Free Lavender Beach by Vickie McKeehan Page B

and picked up her glass. “You cook a good porterhouse.”
    “Fischer’s been giving me pointers.”
    “At the pizza place?”
    “Yep. Since I never really dabbled in the whole barbeque thing, he was able to give me all kinds of tips to cook the perfect steak. I think Fischer might be sweet on Sydney Reed.”
    Eastlyn lifted one eyebrow. “Interesting. That’s not what I heard. Your sister, Drea, told me Sydney had gone out with Malachi Rafferty, the guy who owns the T-shirt shop.”
    “Yeah, but I have it from a reliable source that two weekends ago Sydney went over to Santa Cruz with Archer Gates to catch a movie. It came from Sydney’s own sister, Hayden, at the bookstore.”
    Eastlyn hooted with laughter. “Sounds like Sydney’s playing the field, scoping out her choices. I love the dynamics in this little town.”
    She suddenly got to her feet, went over to look through the telescope tilting it toward the stars. “So you’re a fan of astronomy?”
    Cooper joined her at the telescope, took his turn to peer through the powerful eyepiece. He adjusted the magnification, sharpening the image. “I’m a fan of all the exoplanets that orbit something other than the sun, constellations like Draco and Lyra tend to pull me in, and the meteor showers that light up the sky are a joy to watch.”
    His nearness made her heart do a quick double beat in her chest. Her pulse picked up. Her knees wanted to buckle. Who knew she’d find such a guy so easy on the eyes just six blocks from her front door? “Your nerd is showing. But it’s an adorable trait.”
    “How adorable?”
    She grabbed his shirt, pulled him up close so she could nibble at his lips before planting a kiss on his mouth. As soon as she let go, she muttered, “Right about now your adorable quotient is off the charts.”
    “Lucky me,” he said yanking her up against him in return.
    They fed off each other’s mouths as the heat ratcheted to a frenzy before settling into silky layers. They fused together, the kiss becoming a molten mass of want.
    Eastlyn suddenly came to her senses and pushed him back. “I’ve got to get home.”
    “We’re still on for tomorrow, right? You still want to see the old chopper though, right?”
    “Of course.”
    “Then I’ll walk you home.”
    “That isn’t necessary.”
    He captured her hand in his. “There’s an attraction here, Eastlyn. It won’t do one bit of good to deny it.”
    “I know that. But, when you get to know me, there are things you won’t like about me.”
    “Like what?”
    “For starters I’m missing half my leg. It’s an ugly stump that turns most people off, especially guys, sometimes young and old alike.”
    “I’m not most people.”
    “I’ve heard that same song before.” Turning toward the front door, she pivoted back. “What are you saying? That my stump wouldn’t be a turnoff for you, seeing me without my jeans?”
    “Now there’s a picture.”
    “You’ll excuse me if I think you’re full of shit.”
    Cooper met her hazel eyes with a stony glare. “What kind of guys have you been dating anyway?”
    “Hmm, that would be mostly assholes,” she mumbled as she sailed out the door.
    He followed her out into the courtyard, caught up to her at the gate. “You move pretty fast.”
    “I’ve had plenty of practice.”
    Under a creamy moon that floated on a sea of hazy clouds overhead, they headed along the sidewalk toward her little bungalow.
    She filled her lungs with fresh air. “Sorry I didn’t stay to clean up the dishes, usually I offer to help.”
    “Don’t worry about it.”
    “You should know, spending the evening with you put me in a much better frame of mind. Thanks for that. I’m still worried about Durke but…”
    “I got you to focus on something else. Making out usually does the trick.”
    She cracked a smile. “Making out is something I haven’t done for a good long while. You have a knack.”
    He busted out in a roar of laughter. “I try.”
    By the