Bella pulled her hair off her face again, and with the next breeze, it blew back in her face.
“Sure, we can go.” He tried to contain his excitement.
“Great.” Their eyes connected, and for a beat the world stood still. Bella blinked several times, as if she’d felt it too, and then she leaned forward and patted Evan’s leg, while Caden tried to catch his breath. “I know that video game guy. We’ll negotiate a better deal than the three for twenty.” When she turned her attention back to Caden, her eyes were guarded. “Swing by and pick me up at ten?”
“It’s a date.”
“It’s a trip to the flea market,” Bella said with a serious stare.
“Whatever it is, be sure to stop by and see me,” Leanna added.
Another gust of wind made the fire crackle and sparks fly into the air. Bella’s hair whipped around her face again. She reached up with both hands to push it away once more.
“Ugh. I always forget about the wind.”
“I can fix that.” Caden withdrew his tackle box from the bucket and cut a clean piece of fishing line. He sensed their eyes on him as he gathered Bella’s thick, luxurious hair in his hands. He wanted to linger there, with his hands in her hair, so close they’d brush cheeks if he leaned in a few inches. He cleared his throat and pushed the thought away. His son was sitting right there. What was he thinking?
He took Bella’s hand in his and wrapped her fingers around the thick rope of hair, holding it in place so he could tie it back. He leaned in close, inhaling her warm, inviting scent, and set to work tying the fishing line around it.
“So, you’re a cop and a hairstylist?” Jenna teased.
Bella touched the knotted fishing line and turned to face him. “Thank you. I think you just might be the best husband I’ve ever had.”
Evan’s eyes met his—and held.
Caden rolled his eyes to indicate it was a joke, and Evan, the king of eye rolls and whatevers answered with a knowing nod.
“Husband?” Leanna reached for a stick and pushed a marshmallow onto it. “Did I miss something?”
“It was a joke. He did something before and I said it meant we were married.” Bella finished her wine in one gulp, then reached for a marshmallow.
Jenna shot her a narrow-eyed stare and nodded toward Evan.
“Oh, Evan. I was kidding. Really. We just met last night,” Bella clarified.
“It’s okay. My dad doesn’t even date, so…” He shrugged.
Caden didn’t have time to respond before Amy said, “He doesn’t?”
“Nope.” Evan stuffed a marshmallow in his mouth.
When did you become Mr. Social?
“Why not?” Jenna asked.
“What is this, the Cahoon Hollow Beach Inquisition?” Bella turned to face him. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer them.”
Uh, yeah, I do. He wasn’t about to let them bat around reasons that would either make him look like a loser or a psycho. “Between work and Evan, there isn’t much time for a social life.”
“So, like, you never date? Or…” Amy asked.
“Maybe this isn’t something we should be discussing right now,” Bella suggested.
“I don’t care if my dad dates,” Evan said.
Caden hadn’t dated much over the years, and the few times he had, he hadn’t told Evan because he knew they weren’t dates that would lead to anything real. Now he read the silent question in his son’s eyes. Why don’t you date, Dad? And he decided that was a conversation best held in private.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I recently gave up dating, too,” Bella said before loading up her stick with another marshmallow.
“She’s kidding,” Jenna said quickly.
“Nope. I’m one hundred percent serious. I’m done with commitments.” Bella waved her hand in the air.
Her admission hit with the weight of lead, but the harsh looks Bella’s friends slid her way were skeptical.
“What’s wrong with commitments?” Caden wasn’t sure he could keep the fact that he actually cared about the answer out of his voice.
Bella stared at the fire as she answered. “They’re only as good as the people who make them.”
He saw pain in her eyes, and he wondered how deep that wound went. He needed to change the subject before they got into a discussion that could lead to Evan’s mother and make his son uncomfortable.
“So, how long are you guys at the Cape, or do you live here year-round?” A benign topic that would also give him more information about Bella. Perfect.
“I live here,” Leanna said as she handed out graham crackers and chocolate for s’mores.
“I’m here for the summer.” Amy passed a chocolate bar to Bella.
“Same here,” Jenna said.
Bella finished cooking her marshmallow in silence.
“Bella? Are you here for the summer, or do you live here?”
She stacked the chocolate on top of a graham cracker, added the warm marshmallow, and then topped it off with another graham cracker. She stared at it for a minute before cocking her head in his direction and answering.
“I’m here until the s’mores run out.”
Then let me run to the store for more marshmallows.
She took a bite of the gooey treat and licked a streak of chocolate from her lower lip. She had a dab of marshmallow on her cheek, and once again, it felt natural to reach over and wipe it clean with his finger.
Bella narrowed her eyes. Oops. There was that invisible boundary again. Maybe she wasn’t into him after all.
“I was saving that for later,” she said. With her back to Evan, who was preoccupied with his own dessert, she grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth. His pulse quickened with the expectation of a sensually evocative suck. With wide, amused eyes, she turned his finger sideways and nibbled the sticky marshmallow off like it was corn on the cob.
“I’ll teach you not to steal my sugar. Open up.” She shoved the s’more toward his mouth.
“No, that’s okay.” He leaned out of reach to tease her.
“Come on. No one can resist s’mores.” She leaned in closer, holding the s’more to his lips. Her knee pressed against his thigh. “You know you want it.”
Yeah, I do. He took a bite of the sweet, sticky treat. Heat flashed in Bella’s eyes as she dragged her finger along the edge of his lower lip and held it up to show him the smear of chocolate before she slowly, seductively, sucked her finger clean.
Holy. Moly.
Beautiful, smart, and sexier than any woman he’d ever met. Bella piqued curiosities and desires that had been slumbering for way too long.
Chapter Four