families and switched from muscle cars to minivans, he hardly ever saw any of them. And no one was telling him how lucky he was anymore.
Luke pushed those thoughts from his head and maneuvered the Sea Ray along the shoreline. They passed other boats anchored off the water’s edge, where people swam, sunbathed and picnicked on the beach. He navigated a bit further until they reached a secluded area where the unpredictable and harsh waters of Lake Erie had carved jagged cliffs, exposing smooth bedrock and dangling pines.
Jenna nudged him and pointed to a private, watery nook. Message read, he swerved toward the area then killed the motor. The boat bobbed and gently rocked against the waves they’d created. He stood, grabbed the anchor then dropped it over the side.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said with a sigh. “Cleveland gets a bad rap, but when you look at it from this angle…”
“Couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Mmmm,” she hummed and relaxed into her seat, a lazy smile played across her lips. How he’d love to taste them again.
In time, he told himself. Jenna didn’t date much — he still couldn’t wrap his brain around the ridiculous concept — and she needed time to grow used to him, to the idea of them. Last night, he’d meant to give her a chaste kiss, instead he’d assaulted her mouth.
Real smooth. Luke scratched the back of his head, then looked over his shoulder.
Jenna stared at him for a moment, then hitched her sunglasses on top of her head. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m just making sure we’re secure.”
She watched him for another moment then shifted her head toward the controls at the cockpit. “Hey, is this the radio?”
Luke made his way toward the cockpit. “Yep, I have some CDs, too.” He used the key from the ignition to unlock the storage box next to her leg. Inadvertently, he brushed her calf and dropped the keys. They both bent to retrieve them and knocked heads.
“I’m sorry. I…” He lifted his head. Their gazes collided. Mouths inches apart, her warm breath burned a path across his lips. Tempted, he reached for her head, then curled his fingers and pulled away.
She took the keys from his hand and sent him a shy smile. “Here, let me.” She unlocked the box then flipped through the CDs. “You know,” she began with a nonchalant tone. “I get this feeling that something is wrong.” She turned and cocked a brow.
“Not true,” he said and plopped on one of the cushioned seats at the stern of the boat, drew his t-shirt over his head, then leaned back and let the sun heat his skin.
“I dunno,” she sang, then inserted a disc.
Music broke over lapping waves. Jenna rose, swerved around the coolers, then moved to the opposite bench. “What kind of goodies do you have here?” She pointed to his cooler. “I packed some sandwiches and fruit in mine.”
He leaned forward and opened his cooler. “There’s wine, beer, sodas and water in this one. There’s also a bunch of other junk in the cabin.”
“I love junk.” She winked. “Sooo appetizing. But first I’ve got to get rid of this cover-up. I think I screwed up my tan lines while I was working at Darci’s, and I need to rectify that. You don’t mind, do you?”
Last night, he’d imagined what Jenna would look like in a bikini. He had a feeling his fantasies would never justify reality. “Um, no. Knock yourself out.”
Jenna gripped the midsection of her sundress and drew it over her head. “Ah, much better,” she said with a smile, then folded the dress and set it next to her.
Man, what had he gotten himself into? He tried not to gape and hoped to God drool hadn’t formed around his mouth. Jenna could give a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model heavy competition. Tanned and tone, with full breasts, flat belly and shapely hips, he desperately wanted to run his hands over her long legs. Peel away her bikini, then lick, kiss, and taste every tantalizing inch of her. He shifted on