on after the lake but had left her shirt off, and the way his gaze ate up her bikini-clad breasts made her nipples hard and the sensitive flesh between her legs heavy. It made her feel like she was packing a pair of double Ds instead of barely a B cup, and she’d deliberately reclined onto her elbows because she knew it would arch her back a little and thrust out her chest.
His nostrils had flared at the move, and she had little doubt that, had they been alone, she’d have been flat on her back. Or he’d be flat on his. He hadn’t put his shirt back on, either, so all that bare male flesh was a delicious, utterly distracting temptation.
Like right now, when Jane realized Cole and Finn were both looking at her expectantly and she had to hit the rewind button in her head to catch up with his question. “Can we go back in the water, Mommy?”
“Not yet.” Jane sat, giving herself a mental shake as she reached for her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She was pretty sure she heard Cole mutter “Damn” under his breath as he continued to stare at her, which she ignored as she addressed Finn. “We need to wait a bit longer for our food to go down.”
“How long?”
Jane knew from experience Finn would bug her every minute until he got back in the water, so distraction was in order. “Let’s go to the playground for a while,” she suggested. They could see the area with several pieces of play equipment under shade sails from where they were sitting.
“Oh, yes!” Finn sprang to his feet, pumping the air with his fist. “C’mon, Cole, let’s go.”
Finn bent down to pick up Cole’s cane and thrust it at him, and that cramp in Jane’s chest got a little bigger.
“Okay, okay.”
He laughed as he pushed to his feet with the aid of the cane on one side and Finn tugging on the other. Cole rolled his eyes as he grinned at her so big it stole her breath.
“C’mon, Mommy,” Finn threw over his shoulder, and Jane laughed, too. She actually envied her son a little. To be able to form such fast relationships without a care in the world was the purview of the young. She had to be a lot more guarded.
Jane followed them to the playground, preoccupied by the notion as Finn explored the equipment. They hadn’t been there long when another family joined them—a very pregnant woman who was holding the hand of a man of about a similar age and two little girls who had to be twins.
Finn, who was mid slip down the slippery slide, waved and called out, “Jazzy! Franny!”
“Oh god,” Cole muttered under his breath. “It’s Roo and Moo.”
“Who?”
“From the rugby clinic.” He looked around at the deep layer of bark on the ground forming the regulation soft fall. “At least there’s no grass.”
Jane frowned, about to question him again, but let it go as the couple approached and introductions were performed. They chatted happily as they watched the kids play together. Shannon and Caleb lived and worked on the family corn farm and were expecting their third child next month. Shannon absently rubbed her belly as she and Jane talked baby stuff and Caleb peppered Cole with questions about his career.
“So, what are you going to do now?” he asked.
“I’m waiting to hear back about a sportscasting role on one of the TV networks back home.”
The bubble burst a little as reality intruded. Cole had a whole other life in Australia. One he was going back to. Which she knew—of course—but the thought was weirdly unsettling, which made her feel uncomfortable and aware of how hot the day was, and the lake beckoned.
“Finn.” She gestured for him to come over during a break in the conversation. “Time for that swim.”
“Oh, Mom, do I have to?”
Okay. That she hadn’t expected. She gave a half laugh and briefly rolled her eyes at Shannon. “I thought you wanted to swim?”
“I want to play with the twins.”
“We can keep an eye on him if you guys want to take a dip,” Shannon said.
“Oh, no.” Jane shook her head. “I couldn’t impose like that.”
“It’s not a problem,” Caleb said. “Honestly, you’d be doing us a favor. Our two would just be fighting now if it weren’t for Finn. They’re at that not-good-at-sharing-with-each-other age.”
Jane balanced on a precipice—a cooling dip and some alone time with Cole versus leaving her