damn, they made her legs look long. “Hey.”
She grinned up at me. “Hey yourself.” She immediately peeked into the carrier and adjusted the blankets before covering her against the cool wind off the water. “What’s got your brother so excited?”
A duck came up to meet her and quacked—actually, it sounded more like a bray, for God’s sake. He stabbed at the toe of her boot.
“Hey, buddy.” She stepped out of reach. “I just bought those suckers.”
I slid my hand around her back, glanced around for onlookers, and then cupped her ass. “And I appreciate those boots.” I stared down at the duck. “Buzz off, buddy, she’s my date.”
She laid her hand on my chest. “Is that right?”
“Definitely.” I lowered my mouth to hers. She tasted of something sweet. Maybe frosting? Possibly the cupcakes I saw Tabitha from Sugar Rush loading into her van earlier. But then that spicy gingerbread scent wafted from her hair.
She was a damn goddess.
I tangled the fingers of my other hand into the loose curls floating down her back. She moaned into my mouth, and I tugged a touch harder before I eased back. “How’s the head?” I asked.
“Perfectly fine. Kiss me again.”
I did as she asked, sinking in as if it had been years since we’d touched. The quick lash of her tongue buzzed along mine before another quack busted us apart.
We were surrounded like we were chum in the water.
Reluctantly, I pulled my mouth from hers. “You don’t happen to have food in that big bag, do you?”
“Maybe.” She gave the four ducks on our left a side-eye.
“A bread type item?”
She bit her lower lip—the one still swollen from me—then nodded. “Vee’s bacon and cheese tartlets.”
I groaned. Other than Gina’s pecan pie, those were practically my favorite thing ever, and she knew it. I drew her closer as the ducks doubled in number. “I think they might like them as much as I do.”
“And maybe the garbage bread.”
I laughed as we slowly shuffled to the right so I could reach the baby carrier. I snagged it and we rushed back to the doors of the restaurant. I handed off the carrier to her and spun around to close the double doors.
Manic quacking sounded outside on the deck as more and more seemed to congregate.
“The Birds have nothing on these guys.”
Gina peeked around me and out the window. “They’re probably starving.”
“Well, they should be in some warmer climate like Georgia or Florida or something.”
“I bet they are getting fed just fine based on those numbers.” She gripped the back of my jacket with a giggle before she snaked her hand under my polo shirt to rub my back.
How many times had she rubbed my back since we’d been friends? Except now I knew just what it was like to be skin to skin with her. And any contact had the divining rod otherwise known as my dick thirsty for her in every damn way.
She set Sami on the table beside us and after another peek, she shook her head. “Still sleeping. You’re the best little girl, aren’t you?”
I dragged Bee in front of me. “The very best sleeping girl.” I dipped my head for another kiss now that we were actually alone. She wrapped her arm around my neck and went up on her tiptoes. I loved how small she was, even in heels. I resisted the urge to lift her up and wrap her legs around my hips.
Inappropriate.
Sheriff.
Public.
All the words flashed in my brain, but the light was so dim. Especially with her sexy curves in my arms and her taste in my throat. Frosting and that darker sweetness that I’d always crave. Gina was my favorite flavor I never knew I loved.
Loved.
That emotion was so foreign and new to me, but it was so very real.
Pounding fists on the door broke us apart. Mason’s panicked face was right beside mine, only his was plastered to the windowpane. “Stop sucking face and let me in. Do sheriff things, dammit.”
I nudged Bee away from me and tapped her chin. “To be continued.”
“You know it.”
I opened the door. “Hurry—”
“Wait!”
A squeak came from behind me as one of the waitstaff spotted the ducks. And that was just enough of a distraction for the door to be open a second too long.
Ducks came flooding into the restaurant. At least two dozen of them spread out looking for any spare crumb.
Mason sagged against the open doors as the rest flowed around him like he was a river rock. Gillian