Summer Flame: A Steamy Romantic Comedy Beach Read (A Season's Detour, Book 1)

by Hayleigh Sol

  Do not be distracted by his manly deliciousness.

  “The more time I spend with you, the more I realize Brad and I weren’t right for each other. I know people always say you shouldn’t compare, but I don’t see how that’s possible when I’m here with someone‌—‌with you‌—‌who just‌…‌gets me. And seems to dig me anyway.” I pulled back and smiled winningly at him.

  He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me again. “I do dig you, Maya. So much.”

  “Good. Now distract me from all that other stuff. I want to make the most of our last week of vacation.”

  One side of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “I have some ideas about that. Both distracting you and making the most of our time here. Want to hear about ‘em?”

  Twist my arm, you wicked, wicked man.

  Luka’s distraction did manage to keep my mind off the potential mutiny at work. Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long. A couple of days before, we’d brought over his fancy inflatable sleeping pad‌—‌I still didn’t find it any more comfortable than my own, no matter what he said‌—‌and he was lying half on it with one leg draped over mine and his head on my shoulder as I ran my fingers through his hair. It was soothing for both of us. Normally.

  “I can hear you thinking, you know.”

  “Hmm, I thought you were enjoying a little siesta. You certainly earned it with that last performance.”

  His arm tightened briefly around my waist and he chuckled. “Nice try, distracting me with compliments about my bedroom prowess.”

  “No, really, I think I’m a broken woman. I’ll never be the same again.” I felt his smile against my chest and continued playing with his hair.

  “Are you worried about your phone call?”

  I was trying not to be. “Just thinking things through, making contingency plans.”

  “Want to talk about it? I’d like to help, if I can.”

  The offer was sweet, but I didn’t know if there was anything he could do besides listen. Nobody wanted to be the stressed‌–‌out complainer at the beginning of a new relationship. I was an adult, a small‌–‌business owner, and I’d simply have to deal.

  “Come on, sometimes it helps to talk it through with someone who’s not so close to the issue.”

  I sighed, not at him, but at the situation. “Okay. If Cory and Meg really do leave, it wouldn’t be a huge loss. Yes, it’ll be a pain to do interviews and train whoever replaces them, but we might only hire one person and end up saving on payroll. If I can sit down with Brad and show him the numbers, I’m hoping he’ll see that Twittlefuck Tiffany needs to go, too.” Luka’s laugh shook my shoulder. “That would be another load off the expense sheet. Evan and I will have to cover their accounts but I’m already going over their work every week anyway; I can’t imagine it’ll take that much more time‌…‌”

  My mind started ticking over the specifics of their jobs, what I would need to do, what I’d feel comfortable asking Evan, and even Brad, to help with. Luka shifted, propping his head up with a hand to look at me. I probably wasn’t being a very attentive bed buddy. “Sorry, I’m probably not the best company at the moment. Should we get dinner started?”

  “Your business is important, I know that, Maya. What I was thinking was, what are you going to do about this situation with your ex?”

  Crap, was Luka jealous? Maybe he was referring to the Brad and Tiffany thing. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and started to get up, which made me sit up, sleeping bag clutched to my bare chest. “Look, I know this isn’t my place, but I can’t help but feel like Brad may not have your best interests at heart. Is this guy really someone you want to allow to have control over the company you’ve built?”

  “He wouldn’t control it.” My reaction was automatic; Brad was only helping, not taking over. “It’s just‌…‌Brad has a lot of experience running his own company and I feel like I should be listening to his advice. If he’s willing to put in the time, and even invest in Green for Green financially, I should probably take him up on it. Especially since what I’ve been doing clearly isn’t working.” It was humiliating to admit, but it was the truth.

  Luka had pulled his shorts on and paused in buttoning them. He looked at me with what I hoped was more sympathy than pity; I didn’t need pitying for my failures, only solutions. “Are you sure giving Brad a bigger role is the right answer, though? Never mind, don’t answer that now. I don’t know all the details but I do know that you’re smart and capable and I wouldn’t be surprised if you came up with the necessary fixes to whatever needs tweaking on your own. You might find you don’t need his help after all. Just‌…‌think about it and‌…‌I don’t know, listen to your gut.”

  While that was all well and good as far as pep talks went, what if my gut instincts were wrong? I couldn’t lose everything I’d worked so hard to create by thinking I had all the answers. That was a dude’s way of handling things. Don’t ask for directions, don’t ask for help, fake it ‘til you make it. Hell, Brad said that last one to me at least once a week.

  I was tired of faking it and fumbling my way around. Having time off, relaxing and having fun this week had shown me what I’d been missing with working or thinking about work the past decade. The stress, the IBS‌—‌not that I was confirming or denying that was an accurate diagnosis‌—‌the insomnia and headaches. The mother‌–‌effing premature gray hairs that seemed to sprout overnight when times were particularly stressful.

  If help from a less‌–‌than‌–‌desirable source gave me back a life, well, it might be worth giving up a little control to that person. Even if he was my ex‌–‌boyfriend and my new love interest didn’t seem too keen on his continued presence in my world.

  “Hey, I’ve got an idea for tonight I think you’ll like.” Luka was smiling again, walking to the opposite side of the tent, where I stood fully dressed and brushing out my sex‌–‌ravaged hair.

  His hands rested on my hips and I shook off my inner turmoil to return his smile. “I do tend to like your ideas. What did you have in mind?”

  Dipping his head, he kissed me. Long and soft and deep. The hands on my hips pulled me in close, rubbing my body back and forth over the stiffening bulge at the front of his shorts. My poor confused brain stuttered that this wasn’t a new idea. Hadn’t we just done this?

  My lady bits told my brain to shut up and go with it.

  Just as I sank into the kiss, allowing it to wash over me like a wave, Luka removed his lips from mine and dropped an affectionate peck on the end of my nose. “Come on, I’ll tell you about it over dinner.”

  “Okay.” I held onto the lifeline of his hand, my unsteady feet following his lead outside. “Tell me about what now?”

  Chapter 22

  It turned out that Luka’s grand plan involved a little rule breaking. Namely, in the form of trespassing after hours in a national forest.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  I had to admit, his idea to drive over and sneak down the trail to Pop’s Beach under cover of darkness so we could sleep under the stars lit up both the romantic and adventurous parts of my brain. After a token protest, it seemed my cat was weak and, like most felines, she succumbed to the prospect of a little danger and the promise of a good stroking.

  Luka’s enthusiasm for the idea and confident assurances we wouldn’t get caught helped silence my anxiety as well. As we picked our way carefully down the hill over rock and root obstacles, whenever my nerves threatened to take over, I thought to myself, what would Holly do? I heard her voice, crystal clear in my head, telling me life is short and we have to cram as much fun into it as possible. As long as it didn’t hurt anyone, everything was fair game.

  On the beach, Luka and I set up the sleeping bags on a section of sand we’d smoothed out and assumed star‌–‌gazing positions. I was grateful the night was one of the warmest yet since we didn’t dare light a fire and attract unwanted attention to our misdemeanor.

  How I hop
ed it was only a misdemeanor and not a felony.

  After I found Orion’s belt and the Summer Triangle, I followed Luka’s finger as he pointed to the Big and Little Dippers. As always, I wished I knew more about the constellations, but doubted I’d make the time to learn or even look up at the sky. Not back in the real world. The thought filled me with melancholy.

  Quiet and peaceful, the night lay against my skin like the softest blanket. The first shooting star made me gasp and exchange grins with Luka, shedding my momentary sadness. I promised myself I’d make time for this after the vacation ended; I lived close enough to several beaches where light pollution and smog wouldn’t pose the issues they did in the city. Surely I could make time to stop and smell the roses‌—‌or enjoy the night sky‌—‌once in a while.

  Rustling sounds in the bushes behind us had me instantly on alert, more in fear of getting caught out here by a park ranger than the animals we might encounter. Although, come to think of it, they were worth considering, too. When I strained my eyes to peer through the darkness for the third time, Luka chuckled and squeezed the hand he’d been holding. Settling back into position, I forced myself not to look when I heard the noise again several minutes later. Distracting conversation and the comfort of another human’s voice‌—‌especially the warm, rumbly baritone of my co‌–‌criminal‌—‌were what I needed.

  I took a deep breath and asked Luka the question that seemed to be on my mind so often lately. “Do you think you used to be‌…‌I don’t know, braver‌…‌more fearless?”

  “What makes you think I’m not brave now?” He puffed out his chest, which was just amusing from his current supine position. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll protect us from the furry woodland critters.”

  I elbowed him but huffed out a laugh. “I meant me, you goof. I know it’s highly unlikely that anyone will come across us tonight, so why can’t I just relax? Why am I so scared we’re going to get busted?”

  “Maya, we can go if you’re not comfortable. Really, it’s fine with me.”

  But that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to stay and enjoy this special night with him. I just wished my paranoia would take a chill pill.

  “It’s not just being out here, though. All the time these days, I’m so afraid of making a mistake, of failing, that I get stuck in limbo. I dread making decisions and question them when I do. When I was younger, I used to be so sure of myself. Daring, even. I miss that girl.” I was disappointed in myself, in who I’d become. But I was too embarrassed to say those words to him. “Do you think that boldness is something that just fades as we get older?”

  “I think so, to some extent. Remember that first summer we met, how my brothers would go tearing around on their bikes and I’d try my hardest to keep up with them? Now I see kids in the neighborhood popping wheelies or setting up jumps and I just want to yell at them to be careful. Like an old man.”

  The idea of Luka sitting on his front porch, shaking his fist at the punks on his street as they rode by, made me chuckle.

  “But, Maya, I think you do have that brave girl in you. I still see her. In the way you’re up here camping by yourself, or when you lead the way up a scramble when we go hiking. Even in your willingness to try some of my dinner experiments.”

  He didn’t know the half of it. The man loved spicy food and, with my delicate digestive system, every forkful was like playing delicious Russian roulette.

  “I know you feel frustrated and worried about everything going on at work right now. But, babe, you own your own business and you’re not giving up on it, even when it’s challenging or things aren’t going your way. That’s incredibly courageous.”

  “Or naïve,” I mumbled to the stars. “And coming up here wasn’t brave; I was practically forced to take a vacation by my loving family and friends. I haven’t even been able to jump off the rope swing in Willow Cove. Like that’s such a big risk. God, Holly would kick my wimpy ass if she could see me now.”

  Luka turned on his side to face me, a soft half‌–‌smile on his lips that encouraged me to shift his direction and finally meet his eyes. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself”‌—‌he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then gave the earlobe a little tug‌—‌“and definitely not giving yourself enough credit. I don’t know who put the idea in your head that you have to have all the answers and they have to be the right ones every time, but that just isn’t how life works. We make choices and mistakes and we keep going. That’s what courage is. And boldness.”

  Logically, I knew that, the part about not having all the answers. I didn’t expect to know everything or to never make a mistake, but I was so tired of feeling lost. And unhappy. I hadn’t realized how unhappy I’d been before coming to the lake and spending time with Lukasz. My personal motivational speaker, apparently.

  “Maya, you’re stronger than you realize. It’s one of the best things about you. Maybe it’s different than when we were kids and it doesn’t have to be about rope swings anymore. But the strength is still there. I wish you could see it like I do.”

  My lips shut up his sexy, praise‌–‌spilling mouth with a kiss that was grateful even if I wasn’t quite able to accept everything he’d said. If Luka thought I was strong and saw that strength as being attractive‌—‌and not threatening as other men did, even if they never admitted it‌—‌well, maybe I could borrow some of his belief in me until I got my own back.

  We didn’t actually fool around that night. Instead, we snuggled and watched the sky, counting shooting stars until we fell asleep. That was more than fine with me. While Luka had turned out to be a gifted and generous lover, it was the sweet, caring part of him that had always drawn me in. And his infectious smile, of course. That first summer we met, it was obvious he was different from all the other boys I knew. From what I’d seen so far, he’d only improved with age.

  One thing that didn’t seem to improve with age, hers or mine, was my mother’s ability to leap to the worst case scenario and blow a situation completely out of proportion.

  Luka and I had risen with the sun. Actually, a certain part of Luka had risen with the sun and, never one to miss an opportunity when it came knocking on my hip, I’d seized it with both hands. I was now firmly of the opinion that everyone should start the day with acrobatic sex on a beach as the sun came up and streaked the sky with oranges and pinks. Like a morning run, my body felt loose and limber, but with the added benefit of trapping a hot, naked man between my thighs. Rather than running shorts that needed to be tugged back into place every few minutes.

  My outlook on the day, and on life in general, was bright and shiny indeed. Like a rainbows‌–‌and‌–‌puppies kind of joy. Stomach growling after the workout, I talked my sex god into letting me treat us to breakfast at The Forks. I was on such a high that I didn’t even care if my hair looked like a squirrel had nested in it overnight, which I told Luka with a laugh.

  “You look beautiful, squirrel nest or no,” was his response.

  Good enough for me. Luka’s number‌–‌one fan, Jill, beamed when she saw the two of us walk in, holding hands and standing so close I could feel his body heat.

  “Aw, now that’s what I like to see. You two make the sweetest couple.”

  I felt my face warm with a blush, thinking Luka and I hadn’t had any kind of discussion about exclusivity or couple status, even though it felt like we were. What was this lady trying to do to me?

  “Shh, don’t scare Maya off. I just found her again after nearly two decades and I have to convince her to keep me around this time.”

  Jill and I exchanged is‌–‌this‌–‌guy‌–‌for‌–‌real looks. Even someone who only knew him from brief vacations over the years could see he was a catch.

  When Luka excused himself near the end of breakfast, I took the opportunity to check my phone. Naturally, the battery needed charging. I decided to let it wait since I’d spoken with Brad yesterday and, according to him, everyone was doing just fine without m
e.

  No bitterness here. Really.

  When he returned to the table, Luka’s expression was downright smug. He ran a hand down my hair and kissed my cheek, self‌–‌satisfied smile growing as he sat, not saying a word.

  “Alright, what’s with the face?”

  Pointing at himself, he raised his eyebrows innocently. “This face?”

  Ha, he was not a good secret keeper. Good to know.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He blinked and the corner of his mouth lifted; his effort to restrain it was precious. At my own crossed arms, tilted‌–‌head staredown, he folded like a camp chair. “Okay, okay, bad cop, I might have a little surprise for us tonight.”

  “Oh Lord, if it’s something else that could get me fined or arrested, I don’t want to know.”

  Despite my badgering him on the drive back to the campground, Luka wouldn’t tell me anything about his plan.

  Guess he can keep a secret after all. I wondered if I could use my womanly wiles to seduce it out of him. As I strategized my attack, Luka rounded the corner and stopped short of my campsite.

  Where there were two U.S Park Ranger trucks and a Madera County Sheriff’s SUV parked.

  Fuuuuuuck.

  Had they somehow found out we’d camped out on the beach overnight? But nobody had seen us there. Or if they had, they hadn’t approached us. If they’d spotted Luka’s car and traced his plates to his campground reservation, why would they be at my campsite and not his?

  My mind raced through possibilities. I’d always had an irrational fear of law enforcement. Probably because I’d never broken any laws. Yeah, I knew the logic was backward, but I was in near‌–‌panic mode here.

  “Maya, it’s okay. Let’s just go see what this is about.” Luka was calm but stoic. He took my hand as we walked toward a woman in a park ranger’s uniform, looking down at the clipboard in her hand.

  “Excuse me.” She turned toward him. “This is my girlfriend, Maya’s”‌—‌his head tilted toward me‌—‌“campsite. Is something wrong?”