While It Lasts (Sea Breeze #3)(13)

I wanted him to still look at me with that appreciative sexy gleam in his eyes. The gleam I would continue to ignore. I liked having someone look at me with something other than sympathy. Once he knew, those sexy smirks and stripteases he did outside for my benefit would all end. He’d feel bad for poor Eva.

Until he’d shown up, I hadn’t realized that everyone looked at me differently. They were careful with me. Cage didn’t look at me like I was breakable. Ten months ago, I hadn’t been ready for someone to look at me differently. I’d wanted them to remember Josh when they saw me. Now I needed someone, anyone, to just see me. Not the tragedy. Just me.

Cage didn’t know my past. He didn’t know the pain I’d suffered. He didn’t measure every word he spoke to me and he didn’t hold back punches. He treated me like he did everyone else. With him, I felt normal again. It was about time I felt like a human again.

The screen door slammed behind me and I jumped.

“Damn Charles North thinks he can just go on up to my hunting camp whenever he damn well pleases with a bunch of banker friends of his,” Daddy grumbled as he walked into the kitchen.

Charles North was my mother’s sister’s husband. My mother had passed away when I was seven so I never really got to know her sister or her sister’s husband. All I did know was that my dad was not a fan. My Aunt Kim only ever called when she wanted something. She acted like Daddy owed her something because my momma was killed in a car accident. Daddy hadn’t been driving but that didn’t seem to make a difference to my aunt. She still blamed him.

“What happened?” I asked, reaching into the cabinet to get him a glass.

He took it from my hand and went about pouring himself some lemonade.

“Your Aunt Kim called and informed me that Charles would be going fishing up at the camp this weekend. He was bringing friends with him. No one asked me. They just took it upon themselves to make these plans. Well, I told Josiah that he could take Jeremy up to the camp this weekend and they could go fishing. I am not changing that.” Daddy shook his head and took a really long swig of the lemonade.

“You going up there?” I asked as he finished his drink and set it on the table in front of him.

“Yeah, got to. I’ll head out in the morning. Cage knows what to do out there and then he will be gone on Sunday. That’s his day off. He already told me he had a ride back to the beach for the day.”

Cage would be gone all day Sunday? I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting too hot outside so I should be relieved but I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to go. I’d be left alone out here all by myself.

“Okay,” I managed to reply.

“I’m gonna go into town and get some more barb wire for the fence. Damn bull keeps tearing up that piece of the fence down by the lake. Guess he wants out to take a swim,” Dad grumbled as he headed for the door.



I waited until I heard Daddy’s truck leave the drive before heading outside. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing. It was a spur of the moment decision. Cage had walked into the barn just a few minutes ago. I’d watched him from the kitchen window.

I headed to the barn.

Opening the door, I stepped inside and had to squint to see clearly. The only light streaming into the barn was from the cracks in the roof, so it was dark compared to the bright sunshine. The familiar smell of hay and wood hit me as I turned to see if Cage was still in here. I’d had my back to the window when Daddy had been in the kitchen so it was possible he’d left and I’d missed him.

“Looking for something?” Cage asked from behind me.

I turned around to face him and almost swallowed my tongue when my eyes met his naked chest. I’d admired it from afar but never up close. It was better up close.

“An engaged lady shouldn’t be looking at another man like she wants to take a lick.” The teasing tone in his voice told me he didn’t really mind my gawking at him at all. He was enjoying it.

“Who said I wanted to take a lick?” I replied, surprised at my own response. Was that flirting I had just done? I wasn’t sure I’d ever flirted.

Cage ran a hand through his hair and let out a short deep laugh. “Maybe we ought to change the subject.” Cage was nervous. Had my comment just made him nervous?

“You brought up the licking Cage, not me.” I waited to see how he’d react this time.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” he drawled and took a step toward me. Okay, so maybe I hadn’t made him nervous. Guys like Cage probably didn’t get nervous. “If you really want to talk about licking, I’ll happily oblige.”

Oh, my. Now, I was nervous. Cage reached out and took my left hand in his. The warmth from his callused palm made my entire body tingle. “Only problem with talking about licking with you is that it gives me ideas. I start thinking about things I shouldn’t be thinking about. Things that will only torment me ‘cause I’ll never know just how sweet you taste. I may be a lot of things Eva, might even be a few of them names you called me but I’m not gonna touch what belongs to another man.”

I opened my mouth to say something and stopped when Cage lifted my left hand to his mouth and kissed my ring finger. Then his tongue darted out and just barely skimmed the top of my hand. He grinned wickedly.

At some point, I’d stopped breathing. When my lungs started burning I took a deep breath and Cage let my hand fall back to my side. “Sorry, I had to take one small taste.” Then he winked at me and turned toward the door.