Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)

by Jaci Burton

  Eleven

  Barrett waited in Harmony’s kitchen while she went upstairs to pack a bag.

  This hadn’t been his intended plan for the day, but sonofabitch, she’d scared him today when she’d almost fainted in the hallway of the community center. Sure, she’d had a meal and she seemed fine now, but he still wasn’t convinced. He intended to hang out with her for the rest of the day and make sure she was going to be all right.

  Despite wanting to keep his distance from her, he wouldn’t abandon her when she needed him. And today, whether she said she was okay or not, she needed him. So he was going to spend the remainder of the day assuring himself that she was indeed over her hypoglycemic episode.

  And while he was at it, he’d also see to it that she had another few meals.

  She walked into the kitchen, bag in hand. She’d changed out of her dress and into flowery capri pants and a white tank top that showed off her pretty damn buffed arms. At least her muscle tone meant she typically ate well and worked out. That meant something to him.

  “Okay I packed a swimsuit and another change of clothes.” She cocked her head to the side. “You aren’t like . . . flying me to Jamaica or anything, are you? Because I have three appointments tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “As fun as that sounds, no. We’re going to the Sandpearl Resort over at Clearwater. Spend the day at the beach, in the water, and we’ll eat. They have a great pool and an even better restaurant.”

  “As delightful as that sounds, I have a pool here. And just how many times do you think you need to feed me today?”

  “As many as it takes to quell this panicked feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

  She stepped up to him, laying her hand on his arm. “I can’t tell you how sweet your concern is, Barrett, but honestly, I’m okay now.”

  “I know. But you can take the rest of the day off. Sun’s out, and the beach is calling. We’ll get a cabana and you can chill.”

  “Okay. We’ll chill. Sounds fun.”

  “Good.” He took the bag from her hands. “Let’s go.”

  Harmony had no complaints about taking the rest of the day off. There was nothing like relaxing in front of the Gulf. When they got to the resort, she was surprised to discover Barrett had booked them a room.

  “Easier to change clothes that way,” he said, as he led them up to their room.

  Now that she was feeling one hundred percent herself again, she was intrigued. “Of course.”

  He’d gotten them an oceanfront room, which couldn’t have been easy considering this was the height of summer vacation time. But she wasn’t about to complain about the amazing view once she stepped fully into the room. She headed straight for the balcony and walked outside. The heat was oppressive, but the balcony was shaded and there was a lovely breeze. Plus the view of the Gulf was spectacular.

  Barrett stepped beside her, and the spacious balcony suddenly seemed closed in.

  Not that she minded having his big, gorgeous body next to hers.

  “Ready to hit the beach?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. I’ll go change.”

  She picked up her bag and went into the bathroom to change into her bikini. She pulled on her cover-up and slid into her beach flip-flops, then came out of the bathroom to discover Barrett had already changed into his board shorts and a tank top.

  She wondered what he would have thought if she’d come out of the bathroom while he was naked. She certainly wouldn’t have minded seeing all that muscle in the buff. And maybe their afternoon would have turned out completely different.

  She grabbed her sunglasses and sunscreen, then turned her phone to silent mode. She’d already told Rosalie she was out for the day and given her instructions to shift her appointment and answer some calls for her, so she was cleared until tomorrow.

  After this morning’s debacle, she was actually looking forward to a little downtime.

  She followed Barrett to the elevator. They rode down to the lobby and walked out to the pool area.

  “I thought we’d get a private cabana on the beach, unless you hate sand.”

  She laughed. “I don’t hate sand. Sand is fine with me.”

  They walked out onto the beach and Barrett stopped at the rental shack. He filled out the paperwork and they were shown to a private spot that was more like a small room. She’d expected an umbrella and a couple of lounge chairs, not this open-air room with a roof, a sofa, chairs and a sliding door that closed for privacy.

  Sweet.

  “This is nice,” she said, sliding onto the lounge.

  “Yeah. I like privacy.”

  A cocktail waitress appeared. “What can I get you two to drink?”

  Barrett ordered a beer.

  “I’ll have an iced tea for now.”

  “Anything to eat?” their waitress asked.

  “Nothing for me,” Harmony said.

  Barrett shook his head. “We’re good, thanks.”

  After their waitress left, Barrett said, “How am I supposed to get you drunk and appropriately sugared up if all you’re going to drink is iced tea?”

  She laughed. “I’m fine for the moment. And I promise to tell you the second I get hit with a hunger pang.”

  “Promise?”

  She crossed two fingers over her heart. “Promise.”

  Content to sit under the shaded roof of their private room for now, she pulled off her cover-up, kicked off her sandals and slid fully onto the lounge, enjoying the view of not only the ocean, but Barrett as he drew his shirt over his head, revealing his amazing torso.

  The man had one hell of a body. He was well muscled, with incredibly wide shoulders, impossibly chiseled biceps and triceps and a lean, tapered waist. She itched to run her fingers over his amazingly sculpted abs.

  His legs were just as well defined as the rest of him.

  As she scanned her way up his body, her gaze landing on his gorgeous face, she found him ogling her in the same way.

  Only he was frowning.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You keep checking me out like that and I’m going to pick you up, carry you to the water and toss you in.”

  She laughed. “I don’t need a cooldown, Barrett.”

  “You sure as hell look like you might.”

  He was still eyeing her, his gaze hot and direct and seemingly unable to focus only on her face. She had to admit she liked that he looked at her body. She wanted him looking at her in that way that told her he was interested. If he was interested, then maybe she could offer up some . . . temptation.

  She stood, stretching. “Okay. Maybe we should get our toes wet. How about a walk along the water?”

  “You want to put on some sunscreen first?”

  “Absolutely.” She dug into her bag and the first thing she did was wind her hair into a bun on top of her head. Then she pulled out her sunscreen and lathered it on her legs and arms. She made sure to take her time, stretching each leg out on one of the chairs to smooth the lotion on her legs.

  She might have heard Barrett groan when she rubbed the sunscreen over her chest, her fingertips lingering at her cleavage. She resisted the urge to smile.

  Finally she handed the tube to him. “Would you do my back?”

  He heaved in a giant breath of air. “Sure.”

  When she felt his warm fingers along the top of her shoulders, it was her turn to take in a breath. He’d touched her today when he kept her from falling, but that was him caring for her in a medical crisis. Now it was different. Now it was his fingertips gliding over her skin, a soft caress that made her close her eyes and wish they were up in their room, both of them naked and exploring each other’s bodies.

  She’d really love to get her hands on his body. All of his body. But for now, she’d enjoy this moment and the gingerly way he seemed to touch her, as if he thought she was fragile. Or maybe he was trying to avoid too much contact.

  “Everything okay back there?” she asked as he moved down to her lower back.


  “Fine.”

  His voice was tight, his tone clipped, as if he wasn’t having the best time putting lotion on her body. Since most men who weren’t at all physically attracted to a woman would have no problem putting sunscreen on them, she knew the reason Barrett was uptight about this was because he was attracted to her.

  Her lips curved upward in a satisfied smile. This day was turning out better and better.

  He finally handed the lotion back to her. “Done.”

  She turned around, gracing him with her brightest smile. “Thanks. Ready?”

  “Unless you need me to rub some of that on your butt.”

  She cocked a brow. “Would you?”

  “Hell no.”

  She laughed. “Come on. It’s blistering hot out here. Let’s go cool our feet off in the water.”

  She wasn’t intentionally torturing him, but if he suffered a little and it moved him in the right direction, then she wouldn’t mind that.

  She wanted him interested in her. And he was definitely showing signs of interest.

  So far, so good.

  Now she just had to turn up the heat a little.

  Twelve

  Go to the beach. Who thought that was a good idea?

  Oh, right. He had. Barrett made a mental note to do extra squats in the gym tomorrow to torture himself in punishment for this lame-ass idea.

  Harmony was a few steps ahead of him as they walked the water’s edge, her bright red bikini showcasing every one of her perfect assets.

  Mostly, her perfect ass, which was round and curvy, and all he could think about was getting his hands on it.

  He should have suggested they spend the afternoon in a frigid movie theater, where she’d have all her clothes on. And maybe a sweater, too.

  The problem was, he liked the water, and figured maybe she could relax and unwind, they could have a few drinks and she could eat. He hadn’t thought this through to the part where she’d be in a bikini and he’d have to endure seeing all her gorgeous skin exposed.

  She bent over to pick something up, giving him an even better view of her ass and causing his imagination to spring into overdrive.

  He could already envision gripping her hips and driving his cock into her while she was bent over the sofa in their private tent area, sweat pouring off of him as he made her come, over and over. He could hear her soft cries, feel her pussy clench around his cock as she came.

  His cock hardened and he had to banish the images.

  Down, boy. Nothing was going to happen, especially out here.

  Or, ever. Not with Harmony.

  She turned and waited for him to catch up.

  Yeah, it was just as bad from the front because beads of perspiration caressed her breast, drawing his focus there and making him wish they really were alone, so he could lick the droplets, pull aside the cups and . . .

  “It’s really hot out here,” she said, pulling his attention away from her breasts.

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah. How about we get in the water?”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  They turned and headed into the waves. He grabbed her hand as the water lapped at their ankles, then their knees and thighs.

  “Oh this feels so good,” Harmony said, as they ended up standing waist deep in it.

  “Care to dive in?”

  She shook her head. “No thanks. You don’t even want to know what water does to my hair.”

  Today she wore her hair straight, though he liked it curly, too. “I’m not even going to ask.”

  “Good. Don’t. But feel free to dive away.”

  “I’m going to.”

  He turned and dove into the next wave, coming up feeling a hell of a lot cooler, and hopefully more clearheaded.

  Harmony had dipped her body up to her shoulders. How women managed to stand in an ocean with waves crashing over them and not get their hair wet was a goddamned mystery to him.

  He made his way over to her and swept her up into his arms.

  “Time to get wet,” he said, and lifted her up.

  Harmony screamed, but she was laughing as he set her body gently into the water. He still held on to her.

  “Don’t worry. Your hair is safe with me.”

  She wound her arms around him. “You do not want to see this hair all wet.”

  “Oh, see, now it’s a challenge to see it. What happens to it? Does it stick out all over? Because mine is sticking out all over.”

  “Yes. It sticks out all over. It’s a mess.”

  “I’ll bet it’s a sexy mess.”

  She shook her head. “It is not.”

  He let her down in the water, but she held on to him, which meant her body slid down over his.

  Yeah, still torture.

  “I guess if you want to see my hair wet, you’ll have to get me in the shower. And to get me in the shower, you’ll have to see me naked.”

  He frowned. “Don’t tempt me.”

  She turned away, giving him one hell of a sexy smile. “Don’t you know? I’ve been trying to do that all day.”

  She headed out of the water, her hips swaying as she walked onto the beach.

  Barrett decided he should stay in. He needed to cool down some.

  Get her naked. What the hell, Harmony? Was she playing some kind of game with him?

  Then it hit him. Of course. She’d just gotten dumped by her boyfriend. She needed a self-esteem boost, and he’d been nearby right after it happened.

  She was rebounding. She wasn’t really interested in him at all.

  He knew what that was like. He’d been dumped before, and the first thing he wanted to do was lick his wounds and go right after the next available female.

  That’s all Harmony was doing, hitting on the next available male, which had just happened to be him.

  He’d give her a pep talk, tell her she needed some time to heal after her breakup and remind her that she wasn’t ready yet.

  And he absolutely wasn’t the right guy for her—for obvious reasons.

  Then they could go back to being friends again, and this crazy sudden attraction he felt for her would go away.

  Now that he had a plan, he headed out of the water.

  Thirteen

  Harmony had fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure if it was her utterly draining morning, or the rotating ceiling fans that had lulled her into a prone position on the sofa, but she opened her eyes to realize she’d conked out, cold. She picked up her phone to see she’d been out for over an hour.

  She sat up and realized she wasn’t the only one snoozing. Barrett was on one of the chairs, his feet propped up on the ottoman, his arms laced over his stomach. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even. She took a moment to simply admire his beautiful body.

  Even asleep, he looked formidable. She wanted to snap some photos of him with her phone, but that would be taking advantage without his permission, and she wouldn’t do that. Instead, she leaned back, grabbed her ice water and took a long, slow sip from the straw, enjoying the eye candy. Her mind filled with visuals of stripping naked and straddling him, rubbing herself against his board shorts until he got hard.

  She inhaled a deep breath, imagining him taking hold of her hips, rising up to kiss her. The kiss would be hot, passionate, and he’d fill his hands with her breasts. She could already imagine her breasts rubbing against his chest as he rose up only long enough to shed his board shorts, his cock springing up, hard and pulsing.

  He’d sit again, only this time she’d slowly lower herself onto him and—

  “Stop that.”

  She startled out of her fantasy, snapping her gaze to Barrett, who hadn’t moved but his eyes were now open.

  “Stop what?”

  “Staring at me like that.”

  She swallowed past the dryness in her throat evoked by her oh-so-intense fantasy. “Like what?”

  “You know like what.” He pushed upright and grabbed for his water, then leaned forward to t
ake a drink, but not before she caught sight of his erection.

  He must have been awake longer than she was aware, and he’d caught her staring at him. Had her expression given away her thoughts?

  Her lips curved and she leaned back against the sofa and took a long swallow of water, then set the glass down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about, so don’t play innocent with me, Harmony. And there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “Really. And what is that?”

  “Your ex-boyfriend.”

  “What about him?”

  “I think you’re not over him yet, and you’re only interested in me because you need a rebound.”

  Men were so clueless sometimes. “Uh, no.”

  “Really, I totally understand how that happens. You got dumped and you want to jump right back on board with a new guy. It’s happened to me before.”

  Her lips quirked. “You got dumped and wanted to jump right back on board with a new guy?”

  “Funny. No. But after a breakup, the first thing I did was get together with a new woman. Like right away. It’s an ego thing. I needed to feel wanted, and there’s no better way to do that than with another person. The first available person.”

  “Oh, so you think I latched on to you at Mama’s right after Levon and I broke up, and I’m using you to rebound.”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  He let out a sigh. “Harmony.”

  “Barrett, I appreciate you looking out for me and all, but I can assure you I didn’t select you as my rebound guy. Frankly, I could have used any random guy to rebound, if that’s what I was after. I mean, look at me. It’s not like I can’t get men.”

  He stared at her for a few seconds. “Point taken.”

  “Do you think I’d go through this hassle of choosing you with you being so close to my brother if I didn’t really like you? I’d have chosen a different guy to”—she used air quotes around her next word—“rebound.”

  He didn’t say anything, and she knew that she had him.

  “Your whole notion of me rebounding is idiotic, Barrett. I’d have to be heartbroken to rebound, and, frankly, I wasn’t all that into Levon.”