Flirting with Temptation - By Kelley St. John Page 0,48

time, she found an apple Jolly Rancher, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth, then continued searching. Apparently, candy wasn’t the main goal. Eventually, she withdrew a blue bottle of sunscreen. “Aha, here it is,” she said, reading the SPF number on the side. “Good. Put this on. You’ll cook if you don’t.”

“You’re right,” Babette said, accepting the bottle, then lathering up with it. Redheads didn’t fare well in the sun without sunscreen, and she hadn’t put any on this morning before hitting the poolside. Normally, that would’ve been an automatic occurrence, but she attributed that oversight to her eagerness to start her day by the pool. “Thanks.”

“Alrighty, well, it’s getting close to movie time,” Rose said, standing. “How do I look?”

“It’s nearly two already?” She hadn’t realized how long it’d taken to make all of those calls. “I haven’t even eaten.”

“All day? Have mercy. I’ll go get you something,” Rose said.

“I’ll get her something,” a deep, very nice voice said from behind Rose.

Both of them turned toward the voice, and a dark-haired, tanned, buff, beautiful, bold and intoxicating man smiled back.

“Oooh, hello, Chris,” Rose gushed.

“Hey.”

Babette recognized him. He was the beach lifeguard, or he usually was. Right now, he had on regular swim trunks instead of the usual red ones with the white cross on one leg. She twisted to look at the lifeguard stand on the beach, and found it occupied by a female in a red suit.

“Today’s my day off,” he acknowledged, apparently impressed that she recognized him.

Well of course she recognized him, what woman wouldn’t remember him? He was right pleasing on the eyes, as Granny Gert would say. And speaking of Granny . . .

“I need to call my grandmother,” Babette said, and the hottie lifeguard grinned.

“I’m assuming that calling her doesn’t preclude you from requiring food?”

“Oh, no,” Babette said, while Rose laughed softly.

“They make a mean turkey and bacon sandwich.” He indicated the pool snack bar, and Babette nodded.

“That does sound good.”

“Nice to see you, Rose,” he said, then moved toward the snack bar, while Babette widened her eyes at Rose.

“You know him? I mean, more than merely gawking at him when he’s on his lifeguard stand?”

“Everyone knows Chris. Chris Langley is the best-looking lifeguard on the entire beach, and he’s ours,” she said with pride. “I’d go after that one, if I were you, if you aren’t going to get back with Jeff.”

“I’m not,” Babette said, and thought she sounded convincing. She watched as a group of teens sauntered up the steps from the beach and washed the sand from their feet to prepare for heading indoors. Memories of her own sandy feet, and Jeff’s hands rubbing all over them, sent a swift flutter of desire through her. Then there was the way he’d picked the seashell that she’d wanted, and the way he’d pressed his finger to her mouth. . . .

She shook off the memory. Letting anything physical happen with him would jeopardize her chance of getting him back with Kitty and sending her business soaring. And for what? To be yet another notch on his current over-notched bedpost?

No. Sure, she had a lot of sexual tension and blatant sexual needs that had been brought to the surface by their little interaction last night, but she didn’t have to fill that need with Jeff.

“You going to call your Granny?” Rose asked.

“Yes,” Babette said, realizing she still held the phone in her hand.

“Well, I’ll leave and let you call her before Chris comes back. Let me know what happens with him, and whether you get to talk to Jeff before the day’s over. I’ll keep you posted on how the movie goes.” She waved at the lifeguard as she left the lounger and headed back toward Sunny Beaches.

Babette quickly dialed Granny Gert and gave her Rowdy’s information. Apparently Granny was excited, because she hurriedly repeated it, then told Babette she was “on it” and hung up. Knowing her grandmother, she might pull up the directions to Rowdy’s house on Mapquest and head on down there. Babette definitely got her feisty spirit honestly.

Speaking of feisty, Chris Langley was apparently attracted to feist. He continued glancing at Babette throughout placing the order, and each time he gave her a smile that’d melt butter.

She watched his biceps flex as he reached for two sandwich plates. Yeah, she did need a sexual release, or two, or twenty, something beyond her own personal adventures in the shower, and she didn’t need Jeff to provide it. Judging