Growling, he lunges for her, and she squeals, running down to the surf. When he catches up, he hooks an arm high around her waist and scoops her into his arms. She twists gently in his grasp but doesn’t try to escape. He holds on to that. On to Tessie, carrying her out into the sun-warmed ocean. Lowering her into the water, he turns her loose in the waves. Not too far out, though; losing Tess in the ocean isn’t happening today.
Beer held high above him, Solomon dunks his head in the cool water. “Fuck,” he exhales when he surfaces, shaking water from his face. “That’s cold.”
Tessie laughs and dives under. She arcs in a circle, then pops up out of the water.
Waves slap on the beach, music from the DJ booth and muffled conversation from the swim-up bar float on the air. But for Solomon, nothing exists but the two of them. The water so clear he can see her lean legs kicking.
She lets out a content sigh and extends her arms, her legs. His heart settles at the sight. Tessie bobbing in the water. Her swollen belly like a slicing shark fin in the surf. He could watch her all damn day.
She swims toward him, her head angling.
Drifting like the moon to a tide, he reaches for her. After a second’s hesitation, she reaches for him too. Their fingers link under the waves, tangle.
And then, slowly, he pulls her toward him.
When her body meets his, they lock together, and all Solomon can do is tighten his grasp. She’s meant to be here, in his arms. Imprinted, melted against him. The warm curl of her petite frame into his has a protective, primal instinct revving up inside him.
Tessie watches him for a long minute, then she loops her arms around his neck and relaxes into him. Her bare legs hooked around his waist. Her brown eyes all kinds of searching. With trembling fingers, she palms the side of his face, his beard.
Then—
Her warm lips land softly on his. They taste like sea water, like coconut water. Solomon drinks her in. Her scent, heady, has his cock flexing hard against his swim trunks as reality drifts further and further away. The kiss builds slow, a smooth dance of tongues, a sync of heartbeats.
Tessie whimpers and then pulls back. “I’m sorry,” she breathes.
“Don’t be,” he rasps.
“I mean. . .” She chews her lip, her attention locked on his mouth. “Should we be doing this?”
“What are we doing?”
“I don’t know.” She tilts her head. All kinds of questions lighting up her soft brown eyes. “Solomon, what are—”
“Oh my word, Rick. Isn’t this the sweetest sight?”
Slowly, they swivel their heads. Bobbing beside them in the waves is a couple wearing bright fluorescent flowered visors and oversized sunglasses.
“Lovebirds, true as can be.”
The woman, zinc oxide smeared haphazardly across her nose, wags a finger. “Let me guess. Babymoon?” She zeroes in on Tessie’s stomach in a way that has Solomon scowling. “Look at you. Fit as a fiddle. First one?”
Tessie’s smile drops, resets. “You got it.”
Solomon grunts, adjusting Tessie so her stomach is out of their eyeline and drifts farther out, but the couple follows. Chattering, oblivious. “Twentieth anniversary here. Believe you me, we needed a break from the little urchins.”
The man raises his hand. A snap of a Wisconsin accent. “Rick and Roni Zebrowski.”
Roni splashes closer. “Where ya from?”
Fuck no. Getting drawn into a conversation is the last thing Solomon wants. Not when he’s got Tessie in his arms and his name on her lips. No fucking way.
“Oh, uh, Alaska,” Tessie says, shooting Solomon a look, warning him not to volunteer any more information.
“We were on an Alaskan cruise once.” Rick bobs his head. “Now there is a beautiful state.” He pats his full belly. “Let me tell you, couldn’t stomach the food, though. Ate McDonald’s the entire time.”
Solomon glowers. Fucking tourists. Doing everything but experiencing Alaska the right way. He wishes for a shark right now. A tsunami. Anything to escape this conversation and get back to what Tessie was going to say.
“Sol?” A hand on his arm. Tessie bats her lashes at him. “You need another beer?”
He frowns. “No, I—”
“Oh, you do.” She snatches up his full can and looks at the couple. “He drinks ’em like water. Straight up guzzles them.” Her lips twitch as she turns her gaze to him. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
Oh, hell no.
He grabs her wrist. “Tess, I think you need to let me—”
She smirks at him, gently untangling herself. “Pregnant women can do hard things, Solomon.” She looks at Roni, sharing a smile of camaraderie. “I swear he has such first-time daddy jitters.” A very un-Tessie-like giggle pops out of her as she looks at Solomon. “I’ll get it, sweetheart. You just relax. Enjoy the Zebrowskis.”
You’re fucking cold, woman, he thinks, watching as Tessie and her bikini shimmy off with his full beer, her shoulders racking with laughter as she runs up the beach to the bar. But he’s smiling.
For the first time in a damn long time.
Chuckling to herself, Tessie hoofs it up the sand. The look of betrayal and agony on Solomon’s face as she left him there to fend for himself will live rent-free in her mind for the next decade. She’ll let him sweat a bit and then go back and rescue him. Meanwhile, it’ll be good for him to come out of his grumpy mountain man shell.
Pausing by her beach chair, water dripping off her salt-drenched hair, Tessie checks her phone, casting a guilty glance over her shoulder in case Solomon’s watching.
A breath looses in her chest.
So far, nothing. No emails, no texts, no missed calls. It seems too good to be true. Atlas scurrying off in silence. She’ll have to enjoy it while it lasts.
Today’s been a perfect slice of paradise. Not a worry in the world, all the coconut water she can drink. This is what she imagined when she pictured her babymoon. Slothful laziness that could put a cat to shame. Maybe she didn’t imagine having Solomon around, but he hasn’t been so bad.
A slow heat creeps over her already flushed cheeks.
He’s been wonderful, in fact.
Keeping her sane.
Keeping her safe.
Keeping her sexually satisfied.
In his strong arms, bobbing in that water, going against everything screaming at her that a relationship is not within a ten-mile radius of her heart, she kissed him. It was so perfect in that moment. Like his kiss was the true slice of paradise she wanted.
She had been close, so close, to asking, what are we? The question was on her lips, dripping slow like molasses.
Because she thought she knew. She and Solomon—they are Bear’s parents.
But she’s also starting to get a sense of who the real Solomon Wilder is. Fierce. Protective. Loyal. In his presence, she’s found a comfort. With her upcoming birth, with her job, she doesn’t feel so unsure. All her problems go away when he holds her in his arms. She feels steady. Because that’s Solomon. That’s her— Child’s father.
That’s it.
That’s all.
But what if—
No.
Her chest strains.
She has to stop. She has to get her head on straight. All she and Solomon are, will ever be, are friends. Co-parents. End of story.
Settling for each other because of their son would be ridiculous. They’d end up miserable, resenting each other. Besides, he’s made it clear he’s only here because of Bear. Tessie wants a man to want her for her. Not like the men are lining up to date a soon-to-be single mother who works eighteen-hour days. Not like she wants anything anyway. Heartbreak and loss are not on her agenda.
It’s easier this way.
Soon, they’ll return to the real world.
But why does she feel sick to her stomach when she thinks about him leaving?
Because she’s hungry, that’s why.
Trekking up the beach to the tiki hut, Tessie tosses the beer can in the trash. She stops next to an ice cream cart and snags a scoop of vanilla perched on a waffle cone.
Food. She needs food to distract herself from the crazy train of thoughts ripping through her mind.
As she licks the ice cream, she meanders down the beach. Scouring the crowd, she pinpoints Solomon striding out of the ocean like a hunky Poseidon, rivulets of water cascading off him. His muscles flex in the sunlight. The deep V-lines by his hips, the dark thatch of a happy trail, have her staring.