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As I got closer, I realized that apart from her bare feet, every other square inch of her was completely covered. From ankles to wrists to neck, she was covered in some kind of workout outfit.
I peeked around the umbrella. “Expecting a snowstorm? You do realize we’re hanging out at the beach today, right?”
My voice caught her attention, and an immediate smile bloomed across her face. The pinch in my heart released, just a bit, at the easy way she smiled up at me.
“Just don’t want to get too much sun.” She pulled, tugging the sleeve of her shirt a little lower. “You know I fry on days like these.”
I glanced up at the clear, cloudless sky. It was hard not to notice the shade of blue was a near match for the exact color of Annie’s eyes. A tiny row of sweat droplets gathered at the base of the hair she had piled up on top of her head in a messy riot of curls.
I rolled my eyes and removed the backpack from my shoulder as I plopped down beside her. Digging through my bag, I pulled out the 70 SPF sunscreen I had packed for her and tossed it into her lap. “I got you.”
Annie stared down at the bottle of sunscreen as though I had just gifted her a newborn kitten.
As she looked down at it, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Thank you, Lee.”
My heart squeezed because Annie wasn’t the kind of girl to swoon over grand gestures and flashy gifts—it was early-morning hot cups of coffee or remembering sunscreen that did it for her.
“So come on, get out of that sweatsuit before you pass out from heatstroke. I’m off duty.” I shot her a wink and enjoyed the stain of pink that swept across the apples of her cheeks.
Cautiously, Annie lowered the zipper to the jacket and slid it off her shoulders. I swallowed hard and tried to not stare as I reached behind me and yanked off my T-shirt by the collar.
Her eyes moved over the tattoos I had inked on my arms and back. When I caught her staring, she lowered her gaze to the sunscreen and started rubbing the lotion into her arms as I pretended to search for something in my bag.
“Will you get my back?” she asked softly.
My heartbeat ticked higher. “Of course.”
Sure, I could have packed a spray suntan lotion, but I’m no fool.
I moved behind her, letting the lake breeze waft her perfume in my direction. I quietly sucked in a lungful as I settled in behind her.
I took my time rubbing the lotion between my palms to warm it up before gliding over the rounded slopes of Annie’s shoulders. Under the protection of the sun umbrella, I could hear the soft inhale and exhale of her breath.
Beneath my fingertips, her heartbeat hammered under her skin.
Though I hadn’t gotten to see it all yet, her swimsuit was one I had never seen her wear before. It was a one-piece suit, but the way it was constructed almost looked like a high-waisted bikini. The top was white with small navy pinstripes. The fabric wrapped around her tits and tied in a tempting little bow in the back. Her creamy skin pushed the limits of the fabric with every inhale. The bottom of the suit was a dusty blue that disappeared into the waistband of the pants she still wore. A tiny sliver of skin hinted at a cutout just below her chest.
I can’t wait to see the rest of it.
From behind her, my hands moved over the tops of her shoulders and across her collarbone. Her eyes widened softly. My palm inched upward to rub more lotion across her neck. The image of Annie beneath me with my hand gently across her throat as I drove into her flashed through my mind.
I quickly cleared my throat and moved to a safer area of her back. I reapplied lotion to my palms and moved my fingertips under the strap of her bathing suit. I had seen my brother do the same for Penny to ensure she didn’t burn if the straps shifted.
“What are you doing?”
“I like to be thorough, Annette,” I rasped.
She had sucked in a breath as though she was about to say something when Bug King popped her head around the edge of the umbrella. “It’s about time for lunch, and then we’re getting on the boats.”
Annie planted her hands in the sand and popped up, dusting her palms and gathering her jacket and bag in front of her chest. “Okay, thank you, Bug,” Annie croaked.
She looked back at me when I didn’t move. “Are you coming?” she asked with a cute little furrow between her eyebrows.
I cleared my throat, willing the aching hard-on between my legs to go down. I swallowed. “I think I need a minute.”
Her crisp blue eyes flicked down to my lap and then up to my face as the color in her cheeks deepened. Her lush mouth made a pert little O. “Oh, I...” A shotgun burst of laughter erupted from her.
She looked around for what to do. “Well, you can stand behind me. I can...” She shrugged. “I don’t know... block it?”
