Page 55 of Enticed
“I’m going to grab a drink,” I announced before slipping away. Sinking onto the towel, I pulled open the cooler Jasmine had packed for us and grabbed a bottle of water. I took a long gulp of it before retrieving my phone from our bag. A quick search yielded the results I was looking for and one overpriced purchase later, my plan was set in motion. I returned to the water where Jasmine had ventured out further. It was nearly up to her hips now.
“I love the beach,” she said contentedly. “This is the only time of year I get to come since the ranch is so busy during the summer. It’s almost impossible to get away.” Several minutes passed before she spoke again to inform me she was going to check her sugar and grab a snack. I waded out further, dipping down enough to wet my hair. I needed to check my phone, so I returned to our spot once again. Jasmine’s gaze lifted as I approached and she did a double take, her mouth falling open. My step faltered at the unbridled lust in her eyes. I took my spot on the towel next to hers, and she cleared her throat.
“Damn, Gabe, warn a girl before you walk up on her with water dripping down your body and your hair all slicked back like that.” I barked out a laugh at her unfiltered statement. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath as she shifted in her seat, subtly rubbing her thighs together.
My phone dinged, and I picked it up to find a notification alerting me my driver was five minutes away.
“How’s your sugar?” I asked, buying time until I needed to step away to meet the delivery driver.
“Perfect,” she replied, popping an almond in her mouth and crunching on it.
“Good,” I said, climbing to my feet. “I’ll be right back.” She didn’t question me, most likely assuming I was going to the restroom. I stepped onto the parking lot seconds before the driver pulled up. I waved at her.
“Are you Gabriel?” she asked. I confirmed, and she handed me the bag.
“Thank you,” I said before trudging back down the beach to Jasmine. She stood and was preparing to head back to the water when she spotted me. She eyed the plastic bag in my hand curiously.
“What’s that?”
Instead of answering, I reached inside and pulled out both boxes. I handed them over to her, and she gasped.
“Gabe,” she said, her voice cracking as she lifted her stunned gaze to mine.
“Now you can go in the water as deep as you want,” I supplied. The pure joy that lit up her face was more than worth the fifty bucks it cost to have twenty dollars’ worth of supplies delivered in thirty minutes or less.
“Thank you,” she said, already disconnecting her pump. Sealing it in a bag, she placed it in the cooler before spreading a Tegaderm over the insertion site on her abdomen. As soon as it was covered, she took off toward the water, running and splashing into the shallows before diving beneath the surface. A joyous rumble of laughter left my lips when she popped up several feet away and threw her hands in the air, twirling and jumping excitedly. I loved seeing her so carefree, enjoying the simple pleasures of swimming in the ocean. And I relished the fact I got to be the one to give that to her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
JASMINE
Iwas blissfully happy. Gabe had gone out of his way to ensure I could get in the ocean without having to worry or hold back. I hadn’t even considered ordering supplies and having them delivered. The gesture was so thoughtful and sweet, it had nearly brought tears to my eyes.
We stayed out on the beach for a couple hours, soaking up the sun and enjoying the crystal clear water. I changed out of my wet bathing suit, and Gabe threw his shirt back on before hopping in his truck.
“Ready to head back?” he asked, and I wrinkled my nose.
“Absolutely not,” I replied tartly, shaking out my damp hair and combing through it with my fingers. “You and I are going to play a round of miniature golf, and then I’m going to gorge myself on the biggest cluster of crab legs you’ve ever seen.” I had the entire evening planned out. We would make the most of this long weekend together.
A satisfactory grin curved his lips as he reversed out of the parking spot. “I’ve never played miniature golf,” he confessed.
“Well, you’re in luck because I’m basically a professional, and I’m willing to take you under my wing and show you how it’s done.”
He chuckled and the low, throaty sound made my stomach dip. Every sound this man made—hell, everything he did—was so damn sexy. When he emerged from the ocean earlier with rivulets of water coursing down his chiseled body and his wet hair slicked back, I thought I might combust. It wasn’t fair that he could look that good and I wasn’t allowed to jump his bones.
Maybe that would change this weekend, I thought hopefully.
The miniature golf course was bustling when we arrived. We gathered our equipment and set out for the first hole. I went first, showing Gabe exactly what to do, scoring a hole in one right off the bat.
“Okay, that doesn’t look too hard,” he claimed. “I got this.”
He didnothave this. At all. In fact, he was terrible. I continued to get a hole in one on the next few while it took him at least four swings to drop the ball into the hole. We fell into a fit of laughter when he launched his ball completely off our section of the course at hole five.
“Sorry,” he called to the people trying to play that hole. They begrudgingly retrieved the ball and tossed it back to him.
“Here, let me show you,” I began, stepping up behind him. I reached around him and gripped the putter over top of his hands. “You’re chopping at the ball. It’s a swinging motion,” I instructed, moving his hands and arms, miming how it felt to swing it properly.He took a couple practice swings, but his posture was still too stiff, so I planted my hands on his hips. “It’s all in the hips,” I said, guiding him through the motion.
“I feel like this should be the other way around. You’re too short. You can’t even see over me,” he teased.
