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“Be nice,” she said.
Coming up behind her, he put both hands on the edge of the sink, boxing her in. “I’m trying to be very nice, but you aren’t giving me a chance,” he said against the side of her neck.
And got an elbow to his ribs for his efforts. “Behave. Your parents are right there.”
Oliver glanced across the large, open room to where his parents sat, engrossed in their movie. “Exactly why I’m trying to get us out of here,” he grumbled.
“Well, the faster we clean the kitchen, the sooner we can go on that romantic moonlit walk.” She handed him the same towel she’d whacked him with. “I’ll scrub, you dry.”
“Aye-aye, captain. And by the way, I never said it was going to be romantic.” He leaned his hip against the counter and teased, “You shouldn’t go putting words in my mouth.”
Suddenly he got a face full of water from the sink sprayer. Wiping his face off, he locked eyes with Eve, who dropped the sink sprayer back into place. Giggling and backing away toward the side of the island, she gasped, “That should teach you some respect.”
Oliver’s lips twitched, but his tone came out a dark, gravelly threat. “You’re dead.”
With lightning speed, he lunged for her, but she made it to the other side of the large, marble island. He kept coming, and she took off, squealing and circling the granite square, not slowing even when Beast bounded to his feet, barking and joining in the game.
The third time around, Oliver managed to catch her when she went for the sink’s hose again and wrestled her arms to her sides. She was breathless with laughter, and he wanted to kiss her, to feel her arms wrap around him and pull him into her body.
“Children!” his dad called from the living room. “We are watching a movie. Try to keep it down.”
Eve pulled out of his embrace, blushing, and Oliver cursed his dad for interrupting their moment.
Ten minutes later, the kitchen was shiny and the dishwasher loaded. Before something else came up, Oliver took her hand and tugged. “We’re goi
ng for a walk. Can Beast stay with you, Mom?”
At the mention of his name, Beast looked up from his comfortable spot covering Oliver’s mom’s feet in front of the couch and laid his head back down again.
“Sure, he’s just keeping my feet warm. Be careful and take a flashlight,” his mother called.
Oliver grabbed one and had almost made it to the door when his dad said, “And you might want to wear a sweatshirt or jacket.”
“I didn’t bring one,” Eve whispered.
“I’ve got an extra.” Even if he’d only had the one, he would have gone without just to get out of there. As they walked the short distance to his cabin, Oliver was surprised when Eve volunteered to wait outside.
“Are you afraid my mom’s going to catch you in my cabin and get mad?”
“Yep, most definitely,” she said.
Oliver chuckled as he went in and grabbed the sweatshirts. He handed her one, and once it was all zipped and in place, he held his hand out for hers.
“Come on. The trail’s just this way.”
Chapter Thirteen
EVE KICKED OFF her shoes the minute they hit sand, loving the feel of the cold, wet grains under her heels and between her toes. It had been a long time since she’d been to the beach, mainly because it was hard to coordinate a vacation to the coast with her friends, but this was heaven.
Made better by the man holding her hand and leading her toward the water.
“We’re not going in, right?” Eve looked out over the midnight black water and could just imagine what lurked below the surface.
“Nah, too cold.” Oliver sat down in the sand and pulled her down between his legs. Eve relaxed and snuggled back into him as he circled her in his arms. He didn’t try for more than that, and part of her was disappointed after all the effort he’d gone through to get her alone.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said.
“Yeah, I love it. Maybe someday I’ll retire here,” Oliver said.
