Okay, so she could totally stand right now, but she was enjoying the piggyback ride way too much to point out that she could make it on her own. She was wrapped around his hard body, and his big hands burned her thighs where he had hold above her knees.
He trudged out of the water and onto the sand, and still, he made no effort to put her down. He started down the beach toward her cottage. She rested her chin atop his head and sighed in contentment. She almost wished he’d slow down just to make the ride last longer. But all too soon he reached her deck and he turned so he could deposit her on the bottom step.
“Thanks,” she said lightly.
“Not a problem. Now you don’t have sand all over you.”
She glanced down at the sand caked on his feet and legs. “Wait right here. I’ll get some water to rinse you off.”
She hurried inside and filled a pitcher of water and then went back out where he was now sitting in one of the lawn chairs. He dutifully raised each foot for her to rinse and then plopped them back down onto the deck.
“After all that discussion about towels, I left mine back on the beach,” he said.
She blinked. A towel had been the last thing on her mind. “That’s okay. I’ll run in and get us one. If you can wait just a few minutes, I’ll go ahead and change before I come back out.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said lazily as he stretched his arms over his head like he was seeking the sun. He tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, and for a long moment she was riveted to just how beautiful the man was. She was utterly fascinated by him. The idea that man with such hard edges and scarred body—clearly the body of a warrior—could also be so gentle and understanding simply astounded her.
Forcing herself away, she let herself into the house and hurried for her bedroom, where she stripped out of her suit. With a grimace, she glanced down to see that sand had accumulated in some interesting places.
She ducked into the bathroom, turned on the shower and stepped underneath the chilly spray. Shivering the whole time, she quickly rinsed the sand off and decided while she was at it, she’d wash her hair.
Fifteen minutes later and feeling guilty for leaving Garrett for so long, she walked back onto the deck, towel in hand, to see him exactly as she’d left him. Kicked back in the chair, head back, eyes closed and looking completely relaxed.
“Sorry I took so long,” she said. “I had sand everywhere so I showered.”
He cracked one eye open and stared at her. “Yeah, sand in the sensitive parts is a bitch. It can cause some chafing issues.”
“Do you ... do you want to use my shower? You probably have sand issues too.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I could use a quick rinse if you don’t mind me staying in my swim trunks. Otherwise I can just run back over to my place and shower and change.”
It made the most sense for him to just go home. It wasn’t as if he were a long distance. But she hated the idea of him leaving. Even for just a few minutes.
“I don’t mind. You’re welcome to my shower and towels. I only have girly soap. Sorry.”
“I’ll just rinse if you can bear the smell,” he drawled.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he smelled so damn good that it would be a sin to use soap at all.
“I’m going to start dinner while you clean up.”
He plopped his legs down and ambled into the cottage ahead of her. He disappeared into her bedroom and she went into the kitchen, so many butterflies scurrying around her belly she felt dizzy.
There was a man in her bedroom. In her bathroom. Taking a shower in her shower. Naked. Right now. She grinned. And she wasn’t even running the other way, hyperventilating or otherwise freaking out. It was a start.
This might even constitute a date. An actual evening with a gorgeous specimen of a man.
She seasoned the brisket, washed the potatoes and put everything into the oven. Then she pulled out the three kinds of beer and her own bottle of wine and went out to the deck to wait for Garrett.
Just a few minutes later, he came out, barefooted and in his swim trunks and looking so delicious she wanted to lick him. He rubbed at his damp hair and then spotted the beer as he closed the glass door behind him.
“Oh hell, you didn’t lie about the beer. I feel so honored that you bought it just for me.”
She gestured toward the bottles. “Take your pick. I had no idea what to get so I grabbed what I could.”
“It looks good to me. It’s wet and cold. That’s all that matters.”
They sat enjoying the afternoon, her with her wine and him with his beer. The sun was settling over the western horizon, plunging the sky into vibrant shades of gold, pink and purple. The huge orange orb reflected and shimmered on the water, sending fingers of fire racing across the still ocean.
“This is my favorite time of day,” she murmured. “The sunsets are so beautiful here. They take my breath away.”
“They remind me of home,” Garrett said. “My brothers and I used to sit out on our back deck, drink a few beers after a long day and watch the sun go down over the lake. We haven’t done that in a while. I’m thinking when I get back home, we need to do it more often.”
Sarah smiled. Then she remembered dinner. “Oh crap! I need to check the brisket!”
She hurried into the house and was immediately surrounded by the scent of cooking meat. It smelled homey and delicious. More importantly, it didn’t smell burnt. She took the casserole dish out of the oven and set it on the stovetop and then she reached in with an oven mitt and retrieved the two potatoes.