I felt rather languid after the pleasure he’d caused my body to experience for the first time.
Finally blushing, I glanced at Jacob and noticed the large bulge I’d been rubbing against.
He pulled his legs up with a wince and took some deep breaths. “We can do that again,” he whispered. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I loved what you did to me.”
He groaned. I blushed a deeper shade of rose . . . I’m sure.
I never in a million years expected to be so, brazen. He was the one. I had no embarrassment with him when I was half-naked. He felt amazing. Next time, I wanted him half-naked. I looked away so he couldn’t see my longing.
After a few minutes, he stood and helped me up from the sand. “I need to get you home. That’s not what I want to do with you, but I know it’s what I need to do. Now. Before I lose further control with you,” he said blushing. “I’m working until Wednesday. Do you want to go to the movies then?”
A twinge of guilt niggled at me as I remembered my arrangement with Richard. Should I tell Jacob about my movie night with Richard?
We walked back to my house, hand in hand, and I decided I should. “Jacob. I’m going to the movies tomorrow with a friend, Richard.” He stopped walking. “He really is just a friend. You’re the one I want to be with.”
“Okay.” He turned and looked deeply into my eyes. “I can’t say I like you going with another man, Rose, but I trust you.”
He placed a goodbye kiss on my lips. We parted with the promise of the movies on Wednesday. In five days. It was difficult to put one step in front of the other after experiencing Jacob’s touch.
Chapter 10
A week later, Mack was exhausted. First Lucas had been sick with a bad cold, which had kept her housebound, and then Thomas had come down with it. She’d insisted he move into Rose Cottage while he was sick so she could take care of him as well. Then two days ago, she woke in the night feeling yucky and sick so Thomas had played nursemaid because he had started to feel better. Of course, Lucas tried to help, but kept getting underfoot.
All she wanted was a walk on the beach to try to blow some of the cobwebs away, plus she’d missed seeing the ocean this past week. She’d also missed Rose and Jacob, because, while she was playing Florence Nightingale, she’d been too tired, then too sick to pick the diary up. She never imagined missing a story so completely, but she did. She had wanted to enjoy Rose’s writing.
Throwing the cover off her, she climbed out of bed and quickly dressed in a pair of jeans, T-shirt, and sweater. The last thing she needed was to get sick again, so she made sure she was dressed warmly. She followed the sound of voices to the kitchen.
Standing in the doorway, she just watched as Thomas and Lucas interacted together without knowing they were being observed. They seemed to know what the other wanted without words being spoken. It was sweet.
“Auntie Mack, you’re awake. We’re making you . . . You were supposed to be eating it in bed.” Lucas didn’t look impressed at all.
“Well, I would love to eat the breakfast you’ve made me, but I’ll sit here with you and Thomas. If that’s okay? Then maybe, after breakfast, we can go for a walk to the beach. I need some fresh air.”
“Yeah!” Lucas shouted, running around the kitchen.
Mack had to put her hands on her ears with the racket he was making.
“Lucas, you hush up now. You’re giving your auntie a headache.” Thomas’s words managed to shut him up, much to Mack’s relief.
They’d both made pancakes, Mack’s favorite, which she ate with a small amount of butter and maple syrup. As she placed the first piece into her mouth, she happened to glance up and noticed that both Thomas and Lucas were sitting across the table and staring at her.
She paused mid-chew.
“I dropped an egg shell in it.” Lucas had a huge grin on his face.
“Oh.”
Thomas started to laugh while he watched as Mack tried to eat the pancake without choking on eggshell.
She managed to clear her plate with only eating a couple pieces of the shell. “That was delicious, Lucas. Thank you.”
“Yeah, she liked it!”
“Thomas, are you going to walk to the beach with us?” she asked while clearing the table of the breakfast dishes.
“No, I don’t think I will, Mack. I’ll walk with you as far as my cottage.”