trailed over the beach, and Babette turned in time to see her snap her palm over her mouth. Then she shrugged.
“We’re going up to your place to work on some of the stuff for tomorrow’s party,” Tillie called. “Okay if we let ourselves in?”
“Sure. Rose has a key.”
Babette’s attention was drawn from the women when something popped against the side of her leg. She turned to see the volleyball on the sand next to her, and one of the guys from the opposing team heading her way. He was tall, dark and deadly, smiling at Babette as though he’d like nothing better than to make her every wish come true.
She picked up the volleyball, held it toward him.
He grinned, and he had beautiful teeth too. “Hey, thanks.”
“No problem,” she said, as blandly as she could.
“I’m Kurt, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, handing him the ball, then promptly turning her attention back to the other side of the court, and the guy watching her every move. “Looking for something, Jeff?”
He laughed. “Just the score.”
“Sixteen serving eighteen.”
She watched him successfully serve again, then subsequently join his team for a round of high fives that was mighty impressive. There wasn’t anything quite like a bunch of excited men celebrating each battle along the way to victory. And typically, Babette would be drawn to the entire show, but today, oddly enough, her eyes seemed to be focused on the one attempting to inflict the most torture. Little did he know, he was torturing her, all right, but in a different way. She wasn’t all that tempted to flirt with the other guys, though she would whistle if she could; hey, she was breathing. But the only one she was tempted to flirt with, and do more with, was the one that she was supposed to bring back to Kitty. Her business was a success, and she was finally committed to something. She didn’t want to throw that away for a relationship that had always been solely about sex.
However, this time with Jeff, things felt different, and that was throwing her for a loop. She’d sensed it when he took care of her the other night, and then again last night when they’d had so much fun together at the benefit dance. Even now, when he looked at her, she felt something stronger than mere desire for the guy looking so hot, but a pull toward him, because it was him, and because of how he made her feel.
She called out the score three more times, and then the game was done, with the sand-coated guys delivering congratulations and promises of retribution to come. Then Jeff headed her way and extended a hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going now? Is there a competition somewhere nearby for Playgirl models?”
He laughed, and the action made his abs dance. Babette looked toward the waves, splashing against the shore. That was a much easier image to handle at the moment.
“No, I won’t try to tempt you again, not now anyway. And for the record, I was shocked, and somewhat impressed, that you didn’t find anything to your liking in my group of friends.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Though she also wouldn’t tell him that the only one she’d found to her liking was standing in front of her. “I’m just determined to win. I’ve worked hard at making this business work, Jeff, and I can’t let you ruin that for me.”
He opened his mouth, but then shut it, and Babette was left wondering what he’d been about to say.
“In any case, it appears I now owe you a conversation about my ex, as much as I’m not looking forward to it. But first, I want to wash off this sand.” He continued extending his hand in front of Babette, and she reached for it, then let him pull her to her feet and lead her toward those waves. He stepped ahead of her and released her hand.
Babette was a bit surprised at how she suddenly missed that hand.
She followed him into the water and laughed when a big wave soaked her completely. Rubbing her eyes, she felt another spray hit her, but this wasn’t a wave. This was a man acting like a kid. Opening her eyes, she saw Jeff, a bit farther out and crouched in the water, only his head visible above the surface.
“That one came out of nowhere,” he said, and she launched, putting every bit of her weight toward pushing him under, and