I kiss her cheek. “I’ve been carrying you around for years. Why does it matter?”

She shrugs. “It’s bad luck.”

“We don’t need that, do we,” I say standing her up on her feet. I follow her into the house, relieved that we’re the only ones here. It’s not that I don’t like her mom and Daniel … I just like being alone with her more.

“I’m going to jump in the shower really quick,” she says, walking backward in the direction of the hallway.

“Wait,” I yell, causing her to stop in her tracks. “Does any bad luck come to a guy who lusts after his girl in her mother’s house?”

She raises an eyebrow as she looks at me, obviously trying to decide where I’m going with this. “Not unless you know something I don’t.”

“Good.” Keeping my eyes on her, I walk up to where she stands. I swear I can see her heart beating through her shirt. If I always have this effect on her, I’ll be one happy man. Placing my hands on her hips, I pull her toward me. She’s anticipating what I’m about to do to her; I can tell by the way her eyes are devouring my lips. My mouth comes within an inch of hers. I feel her warm breath against my lips, and I know she feels mine.

When she closes her eyes, I lean back and say, “Don’t you have to get in the shower?”

Her eyes shoot open. “Kiss me first.”

And I do. With the front of my body against her front, I press my lips to hers and kiss her like I haven’t seen her in months. The way it affects her is obvious as her back arches and fingers curl into my hair. Her touch just makes me push for more as I slide my tongue against the seam of her lips to deepen the kiss. Hearing her moan into my mouth literally takes my f**king breath away.

My hands venture up her sides until my thumbs brush against her breasts. With the way my c**k is reacting, I know I need to stop this before I lose control.

Sliding my hands up her chest and over her shoulders, I let them rest at the base of her neck, slowly ending the kiss. “You better get in the shower. We haven’t even gotten to your surprise yet.”

She nods, caressing my lower lip with her thumb. “As long as you promise we can do more of that later.”

Pressing my h*ps against hers, I say, “Baby, we can do a lot more than that later.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” she says before kissing my cheek and disappearing down the hall.

Chapter 10

Later That Day – July 2013

AFTER I GET DRESSED in my white tank and cutoff shorts, Beau tells me to get in the truck, and he starts to drive out of town. Even if we’re just going on a road trip, I’m content with the summer breeze coming through my window and country music playing on the radio.

I’m so lost in the tranquil scenery that it doesn’t immediately register that Beau has pulled up to a small log cabin by the lake. Confused, I look over at him; he has a huge dimple-bearing grin on his handsome face.

He grabs my left hand and brings it to his lips. “We’re sleeping under the stars tonight.”

“In a cabin?” I ask, even more confused.

“No, over there,” he says, pointing to a tent closer to the water. “Consider the cabin insurance.” He grins. “In case it rains.” He’s so perfect I almost want to cry. This reminds me of one of Asher’s notes.

I wonder if Beau saw it when he picked them up off the floor. It really doesn’t matter … there’s no one else I’d rather sleep under the stars with.

“Beau.”

“Yeah, baby?” he responds, running his thumb across my cheekbone.

“It’s hard to believe you’re real sometimes,” I say, leaning into his touch.

“I’m real, and I’m not going anywhere.” He kisses the corners of my mouth before ending on my lips. “Come on, let’s get out of this truck and enjoy some alone time with nature.”

When Beau said he had a surprise for me, I was expecting him to have planned a nice dinner or maybe a road trip, but I wasn’t expecting anything like this. This is almost every dream I’ve ever had come true.

“What do you have planned?” I ask, running my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

“Let’s go, and I’ll show you,” he replies as he slides back over to the driver’s seat and opens his door.

I climb out of the truck and stretch my arms up while breathing in the damp summer air. There’s no one out here besides Beau and me. We’re completely surrounded by trees and water. It’s moments like these that strip away all the noise which life provides.

“Go get your swimsuit on,” Beau says as he walks past me, brushing the palm of his hand over my ass.

“I don’t have a swimsuit with me.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I wait for him to turn around and admit I found a wrinkle in his little plan. It feels like he’s always the one with the upper hand … maybe it’s my turn.

He glances back at me like it’s no big deal and says, “Just take your clothes off. I’ll keep you warm.”

Stepping forward, I point my finger at him. “Beau! I am not getting in that lake without any clothes on.”

He turns and walks toward me, closing the space between us. “You’re really cute when you’re mad, you know that?” He pauses, running his fingers through his hair. “There might be something on the bed for you inside the cabin.”

“I’m glad you like me mad because if you keep that up, I can guarantee you’re going to see me like that a lot,” I say, patting his chest.

“I’m so lucky.” He smiles, placing a quick kiss on my lips and cupping my ass with both hands. “Definitely lucky,” he says as he lets go of me and walks toward the water.

I can’t keep the smile off my face as I walk into the small cabin. There’s a quaint kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and hot plate on one side and a sparsely decorated living area on the other. At the back of the cabin, there are two doors. One leads to a small but functional bathroom, and the other leads to a bedroom with barely enough room for a double bed. In the center of the bed is the red overnight bag I’ve had since I was ten. It’s a little scary to think that Beau may have chosen my wardrobe for this trip. Who knows what he has picked out?

After I slip out of my clothes, I open the bag and find my green bikini tucked into the side. I put it on quickly, eager to get back outside to Beau.

As I open the door, I see him sitting on the edge of the water with his back to me. It’s a beautiful sight; he’s in nothing but swim trunks, and the sun is radiating off his tanned skin. He must hear me as my feet step over the tall grass because he peeks over his shoulder, giving me a glimpse of him in his aviator sunglasses.

“Looks like you found it,” he says, letting his lips curl up into a sexy half grin.

“I did,” I reply, stopping next to him.

“Let’s use it then,” he says, standing up next to me. “First one out to that floating dock wins.”

He doesn’t give me time to even get a word out before he jumps in and starts swimming through the water.

I follow him in, enjoying how the warm water feels against my skin as I make my way to the dock. By the time I reach it, Beau is already lying on top soaking in the summer rays.

I climb onto the dock and position myself next to him. “It looks like you won.”

“I wanted the best view of this gorgeous girl when she swam in and water was dripping down her sexy body,” he says, sitting up on his elbows.

“Did I make it in time to see that, too?” I tease.

“Come here?” he says using his index finger to summon me.

I comply, crawling up the length of his body until mine is perfectly aligned with his. “Is this what you want?”

His hands grip my h*ps tightly before working their way up my sides to pull my body weight on top of his. “This is what I had in mind. I want to feel every part of you on every part of me.” Placing his finger under my chin, he tilts my head back to get better access to my neck and places kisses at the base of my throat.

“Do you know what would be even sexier than you naked?” he asks, his lips still against my skin.

“No,” I whisper as his mouth travels down to the space between my breasts.

“You n**ed and wet underneath me.” He carefully rolls me onto my back and continues to shower my body with warm kisses.

“Beau,” I moan, starting to lose control. I don’t really have the willpower to stop him. Beau Bennett is impossible to say no to, and my body is a traitor, craving his touch.

“Not today, but someday after the sun goes down, I’m going to bring you out here, and we’re going to make love on this dock. You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about it, Kate,” he says, running his tongue up my bare stomach.

“So you’re just teasing me?”

“No, baby, I’m just preparing you for later.” His lips move back up my body, stopping with a few soft kisses on mine. “No one else needs to see what’s mine,” he says in his deep, sexy voice before lifting himself off me.

Rolling onto his side, he props his head up with his arm and stares down at me. Now I know how guys feel when girls let them get to the brink and then stop … he got me all wound up, and now he’s going to make me wait for hours before he winds me back down.

I don’t know how long we lay there, but by the time we decide to head back to shore my skin has a pink tint. The sun is starting to go down, and I haven’t eaten in hours. Beau pulls us each a sandwich and water from the cooler, and we sit at the small picnic table behind the cabin to watch the sun go down over the water.

Neither of us says much as we overlook the water. This moment is peaceful and serene; it speaks for itself.

When there’s nothing left but darkness and stars, I’m more than ready to crawl in the tent and call it a night. Before tucking ourselves in, we use the cabin to change into our pajamas and brush our teeth. It’s tempting to just stay in there and enjoy the comforts of a bed, but there won’t be any stars.