Sea Breeze 03 While It Lasts (24 page)

             
“Yes,” she said in breathless voice.

             
“
Mmmm
… I don’t mind trying anyway,” I replied
,
kissing the other corner of her mouth.

             
“Okay.”

             
I took the guitar out of her lap and laid it on the bed beside her before pulling her into my lap
.
B
urying my hands in her hair
,
I devoured
her lips.

Eva

             
Cage: What are you wearing?

             
I laughed as I read the text Cage had just sent me. He’d made sure to get my cell phone number before we got home
Sunday
night.

             
Me: Nothing

             
Smiling
,
I waited for him to respond.

             
Cage: Fuck. 
The lake, now.

             
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Daddy was in the house somewhere. I hadn’t seen him since dinner.

             
Me:
You know I can’t. Daddy’
s still awake.

             
Cage: the barn then?

             
I walked over to the window and stared out into the dark to see the single light on in the back of the barn.

             
Me: bad idea too.

             
Cage: I disagree.

             
Me: You would. Good night


             
Cage: It could be better.

             
The grin on my face seemed to be
permanently
there lately. Daddy even noticed it earlier during dinner.
I wanted to tell him all about Cage but I’d never be able to do that. He would never accept Cage and he’d probably fire him. I didn’t want to be the
cause of Cage l
osing his scholarship. Besides, he’d be leaving in a little over a month. The summer would end and our time toge
ther would just be a memory. I
was having
to remind myself of that more and more. Getting attached to Cage was bad. He had been
the key to my
healing. He’d forced me to get over things. No one had pushed me before him. I’d always cherish him for that.

             
Flopping down on the bed the happiness I’d felt had suddenly vanished. I didn’t like facing the facts about Cage. And as sweet as Low was I hated that she would never have to lose him. He’d always be there when she needed him. I envied that.

             
A knock on my door broke into my melancholy thoughts. “Eva girl
,
you awake?”
Daddy called out.
             
“Yeah, come on in,” I replied.

             
He eased the door open and stepped inside. He always looked so out of place in my room.  He rarely stepped foot in it.

             
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said
,
crossing his arms over his wide chest.

             
“
Okay.
” I hated it when he started o
ur talks like this. It normally
meant I wasn’
t going
t
o
like what would follow.

             
“Jeremy will be leaving soon for school. Before he gets gone I want to have him and his parents over for dinner. He’s helped you every step of
the way get through everything a
nd
they’re
like family, even
though
things turned out like they did…
”

             
I hadn’t thought of that but Daddy was right. We needed to have them over for dinner. They’d had us over so many times over the years.

             
“Good idea. I’ll call in the morning and set things up.”

             
Daddy nodded, “Alright then, w
ell, goodnight.”

             
“Good night.”

                                     
                  
    ~*~

             
The invisible fairy was no more.  I made sure Cage was nearby when I took him lemonade, an ice towel and a snack. I also took these things out every chance I got instead of just a couple times a day. 

             
Once I knew Daddy was gone into town
,
I took
a
big slice of
the
chocolate cake
I’d made for dinner
with the Beasley’s tonight,
out of the fridge and grabbed the other things I knew Cage needed.  Watching his
back as he picked up hay bales
and threw them over the
fence was mouth-
watering.  I sat
down on the tailgate and decided to enjoy the show for a few minutes. He’d see me soon enough.

             
The sweat glistened on his back as the sun beat down on him.  His work jeans fit on his lower hips giving me a perfect view of his back dimples and the very top of his boxer briefs. He bent over to
grab a hay
bale
and stopped. He
stood up
and glanced back over his shoulder. When his eyes locked with mine
,
a wicked grin touched his lips.

             
“You see
somethin
’
ya
want, baby?”

             
“Maybe.
I’m checking things out. Seeing if I’m interested,” I shot back with my own evil grin.

             
Both of his dark eyebrows shot up and he turned completely around giving me a view of his sweaty chest. Oh my. That never got old.

             
“I see something I want,” he drawled as he
came toward me. My heart
beat started that silly fluttery thing it did when he got near me.

             
“You do?” I asked
as he stopped in front of me and leaned in.

             
“Hell yeah, I do,” he murmured. “I love chocolate.”

             
What? My excitement turned to confusion. His arm reached out beside me and took the piece of chocolate cake I’d brought him. 

             
“You’re a tease,” I pouted. He moved to take a seat beside me.

             
“Me? You’re the one who come
s
strutting out here in a pair of tiny shorts and screwing up my work by ogling me with your eyes. Hell
,
girl. You think a man can work when he knows you’re looking at him
l
ike you want a taste?”

             
Warm pleasure from his words spread through me. He took a bite of the cake
then
clo
sed his eyes and made a low groa
n in his throat. Oh my.

             
“Damn baby
,
that’s good.”

             
Yeah, it was good. The way his jaw muscles flex
ed
as he chewed and his throat moved as he swallowed. I
t
was
real
good.

             
“Eva,” Cage said jerking my attention off his very nice
,
thick
,
muscular neck.

             
“Hmmm?” I replied

             
“If I’m
gonna
eat this cake then you need to talk and stop looking at me like that. You keep that shit up and I’m
gonna
be eating you and to hell with who catches us.”

             
I couldn’t help it. I giggled.

             
“
Don’t laugh. That wasn’t a joke,” h
e
scolded, cocking an
eyebrow at me before taking another bite of cake.

             
I forced my eyes away from him all together. It had been
two days since we’d been able
to do any kind of touching. I was getting worked up very easily.

             
“You got company,” Cage said
,
standing up and moving away from me.

             
Company? Who? I jumped down and turned to look up at the driveway. My stomach dropped. I knew that car. Had she seen us? I had to get away from Cage.

             
“I
gotta
go,” I said without looking back at him. I didn’t want him to see the worry in my eyes. If I explained it to him he’d never understand. I wasn’t sure I could explain it. I just didn’t want Elaine Beasley catching me with someone like Cage. She’d be so disappointed.

             
Rushing back up the small hill toward the house I silently prayed that she hadn’t been looking out toward the cow pasture when she drove up.

             
Elaine had already gotten out of her Lincoln
Towncar
and was headed my way. The kind smile on her face reminded me of so much. She’d been the only mom I could remember. I was so young when I
’d
lost my
mom. Elaine had been the stand-
in while I was growing up. When I needed a mom
,
Josh always took me to his.

             
“Hello Eva,” she said
,
holding her arms out for a hug. I went willingly. It always felt safe when Elaine hugged
me
. She smelled like springtime and cookies.

             
“Mrs. Elaine, it’s so good to see you,” I replied
,
hugging her before stepping back.

             
“Only because you haven’t been over to visit in a couple weeks. Just because Jeremy is moving off doesn’t mean you can’t come visit me.”

             
Guilt settled in my gut. I hadn’t been to see her since the day I’d started lusting over Cage York. Being in Josh’s house made the fun I was having with Cage seem tainted and wrong. I didn’t want to feel that way. So
,
I stayed away.

             
She reached down and picked up my bare left hand. “Jeremy told me you finally took it off. I want you to know
I’
m glad. I loved him to
o
Eva
,
but
sweetie
,
it was time to put
the ring
away.” Her voice was gentle and motherly. It was her son I’d been letting go when I’d taken the ring off but she was happy about it. How?

             
“There are still days I want to go grab it and put it back on,” I admitted.

             
“I know. There are days when I want to go clean his room and pull back his bed like he’s coming home to get in it.” The emotion in her voice tore at me. God, the pain was still there.

             
She shifted her gaze over my shoulder toward the barn. I saw the small concerned
pinch in her expression.  “Eva
,
is that the boy who your uncle sent here to work off some trouble he’d gotten into?”

             
She’d seen us.

             
“
Yes ma’am,” I choked out. I didn’t want to admit this
to her but what else could I do?
She’d seen me sitting on that tailgate all smiles when she’d pulled up. What was she thinking? Did she think I was completely disrespecting Josh
by
spending time with someone who wasn’t a
s good and moral
as he had been?

             
“You know I love you like a daughter. You
a
re just as much mine as Josh and Jeremy. I
’ve always
worried over you and prayed over you just like I did my boys. I still do. Josh loved you so much. You were his world from the time he was just a boy. He want
ed you to have the wonderful lif
e the two of you had planned out.
But sweetie
,
I can tell you that Josh would never have wanted you spending time with
that
boy
.
” she nodded her he
ad in the direction of the barn.
“He isn’t worthy of you. Josh would want you to find someone who was good and stable. Someone who could take care of you and stand by you through all life’s twist
s
and turns.” Her cold hand reached out and
took mine in hers with a gentle
squeeze. “You deserve much better than
being some little fling for a guy like that one
. Don’t let your sorrow and pain send you off on a road that you can’t get back from.”