Rock With Me(66)

“He’s an *.” I grin sweetly. “No matter how wholesome and sweet he wants everyone to think he is.”

“I knew it!” Lori laughs. “No one is that put together.”

“You have no idea.”

Leo is watching us quietly and catches my eye. I shrug.

“Let’s go guys!” Melissa calls. “We’ll be out of here in thirty.”

“Famous last words,” Lori mutters and lowers herself down into a chair as the guys move into the studio for photos and to answer questions. “Sit with me.”

“Okay.” I join her and watch the flashes go off in the other room.

“How long?” She asks, her eyes also on the studio.

“A few weeks.”

She nods. “These guys aren’t easy. Sexy as all get-out, but not easy.”

“Are guys ever easy?” I ask with a laugh.

“Good point,” she agrees.

“Do you two have a past?” I ask calmly. She glances down at me and back over to the men.

“No. It’s always been Gary for me. We’re good friends.” She sobers again. “He’s different you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, then.” She exhales and smiles down at me while she rubs her belly. “Welcome to the clan.”

***

“When are we heading back to Seattle?” I ask Leo when we are in his car, heading back toward the freeway.

“Thursday morning, why?”

“Do you have your heart set on going to the pier?” I turn in my seat to watch his face. I just enjoy watching him. He glances over at me and then back to the street.

“Do you have something else in mind?”

“I’d love to spend time at the beach, but I’d rather it was more private.” I smile over at him and run my fingertips up and down his thigh.

“Hmm, private, huh?” He grins and slips his sunglasses on. “I know a spot.”

“Great.”

He guides the car onto the freeway, and less than twenty minutes later, we’re in his driveway.

“Well, this would be private,” I murmur and grin up at him as he helps me out of the car.

“As private as it gets around here.”

“Do you actually own a piece of the beach?” I ask, excited to get down to the water.

“Yeah, I could have bought a small third world country for what it cost me, but it’s pretty great.”

I start to walk around the house, but he stops me. “Let’s go through the house.”

“I want to go down to the water.”

“So impatient.” He smiles down at me and leads me inside. “We need a few things.”

“Such as?”

“A blanket.” He winks and my stomach clenches and the cute little pink thong I wore with these khakis is immediately soaked. One look from this man, and I’m a puddle.

God, I love it.

“Let’s go.” I’m practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“You don’t get to the beach often do you, sunshine?”

“It’s January, Leo. I believe it was forty degrees and raining when we left Seattle. It’s seventy-five and gorgeous here. Hell yes, I want to go walk on the beach.”

“You can leave your shoes up here. The sand is soft.” He takes my hand in his and leads me down a wooden staircase to the soft white sand below. The water here is so different from the north coast.

“You’d never imagine this is the same ocean,” I murmur and happily breathe in the ocean air.

“Pretty different.” He nods, watching the waves crash on the shore. It’s a picturesque day, sunny and warm, the water fairly calm. The beach is empty.

“Let’s go.”

Leo drops a thick blanket onto the sand and leads me down to the shoreline.

“It’s gonna be cold!” I squeal and step into the warm water. “Oh, it’s like bath water.”

I jog in place, enjoying the feel of the water on my feet, ankles and legs and kick and splash around, until I realize I’m frolicking like a loony toon all alone. I stop and look around and find Leo about twenty feet behind me, his arms crossed over his bare chest, sunglasses down over his eyes, and a wide smile across his face.

“Aren’t you coming in?” I ask.

“I don’t think you play very often,” he comments and joins me in the warm water.