There with You (Adair Family 2)

“I think we both know it wasn’t Scotland that did the seducing,” I teased.

Laughing, Thane nodded and was about to reply when Eilidh beat him to it. “What does sepuducing me?”

Having momentarily forgotten children were always listening, I blanched and covered it with a bright smile. “Charmed, honey. It means to charm someone. You know, make them like you.”

I was pretty sure Thane shot me a grateful look, but it was difficult to tell behind those sunglasses.

We found a spot a little down the beach, near the dunes, and out of nowhere Thane produced an unfamiliar, multi-colored object and unfolded it. It consisted of four wide strips of stretched canvas with poles slotted in between each so it could fold in different directions. He placed it into the sand like a wall that curved around our towels.

Looking across the beach I realized most people had these or little colorful tents.

“What is that?”

“The windbreak?” He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have these in the US?”

“Nope. We have umbrellas and cabanas to fight off the sun. Not the wind.” I grinned at the thought.

However, when we sat behind it my goose bumps disappeared now that we’d blocked out the breeze. In fact, it was downright toasty under that fall sun.

Windbreaks. They were kind of genius.

I set about slathering Eilidh in sunblock while Thane did the same for Lewis. I tried not to think about the picture we made, all four of us. Like a family.

That way lies danger.

“There’s Anna! There’s Anna!” Eilidh jumped up and down, the frills of her swim dress bouncing around her waist. Following her gaze, I saw she was right. One of her best friends, a little pixie blond girl, was on the beach with her mom and her big sister Rosie.

“I see Connor as well,” Lewis said, craning his neck to look down the beach.

“Don’t you want to sit with us for a bit?” Thane asked, sounding a little put out.

Smiling to myself, I took Eilidh’s hand. “They can sit with us at lunch, no?”

He reluctantly agreed, and we walked away from our spot, me to deliver Eilidh to Anna, with a promise from Anna’s mom to watch her while they played, and Thane to do the same with Connor and his dad.

We met back on our blanket, behind the windbreak and I was suddenly very much aware of being alone with him. “I feel unloved,” I joked to break the tension I was sure only I felt.

Thane chuckled. “It’s just strange they’re both at that age where they want to go off and play with their friends. Not that long ago, they didn’t want to leave my side.”

“They’re still babies,” I assured him as I covered up with sunscreen. I’d deliberately chosen a dress with a high back so I wouldn’t need anyone to help me out.

What I hadn’t been counting on was Thane whipping off his T-shirt.

But why wouldn’t he when he looked like that?

The man wasn’t muscled to the max like some male model. There was definition, yes, but if I didn’t know he worked out, I’d just assume he was naturally built that way. There was nothing overworked about his physique. He was … too sexy to be my boss.

Damn it.

Not knowing where to look, I turned to stare out at the water as he covered himself with sunblock. Apparently unable to control myself, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye just as he realized he’d made an error in judgment by whipping off his shirt.

He couldn’t cover his back in sunblock without help.

And I was a complete opportunist with no self-preservation whatsoever. “Need a hand?”

Thane made an exasperated sound. “If you don’t mind.”

My pulse increased as I took the sunblock and walked on my knees until I was behind him.

His broad back stretched before me, smooth, olive skin over healthy muscle. And there was a tattoo on his right shoulder that I’d never seen before—a Celtic knot symbol.

Taking a deep breath that I hoped Thane couldn’t hear, I slathered cream on my fingers and then pressed my palms to his strong back. For a moment, I didn’t move my hands. I was afraid if I did, I’d caress him.

Thane turned his head slightly, as if he sensed something was wrong. I shook myself out of crazy crush mode and smoothed the lotion into his skin. It was going well until I noted how tense his shoulders were.

“You need a massage,” I said, subconsciously kneading my fingers and thumbs into the too-tight muscle.

He grunted. “Fuck, that feels good. Had that knot there forever.”

Frowning, I rolled my thumb against the area I thought he meant. “Here?”

The sound of deep pleasure made me smirk, and I continued to knead at it.

“You’re good at this,” Thane offered after a few seconds, his voice rumbly and hoarse.