Chapter Thirty
Wearing sunglasses, with his shirt off and his longish dark-blond hair whipping in the wind, he was the sexiest man alive, Wren had decided when he’d taken her for a tour in his cruiser.
That was the best thing about wearing shades – she’d been able to just laze back in the cruiser and admire how graceful he was when he moved, kind of like a panther, even with the way he so easily managed his prosthetic as if it was his missing limb. It must have taken some serious skills – not to mention determination – to return to active duty after being injured. Wren was sure it had to have involved a lot more than just getting back into shape, and it was truly-mind blowing to think about what he must have gone through to be reinstated.
Wren was surprised to realize how much her heart was aching at the thought of everything he’d been through. And instinctively she was sure – here was a man she could always depend on. She’d known very few she could.
Now, they were finishing the dinner that Jeff had cooked on the grill. The barbecued chicken had been as delicious as the bacon wrapped filets he’d cooked the previous week. She would cook dinner next, she decided. Although she didn’t cook often, she was actually pretty good at it herself.
“How do you feel about ravioli? I love Italian, although most everything I cook isn’t on my diet.” She definitely wouldn’t mention the celebrity chef she’d dated for a few months who was still a close friend.
He laughed. “I love ravioli. That’s something that’s not on too many menus around here, except for the Inn of course.
“We’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow after working at the studio,” she said. “It’s weird, but even though we’re getting a ton of work done, I feel like I’m on vacation.”
“Maybe because I am,” he admitted. “Studio work doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s more of a hobby.”
She snorted. “One you could make a living at if you wanted.”
He appeared thoughtful. “I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much.”
“I can understand that.” She nodded, pursing her lips as she looked out at the sunset. “How about we go swimming again and make it an early night?”
He smiled widely. “It’s a little early for skinny-dipping.”
“We can keep on our suits this time around. Besides, I wouldn’t want to put on too much of a show for the surveillance cameras.” She winked as she stood, carrying her empty plate as she headed inside. “Let’s clean up the kitchen and get the dishes put away first.”
Another twenty minutes later, Wren was making a shallow dive from the end of the pier, with Jeff not far behind her.
“That sunset sure is beautiful,” she said, as the sun slowly descended in the horizon, setting the lake afire.
“It was always what I thought of when I was far away from home,” he admitted, as they kept up a leisurely pace doing laps from the pier back and forth through deeper water.
Another twenty minutes later, the sun was just a bright light in the distance as stars began twinkling about them in the sky.
“I guess I’m ready to call it a night if you are,” Wren said softly.
This time there were towels stacked on the pier, and as Wren pulled herself up, Jeff gave her a quick boost, before hoisting himself from the water beside her.
Wrapped in their towels, they headed inside, where Jeff locked the entire house up tight before switching on all the security features.
“Let’s go upstairs to the master, shall we, and shower there?” she suggested as they stood face to face. “I can’t wait to try out that jetted tub sometime.”
She nearly giggled when Jeff made an uncomfortable swallowing noise.
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” she said, grinning.
Jeff rolled his eyes before answering, “That’s what you think.”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “You make me feel like a barracuda.”
It was the perfect thing to say because they were both laughing loudly as they headed up the staircase.