hugged him, he absorbed her kindness, fed off it.
“Mac got the crosses for us right after he went through basic training and before he shipped out for the first time.” Sean kept speaking right into her ear, the only way he could continue. “I haven’t seen him in a decade and I talk to him once a year if I’m lucky…when he calls me on my birthday. So the necklace is all I have of him. Lose it, lose him.” Sean cursed as he heard what he was saying and pulled back. “Sorry, don’t mean to get melodramatic.”
Her arms tightened around his waist. “You’re not.”
Looking into her eyes, he felt as though the essential loneliness of his life was exposed, laid bare to the summer day and to her. For all the people he dealt with every hour of the week, for all the women he’d been with and the men he competed against, he was nonetheless alone.
Except he didn’t feel alone now.
He kissed Lizzie at first just in thanks for her understanding and acceptance. Then he kissed her some more because he didn’t want to stop.
As the sun fell on his bare shoulders and people walked by and cars zoomed underneath them, he dropped the bag and the blanket he was carrying, dug his hands into her hair and tilted her head back so he could go deeper into her. In response, she settled against him like warm water, flowing over his hard edges, both soothing him and exciting him.
He closed his eyes and let himself get good and lost in her. Oh, man, did he have plans for them. Tonight, he was going to go back to her apartment and make love to her. Slowly. Thoroughly. He was after the closeness, not just the orgasms, and he was going to hold her afterward until he was ready to do it again. Then he was going to sleep next to her and wake up looking into her face.
When he finally pulled back from her mouth, he brushed her lower lip with his thumb. “I can’t feel my legs. How about you?”
She laughed a little breathlessly. “I’m on fire.”
“Then we’d better cool you down.” He kissed her quick. “How’s Ben & Jerry’s sound?”
“Perfect. I’d love some of their Mint Oreo in a waffle cone.”
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
They meandered off the bridge and hooked up with Newbury Street, joining the crowd that strolled down the sidewalk. There was a line in front of Ben & Jerry’s, but the breeze was nice and soon enough their cones were being handed to them. As he pulled a twenty out of his wallet, Lizzie went for her purse.
“No, wait. Let me—”
“My treat,” he said. After he gave the bill to the kid behind the register, he nodded to the door. “Shall we?”
The kid called out, “Don’t you want your change?”
“Yeah. In the tips jar.”
“Hey, thanks, man!”
Sean smiled and followed Lizzie out into the sun.
“I really like that about you,” she said as she stuck a white spoon into her waffle cone and brought some of the chunky ice cream to her mouth.
“Like what?”
“That you tip generously. Mmm, this is so good.”
Sean watched her lick her spoon clean and had to put the blanket in front of his hips. God, men were letches, weren’t they? But man…he wanted her.
He cleared his throat. What had they been talking about? Oh, yeah…“Well, I know what it’s like to live off tips. I’ve waited a lot of tables in my day—”
“Sean? Sean O’Banyon?”
Sean frowned at the male voice and looked over his shoulder. When he saw who it was, he felt an absurd impulse to shield Lizzie, to protect their day together.
Except it was too late. As a well-dressed man headed right for them, he knew that the bubble he’d been in all afternoon was about to burst.
***
Chapter Eight
Lizzie smiled at the gentleman who was hustling up to them. He looked veryGreat Gatsby in his white linen slacks, crisp blue button-down and navy-blue blazer with a kerchief in the
“Mac got the crosses for us right after he went through basic training and before he shipped out for the first time.” Sean kept speaking right into her ear, the only way he could continue. “I haven’t seen him in a decade and I talk to him once a year if I’m lucky…when he calls me on my birthday. So the necklace is all I have of him. Lose it, lose him.” Sean cursed as he heard what he was saying and pulled back. “Sorry, don’t mean to get melodramatic.”
Her arms tightened around his waist. “You’re not.”
Looking into her eyes, he felt as though the essential loneliness of his life was exposed, laid bare to the summer day and to her. For all the people he dealt with every hour of the week, for all the women he’d been with and the men he competed against, he was nonetheless alone.
Except he didn’t feel alone now.
He kissed Lizzie at first just in thanks for her understanding and acceptance. Then he kissed her some more because he didn’t want to stop.
As the sun fell on his bare shoulders and people walked by and cars zoomed underneath them, he dropped the bag and the blanket he was carrying, dug his hands into her hair and tilted her head back so he could go deeper into her. In response, she settled against him like warm water, flowing over his hard edges, both soothing him and exciting him.
He closed his eyes and let himself get good and lost in her. Oh, man, did he have plans for them. Tonight, he was going to go back to her apartment and make love to her. Slowly. Thoroughly. He was after the closeness, not just the orgasms, and he was going to hold her afterward until he was ready to do it again. Then he was going to sleep next to her and wake up looking into her face.
When he finally pulled back from her mouth, he brushed her lower lip with his thumb. “I can’t feel my legs. How about you?”
She laughed a little breathlessly. “I’m on fire.”
“Then we’d better cool you down.” He kissed her quick. “How’s Ben & Jerry’s sound?”
“Perfect. I’d love some of their Mint Oreo in a waffle cone.”
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
They meandered off the bridge and hooked up with Newbury Street, joining the crowd that strolled down the sidewalk. There was a line in front of Ben & Jerry’s, but the breeze was nice and soon enough their cones were being handed to them. As he pulled a twenty out of his wallet, Lizzie went for her purse.
“No, wait. Let me—”
“My treat,” he said. After he gave the bill to the kid behind the register, he nodded to the door. “Shall we?”
The kid called out, “Don’t you want your change?”
“Yeah. In the tips jar.”
“Hey, thanks, man!”
Sean smiled and followed Lizzie out into the sun.
“I really like that about you,” she said as she stuck a white spoon into her waffle cone and brought some of the chunky ice cream to her mouth.
“Like what?”
“That you tip generously. Mmm, this is so good.”
Sean watched her lick her spoon clean and had to put the blanket in front of his hips. God, men were letches, weren’t they? But man…he wanted her.
He cleared his throat. What had they been talking about? Oh, yeah…“Well, I know what it’s like to live off tips. I’ve waited a lot of tables in my day—”
“Sean? Sean O’Banyon?”
Sean frowned at the male voice and looked over his shoulder. When he saw who it was, he felt an absurd impulse to shield Lizzie, to protect their day together.
Except it was too late. As a well-dressed man headed right for them, he knew that the bubble he’d been in all afternoon was about to burst.
***
Chapter Eight
Lizzie smiled at the gentleman who was hustling up to them. He looked veryGreat Gatsby in his white linen slacks, crisp blue button-down and navy-blue blazer with a kerchief in the
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