AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was supposed to be a quick greeting, but instead I melted into him.
So much for a casual hello hug.
I inhaled his masculine scent, but all too quickly he released me, and heat flushed my cheeks. “Hi. Thanks again for this.”
“My pleasure. Still no flannel, I see.” He gestured toward me.
I raised both palms. “All I got.”
In one fluid movement, his fingers began working the buttons to his shirt. I watched as he slipped the sleeves from his arms and flung the enormous shirt over my shoulders. I tucked my arms in as he began buttoning, his eyes locked with mine.
What was this thing happening between us?
His sharp blue eyes gave nothing away as he made quick work of buttoning the shirt and rolling the long sleeves to my wrists.
“There. At least you won’t get chilly.”
I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying not to be too obvious when I pulled the scent of cologne clinging to the fabric deep into my lungs. “Thank you.”
Huck bent to unlace his massive work boots. “There are walking boards, but you might do better without shoes.”
I nodded and slipped my sneakers from my feet and placed them next to Huck’s under a bush.
“No one’ll mess with them, and we’ll warm up by a fire.” He held out an elbow, and I slipped my hand onto his arm. “Let’s go.”
As we rounded the corner, my eyes widened. Several large bonfires dotted the beach and were already burning. Groups of people with coolers and blankets gathered around them. Laughter mixed with the crashing waves of the lake.
I squeezed Huck’s arm. “This is really incredible.”
He smiled down at me. “Glad you like it.”
After passing a few of the burning fires, we stopped at one of the larger ones. Huck stepped forward to shake hands with a man and introduced me.
“This is my friend, Cass.”
The way his voice rolled over my name made desire tug low in my belly. I wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl, but if he kept holding me close and whispering facts about the town’s residents in that deep rumble, I just may have considered it.
I stood, a happy observer, while the locals and what I guessed were a few tourists celebrated the coming of autumn. In the background, another man had a guitar over his lap, strumming a vaguely familiar tune while the woman to his right sang along. A few couples danced, while most mingled and laughed with each other.
The endless black of Lake Michigan sprawled out. Light danced off the surface of the rolling waves.
“Walk with me?” Huck’s warm breath tickled my ear, and I tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as we walked side by side down the beach.
Huck guided us closer to the water’s edge but kept the gathering crowd in view. The wet sand was cool beneath my toes. When a larger wave rolled onto the beach, we let the cool water brush over our feet. It was surprisingly refreshing.
“It just goes on forever.” I looked out onto the water, the waves disappearing in the horizon.
“Some days it feels like it.” Huck bent down and plucked something from the sand. He opened his hand, revealing a small piece of mint-colored glass on his palm. “Sea glass.”
My eyes widened. “Really?” I plucked it from the center of his hands and smoothed it through my fingers. The edges were rounded, its dull surface weathered by its time rolling through the water.
Huck gestured up the beach. “You can find it up and down the beach. It’s hard to spot, but if you know what you’re looking for, sometimes it just pops out at you.”
I had gone to hand it back when he shook his head. “Keep it.” Hiding my smile, I slipped the smooth glass into the front pocket of my jeans.
A chill rippled through me, and Huck’s arm immediately wrapped around my shoulders, offering his heat. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
We made our way back to one of the larger bonfires. The heat radiating from the fire hit my face and settled into me. Driftwood was arranged as makeshift seats, along with several blankets brought by other townies. Huck gestured toward an empty blanket with black-and-white buffalo check, and when I sat down, he claimed the spot beside me.
