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“No, of course not,” Andy hastened to add. “It was just a few pats on the back. It wasn’t like he was harassing me or anything.” But even as she said it, Andy’s brows furrowed as though she were suddenly cataloging every touchy-feely infraction.
Luke suspected there had been more than a few. “Andy?” he prompted gently.
Glancing up at him, she blew out a breath. “Look, it wasn’t anything major. I just found it more irritating than anything else.”
“Because of your sensory issues?”
“Yeah, because I have… a few.” She blushed, gaze falling. “I should probably get changed and go help Mary.”
Luke’s sister had two people in line and a relaxed grin lifting her cheeks. She did not need any help.
“Yeah, sure,” he said as Andy escaped into the dressing room and drew the curtain. “Nice threads by the way. They suit you.”
“So the wardrobe’s improving then?”
“It’s a step in the right direction.”
The subtle rasp of a zipper followed a soft snort. Luke willed his body not to react to the sound of Andy stripping down two feet from him because the last thing he wanted to be at the moment was just another creepy-ass coworker. Especially considering what weighed on his mind.
“Andy?”
“Yeah?”
“I just need to ask you one more thing.” She gave a muffled “hmm” between the rustle of clothes, so Luke pressed on. “When I put my hands on you in the pool Sunday, did that bother you?”
There was a moment of complete silence. One that was soon broken by a giggle. “What?No!That was totally fine. I mean you asked first, so that was good. And then you touched me the way that I like.”
He cocked his head, curiosity more than a little piqued by her last statement. “The way that you like?”
“Yeah. I prefer medium to firm pressure.” She giggled again. “Geez, it’s like I’m talking about a mattress.” The curtain was swept aside to reveal Andy back in her uniform of boxy work shirt and baggy cargos, the latter of which was a faded army green that only seemed to draw attention to her flushed face. Probably because the pants were so damn ugly. “I must sound weird to you, huh?”
“Nah,” he whispered. Their eyes locked for several seconds, and Luke was struck with the strongest urge to palm a pretty, pink cheek. Resisting it, he crossed his arms. “Lesson Six. Never hesitate to tell a man exactly how you do or do not like being touched. Any guy who can’t handle the specifics isn’t worth your time. Got it?”
“Yeah,” she rasped. “I got it.” Her blush only deepened, growing rosier as she gathered up the clothes.
Seeing the full wetsuit draped over her arm, Luke pointed to it. “Wear that tomorrow. It should give you enough protection to handle the Pacific given your cold sensitivities.” She nodded as he went on. “We also sell hoodies and booties, but sporting that much neoprene during the summer might mark you as a koo—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Now what time were we meeting again? Eight?”
“Hah. I’ll see you at 5:30.”
She stalked off with her purchases, muttering something about “sadistic-ass surfers.”
Luke smiled as he strolled back to his workshop.
Despite her grumblings, Andy beat him to the beach the next day. Luke came down the steps to find her standing in the first rays of sunlight to grace their usual stretch of sand.
What was significant about this was not that she’d arrived before him, nor that her wetsuit looked fantastic on her, hugging every subtle curve to perfection. No, what was significant was that she was standing barefoot in the sand and smiling — ever-so-slightly — down at the soft, crystalline grains kissing her feet.
“Mornin’,” he called out.
She looked up, that pretty little smile disappearing with the purse of her lips. “You’re late.”
Yes, he was. He’d rolled out of bed around twenty to six after waking from yet another bloody dream. Although this one had been more satisfying than disturbing. Primarily because he’d been dreaming of dragging dude-bro Aldon through shark-infested waters right along with baby-daddy Paul.
Smirking at the thought, Luke shrugged. “I overslept.”
She studied him a second, then nodded as though sorting something out. “You had a woman over.”
