Page 79 of Lemon Drop

“In the right conditions,” I whispered.

He bit his lip, released it. “Even then, you demanding, Apple.”

I chose the safety of silence, feeling the burn of a blush on my cheeks.

We left the canopy and walked toward the water. The sand was cooler there and firm beneath our bare feet. Waves rushed over my toes before retreating, leaving tiny shells glittering behind. Saadiq reached for my hand. Without a thought, I laced my fingers through his.

We walked without talking for a while. I felt no need to fill the silence. That was new for us. At work, there was always something to discuss, something that needed fixing, somewhere one of us needed to be. Hell, compared to this, we even argued in fast motion, felt like.

We reached a point where the beach curved out of sight from the canopy. I stopped and looked back.

“This is beautiful.”

“Yeah. It is.”

I caught him looking at me instead of the sky. “So not original,” I teased.

But I liked it.

He pulled me toward him until my hands rested against his chest.

“Dance with me.”

I looked at him funny. “You hear music?”

“I hear waves.”

“That is so damn corny.”

“You dancing or not, shorty?”

I shook my head even as I rested my hands on his shoulders. His hands settled at my waist.

“You lucky you fine,” I grumbled.

He smiled. “Thought I was cute?”

“I did not call you cute.”

“Last night⁠—”

I waved that off. “I was under stress.”

“Nah. You was under me.”

My mouth fell open. “Saadiq!”

His laugh carried across the empty beach.

“You so nasty.”

“You love it.”

I didn’t deny it. Instead, I rested my cheek against his chest and let us sway slightly while the ocean rolled around our feet. After a minute, his arms tightened around me.

“Apple?”

“Hmm?”