Page 5 of The Burbs and the Bees
Jay follows me off, and once we’re on stable ground, he turns to me. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“That’s okay. I think I can see it from here,” I say, and he hesitates a moment.
He brushes a bead of water from his forehead and scrubs the wispy hairs on his chin. “So uh, be careful on the rocks. I might not be around to rescue you next time.”
“You mean you won’t be around to push me in,” I counter.
He grins and is about to turn away, but I stop him.
“Jay,” I say and his head dips. His eyes meet mine, and wow, they push back the rest of the cold in my bones, and I nearly liquify. A burst of heat arcs between us, and I get the sense that he feels it every bit as much as I do. Attraction at first sight. I guess it really is a thing.
“Yeah.”
“It’s been a really rough day. Actually, it’s been a really rough week, and I want to thank you for staying with me in the water. You could have easily made it to that boat faster.”
“It’s what anyone from around these parts would do.” His smile is genuine, and I sense he’s a nice guy. I could use one or two of those in my life. “But I guess you’re not from around here.”
“Far from it.”
“Then let me welcome you to Nova Scotia.” He glances past my shoulder to the water, and his own blanket parts to expose his hard body. “I guess after a bad week and an unwanted dip in the ocean, the rest of your day can only go uphill, huh?” At the mention of things going up, and before I can stop myself, I let my gaze drop to his boxer shorts. He clears his throat, and I briefly pinch my eyes shut.
Honest to God, I really need to stop checking this guy out. Or at least stop getting caught doing it.
“Just so you know,” he begins, “I was having a crappy day, too.”
I give an exaggerated exhale and glance at my soaked shoes. “And to top it off, I drag you into the water with me.”
“Actually, that’s when my day started to improve.”
“What?” I croak out, my eyes lifting to his. “What are you talking about?”
“I got to see you in your lacy underwear.”
My jaw drops. “You weren’t supposed to look.”
He angles his head. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He grins and turns. “See you later,” he says and saunters away, his hard body taking my focus with him.
“Probably not,” I murmur. I will not be seeing him later, and I will not be thinking about him in his underwear, either.
Much.
Chapter Two
Jay
I stand at the tail end of my pickup truck and search the crowd for my kid brother. I finally spot him coming toward me, and when he sees the soggy state I’m in, his steps slow to a crawl.
“Ah, bro…” He checks out my damp hair and glances at the length of my woolen blanket. “It might be the first Saturday in July, but the water temperature is still too cold for a dip.”
I take in the crooked grin on his face. I love the kid, but sometimes he’s just a huge smart-ass who doesn’t know when to keep his trap shut.
“Give me that.” I take the crate of lobster
he’s holding and slide it into the back.
“Seriously, bro.” He scratches his head and plucks at the gray wool blanket draped over my shoulders. “What the hell? Did you fall into the water or something?”
“Or something,” I mumble.
