AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Worse still, my pajamas were sheer, so he must have seen my nipples. That was the longest minute of my life. And the hottest. He wasn't even friendly with me, yet here I was, fantasizing about him.
“I should get new pajamas,” I said to myself.
Yes. Something thick and cottony. I need to get away from the house—and thoughts of Shawn—anyway.
My mind made up, I changed into jeans and a T-shirt and threw on a pair of sneakers. I pulled my hair up, powdered my face, and glossed my lips. Done with that, I headed downstairs.
“Violet.”
I came to a gasping halt and spun toward the voice. Shawn stood in the foyer, arms folded across his chest. "You scared me," I choked, pressing a hand to my chest.
He frowned.
I didn't want him to get any ideas about my mental state, so I shook my head. "I thought you were at work. I didn't expect to see you." As my racing heart settled, my eyes caught on the leather jacket and black jeans he wore. Did he own anything else?
He drew closer. “No, I guess you didn't.”
"Okay." He said nothing else, just looked at me. I swallowed. "Do you...need something?" Even when he wasn't speaking, something about Shawn felt intense as hell. Like a tide pulling me under. And the stupid thing was, I wasn't opposed to going under with him.
“I'm going out for lunch. Care to join me?”
“Um...” What the heck? Why would he want to have lunch with me? Is it going to be a date? “It's a bit early for lunch, don't you think?” I said calmly, surprising myself. On the inside, my stomach was doing cartwheels.
“An early lunch, then,” he rumbled. “Are you coming?”
"Sure," I said before I could think it through. I walked behind Shawn on our way out.You were going shopping, remember?
As Leon said, his dad chose the Jeep. The wind swept through my hair as he sped through traffic. He kept his gaze straight, glancing at me only a couple of times, but each time, my heart leaped into my throat, and nerves danced in my belly.
Tired of being so wound up, I decided to distract myself. "Where are we going?" I didn't know Cape Worth very well and had never come this way.
“Somewhere excellent. You'll see,” he said.
He finally brought us to a stop outside a beachside restaurant. I hopped out of the car, glad I wore jeans. The salty air would've surely sent a dress or flared skirt flying. Now, I only had to deal with my hair. I tucked the loose strands back and took in the dancing ocean.
“Do you like the beach?” Shawn's low voice came from behind me.
“Yes,” I said, turning to face him.
“Were there beaches where you lived before?” he asked.
My eyes narrowed. Why did he care? On the ride over here, I had decided that our conversations would be mainly about the boys, definitely not me. “No, but we had some in nearby towns. When I was younger, I’d drive out with friends, and we’d spend a whole day there." Pain lumped in my throat. A life I had left behind because of Eric. The bastard.
“You can use one of the cars and come here anytime you like.”
Shawn's voice pulled me back to the present, grounding me. I forced a smile. "I just might." Thinking of the life I left made me sad, so I focused on the man next to me. The sunlight fell on his thick, dark hair, highlighting the variation in colors. "Do you like the beach?" I could almost imagine him, shirt off, muscled body making all the women stare.
He gave me a strange look, like he didn't expect the question. “I do,” he said. “Come on, let's go in.”
A shiver raced through me as Shawn placed a hand on my lower back and led us toward the upscale building. The interior had a palm tree theme and was all brown and green with little lights hanging from the ceiling. While it was all new and beautiful, I couldn't entirely take it all in. Shawn's hand on me made me breathless. Did he know how much he affected me?
I glanced at him and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. God, he was gorgeous.
“Like it?” he asked.
"Yes," I said breathily. Swallowing, I tried again. "It's stunning."
He nodded his approval and led me to a seat by the window. I dropped into the chair knitted out of palm fronds but so smooth it felt like I sat on a silk blanket. Just as Shawn was about to sit, his cell dinged. He pulled it out of his pocket, and a frown drew his brows down.
