Beautiful Ties (12 page)

I chuckled at her theatrics while typing my reply.

LOL! So sorry! I’ll make it up to you soon! I had a busy week at work with the remodeling on Lakeview Avenue…and I’m going to plead the fifth on Jason. ;-)

Gail’s response was immediate.

**Insert gaping mouth here!** So, you have been out flirting with that hot and sexy hunk! And why am I just now finding out about it?

The next text from Gail came before I could even finish reading the first.

You, me, and a bottle of wine have a date on Sunday night! No excuses! I work till 7 p.m.—UGH—so I’ll be over right after. Be prepared to be bombarded with questions!

I laughed while still picturing her gaping mouth expression in her other text. I typed a quick response.

Sounds like a date! See you then. ♥

“What has you giggling over there in your seat?” Jason asked with humor.

I looked over at him, noticing we were now parked. “Gail. I haven’t talked to her in quite some time, and she had some strong feelings about that.”

“Uh-oh,” he teased. “Do you usually see her often?”

“We regularly text back and forth most days, and we try to get together for a girls’ night out at least once a week,” I answered. “I haven’t talked to her much this week though. I’ve been distracted.”

His adorable chuckle had me smiling at the sound. He leaned over to rest his hand behind me on the seat, and he tenderly kissed my cheek. “I like distracting you.”

“I’m sure you do.” I chortled. Then, I glanced out the windshield in front of me. We were parked on the side of an isolated gravel road. I did not recognize the area. “Where are we?”

“Almost to our destination,” he replied good-humoredly. His expression told me he would not give me any hints.

I rolled my eyes at him, making him laugh. I could tell he loved the fact that he had me wound up with eagerness. Jason hopped out of the truck, walked over to my door, and helped me out. He opened the back passenger door and grabbed each of our duffel bags. He threw them over his shoulder, so one of his arms was still free.

Past the gravel road, I could see a wooded area. I knew this road was near the lake. I just wasn’t positive where exactly we were.

He took my hand in his. “Be careful, and watch your step,” he said with concern in his voice, guiding me forward along the trail in between the tall pines, farther into the wooded area.

There was just enough of a worn path that I could see where we were going. I held on to Jason’s strong grip as I carefully stepped over old twigs and pine needles that had fallen to the ground. My eyes scanned the surroundings to find anything that looked slightly familiar, but I was drawing a blank. Texting while Jason had driven the last several minutes had thrown me off from being able to anticipate our location, and these treed expanses all started to look the same once we were in the middle of them.

After a few more minutes of walking, a secluded part of the lake came into view. With each step, I increased my pace as I started to feel like I recognized our whereabouts, yet it seemed as if we were approaching from what I assumed was the opposite side.

Nearing the end of the pines, we appeared to be on the south side of the beach. An orange, white, and black sign that read,
Sudden Drop-Off
,
came up on my right side
.
My flip-flops sank into the sand as we rounded a slight bend. The hot sun was shining down on me as I saw it from afar. It was my beloved wooden dock that led out to the center of the water. He had taken me not to just any beach but my favorite one.

I gasped softly. Warmth flooded my chest, creating havoc in my heart, at the thought of him bringing me here. He’d remembered this was my favorite place to go.

I spun around to face Jason.

He dropped our duffel bags while smiling down at me. His sky-blue eyes were transfixed on mine, absorbing my reaction. “Surprised?” he asked tenderly. He extended his arm around the small of my back, hauling me closer to him.

I angled my head to meet his gaze. “How did you know where to find this place?” I asked in awe.

“I called your brother, so he could give me directions,” he admitted sheepishly.

The unexpected south entrance to the lake inlet instead of the usual northwest made sense to me now. My brother had always been one of those men who knew multiple ways and every back road to the same destination.

My eyes bulged from their sockets as my brother’s involvement sank in a little more. “You called Kyle?” I asked, repeating Jason’s answer to make sure I’d heard him right.
That means…
“My brother knows about us?” I shrieked.

While still on his honeymoon, Kyle was probably freaking out about Jason and me dating.

Jason chuckled quietly. “Yes. Don’t worry, Abbey. When I told him I wanted to bring you here, he was much calmer than I’d expected.”

My brow rose. “What do you mean, calmer than you expected?”

Jason’s lip twitched in amusement, and I knew he was playfully laughing at me.

“I was pretty tough on him when he was dating Lily, so I thought he was going to return the favor. But after a short moment of stunning him into silence, he threatened me and said that if I broke your heart, he’d bury me in his backyard. Then, before giving me directions to the dock, he murmured to Lily that she was right.” He chortled. “Apparently, Lily had a hunch that you and I would soon be an item,” he added with a grin.

I never would have thought that Lily could foresee Jason and me actually dating. She’d only seen us together at her wedding and reception. I should have known better though. The way that bouquet had barreled straight for me should have been a dead giveaway, except she couldn’t have predicted that Jason would catch the garter.

I flung my arms around his shoulders and threw my head back, laughing hard. Jason chuckled along with me.

“Oh my gosh!” I cried, trying to steady my breathing. “That’s hilarious!”

When Jason and I finally caught our breaths, his demeanor unexpectedly changed. He swiftly raised his right hand and stroked it along the length of my cheek. His eyes were sincere while he stared at me. “I love it when you laugh. It makes your eyes fill with so much happiness that I can feel it.” He shook his head gently while gripping me tighter with his other hand. His voice lowered to a mere whisper, “Whatever this is between us…I don’t ever want it to end.”

I exhaled shakily at his declaration, overwhelmed by his honesty. My heart thudded ferociously in my chest, and the air crackled between us. I clenched my arms around his nape, letting my feelings for him course through me. He was the only thing that mattered to me right here in this moment, and I was going to embrace every second of it.

“Me either,” I confessed to both him and myself.

He released the most breathtaking smile before taking my mouth and kissing me passionately. We had shared many ardent kisses before, but this one, with our feelings out in the open, truly felt like our first. Time stood still as the gentle breeze blew around us. His sweet lips caressed mine with a profound tenderness that awakened and stirred my soul.

We parted, gasping for air.

He lowered his forehead against mine. “So, are you ready for some fun?” he asked in lighter spirits.

“Oh yeah.” I grinned friskily, taking a backward step out of his arms.

He eyed me curiously as I let my flip-flops slide off my feet. Still backing up toward the dock behind me, I grabbed the hem of my white tank top, lifted it over my head, and tossed it down onto the sand. His eyes darkened, drinking in the sight of me. I could almost feel the desire rolling off of him in thick waves.

I placed my fingers on the button of my shorts and undid them. After briefly pausing, I let my shorts fall to my ankles, and then I kicked them in his direction before continuing to move away from him. His lips parted into a mischievous grin. He gradually started to saunter toward me. The way his broad shoulders moved in sync with the rest of his body caught my attention.

He is so damn sexy.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a rough, impish tone.

I grinned at him while gauging that I was an adequate distance in front of him now. “Giving you a proper introduction to the lake.” I winked. “Last one off the dock buys dinner!” I shouted, turning on my heels and running for it.

“Hey!” Jason bellowed from behind me.

I could hear the swishing sound of his shorts falling behind me, but I didn’t dare turn around. I stretched my legs, running straight for the dock, as I felt the sand beneath my feet. I leaped onto the wooden dock and continued onward, quickening my steps on the sturdy surface. I neared the edge, and then I suddenly felt Jason’s arms swoop around me. In the blink of an eye, we both barreled into the water. His laughter and my squeals filled the air before we went beneath the surface. By the time I opened my eyes, Jason was treading water next to me with a huge smile on his face.

“I think you owe me a dinner.” He smirked, his eyes glowing with pure male satisfaction and triumph.

“No way!” I retorted, splashing water at him. “That was definitely a tie!”

“A tie?” he scoffed. “You cheated by distracting me with that gorgeous body of yours that I’ve been dying to see, so you could give yourself a head start!”

“Whatever,” I replied in denial. Teasing him had been way more fun than feeding his ego.

I dived into his arms, hoping to sink him, but I failed. He effortlessly kept us both afloat, kicking his powerful legs below. I shook my head at him.

“You only caught up to me because you have at least a half foot on me, so your strides are longer,” I scoffed, loving our banter.

“I can’t help it that you’re short.” He grinned.

“Hey!” I chortled. “That’s a low blow,” I said, making him laugh harder.

“My bad,” he chuckled, revealing that sexy grin. He brought us closer to the shore until he could touch the bottom.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pressing our bodies close together.

He swooped his head down, taking my lips in a reverent kiss. I opened my mouth to sweep my tongue along his lips, tasting him before he opened up for me. With each caress, my insides warmed, and I felt myself falling a little harder for him.

Parked in front of my condo, I hopped down from his truck. Jason came over to my side and locked his truck. He linked our hands together, and we started to walk up the sidewalk to my front door. My eyes beamed brightly while remembering our day together. After swimming for a few hours, we’d changed back into our street clothes and stopped for a bite to eat on our way back to my house.

I unlocked my front door, letting it swing open, before turning to face him and closing the distance between us. I lifted my hand to cup his cheek. “Thank you for today. I had a wonderful time,” I said.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled as he gripped my hips and pulled me flush against him. His hands stroked up and down my waist affectionately. “I had a great time, too.”

He leaned in to gently kiss me good-bye. As soon as our mouths made contact, I lost all logical thought. Desire for him pumped hot and heavy through my veins. I delicately bit his full bottom lip in between kisses, causing him to groan in my mouth.

He urgently deepened our embrace while backing me up to the side of the doorframe. The heat and hardness of his body pressed along my soft curves, and I could feel his firm erection through the cotton material of his shorts. An uncontrollable electrical current bloomed in my belly at our proximity.

He grasped the back of my thighs and lifted me. I gasped and bound my hands around the back of his neck to hold on. My legs automatically came around his waist, clinging to him. I trailed my fingers up his nape and all the way up to his soft blond hair. A cajoling rumble left the back of his throat. His palms possessively gripped my behind while never breaking our kiss.

He pulled back abruptly, breathing heavily, and his intense gaze penetrated me. “Are you sure?” he questioned in a raw, strained voice.

I didn’t doubt the meaning of what he was asking. I nodded my head up and down. “Yes,” I rasped against his mouth.

That was all it took for him to start walking into my condo with me in his arms, kicking the door shut with his foot on the way inside. Unable to resist, I impatiently kissed him again. He strode straight through the foyer to the living room and then veered to the right. He stopped at the hallway.

I drew back to point to my bedroom door. “That way.”

Jason gently kicked open the door with his foot, and he carried me over the threshold, striding straight for my bed. He slowly lowered us until I felt the soft plush mattress beneath my back. His eyes burned into mine. I lifted my hands to run them down either side of his face and then all the way down the broad planes of his chest. Wanting to feel his bare skin, I deliberately made my way to the base of his shirt. I yanked it over his head and tossed it.