember.
And my response is just as familiar. “In a while, crocodile.”
Dean
“Don’t say a fucking word,” I tell Gary as we follow the path down to the cafeteria.
He hums and shakes his head, a smile on his face. “I wasn’t going to say a damned thing.”
“Sure you weren’t.”
“Just maybe that I told you so.”
“You told me what?”
“That Kleo is a sweetheart.”
I laugh. “I’ll describe her as a lot of things and admit I was wrong, but sweetheart is still not on that list.” Beautiful, kind, fiery, but not a sweetheart. Kleo has too much fight in her, and I fucking love it.
Gary looks back at me as we reach the cafeteria. “You look happy.”
“I am happy.” As soon as I say it, I realize that I’m happier than I’ve been in a long damned time. And it’s all because of Kleo.
Three and a half hours later, I’m making my way back up to the cabin. Gary left about a half-hour ago, but I’d stayed down at the cafeteria, working on the room layout and getting all the tables situated.
Kleo’s car is sitting beside my truck, and just knowing she’s inside brings a smile to my face. As I’m stepping up to the porch, I notice a piece of paper taped to the door. Curious, I pull it down, and the moment I see her handwriting, I smile.
Dean, want to play a game of hide and seek? Good, I thought you might. I’ll give you a hint: Picnic at the misstep. See you soon, hopefully ; ) -Kleo
Picnic at the misstep? I turn in a slow circle as though someone is standing behind me with a sign telling me how to decode her hint. Her car is here, so she must not have gone far, which leaves the back porch, cabin, or the beach.
After checking to make sure she’s not inside or on the back porch, I head down to the beach. The sun is high this afternoon, hot enough to have a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on my skin. Probably should have changed out of my jeans.
Waves crash ahead as I head down the path leading me through a grove of trees. I emerge on the beach and stop for just a moment, taking in the beauty God created when He made Florida beaches. Water shines with the bright rays of the sun, glinting and making it difficult to stare at too long. The ocean is a big reason I love Turner Cove so damn much.
When you’re out in the world, it’s easy to feel ten feet tall like you’re above everything else. But when you look at the ocean—that’s when you realize just how small you are.
I look up and down the sand, not spotting her anywhere. As I’m about to head back up, I spot the lighthouse in the distance.
Picnic at the misstep. I grin. Kleo is damned adorable.
Heading off toward the lighthouse, I breathe in deeply, enjoying the scents the ocean has to offer. Salty air fills my lungs as seagulls fly overhead. The moment it’s in full view, I see her standing on the beach near the bottom of the cliff where the lighthouse sits.
The breeze sends her hair flying around her face, and she turns to me, lifting a hand in a wave. The shorts she’s wearing are so fucking short they should be illegal, and instead of an actual shirt, she opted for her bright red bikini top.
She’s a damned wet dream, and it thrills me that she’s mine.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d find it.” Kleo grins up at me as I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me.
“I’ll always find you,” I say quietly as I lean down and kiss her. She melts against me, my own personal ray of sunshine, her touch burning straight through the walls I tried to put up against her. She’s the only person who’s ever managed to push past them, and I don’t even want to try to keep her out anymore.
“Promise?”
“I swear it.”
She leans against me, and we look out at the beach. “Everything go okay with Gary?”
“It did. We’re all set. All that’s left to do now is wait.”
“At least we’ll get some time,” she says with a wicked grin and grips the top of her shorts, shoving them to the ground. My mouth goes fucking dry when she reaches back behind her and unties the laces of her bikini top, letting it fall to the sand beside her shorts.
“Fuck me,” I groan, and Kleo grins at me—seductive as fuck. Since our cove is private, there’s not another soul around, but I still check. Not for me, but if I catch some asshole ogling her, I might end up getting arrested.
“You going to come get me, Dean?”
“Fuck, yes.” I reach up and strip my shirt off, dropping it on top of her clothes as I move toward her. Then, I reach down and undo the laces of my shoes, leaving them and my socks in the sand. By the time I’m unbuttoning my jeans, she’s in the water up to her ankles, her arms the only thing covering her tits.