Breaking the Rules: The Honeybees, book 1 by Amy Archer Page B

jacket in the car,” he offered. “Want me to get it?”
    “No, thanks,” I said. “The sun is plenty warm.”
    Taking a sip of wine, I reached for the bag of groceries and started setting out containers on the blanket between us. Devin hadn’t gotten plates or forks—I smiled to myself when I realized this, unsurprised—so we ate with our fingers, closing the containers back up between bites to protect them from Taco’s eager mouth. The baguette was crusty on the outside and soft in the center, just like a baguette should be. I pulled off a chunk and watched the crust shatter and crumbs rain down on the blanket beneath. He’d gotten hummus, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto. All these rich, caloric foods certainly wouldn’t help me with my weight-loss goals, but for that moment I didn’t care. It was perfect, and all so delicious that I even forgot, at least briefly, about my clinging wet dress.
    “This is great, Devin,” I said. “Thank you.”
    “I’m having a good time,” he said, and the way he was looking at me when I met his eyes made me shiver. My insides did a quick flip-flop before I regained my composure and then tried to hide behind my mug of wine.
    We lay and talked while Taco curled up between us and snored. As the sun moved lower in the sky, a few clouds appeared, and I found myself starting to shiver in my still-damp dress. I looked around me for the first time in probably two hours, and realized that most of the people who had been out here had packed up, and we had the beach almost to ourselves. Taco was passed out on his side, snoring gently.
    “Are you cold?” Devin asked, glancing at my goose-bumped arm as I reached out for another olive.  
    “I am,” I admitted, though I didn’t want this afternoon to end.  
    “We could head out,” he began, “ or… I could go grab my jacket for you from the car, and we could watch the sunset. It’ll only be another fifteen minutes or so.”
    I smiled. “Sure.”
    He jumped up and clipped Taco’s leash onto his collar, handing me the end, and then jogged back toward his car. Taco strained against the leash, whining and then barking toward Devin anxiously.  
    “You poor boy,” I said to him. “You must have missed Devin so much when you were lost, didn’t you?” I patted Taco. “I can understand,” I whispered. “He’s pretty special.”
    A moment later, Devin returned with a dark brown hoodie that was several sizes too big for me. “Thanks,” I said, taking it from him. As I pulled it over my head, I was enveloped in Devin’s scent. It made my heart beat faster.  
    Oh no , I thought. I’m really falling for him.  
    We sat side by side, facing the ocean, staring out at the sun peeking out from behind the Golden Gate Bridge. It was beautiful, and as the sun sunk lower, muted colors appeared, bouncing off the wisps of clouds. I could feel Devin’s presence beside me acutely, the tiny inches between us, could hear his breath, and I wanted to touch him.
    “Are you warm?” he asked, and I snuggled his hoodie closer to my body.  
    “I’m warm er ,” I said.
    And then he bridged the distance between us, did what I’d been too scared to do. He put an arm around me, drew me toward him, and my heart fluttered. “I want you to be warm.”
    “You’re so warm,” I whispered, glancing at him and then quickly looking back at the sunset.
    “You’re beautiful,” he whispered back.
    His touch spreading through the side of my body where we were touching, encompassing my whole body, warming me all the way through. Beautiful? He didn’t see me as overweight, as slow, as unaccomplished?
    We sat like that for several minutes, watching the colors in the sky slowly intensify, then darken. I was fully sober again, the alcohol fading with the light. Taco licked my foot intently, and I wondered what was going to happen next. Where was this heading? What were we doing? Was this a huge mistake?  
    And then I told the voice in my head