Page 65 of Second Time Around

Beck picked up his mug and swallowed the rest of his beer. Then he stood, and said, “I’ll help.”

She thought about arguing with him, but it was his house, so she decided not to. Besides, the sooner they cleared the table, the sooner they could move on to dessert. It was too dangerous to linger, and she hadn’t helped matters by telling him a sexy bedtime story.

Teaming up, they made quick work of cleaning the kitchen, and then they turned to face each other.

“Did you bring your bathing suit?” he asked.

She nodded.

“We could go in the hot tub and then have dessert.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, except that it was a horrible idea.

She shook her head.

“No to the hot tub or dessert?” he asked, looking amused.

“I never say no to dessert.”

He chuckled. “It’s a beautiful night for a soak, and it will give us time for our food to settle.”

He’d left the patio door open, and a cool breeze floated in. It was dark now, and the night sky blanketed the house. It was warm and cozy inside, but admittedly, soaking in the hot tub under the starry sky sounded appealing.

“Okay,” she said, “but remember the rules.”

“I remember,” he said solemnly. “You can change in the bathroom, and I’ll change upstairs. Meet you back here in five minutes, and don’t try to sneak out.”

“Just go,” she said, shooing him away.

A few minutes later, she was in the downstairs powder room, stripping off her clothes. Then she tugged on her bathing suit, a floral two-piece, and slipped on her black cover-up.

Eyeing herself in the mirror, she took a few deep breaths and tried to get her emotions under control. Remember the rules. No kissing, touching, or talking about the past. It was as easy and impossible as that.