My Beautiful (The Beautiful Series) (29 page)

Kyle walked out of the changing room with a pair of trunks over his shoulder. He laughed when he saw my full hands.

“I leave you alone for five minutes, and you found all that?” He shook his head in amazement as he came up next to me. “You’ve got skills.”

“And it all matches,” I added, eyes shining brightly.

He chortled and reached for my pile. I held on to my items until he scowled at me, and then I realized I’d left my purse in the car. He winked and smiled in triumph, knowing he’d clearly won.

At the counter, his attention caught on my bathing suit, and it was my turn to grin. I had specifically picked it because I knew he would love it. White always seemed to remind me of when he’d picked me up early for our first date, and I had opened the door of my cottage in my favorite white tee and panties. We had shared our first kiss that morning, too. I wondered if white had the same effect on him as it did me.

After paying for the items, we went into separate dressing rooms and changed for the beach. I stepped out of the room to see Kyle waiting for me, ready to go in his swim trunks. His eyes traveled up and down my body appreciatively until he shook his head.

“What?” I shifted on my feet and looked down to see what could be the cause of his expression. I came up empty.

He came closer and pulled at the flowing light fabric.

“The dress…covers too much. I was looking forward to seeing that sexy white bikini.”

I snickered as I leaned up on my toes and kissed him gently. “That’s the whole point of a cover-up,” I teased. “I’ll take it off when we get settled in a spot by the water.” I tugged on his hand as we left the store. “Let’s go soak up some sun.”

Itching to be under the sunrays, I quickened my steps while pulling on Kyle’s hand.

He laughed. “Has someone missed the beach?”

“You have no idea,” I replied, zoning in on the perfect spot off to the side that would give us a bit of privacy.

The beach was fairly small. I was surprised to see it populated with many families and random groups of teenagers. Ropes outlined the swimmable area, and two lifeguards were on duty. Many sailboats, tube runners, and Jet Skis were out in the distance.

Kyle opened our two towels and connected them, so we could lie side by side. I sat down on my towel, stripped off my cover-up, and reached for the suntan lotion. It was sunny and hot, just the way I liked it. It was a perfect day to get some color.

Kyle tilted his head as he grabbed for the suntan lotion. “Oh no, beautiful. That’s my job, especially on a road trip.”

His eyes darkened as they focused on my bikini top before traveling down my abdomen, and then his breathing caught as he slowly gazed over my long legs.

Feeling sexy under his heated stare, I couldn’t help but grin. “You like?” I teased.

He started to lather lotion on my arms, stomach, and each leg, deliberately working it into my skin while his eyes continued to roam. “Like?” He shook his head. “I fucking love it. Although, maybe you should put the dress thing back on.” He gestured to the folded material off to the side.

I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was going to say next. “Cover-up,” I corrected.

“Cover-up. That is the perfect name for it,” he growled. “You’re going to make all the teenagers drool, and then I’ll have to kick a minor’s ass.”

“I guess I’ll just need to keep your attention…engaged elsewhere.” I smiled mischievously and rolled onto my stomach.

My smile widened as his breath caught.

“I’m beginning to think this was a bad idea,” he murmured mostly to himself.

I chuckled. “How so?”

Kyle’s hands spread lotion up my spine and then along the curves of my shoulder before moving down the backs of my arms. With the combination of his heated touch and the sun beating against my flesh, my skin began breaking out in a light sweat.

He lowered his head next to my ear. “Because all I can think about is dragging you somewhere private, so I can show you just how much I love your new bathing suit.”

I moaned appreciatively into my towel. “That sounds positively delightful.”

A slight smack sounded off my behind, and I yelped.

“No teasing.” Kyle finished lathering my legs. “Since you insist on baking in this hot-ass sun, let’s go cool off a bit before I overheat.”

I felt way too relaxed to move. My legs were putty under his touch. “But I’m not ready yet,” I protested, turning over to face him.

Kyle’s eyebrow lifted in amusement while his eyes danced with a look of pure challenge. “Oh, you’re ready, or I can just carry you out over my shoulder.”

My jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t.” I scanned the beach. “In front of all these people?”

Kyle’s right dimple appeared on his cheek, making him look gorgeous. “We both know I would.” He grinned wickedly, now looking sinful and dangerous. “It’s up to you if you want that beautiful ass up in the air or not.”

“I think we need to talk to Jeanine about your bossiness.” I glared, pointing my finger at him. “It seems to be getting worse.”

He chuckled and leaned forward. “Five seconds, Lily…four…”

I jumped to my feet and noticed his bewildered expression before I took off running as fast as my legs would carry me.

“Last one in is a rotten egg!” I yelled back over my shoulder, feeling confident he couldn’t possibly catch up after my head start.

Our legs hit the water at the exact same time, splashing water around us. On the third stride in the water, Kyle wrapped his arms around my waist and pivoted us. When he tugged, he took us both under the water, drowning out our laughter.

We surfaced together. Before I could utter one word, his hands cupped my cheeks. My eyes lingered on his beautiful face, absorbing every detail. His smile looked so fresh and lighthearted as the water streamed down his cheeks, giving him a soft glow. A sense of belonging filled my heart as I felt the playfulness swirling between us.

The love and the intense magnetic pull that charged between us were always there. It was powerful and real and overwhelming. The force of it frightened me, but then his steady, calm eyes would bore into the depths of mine, reciprocating all of emotions and feelings that I felt deep inside. It gave me the reassurance, strength, and confidence that I needed to know that love would
conquer all, including my fear.

Digging my toes into the sand, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the need to be closer. That was all it took for his mouth to descend onto mine. His lips were warm and soft, and I could taste the salt water on my tongue.

Kyle pulled back. His desire quickly shifted back to being playful while his hands gathered my waist and drew me against his firm frame.

“We have an audience,” he whispered.

His head tilted in the direction of a little girl who could have only been six or seven years old. She had a pink bucket in one hand and a shovel in the other, and her face had an adoring smile full of curiosity.

“Oh my gosh.” I blushed and cradled my face with my hands before burying my head into Kyle’s shoulder, feeling too exposed.

“Don’t worry. We kept it PG.” He chuckled softly as he pulled us deeper out into the ocean with me still wrapped around his waist.

His arms and legs treaded water effortlessly while he floated on his back. His body glistened under the sun, showing off his amazing physique and strength.

My arms came out, stroking the water and pushing it behind us. “Where did you learn to be such a good swimmer?”

“Swimming pools and lakes.” He grinned. “Ryan and I used to swim a lot to cool down after a hot summer day of helping my dad. Ryan was very competitive and loved to challenge me in races.”

“Who won?”

“Ryan,” Kyle answered as we neared the ropes. “He was leaner and quicker than me in the water. He swam all through high school and went to college on a swimming scholarship.”

“Something you weren’t as good at? Is that even possible?” I teased.

“Yep,” he admitted. “He only used me for extra practice to work on his speed and agility during the season. He was an incredible swimmer back in the day.”

“Well, I’d say you’re pretty good yourself.”

We parted and unhurriedly swam out to the ropes and back down along the sides, enjoying the warm water and atmosphere around us. Not many people made it all the way out to the ropes, and it made me wonder how deep the water truly was. The waves were low and easy to swim through as we treaded our way back to shore.

It wasn’t until I plopped back down onto the sand that I realized how tired I really was. For such a short swim, I was amazed at how much it made my arms and legs feel like Jell-O. I was perfectly content to spend the rest of the day suntanning on the beach.

I couldn’t have asked for better weather to embrace the outdoors. We took turns applying sunscreen. We cooled off in the ocean, closer to shore this time, and then we took in the scene as we lay out on the sand.

Later, we made our way, hand in hand, down the narrow strip of small shops. We picked up a few items here and there for souvenirs and keepsakes.

I found a unique shell frame with sand outlining the edges that I had to add to my collection, a silver keychain that displayed
Florida
in a pretty script font, and a large beach tote bag made of twine.

Kyle picked out a white Florida tee and a pair of sandals. At our final shop, he found a pink-and-white striped newborn outfit that said,
I Love Florida
, and another pink-and-purple one that read,
Beach Bum.

I couldn’t help but smile as he raved about being an uncle and how he was going to spoil his niece. He promised he would find the noisiest toys for her future birthdays.

Kyle noticed a small diner with a backlit patio. After a short time of swimming and lazing on the beach all day, I was surprised to find myself so famished. We had both gotten a decent amount of sun today, and I couldn’t help but notice Kyle’s bronzed skin glowing under our table light. For dinner, we each ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Then, we shared a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

Following dinner, we decided to call it a night. We found a hotel not far from the beach. Kyle planned for us to be on the road early the next morning for a longer day of driving. I curiously wondered what other stops we would make along the way.

I snuggled into Kyle’s loving arms, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. It didn’t matter where I was as long as I was with him.

“I told you that you should have gone for comfy over cute,” Kyle teased while straining to keep his eyes on the road.

From the backseat, I caught him sneaking a quick peek.

He shook his head. “Now, I have to suffer the repercussions.”

“Eyes on the road, buddy!” I admonished as I rifled through his stuff. I was happy to find not just any T-shirt but a new white cozy one. There was nothing better than pulling on a fresh tee. I eagerly ripped off the tag.

“And you even take my new shirt! I definitely get to cop a feel.”

I chuckled while pulling the shirt over my head. “That’s because you put your huge suitcase on top of mine. You left me no choice, especially after you woke me up at an ungodly hour this morning,” I retorted.

Now, I just needed to find some comfortable shorts, so I could get rid of my denim ones. I carefully piled his clothes off to the side as I dug a little deeper in his luggage.

Kyle smirked softly while rolling his eyes. “It’s only an ungodly hour to you, Lily.”

After finding a pair of his gym shorts, I grinned. I checked each window for passing cars. The rental car was small, but I could easily change with measured movements.
All clear.

I shimmied my shorts off one leg at a time. When Kyle groaned, I laughed. Minus the indecent exposure, it felt like a Kodak moment. Thank goodness there were no bystanders with a camera handy.

“You have thirty seconds to cover that glorious ass of yours before I find an off-ramp or bridge or bushes,” he threatened good-humoredly.

“Keep your briefs on,” I responded, shaking the silky smooth shorts up my hips. They were wide in the waist, and I had to fold the waistband until I was sure they would stay on.

“On?” Kyle questioned, raising his eyebrow.

I turned to take in his expression as he glanced back at me in the rearview mirror.

“I want to take them off,” he added.

“Later.” I laughed again. “Preferably in a cozy, big bed…with candlelight,” I answered while climbing back into the front seat. “Ahh…much better.”

Kyle took in my attire and laughed. “Damn, you look hot in my clothes.” His voice turned low and husky.

“I should have done that hours ago.” I stared out the window, looking for signs of where we were heading.

He hadn’t mentioned any stops today, and besides stopping for lunch at a small buffet off the highway, we had been driving all morning. “Anything specific on the agenda today?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” Judging by his quirked up eyebrow, he wasn’t going to tell me.

His eyes made a quick assessment up and down my body. The heat in his eyes almost made me shudder.

“And you won’t be leaving this car in those clothes.”