Damn, those peaches were starting to drive me a little crazy.
It made me want to dip my head and place my nose at her neck. Take a good, honest whiff, as if I were nothing more than an animal. Like the unsophisticated man I was.
Aaron met my gaze and nodded his head with approval. Wondering what he could be approving of exactly, I returned it.
“Thank you, Lucas,” Rosie said, her voice drawing my attention back to her. Those green eyes of her were dancing with warmth,with the awareness I was feeling, too. “You don’t really have to, you know, protect me or something. But I appreciate it.”
I don’t really have to?
Dios.
I had told her once how much I hated how low she set her standards, and I’d meant every word. It infuriated me that someone who brought to life romance heroes, love stories people longed for, wouldn’t expect all those things from real life. Because she really seemed fine not expecting any man to live up to her heroes. She was fine with it.
“There’s nothing you should thank me for,” I told her, stepping a little closer to her body because I just couldn’t keep myself in line. My gaze trailed down again in time to watch her swallow, and that slow motion of her throat, and the way her breasts followed with her next breath, was enough to make me twitch in my pants. Jesus. Some friend I was. “I’m happy to protect you, Lady Rosalyn.”
Rosie didn’t answer, and when I met her gaze again, her eyes were… different. Surprised, hooded. Probably mirroring my own.
“How about dancing?” Lina suggested with bubbly enthusiasm, breaking the spell. “I think we’ve hung out here long enough.”
Aaron remained silent. Rosie hesitated. And I… shrugged. My leg was sore after standing for so long, but I’d follow them to the dance floor if that was the plan.
“Come on,” Lina insisted.
But before any of us could answer, someone else pushed into me, forcing my front to come into full contact with Rosie’s back. Without thinking, my arm snaked around her just as I felt her ass press against my crotch. A new shot of awareness sparked across my body, making my dick stand to attention.
“Yes!” Rosie yelped. “Let’s dance!”
Without giving me or Aaron any choice, the women linked arms and walked into the moving crowd.
Aaron shot me a glance, and whatever he saw in my face made him chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” I asked him, summoning a casual expression.
His eyes scanned the sea of people in front of us and zeroed in on a point I assumed was his wife. “You didn’t have to say anything,” he said, gaze forward. “You know, it doesn’t get easier. But it does get better.”
I forced out a laugh, pretending I knew whatever he was talking about.
But you know what he meant, a voice countered.Although it won’t ever get better. Because she’s not yours. And you are leaving anyway.
With a shake of my head and one of Aaron’s nods, we ventured onto the dance floor.
The women were dancing, doing their thing while lost to the song, spinning in circles with their arms up. It reminded me of the Rosie I’d seen swirling to “Dancing Queen.” A smile parted my face at the memory, at the sight. In fact, I was pretty sure I was eating up every one of her motions in blinding awe, as if the sun was rising in front of me for the first time.
A strange thought infiltrated my mind. Rosie, straddling my board, floating in the ocean. Her wet hair sticking to her skin, a smile on her face. I’d love to take her, teach her to paddle, catch her first wave, hear her laugh over the sound of the waves. All things I couldn’t do.
Rosie’s eyes found mine, and whatever was on my face made her lips fall, her expression turning serious. Concerned. She immediately strode in my direction, and while I didn’t want to ruin her fun, I was glad to see her closing the distance. Coming to me.
When she stopped in front of me, she was standing close enough for me to catch another whiff of peaches. Of her.
She went on her tiptoes so I could hear her over the music. “You’re not dancing. Is your leg bothering you?”
Lina and Aaron were several feet away now—bodies fused together—getting swallowed by the colorful crowd.
Maybe that was why I felt free to say the truth. “I was too distracted to do any of that. Watching you.”
The green in Rosie’s eyes deepened. “Watching me?”
I nodded my head slowly, everything in me screaming to lean down. To dip my head and get close to her ear. To place my lips against the delicate skin there and feel her squirm with awareness. “It’s really hard not to stare, Rosie. You make it hard.”