Free Forget Me Not (Love in the Fleet) by Heather Ashby Page B

the mantle. “You know what? I’m not speaking to you right now. Because you are majorly pissing me off. So I’m going to turn you around for a while.” And she did just that. “I got royally kissed yesterday and it felt damn good. No. That’s not true. I did the kissing and that felt even better. So there.”
    Kissing Brian had felt good, and she was up for more. He wasn’t such a bad guy—for a player. He’d been a sport about all the volunteering, never complaining and definitely helping out. There was no doubt his priority was still to get into her pants, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe it’s just what she needed. And when he got tired of her and moved on to his next conquest, so be it. Surely they could have fun together until that time. All Daisy knew was it felt terrific to laugh again and to kiss a man again. And it also felt liberating to acknowledge she was angry with Jack, without feeling guilty down to her very soul.

    “Come on, Daisy. Let nature do its thing, flower child,” Sky said as he stripped off his T-shirt and dropped it on their beach blanket. “The quickest way to get this junk off us is to jump in the ocean, sweaty clothes and all, and then dry off in the sunshine.”
    “Last one in is a rotten egg,” Daisy called as she raced toward the surf.
    Covered in both sweat and dust from sanding drywall after church, they’d decided to grab a picnic dinner and head to the beach. The late October water was cooler than Sky expected as he dove under a wave, but maybe that was a good thing. Because Daisy had sure made his temperature rise today. They’d sanded and talked and laughed—through their dust masks—all afternoon. And the Ice Queen appeared to be melting a bit more. Sky found his footing in the surf and reached out to Daisy, pulling her to her feet.
    She jumped to avoid the next wave, pulled her sopping wet T-shirt to her nose, and sniffed. “But I still stink,” she said flashing her soft, creamy stomach.
    The stomach thing was good, but what a waste of a good wet T-shirt. Sky wished she’d kept it plastered to her body because her sports bra underneath wasn’t hiding a thing. Not the fullness of her breasts or the way the cool water had pebbled her nipples. Glad they were in hip-deep water, Sky was doubtful his cargo shorts were doing a better job of hiding things. Man, all they’d done was dive into the ocean and he was ready to rock and roll.
    Behave yourself, Skylark. You’re getting close. Don’t drive her away.
    But did he listen to himself? No. Instead he took her in his arms, sniffing her sweaty neck. “Mmmmm. I think you smell wonderful. Like a rose. Or, better yet, like a daisy.” And then he kissed her. One minute he was sniffing her neck and the next they were locked in an embrace to beat the band. He picked right up where they’d left off the day before in the sand dunes, and she was kissing him back like it was her job. She melted in his arms, as the surf pounded them. Daisy took a half step in the shifting sand to steady herself—or was it to get a better grip on him?
    “Oh, my God!” She jumped into Sky’s arms, wrapping her legs around his hips. She threw her arms around his neck and he settled his hands under her bottom, squeezing it appreciatively.
    He grinned. “That good, huh?”
    “No, something bit me!”
    “Aw, that was the love bug, honey.” Angling his mouth, he dove back into hers. Today she not only explored his teeth with her tongue, but apparently needed to do a perimeter check as well. And once that gauntlet was thrown down, Sky, always the gentleman, graciously accepted the challenge to explore every nook and cranny of her mouth too.
    The surf continued to rock them and Sky willed himself to hold on to her, waiting for each wave and bracing for it. Because Daisy’s back was to the horizon, each wave knocked her hips into his, which was definitely not a bad thing. He took a chance and shifted her to his right arm,