Smitten and Sunburned

She stood frozen by the wide-open doors as the salted breeze swept the gauzy white curtains inside the house. Her brain screamed at her over and over.

That simple, but stunning four-letter word whirled and made her vision blurry.

She didn’t move until Oliver shuffled out of his room. He rubbed his half-mast eyes as she jolted and attempted to school her features into blankness.

“Are you waiting for the wind to come in? Why are you just standing there like an idiot who forgot how doors work?” Oliver said, tone dripping with amused disdain.

“No, I was trying to decide if it’s better to drown you in the ocean or smother you in your sleep,” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

His expression was like a bulldog chewing on a nettle as she smiled slowly and tilted her head. It didn’t take long for him to recover.

“I’d prefer death by firing squad, Emilia darling! Anything less will not suit my tremendous personality.”

That was much too quick a death for Emilia’s tastes.

“Hmm. Poison darts then? I think I can source them.”

Oliver chuckled, walked to the silver refrigerator, opened the door, and grabbed a bottle of water as Emilia finally moved away from the doorway and joined him.

“What really happened? You looked a bit concerned,” Oliver said after he gulped half the bottle in one go.

His countenance took on a rare, sober effect. His gaze sharpened as he scanned head to toe.

She had the notion he was checking for an injury—a reason for her sudden change in demeanor. Despite his rudeness, he had a keen sense for detecting and responding to problems.

He was a prick most of the time, but he loved her in his own way. Though nothing was actually wrong, she knew she must have arranged her face in some odd manner when he first walked in.

“Oh, nothing. It’s a good thing, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

Oliver cocked a brow and looked ready to argue, but she shook her head and grinned.

“Focus on yourself, please! I’m happy. I’ll be even happier later!”

Her brother nodded, his serious expression disappearing. Replaced by a smirk as she playfully bumped him aside to grab the after-sun from the freezer.

By the time Luke let her apply it, the green gel would have defrosted enough for her to use. She moved on to plan dinner.

Oliver observed her flitting from cupboard to cupboard like some demented fairy, hoping a fully cooked meal awaited her behind one of the pale wooden doors for a few long minutes.

He shook his head before excusing himself.

“I won’t be home tonight. Remember to lock up before you go to bed. If you touch any of my things while I’m gone, I’ll add red hair dye to your shampoo again.”

She snorted, glaring at him.

She said, “It took weeks to get that out! Don’t you dare. I’ll add hair remover cream to yours if you try it.”

Oliver scoffed but didn’t say a word as he left the kitchen, and Emilia resumed her search for sustenance. The blare of her brother’s favorite playlist quickly began once his door closed.

Despite a few internal freakouts and a generous swig of the wine she had opened, she located the ingredients to prepare a straightforward meal.

Luke padded into the kitchen as she tossed a simple green salad with some herbaceous dressing. She smiled as his searching gaze instantly hooked on hers.

Her heart thumped at the sight of him, all bright-eyed and unstrained. She felt like she was meeting him anew. Her pulse pattered like torrential rain on her neck.

Her throat thickened, hands twitching to touch him and tell him she loved him without saying a word.

Now that she had become sure of it, she saw it written between every line of his smirk and fracture of light in his mahogany eyes.

“How bad is it?” She said before he could voice the question swimming in his eyes.

She stared at his covered shoulder as though she could see through it to the sunburn beneath. Oh, she shouldn’t have forgotten the sunblock!

“Sore and annoying. Not as bad as I thought it would be.”

She relaxed an inch. Some of the greasy guilt dissipated as his smile remained. He shook his head as if reading her overactive mind.

She changed the subject and said, “I thought we could have a picnic on the beach! It’s not a fancy restaurant dinner, but I’d rather stay close to the house in case you get sick from too much sun.”

Luke sighed, his expression flickering between an exasperated frown and fondness.

“Since you’ve already gone to the trouble of making dinner, I’ll take you out tomorrow instead,” He agreed after she packed the food in containers and set them beside the large checkered blanket she’d taken from the hall closet.

“We have an entire week to go out. Could you grab that and I’ll get the rest?” She said, pointing to the open tub of butter on another counter that she hadn’t put away as she finished putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Once she switched it on, she scanned the room to ensure she had forgotten nothing.

She smiled at Luke when he confirmed everything was ready. Her brother would hopefully give them some time alone and not return for a couple of days.

They heard Oliver turn his music off a second before his dulcet tones reverberated through the house. She breathed a relieved sigh, shoulders dropping, and the frenetic energy running through her muscles eased.

“Behave yourselves, kiddiewinks! I’ll see you whenever I sober up.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t come back at all, but have fun!” She said in a yell, but doubted he heard as the door slammed before she could finish.

Luke mouthed kiddiewinks, brows knitted with confusion, and she cackled.

“He thinks he’s the only adult in a world full of infants. It’s best to just ignore him. He’s the biggest baby of them all.”

“I thought my brothers were mad, but Oliver takes the cake.”

She thought it was tame for her brother, but she wouldn’t tell Luke that. How her mom and dad had produced such a boy, she couldn’t fathom.

Her mom was eccentric, but quiet. Her dad worked so much, she barely had a grasp of his personality. He differed massively from Oliver; she was certain.

“Just be glad we don’t have to go with him. Last time, he nearly broke his neck showing off,” she chuckled, swiping a damp cloth across the black marble counter.

Luke said, “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what happened?”

Adopting a severe tone, mouth itching to laugh, she rolled her eyes and replied, “He tried to crowd surf. Unlucky for him, the tide went out.”

“I think we should try to go to one of these parties,” Luke said, laughing.

She had fully planned to drag him along to one since the moment Oliver agreed to let them stay here.

She nodded, silently packing food, drinks, and the after-sun. Her head was too full of sparkling light to form a response. Luke immediately took the bag from her and handed her the blanket to carry instead.

He leaned down and kissed her softly.

His familiar, scratchy mouth felt like home as she sank into it. Heat flashed and twined within her. Feeling his elevated heartbeat under her palm on his chest.

His free hand tracing the shape of her jaw and hooking behind the bone. A sparkle of nerves shimmered down her throat and flared bright behind her sternum. She chased his lips as he broke the kiss.

He slung an arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his warm side. They left the house to return to the beach.

The muted crunch of cooling, abrading sand under their feet and crash of the waves kept them company. Her emotions still danced wildly inside her.

Hand curling, nerve grating, and teeth grinding, impatience swelled so high within. She felt like one of those wind-up toys.

Someone had turned her key too many times. She was on the verge of exploding out of her box. She wished she could pace it away.

But then Luke would ask why she was running in circles. The words, I love you, were on the tip of her tongue as the wind kissed her flushed cheeks.

She bit down on it until it hurt. Her pulse started racing. Soon.

She’d tell him soon. Once they’d eaten something. She’d failed to recognize her feelings once before. And the revelation hadn’t gone as eloquently as she’d hoped on that fateful Christmas day.

This time, it would be perfect.

This time, he wouldn’t doubt her for a second.