“I didn’t know it took such a large bag for a bikini,” Ty commented with a grin from where he lounged on the sofa.
“You’re such a funny man, Dr. Smith.”
“I don’t find the thought of you in a bikini funny at all.” His eyes took on a predatory look.
Warmth flowed through her. All it took from Ty was one special expression for desire to flame within her.
“Come on, we’d better go if we’re going to get some beach time in. We’ll take my car,” Ty announced, reaching for the overstuffed bag she held.
“I was going to suggest we take my car.”
He huffed. “It has all the trappings of the family van. If you’re going to the beach you need to be in a beachy car. I have just the auto.”
Ty had her curiosity aroused now. “What did you rent?”
“You’ll see, but it’s something that’ll suit us both. Let’s go. I need to grab my guitar out of your car.”
Michelle preceded him out the door. They walked to the parking area, stopped at her car then Ty led her towards a black convertible sports car.
“You rented this! Why am I’m not surprised?” Michelle yelped.
“Yeah, I thought it might be the best of both worlds. Wind in the face for me and secure enough for the safety-conscious in you.”
“You rented it with me in mind?”
“I did.”
“But you weren’t speaking to me.”
“Yeah, but I was hoping you’d come round.”
“Why did you think that might happen?”
Ty opened the trunk and placed the bag, guitar and his towel there. He turned to her. “Because I think we are good together. That you wouldn’t want to waste what time we have together. I hoped you might come around.”
So he hadn’t been holding a grudge against her. Instead, he’d just waited for her to figure her feelings out.
“Come on.” He shook the keys at her. “You want to drive?”
Michelle quirked her lips and took them from him. “You know, I believe I do.”
She climbed in and secured her safety belt. With a chuckle he slid into the passenger side. She glared at him.
“What?” he finally asked with a raised brow.
“Buckle up.”
With a playful look of disgust he jerked the belt across his waist and clicked it into place. “I’m ready when you are.”
With a grin she cranked the car. Michelle maneuvered through the light weekend traffic and out onto the interstate. Applying gas, she appreciated the well-built fast car as they sped down the road.
“I had no idea you were such a speed lover,” Ty said over the noise of the wind around them as they hit the open road.
She glanced over at him. “That’s because you don’t know as much about me as you think you do.”
Ty reached over and placed a hand on her bare knee below her shorts. “I know most of the important stuff.” He teased her skin with his thumb.
She pushed his hand away. “Don’t distract the driver.”
“Do I distract you?” he asked with a smirk.
“Too much,” she responded without thinking. And he did.
It was nearing lunchtime when they arrived at the beach.
“Would you like to sit down somewhere to eat or would you rather grab a sandwich and eat on the beach?” Ty asked as they cruised along the shore road.
“A sandwich would be wonderful beside the water.” Michelle stopped at a traffic light. While they waited she raised her face to the sky. “I’m so glad you talked me into this. Just having the sun on my face feels wonderful.”
Ty took one of her hands and squeezed it. “You look magnificent.” Ty reached over and kissed her.
The honking of the car behind them jerked them apart. They laughed and Michelle pulled away. A swirl of joy went through her. She’d just gotten caught necking at a red light. Had she ever done something so foolish? She smiled. This feeling was what it meant to be happy. Something that had been missing in her life for far too long.
“Pull in here.” Ty indicated a deli that sat just off the road. She parked. Ty opened the door and said, “I’ll run in and get everything we need. You just enjoy the sun. I’ll be right back.”
She watched as he walked away with his self-assured gait. He held the door for a woman and two children exiting the building. Ty smiled at them and said something that made them grin in return. Ty made people feel good. He made her feel special.
By the time Ty returned, she’d moved to the passenger seat.
“Hey, you’re not going to drive any more?”
“I thought it was time for you to chauffeur me around for a while. I want to see the sights. I haven’t been here since I was a girl. I can’t see everything if I have to pay attention to my driving.”
“Well, as long as I get a tip for my trouble.”
“You have something in mind?” She gave him her best somber look.
“I do. But I don’t think out in public is the right place.”
She enjoyed sharing comments and secrets that were special just between the two of them. Ty was not only her lover but her friend.
“I know the perfect stretch of beach for us so you rubberneck to your heart’s content.”
“Have you been here often?” Michelle asked as she looked out at the ocean beside the road.
“Yes.”
“Did you work in a hospital near here?”
“Not exactly,” he said flatly.
Was he being evasive on purpose? “Is it some secret?”
“Michelle, just leave it alone.”
She turned to look at him. His eyes remained on the road ahead. A muscle jumped in his jaw it was so tightly clenched. “Why did you bring me here if you don’t like it?”
“I do like it. I just hate some of the memories.”
Michelle understood that. She asked nothing further.
Minutes later, Ty pulled into a subdivision of six small beach cottages and then into the drive of one of them.
“What’re you doing? You can’t just park here,” Michelle stated, looking at the storybook place in front of them.
“I’m not. I know the guy who owns this place.”
Michelle studied the small but immaculate house. “Oh. Nice. Very nice.”
“I thought you might like it.”
“Come on, I’ll show you around,” Ty said pleasantly, as if his earlier mood had completely disappeared. They climbed the stairs to the white-painted rail porch. He placed a key in the lock of the bright blue door.
“You have your own key?”
“Yeah, I stay here sometimes between jobs.”
“You don’t own a place anywhere?”
“Nope. Never have.”
Michelle was surprised. She couldn’t imagine going through life being little more than a vagabond. They might be on the same page in bed but their book of life was entirely different.
Ty pushed the door open and let her enter ahead of him. The room they stepped into took her breath away. Windows covered the back of the house and beyond lay the white sandy beach and crystal blue ocean. The furnishings were done in nautical colors. It was a shiny and light room while at the same time a place of comfort. Michelle loved it immediately. “This is wonderful. It’s just the kind of place I’d love to have for a hideout on days off.”
Ty chuckled. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the cottage. I think you’ll like it too.”
The house had three bedrooms. The two small bedrooms shared a bath. They were brightly decorated also. The master bedroom faced the ocean. There were ceiling-to-floor windows and glass doors that opened onto the deck that covered the length of the house along the back. It was as meticulously decorated as the rest of the place.
“It’s perfect!” Michelle exclaimed. “You may have to force me to go home.”
“You can stay as long as you like. Let’s go to the beach. I’m ready for a swim. Why don’t you change while I put our lunch in a cooler and