Dustin stands there, pointing the sprayer at me. I try not to laugh.
“The first thing you need to do is point it at the sink.” I try to turn it towards the sink, but he squeezes the button and water streams out.
I squeal and grab the nozzle, water spraying everywhere. Squint plays along, dancing at our heels and barking. I grab the sprayer from Dustin and point it at him, but he’s already backed away.
“It was an accident,” he says, laughing.
“Yeah, right.” I spray him anyway, even though he’s half-way across the kitchen. It still reaches him, which makes me laugh even harder.
When I quit spraying, he bolts toward the sink and scoops up a large handful of bubbles. Before I can duck, he splats them on my head. Suds fly everywhere, sliding down my face and going down the back of my shirt.
I turn, letting the sprayer go back to the sink, and I grab some suds as well. Only I use both hands and grab twice as much as Dustin did.
“Hey, that’s not fair.”
“Didn’t anyone tell you life isn’t fair?” I toss the bubbles on him, but he’s taller than me and it ends up going in his face and down his shirt. He grabs my wrists and pushes me up against the sink. Squint barks and jumps on my legs, enjoying the game. My skin zaps with electricity where his hands touch me.
Bubbles drip down Dustin’s face. I laugh as he tries to blow them away. It doesn’t work. Suds stick to his eyelashes and run down his cheeks. I’m laughing so hard I can’t catch my breath. Or maybe it’s the way he’s pressing against me that makes me breathless.
He nuzzles my shoulder to get the suds off his face. I hold in a gasp as his cheek grazes my neck. It seems too intimate, and yet, I don’t want to tell him to quit. The contact with his skin makes my knees go weak and my ovaries scream for joy. Has it been that long since a man has touched me?
He pulls back but doesn’t let go of my wrists. He stares at me and all the air in the room is sucked out. His dark hair is mussed up, but that only ads to his gorgeousness. I think I’m going to faint.
He leans close to my ear. “You’re right,” he says, his voice low. “Doing the dishes is fun.”
Before I can melt into a puddle of hormones, he backs away from me and lets me go. “Should we shut off the water now?”
I turn around and slam down the faucet handle. “Yes,” I say as my heart beats a zillion times a second. “We have enough water.”
He pulls open a drawer and hands me a washcloth, keeping one for himself. “I think we’ll need these.”
“Yes. Thank you.” Squint wanders over to the water we sprayed on the floor and sniffs it.
Dustin stands close beside me as I put my washcloth in the water. He does the same. His fingers graze over mine as he searches for a dish. My entire body bursts into tingles. I hand him a plate. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
We continue to wash the dishes that way, and our hands touch several more times. I’m hyper-aware of my body and the way the accidental touches make me feel. My skin is a live wire, and every touch sets me off.
We clean all the dishes, dry them, and put them away. He hangs the towels up and turns to me. “You keep surprising me.”
I bite back a smile. “Good surprises or bad ones?”
“Definitely the good kind.”
Warmth fills me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this giddy over a man. “I’m glad.”
We stand near each other in silence for a moment. I remember the large balcony on his second floor, and I blurt out, “Can I see your balcony?”
He seems surprised at my request. “Why?”
Now I feel a little foolish. “I don’t know. It just seems cool. Does it have a good view?”
He studies me for a moment, and I can’t understand why. It’s such a simple request. Am I being weird without knowing it?
Finally, he says, “I’ll show you.” He motions. I follow him through his house, back to the grand staircase. I’m overjoyed that I get to go up that staircase. It looks amazing. I love the way it curves through the house. Squint follows us up the stairs.
He takes me down the hallway to a door. When he opens it, I realize the balcony is off the master bedroom. Heat assaults my cheeks. I wasn’t trying to be coy or seductive. I really hope he doesn’t take it that way. No wonder he looked at me funny when I asked to see the balcony.
“It’s in here,” he says. We walk through his bedroom, and I notice how neat and tidy everything is. He even made his bed. I bet he was appalled at how Jera’s bedroom looked earlier today when he had to rescue me. I’d tossed all my things around and made myself at home. How embarrassing.
Two large glass doors open up to his balcony. I step out and walk to the railing. The balcony wraps around the side of his house. He has a couple of lounge chairs with a glass table off to the side. Squint lets out a bark and I pick him up. The sun is low in the sky, and I hold in a gasp as I look at the City of Los Angeles stretched out before me. “This is gorgeous.”
Dustin stands next to me, looking out at the horizon. “You have the same view.”
Embarrassment heats my face once again. Jera does, out of her bedroom window. I try to think of something smart to say. “Sure, but it’s different out of a window. I love that you can come out here and feel the breeze on your skin.”
“I guess you’re right. There is something nice about being able to come outside. I come out here often in the mornings and enjoy the sunrise.”
“Sunrise? You must be a morning person.” I make a face.
He chuckles. “You’re not, huh?”
“Mornings are for sleeping in.”
Dustin just shakes his head. We watch as the sun gets lower, the sky turning shades of pink and orange. I hold Squint as the magic of nature paints the canvas of the sky.
“Do you like to read?” Dustin asks me out of the blue.
“Yes. I read mostly non-fiction, but every once in a while I toss in a spy novel.” I answer as myself before I can think about it. Gah. Jera doesn’t read. I should have said no.
“I love non-fiction. I’m reading one right now about the civil war. I find history fascinating.”
I nod. “I hated history in school. It was boring. But as I grew older, it got more interesting to me.”
We chat about history and which stories we find the most fascinating as the sun continues to set. I find myself drawn to Dustin. He’s so much more than just a beautiful face.
The air turns chilly, and I take a step back. “It’s getting late. Maybe I should go.”
We walk back through his house and down the stairs. I stand in his entryway looking up at him. It’s awkward, but I don’t know why.
He runs a hand through his hair and chuckles. “You know, when you first asked to see my balcony, I thought you were coming on to me.”
Heat rushes to my face. “Oh, no, not at all. I really didn’t know the balcony was off your bedroom.”
“I believe you.”
Squint wiggles, and I set him down. He runs off to sniff something. I remember the real reason I’m at Dustin’s house. “Do you think it’s okay to try my phone now?”
He shakes his head. “The article I read said to leave the phone in an airtight container with the silicone packets for at least 48 hours.”
Disappointment settles over me. “Oh.” I’ve messed everything up. Jera needs me to go to that thing tomorrow. I won’t have my phone back by then. I won’t be able to call her driver. I try not to panic, but I’m unsuccessful as my chest tightens and tears prick the back of my eyes.
“Is there something I can help with?”
“I need to go to a party thing tomorrow, but all the details were on my phone.” I exhale. Squint must sense my distress because he runs up to me and whines.
“What party?”
I wrack my brain trying to remember what Jera had said. Something about sea turtles. That’s all I can remember. I shrug. “A turtle something?”
“You mean the charity event? The one to save the sea turtles?”
I’m so happy I could kiss the man. “Yes! That’s it!”
He laughs. “I’m going to that. What do you need to know?”
“Can you take me?” I ask before I can think of the consequences.
He gives me a questioning look. “You want me to take you? Like, as a date?”
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