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I climbed down from the cab and made my way to the wooden path that led to the beach. The breeze had picked up and I wished I had something to cover my arms .
After a few minutes, Cole emerged behind me holding two beers. “Sorry, I don’t have a huge selection. Beer ok ?”
I wasn’t about to admit that I didn’t drink much beer. “It’s perfect.” I took the cold bottle and sipped. A shiver ran down my back .
“You cold? Here.” Cole handed me his beer and unbuttoned the plaid shirt he was wearing. He pulled one sleeve and then the other before wrapping it around my shoulders. Underneath, he had on a T-shirt. I studied every move he made, as if he was unwrapping a present .
“Thanks. I guess you did get to be a knight in shining armor after all.” I laughed and was glad to be warm. The shirt was heated was from his body .
“Follow me.” He tilted his head in the direction of the water .
“Where are we going ?”
“My secret spot on the beach .”
“Sounds mysterious.” I trailed behind Cole as we walked down the boardwalk and north along the dunes, glad his playful side had emerged again. We felt normal again .
“Here it is.” He stepped into an alcove nestled by beach shrubs. “It’s a natural wind barrier. You won’t be as cold in here .”
I also noticed that we wouldn’t be spotted by a single soul on the beach. The cove was tucked away among higher sand dunes. Cole tossed one of the forbidden motel towels down on the sand .
“I heard you can’t use those except for showers. There’s a strict motel policy,” I taunted him .
“I’ve got connections.” If it hadn’t been so dark on the beach, I would have sworn he winked at me .
I hugged his shirt around me and sat on the towel next to Cole .
“Didn’t you say you had guests checking in later this week? When do they get here?” I sipped on the beer. I actually liked this one, it tasted like it was mixed with orange .
He leaned back, his palms pressed into the blanket. “I held off on taking any early reservations. Other than you, the first reservation of the summer season checks in on Friday .”
“And you have to do all of the work yourself? You can’t hire anyone?” I asked .
He exhaled. “No, I can’t. And to be honest, I don’t even know if I’ll have all the rooms ready by the weekend. Maybe they won’t notice the broken deck boards or the missing shower rods. What do you think? Too obvious ?”
I don’t know why it took so long to surface, but the idea seemed to be staring me in the face. “Why don’t you let me help you?” Last night, I couldn’t think straight when I offered to help, but now I had clear thoughts .
I felt Cole stiffen next to me. “No way. I don’t need charity .”
“It’s not charity. I want to help. I could do something useful, I’m sure. I’m a business major. Maybe I could get the accounting and the reservations squared away for you, and you could focus on the fix-it stuff. That way you’re not trying to do everything.” I remembered how stressed he looked sorting through the receipts .
“Business major ?”
“Mmm-hmm. I am. I know some numbers.” I mimicked his position on the blanket, smoothing the blanket over the sand as I leaned back .
“I can’t pay you. It wouldn’t be right.” Cole shook his head .
“You don’t have to pay me, and I can help straighten the rooms and deliver towels too. There’s no limit to my skills.” My need to do good deeds kept pouring out. “And aren’t you the one who said last night we’re basically family ?”
“You really want to help me out?” Cole sounded cautious .
“I do.” I wanted to help more than I could explain .
I shifted toward him. In the light cast by the half-moon, I could see his eyes were raking over my body. Then I felt it, the charging air between us. The force that stopped all my thinking and tempted my body to give in to the rush of feelings that surfaced when Cole looked at me that way. I wanted to ask him if he felt it too, but it was one of those things I couldn’t describe. Words might ruin it .
“Kaitlyn, I don’t know what to say. I’m doing this whole thing on my own. The Dunes is my burden—my problem. It doesn’t feel right accepting free help.” He had nestled his beer in the sand and his hand traced my jawline. “I’m doing it for Grayson .”
This is exactly what he did last night, and I loved every intense and hot second of it. My breath quickened, anticipating and wanting his next touch .
