Seaside Kisses

by Stacy Claflin

  After a few moments, Rafael stepped back and looked her over. "It's so good to see you. I can't tell you how much I've missed you."

  Amara took both his hands and brushed her lips against his. "If that hug is any indication, I'd say it was almost as much as I've craved your company."

  "Almost?" He pulled her closer. He held her tighter than before, tickling her side. "Is this a competition now?"

  "Maybe." She giggled, trying to squirm away even though she enjoyed being so close.

  Rafael held her so close it restricted her breathing. "This comes a little closer to showing how much I hated being away from you. Do you want me to show you the full enchilada?"

  She shook her head, a laugh trying to escape. He let go and they both burst into laughter. Once they calmed down, Amara leaned against him again, feeling more energy than she'd had all day.

  "You ready for lunch?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

  Amara stared into his eyes. "As long as I can spend some time with you, I'd be happy doing anything."

  "What about going to a rodeo?" he asked.

  She hesitated. "Did you say a rodeo?"

  "Wouldn't that be fun?" he asked. "There's one a couple towns over, and I hear anyone can ride a bull. You just have to sign a waiver."

  Amara's eyes widened and she studied his face. He had to be joking. A rodeo? Rafael?

  He laughed. "I'm just kidding. I don't think there's a person alive less interested in that than me."

  She let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was ride a wild bull.

  Rafael traced her jawline and stared into her eyes before pressing his lips on hers. "How does a homemade picnic sound?"

  Amara's mouth dropped open. "You… made a picnic?"

  His face lit up. "I did. I hope you like potato salad with vegan mayo."

  "I'm sure I will."

  He spun around and hurried into the back room, coming out with a large, beautiful picnic basket. He looked proud, and Amara was definitely in awe.

  "I can't believe you made a picnic lunch for us."

  "Hopefully, you'll like it after you taste it." He chuckled.

  "Is your wrist okay?" she asked. "Do you want me to carry that?"

  "Not a chance, and my wrist is fine. Besides, it's my other one."

  "Oh, right. So, where are we going?"

  Rafael set the basket on the counter next to the register and put on his jacket. "Since it's so chilly, I thought we could go to that clearing just before the woods. Is that all right?"

  "It's perfect."

  "I wanted to watch the waves, but I didn't want to give you frostbite." He wrapped a scarf around his neck.

  "Frostbite?" she asked. "I don't think it's that cold."

  "It was close to freezing this morning. Speaking of that, we should probably wear hats. Do you need one?"

  "I'm fine without one. Really."

  "Nonsense." He went over to a box and pulled out a black hat. "This one will look adorable on you." He slid it over her hair before she could protest. He nodded in approval. "Yep, adorable." He kissed her nose and then slid his arm through the basket handles and then took her hand, leading her outside.

  She shivered, the cold air biting her exposed skin. Maybe it really was close to freezing. Rafael locked the shop and then laced his fingers through hers. They walked the short distance to the field against a slight breeze. To combat it, they each put an arm around the other. Amara loved the feel of Rafael's arm against her, pressed against his firm side.

  When they reached the field, the wind was almost gone—the trees acted as a barrier, protecting them. Rafael set the basket down, opened it and pulled out a bright blue blanket, spreading it on the grass in front of them. Amara reached in so she could help him with setting it up, but he took her hand, kissed her palm, and shook his head no.

  "I want to do this for you."

  "And I want to help you."

  He cupped her chin, gazing into her eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Will you let me do this for you?"

  "All right, but know I'm going to feel bad standing here doing nothing while you do all the work."

  Rafael ran his thumb along her palm. "I can live with that." He turned around and set out plates, silverware, napkins, Tupperware containers, wine glasses, and a couple bottles of sparkling water. "How's that?"

  Amara stared, speechless. She found her voice. "I can't believe you went to all that effort."

  "Oh, wait. It needs one more thing."

  She arched a brow. What could possibly be missing? Violinists? She glanced around, half expecting some to step out of the woods.

  Rafael pulled out a white pillar candle and lit it. "Now we're ready." He grinned, clearly proud of himself.

  Amara wrapped her arms around him. "This is beyond anything I imagined." Really, it was. Not only was he the same guy she'd dreamed about for so many years, scribbling their names together in countless notebooks, but now he adored her so much to go to all this effort.

  He kissed her cheek. "I'm so glad."

  "I think this goes down as the best date in the history of best dates."

  Rafael beamed. "At least try the food before—hey! It's snowing."

  Amara took her attention from him and glanced around. Sure enough, flakes fell all around them.

  He kissed her again. "It's magical."

  "It sure is," she whispered. "It sure is."

  Rafael continued to stare into her eyes. "I love you, Amara."

  Her mouth gaped. Had she heard him correctly?

  "I really do. I love you." He ran his fingers over her jawline, holding her gaze.

  Warmth radiated through her body, her heartbeat drumming in her chest. Finally she found her voice. "I love you, too. I always have."

  He cupped her chin and brought his lips to hers. He pressed harder and she responded, moving even closer to him.

  She wanted more, but he pulled back and cleared his throat. His cheeks were flushed. "We should eat."

  Amara nodded, breathless.

  He slid his hand down her arm and held her hand, leading her to the blanket. They sat close, their legs touching. "Good thing I brought this." Rafael pulled out a smaller blanket and wrapped it over their backs, blocking them from the chill in the air. He then opened the containers, and they dug in.

  They ate the potato salad along with a delicious fruit salad, rhubarb slaw, chicken baked with delicious spices, and finally two hand-sized strawberry pies.

  Just as they were finishing the meal, the flakes fell faster and had grown in size.

  "That was delicious," Amara said. "Please don't ask me to pick a favorite because there's no way I could."

  "I'm so glad." He wiped a snowflake from her coat. "We should probably get going."

  "I hope you'll let me pack up," she teased.

  "Yes, I will," Rafael said, covering the leftover chicken.

  Amara blew out the candle and then gathered the plates and silverware, wrapping them in the linen napkins so the food wouldn't ruin anything inside the basket. Before long, they ran hand in hand back to his shop against the weather.

  When they reached Rafael's shop, he paused in front of the door. "I suppose this is where we part." The corners of his beautiful mouth curved down slightly and his eyes widened, making him look sad.

  Amara's heart leaped into her throat. Even if she did have to get back to the candy store, she would have stayed just to bring a smile to Rafael's face. She reached for his face and placed her palm on his cheek, shaking her head. "I have the entire afternoon off. And I want to spend it with you."

  His eyes lit up, followed by the rest of his face. "Really? You don't have to go back?"

  She shook her head, leaning closer. He moved forward also, and their lips met. The breeze picked up, whipping her hair around them. Rafael pulled her closer for just a moment before backing up. "We should get inside. It seems like it's going to storm."

  Amara shivered. "It sure does."

&nb
sp; He unlocked the door and they hurried in.

  Twenty Five

  "Are you ready?" Amara called from the back room.

  "You know I am. Come on out."

  Amara tugged on the fluffy skirt of the sixth outfit she'd tried on that afternoon. She and Rafael had taken turns practicing their walk down the runway. It had taken some work, but they'd managed to readjust the tables and displays so that the shop actually had one, minus the catwalk. It was just an imaginary path—and it was the most fun she'd had in a long time.

  "Are you lost?" Rafael called.

  "Just making you wait!" She pulled the skirt again, finally giving up. Maybe it was supposed to stick out like that. Puffy was probably in this coming year. She stood tall and walked out like a professional fashion model. Poor Rafael's patience had been tested as he taught her the moves, but he never lost his smile.

  He let out a low whistle as she came out into the main part of the store. "I never imagined that skirt could look so good."

  "You've said that about everything I've worn."

  "Don't engage the audience. You have to be able to ignore anything said."

  Amara stopped, raising an eyebrow. "I don't see an audience. Just one person… a heckler?"

  Rafael chuckled. "Heckler?"

  She stepped from the imaginary runway. "Yeah. You keep telling me to stay focused, but you continue to distract me."

  "People are going to say all kinds of things about you during the fashion show."

  Amara continued walking slowly toward him, staying in step with the walk he'd taught her. "But the only opinions I care about are yours." She stopped just inches from him. "Are you going to call out these compliments during the live event?"

  "I might not be able to help myself," he whispered, running his hand over her bare arm. "Not when you look this exquisite."

  She opened her mouth to speak, but her breath caught. Goose bumps ran down her arm. He moved his fingers up to her shoulder and then up to her face, tracing her jawline and then moving toward her mouth, stopping just before he reached it.

  Amara wanted him to kiss her right then. The look in his eyes was so intense, she knew the kiss would be full of passion. Her mouth gaped open, but she couldn't will herself into any more action.

  They stared into each other's eyes, his thumb lingering next to her mouth. Rafael took a step closer so they almost pressed against each other. "I'm not sure I'll be able to stay quiet."

  "Then I won't be able to focus," she whispered, her heart pounding.

  "Me neither." Rafael moved his lips toward hers, but then paused and cleared his throat. "Maybe we've had enough practice with the fashion show. We should, uh, decorate some more."

  Amara nodded, still holding his gaze. The tension between them was so thick it could spark a fire—and that both excited and scared her. "I'll go change into my own clothes."

  "Good idea."

  She didn't move. Amara couldn't bring herself to leave his presence.

  "I'll find the box of decorations," he said. But he didn't move, either. He swallowed, still staring into her eyes.

  If he didn't actually find them, Amara was ready to throw herself into the kiss. She'd never felt anything like this before, and it was overpowering. Rafael was the whole world, and nothing else existed.

  The bell above the door dinged, and they both jumped back about a foot.

  "Am I interrupting something?" Zachary asked, his hair sticking out in all directions. Obviously, it was still windy outside.

  "No," Rafael and Amara said in unison.

  Zachary glanced at Amara. "Is that one of yours, Raf?"

  Rafael cleared his throat. "It is. She was just practicing the catwalk with it. You want to show him?"

  Amara stood taller and walked down the pretend runway, nailing the perfect walk. She gave herself a mental high-five, rounded the corner into the back room, and then fell onto a plush chair, trying to catch her breath. As much as she had wanted to throw herself into the moment, she was glad Zachary had come in when he had.

  Her feelings for Rafael were growing stronger by the minute, and she didn't want to end up doing anything she might later regret. She'd been raised to believe that certain things should be saved for marriage, and if she went by her emotions, she would throw all that by the wayside.

  Zachary and Rafael's voices carried back to where Amara sat, but she couldn't make out any words. Perhaps it was best that she get dressed and get home to work on her online orders. The two of them would be able to handle decorating.

  She got up from the chair, found her clothes, went into the bathroom and got dressed. She stared into the mirror, trying to figure out what Rafael saw in her. It wasn't that she still felt like the geeky girl she'd once been, but she certainly didn't feel like the alluring woman he seemed to see. She was pretty, but no more.

  Shrugging, she turned around. There was no need to question it. The lifelong man of her dreams adored her—who cared why? She would take it as long as she could. Amara went back to the employee lounge and laid the runway outfit with the others she'd modeled on a table near a wall. She slid on her coat and the hat he'd given her.

  Out in the main part of the store, Zachary and Rafael stared at the screen of Zachary's laptop.

  "I'm going to head home," Amara said. "I have some orders to fill."

  "It's an online business, right?" Zachary asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Can you do any of it here?"

  Amara raised an eyebrow. "My inventory is all at home."

  The two guys exchanged a glance.

  "What's going on?" she asked.

  Rafael frowned. "We were having such a wonderful time, I didn't want to bring this up, but with people going after me, I'm worried they might try to do something to you."

  Amara froze. She hadn't ever thought about that. "Really? What makes you think that?"

  "They're obviously trying to rattle me. What better way than to go after the woman I love?"

  They stared into each other's eyes.

  "I don't know what to say," Amara said.

  "Would you consider staying with someone for a while?" Zachary asked. "I'm sure Jasmine and Lana wouldn't mind you staying with them. They'd probably love the company."

  "I wouldn't want to intrude. I hardly know them."

  Rafael frowned. "Would you at least think about it?" His eyes pleaded with her.

  "I have friends I could stay with," Amara said. But why was she even entertaining the thought? Her house was safe—they lived in Kittle Falls. The worst that had happened there was the vandalism Rafael had been dealing with.

  "Still," Zachary said, "I'll talk to Jasmine. They'll welcome you with open arms."

  "My neighborhood is safe," Amara said. "We have a strong community watch program."

  "But look what these guys have gotten away with already," Rafael said.

  "Destruction of property," Amara pointed out. "They haven't laid a hand on anyone. I appreciate the concern—really, I do. But I'll be okay. If I have any doubts, I'll crash at Janelle's."

  Rafael didn't appear convinced. "Are you sure? I'm just worried."

  Amara's heart warmed. "You have my word. If I have the slightest inkling of anything wrong, I'll run to her house."

  "What if she's not home?"

  "I know where she keeps the spare key."

  "I'll still talk to Jasmine," Zachary said.

  "Okay, thanks." Amara gave Rafael a hug, and he squeezed her tight, bringing back the whirlwind of feelings. "Let me walk you to your car at least."

  Amara didn't trust herself around Rafael alone. She needed to get home and take a shower. A cold one. She shook her head. "I parked just around the corner. I'm fine. Really."

  He frowned.

  "This is Kittle Falls. I'll be fine. Just like I've been safe every other day since all of this happened." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to the door. "See you tomorrow. Bye, Zachary."

  "Bye. Do you want Jasmine's number?
"

  "Maybe later." Amara hurried out the door, the wind blowing snow against her face. She tucked her hat lower, almost to her eyes, and walked around the building. The parking lot was emptier than usual, most likely because of the weather. Who would have expected snow flurries in October?

  As she neared her car, she noticed a couple standing by a red sedan near hers. It was hard to tell from the angle, but the front appeared crunched. The woman's bleach blonde hair blew all around. She didn't recognize either of them.

  Amara dug her keys out of her purse and prepared to remote unlock the doors when the couple turned to face her. She froze, her pulse racing. Thanks, Rafael. She was letting his worries get to her.

  Picking up her pace, she took the long way around the couple to her car. They stepped in front of Amara blocking her.

  She narrowed her eyes. "Can I help you? Are you lost?" Amara clutched her key, ready to use it as a weapon if she had to. Next, I'll carry mace and wear a whistle around my neck.

  "Are you Amara?" asked the guy.

  Hairs on the back of her neck rose. "Who are you?" she demanded.

  "He asked you first," said the blonde, her tone snarky. The woman stepped closer to the man. Even wearing a winter coat, she managed to hold a seductive pose.

  "Let her answer, Kristine," said the guy, running his hands through his dark, spiky hair.

  Kristine snapped gum. "Whatever, Tony."

  "I need to get to my car," Amara said. "Can you let me by?"

  "Answer his question first." Kristine squared her shoulders, chomping on her gum.

  Amara narrowed her eyes at Tony. "Why do you want to know who I am?"

  He stepped closer to her, lowering his hands from his hair. As he did, the collar of his jacket went down, exposing part of a tattoo on his neck.

  "You guys don't seem like you fit in around here," Amara said. "Do you want directions out of town?"

  "No, honey," Kristine said, snapping her gum again. "We're here to tell you to walk away from Rafael. Like, now."

  Blood drained from her face. "And why would I do that?"

  "Because." Kristine stepped closer to Amara, her high heels crunching over a twig.