He turned back, his eyes locking on Jenna again. Her breath caught in her throat. “I didn’t want to do this when you were here with another guy. I’m sorry, Jenna. It wasn’t my intent to make you uncomfortable.”
“Oh for crying out loud.” Bella rolled her eyes. “She knows. It was passion. You guys couldn’t help it. Whatever.” She gave him a hard shove toward the stairs, and his lips curved into a smile.
“It was so much more.” He shifted his gaze to Bella. “But you can minimize it if it makes you feel better.”
He disappeared up the stairs, and Jenna let out a loud breath. Bella rushed to her side and grabbed her hand.
“Oh my gosh. What happened?” She snapped her fingers in front of Jenna’s face. “Hello? Jenna?” Each word was a harsh whisper, a reminder that Jenna had become unhinged and she needed to fix herself. Now.
Jenna breathed deeply. She trapped her lower lip in her teeth and clenched her eyes shut, wanting to remember every second of being in Pete’s arms: the brush of his stubble against her cheeks, the way he held her tightly, like she was his, the way he kissed—goodness, the way he kissed. She felt as though she might burst. When she opened her eyes, she met Bella’s concerned gaze.
“You know what you said a first kiss should be?” Jenna asked.
“Yes.”
“This was a million times better.”
Chapter Nine
THE TRAIL LEADING to Duck Harbor Beach was a long one that snaked over the dunes with no trees to shade and cool the sand. The first time Jenna had come to Duck Harbor with Pete, they’d come in the afternoon with their friends from Seaside. By noon the path was scorching hot, and by three o’clock, even walking in flip-flops was painful, because sand seeped over the edges, sizzling from roasting for hours in the hot sun. Jenna had complained on the way over the steamy dunes, and Pete had knelt before her and given her a piggyback ride to the beach while the others made fun of them. They’d come to Duck Harbor with bottles of wine and a basket of snacks, to watch the sunset. It was years ago, but Jenna recalled it as if it were yesterday. The sun had left layers of purple and orange in its wake, and she and Pete had sat beside each other. When she shivered with the cool night air, he’d wrapped his zip-up sweatshirt around her shoulders with the easiest smile.
She sighed, thinking of how she’d felt warmed by his jacket, his scent soaking into her senses. She’d relived their kiss so many times since yesterday that she’d memorized every breath. He was so different from the man she thought he’d be that he’d taken her by surprise. Heck, she’d taken herself by surprise when she’d pulled him back for a kiss, but she wasn’t taking any more chances. She wanted him to know how she felt about him.
I think he got the hint.
Jenna set down her romance novel and flipped onto her back with a sigh. She’d talked to her mother for an hour this morning, and she made a point of omitting any mention of Pete. Her mother went on and on about the new outfits she’d bought, outfits that sounded too young for Jenna, much less her mother. Jenna had tried to be patient with her, and when her mother brought up coming down to the Cape again, Jenna agreed to the idea, but put off choosing a date until she knew where she and Pete were headed. She’d come to Duck Harbor to try to ease her nerves about their impending date, but it wasn’t working. She was sure she’d somehow swallowed a nest of bees.
She sighed again.
Amy set her book down and turned onto her back. “You’re doing it again.”
“Hm?” She and Amy had been lying in the sun since nine o’clock that morning. Vera had joined them and was sitting contentedly beneath a large umbrella, wearing a straw sunhat and a sheer cover-up over her bathing suit, a thick book in her hands. Like Jenna and Amy, Vera was an avid reader, which made them perfect companions for a lazy beach day.
“You have that just been done look,” Amy whispered. “I’m a little jealous.”
“I know about that look,” Vera said with a twinkle in her eyes. She patted her hair and smiled.
“Vera!” Amy laughed.
“I do not have that look. My eyes are closed.” Jenna scrunched her nose, then wiggled her lips, but she didn’t feel as though her face had been portraying anything telling.
“Jenna dear,” Vera began. “Women don’t need to see other women’s eyes to know when we’re thinking about men. Our skin resonates desire. Why, you could no better hide that than the bay could refrain from washing away at low tide.”
“I’m that transparent? Wow. Vera, I wish I would have known that yesterday morning. That’s probably why when I finally got the guts to break up with Charlie, he wasn’t surprised.”
“Oh yes. I’m sure that’s why.” Vera sighed. “Men know these things, too, but some take longer to recognize it than others.”
“You can say that again,” Amy agreed. “I just can’t believe I missed the whole thing with you and Pete. I didn’t even realize you were gone. Everyone was taking pictures of the shark, and Lacy and I were so focused on not being nervous that we were talking about high school just to keep our minds busy. It wasn’t until Charlie called your name and Bella went to find you that I realized you were gone. And, of course, a minute later I noticed Pete was gone, but by then I knew I had to keep Charlie out of there, so…that was fun.”
Jenna turned to face her. Amy’s blond hair was gathered over her left shoulder. She was shading her eyes and watching a man walk down the beach. Amy had a subtle tan, and there wasn’t an inch of extra meat on her, but she wasn’t like some pin-thin women who looked like broomsticks with bras. Amy’s slim hips and small breasts had curves, even if lean, and her caring personality made her even more attractive. Jenna had no idea how Tony Black didn’t want to wrap her up, take her home, and keep her all to himself. She was as good and honest as they came. Jenna knew that Amy playing middleman with Charlie must have been very uncomfortable for her, especially since Amy wasn’t a good liar. She could omit information, but asked a direct question, she was more likely to spit out the truth and then slap her hand over her mouth, wide-eyed and apologetic.
Jenna reached for her hand.
“I’m so glad we’re friends, Ames. Thank you for having my back.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
“Yeah. I would. And I’m so sorry that Tony isn’t here this summer.”
Amy smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s okay. He called me this morning to say he wished he were here with us.”
Us. Jenna wished Tony would have said here with you to Amy. Amy needed a distraction, and Jenna knew just the thing. She pushed to her feet and bounced on her toes. “Rock hunting time!”
“You’re such a goofball. Fine, but I’m not carrying heavy rocks back to the car, so you can forget that idea right now.” Amy pushed to her feet and slipped on a bright red, floppy sun hat.
“Vera, would you like to join us?” Jenna asked.