I choke again, this time on my own spit. Dustin gives me a worried look. “What’s wrong?”
I cough for a moment before answering. “I just found out what I have to wear during my photo shoot.”
He raises his eyebrows. “What?”
“A towel.” I huff and roll my eyes. “Why does it have to be a towel? I’m reliving my earlier embarrassment.” I make a face and look at Jera’s upstairs window, the one I almost fell out of.
Dustin tries to hide a smile, but he doesn’t succeed very well. “You look great in a towel.” He stabs at his salad.
“I look embarrassed in a towel! How am I going to do a whole photo shoot in one?”
He chews his bite of salad before pointing his fork at me. “Wait, didn’t they tell you what you’d be wearing when you signed the contract with them?”
Shoot. Jera probably knew. I’m sure she agreed to it before she had the terrible bruising from her surgery. It only makes sense that she knew. I, on the other hand, was blindsided.
I don’t want to lie to Dustin anymore, though. I look down at my carrot sticks. “I agreed to do it verbally, and just found out the details.”
“Ah, your manager set it up without showing you the contract. That sucks. But at least they usually have you in a bathing suit under stuff like that, so don’t be too flustered. It will be fine.”
Jera would know that kind of thing. I try not to turn three shades of red as I sit back in my chair. “Yes, I’m sure it will be fine. I’m just surprised is all.”
Dustin reaches in his pocket and pulls out a dog treat. Squint jumps up and barks at him until he tosses it at him. After he’s done with his treat, Dustin pats his lap and Squint jumps up on him.
“You booger. You’re bribing my dog to like you better than me.”
He chuckles as he pets Squint. “Yes, I am.”
“I know what you’re up to. I see how this is going to go.” I pull a treat out of my pocket and wave it at Squint. He ignores my efforts, leaning into Dustin’s hand as he scratches behind his ears.
I scoff. “Fine.” I put the treat back in my pocket.
Dustin laughs. “Wow, Squint. You just dissed your mom.”
“I’ll get him back later, when he’s begging me for a treat.” I pop a sugar snap pea in my mouth.
“Don’t take it out on him. I’m just irresistible.” Dustin grins at me with one of his sexier than Thor looks.
“That’s true,” I mutter under my breath.
Dustin just laughs at me. We eat our lunch and I help Dustin clean up our picnic. As I fill the sink with water to quickly wash our plates and forks, Dustin comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.
“Ooh, doing the dishes, I see,” he says close to my ear. “Can I help?”
“Of course.”
He pours some dish soap in the water and suds bubble up. He dips his hands in the suds, then slides his hands down my arms, his fingers running over my skin, creating waves of pleasure through me. His fingers thread through mine, and he kisses my neck. I close my eyes and just let the sensations wash over me.
After a minute of Dustin kissing my neck and teasing my earlobe with his lips, I forget all about washing the dishes and I turn toward him. He presses his lips to mine, the kiss warm and soft. I get lost in the feeling of Dustin and me together. I don’t know how I fell in love with him. I wasn’t trying to. But it happened anyway.
My hands slide up his chest, to his neck. They leave trails of soapy water, but he doesn’t seem to care. He presses closer to me. I love the contact. The connection. The vibration of our souls together. It’s beautiful.
“Jera,” he whispers between kisses.
“What?”
“We’d better finish the dishes, or it will be too late to give you my surprise.”
I stop my kisses, and I must admit disappointment creeps into my chest. I won’t get many more moments with Dustin. I was enjoying the warmth of him, but I know we can’t spend all day making out. I turn around and grab a plate. He stands next to me and helps me wash and dry the dishes. We pack them back into the picnic basket and put it away.
“Okay, I’m ready for my surprise,” I say as I hang up the dish towel.
“We’ll have to travel a bit for that. Unfortunately, Squint can’t come. Are you okay with that?”
I nod. As long as Dustin is there, I’ll be okay. “Yeah.”
“Want to grab a hat and sunglasses from my bag?” He walks to the closet and hands me the bag.
“We’re going somewhere public?”
“Yes.”
“Alrighty, then.” I pick out some sunglasses and a cream-colored hat. “I’m ready.”
Dustin puts on a grey baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses, and we leave the house and climb into his convertible. My curiosity grows as he drives, but he wants to surprise me, so I don’t say anything until we turn a corner and I see a sign that says “The Getty Center.” I grow excited as I’ve always wanted to go there and see the artwork. “You’re taking me to an art museum?”
He nods. “Yes. Have you been here before?”
“No.”
He smiles. “Good surprise?”
“Absolutely,” I say as I stare at the building. It’s a work of art in and of itself, with curved lines and interesting form. I’m so thrilled Dustin thought of this.
“We can stay as long as you’d like. I mean, until it closes.”
I laugh. “This is so awesome.”
We make our way into the building. It’s a Wednesday afternoon and the place isn’t crowded, which I really appreciate. Still, I grasp onto Dustin’s hand as we pass by a gathering of people who are milling about.
Dustin holds my hand firmly, giving me something to focus on. I cling to him as the anxiety from being around people rises in me. He pays for our admission, and he guides me away from the crowd. We find an empty room, and my anxiety immediately eases as we enter the serene environment, surrounded by blue and green artwork depicting sea life. The lighting is a bit dim. I take my sunglasses and put them on my hat.
The first painting is large, taking up the entire wall. I laugh when I see it’s sea turtles swimming under the water. I point at the painting. “Sea turtles.”
He smiles. “That’s funny. I guess the sea turtle is our spirit animal.”
“Or it’s a symbol of our love.” I freeze when I realize what I’ve said. I didn’t mean to say the L word. That’s huge. Colossal. It’s a massive thing to toss out there into the void. Now I don’t know what to say. The word hangs in the air between us as the tension grows awkward.
“I think it is,” Dustin says quietly. He kisses the top of my head and slides his arm around me. Warmth threads through me. He didn’t say the word, but he meant it. He dispelled my fear and let me know I hadn’t said the wrong thing. Not only that. He softly confirmed that he’s feeling the same way I am. My heart swells.
As we walk by all the sea creatures, I’m emotionally closer to him than ever. He radiates warmth and comfort. I’m safe when he’s with me. It’s been so long since I had that. I just want to spend forever basking in his glow. I don’t want to think about what I have to do tonight.
I don’t want to tell him I’m not Jera, and ruin all we have.
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