revealed a pair of board shorts.
‘It’s your turn to have a swim, Jess. Luke and I are going to take a rest. I’ll watch Ella while you’re in there.’ Dan glanced at Ella in time to see her bang the spade on one of the buckets again and crow in delight at the resulting ‘thwack’ of sound. ‘She seems content enough.’
Droplets of water trickled from Dan’s wet hair, and down the tanned muscles of his chest. His board shorts clung to his physique—
Well, Jess didn’t need to be thinking about Dan’s physique!
Dan’s gaze came back to her. An edge of intensity appeared in his eyes that suggested he might have noticed her examination of him, or might be making one of his own across Jess’s sun-kissed shoulders and down over her arms.
Dan’s shoulders and upper arms were strong, the muscles defined and beautifully curved.
Looking away now.
And his tummy was really flat. And he was tanned and strong and, oh, she really wanted to touch all that wet, salty skin with her fingertips.
‘I don’t think I’ll swim.’ I’d probably set the sea on fire from all the heat that just rushed into me thanks to those thoughts. Not to mention the bumblebees and all the curves that were more curves than they used to be. ‘I, well, I probably just won’t.’
She didn’t want to strip down to her bikini in front of—the children? Jess glanced down at her bright, multicoloured sarong, and then, despite herself, looked a little longingly at the water, and along the beach to where there were several women wearing bikinis far more revealing than her very ordinary one, even if it was bright and covered in bees.
‘This trip…’ Dan hesitated. ‘I wanted to do something for the children, and for you and Ella. It’s not much of a trip to the beach if you don’t swim. I won’t laugh at the bumblebees, I promise.’
Oh, that serious tone with the glints of mischief dancing in his eyes, all because Mary had asked those questions in the supermarket and Dan had been right there while Jess squirmed her way through the answers.
Luke had moved away, and Jess felt for a moment as though she and Dan were the only people on the beach, despite the children surrounding them.
Dan probably wouldn’t even look at her anyway. He just wanted her to be able to enjoy herself, and she was being ridiculous.
‘I’m a decent swimmer.’ Jess made the decision that she would get in the water. If Dan could stand here dripping in board shorts, Jess could strip down to curvy bumblebees. ‘I’ll make sure I do the right thing out there. You’ll have to watch all the children while I’m gone.’
As though Dan weren’t more than aware of the necessity of keeping charge of his children. And Ella, of course. It went without saying. He’d just offered to do exactly that.
Jess was procrastinating. ‘Right.’ She dumped the sarong in one swift movement. She did not boggle at the thought of the bumblebees on her butt. She certainly didn’t have that very old song about being afraid to get in the water flash through her brain.
If she didn’t meet Dan’s eyes then she wouldn’t even know if he was looking or not.
‘You have a perfect figure.’ He said it in a half whisper. ‘I suppose I knew, really, but I couldn’t have imagined.’ The words ended. Dan’s hot gaze had travelled over her and Jess had seen it. He turned abruptly away and Jess tried to walk very naturally across the sand to the water.
She swam and pushed her thoughts away until there was only swimming and the tug of the waves, and Dan and the children on the beach.
Dan hadn’t really given her that intense look, she assured herself, forgetting that she wasn’t thinking while she was out here.
Sure. Just as you didn’t give Dan an intense look.
Jess forced her arms and legs to work for her, and rode the gentle waves, imagined bobbing like a cork. She kept the shore in her sights, but she let everything blur around the edges and she was successful eventually.
‘Daddy, can I have a s’rong like Jess’s? And why don’t me and Daisy and Annapolly have ‘kinis?’ The question came from Mary as she sat down beside Dan where he’d come to play with Ella on her blanket.
Jess’s daughter had noticed her mother’s absence, but there were enough Fraziers to keep her distracted.
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