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Me: Thank the Lord. Because I may have been about to commit murder.
She giggles when she reads it. My attention gets drawn away when little arms wrap around me from behind. “Uncle Asher!”
Charlie is here. Along with my sister and her fiancé. “Hey guys.”
“Heard your flight got delayed,” Dallas says. “You must be exhausted.”
My eyes flash back to Allie for a second. “Yeah, not so much.”
Marti doesn’t miss the brief interaction. “Hey, Bug,” she says, winking at me. “How about you come for a sleepover? Charlie has really missed you.”
“Please, please?” Charlie begs. “Wait until you see. There are bunches of steps down to the beach and there’s even a kitchen. Will you come, Bug?”
Bug looks over at me. “Go ahead,” I say.
Of course I let her go. Because that means I won’t have to do anysneakingat all. I can walk right over to Bungalow 4 and live out my fantasy with the girl who is apparently the woman of my dreams.
Me: Give me thirty minutes.
Chapter Eight
Allie
A half-hour later, almost to the minute, there’s a knock on the door, and I swing it open.
Asher is standing there with a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and a small gift bag. And one huge, shit-eating grin.
I wave him inside, laughing. “Did you really think I’d be out with someone the night you were going to arrive?”
He comes through the doorway, takes in the entire bungalow from wall to wall, then sets the bottle and glasses down, whistling at our surroundings. “Nice pad. And I was thinking maybe you thought I stood you up.”
“I knew you’d be late. You texted me your flight information a few weeks ago. I was tracking it.”
“Ahhh. Right.” He looks pleased as he eyes me up and down. “So this incredible dress. It was for me?”
I feel my cheeks heat. Of course it was for him. But I’m not sure I want it going to his head. “Just something I had lying around.”
His chest dances with laughter, like he knows I’m full of shit.
My gaze falls to his left hand. “What’s in the bag?”
His devilish grin is full of delight. “Just something I’d like to seeyoulying around in.”
I swipe it from him and look inside where I see a few small scraps of pink fabric. Upon further inspection, I realize it’s a bathing suit. If you can even call it that. More like a micro-bikini. I hold it up by the tip of a finger. “What is this?”
“We’ll call it payback. You know, for the running shorts?”
I smile and nod, sure he hasn’t quite thought this through. “So you want me wearing this to the resort pool?”
The edges of his mouth turn down. “I, uh… On second thought…” He rips the bikini out of my hand and tosses it in the trash. “I’m sure the resort shop has plenty of modest one-pieces you can wear.”
I giggle silently then pick up and examine the bottle of champagne, curious as always about any competition to our winery. “I’m glad you could get away. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to.”
“Marti took Bug for the night.” He takes the bottle from me, puts it back down, and steps close, pulling me tightly against him. “But let’s be clear. My kid is thirteen. I would have zero issues leaving her alone for a few hours to get some of this.”
“This?” I wiggle against him.
He lowers his head, and I feel his lips against my neck. My eyes close of their own volition as his mouth devours my clavicle, the delicate divot beneath my ear, my exposed cleavage. Just when I’m getting all worked up, he pulls away. “Do you have a blanket?”