Free Summer Dreaming (Hot in the Hamptons Book 1) by Liz Matis

Storme. “There are no volleyball scholarships for MBA programs.”
    “Sell the car.”
    “I can’t sell my Dad’s car! It’s the only thing I have of him.”
    Sean downed the rest of his beer and placed it on the windowsill. “You’ve told me about your mom and your sisters, but you’ve never told me about him.”
    Only because it was too painful to talk about, but so was not talking about him. Remembering him. “It took my Dad ten years to restore the Mustang. When he was home on leave, he’d be out in the garage tinkering with it. I’d bring him some sweet tea and we’d talk for hours. As I got older he’d let me help.”
    “A daddy’s girl.”
    “Yeah. And a tomboy,” I admitted. Sean reached for my hand. I took a shuddering breath trying to contain the wetness in my eyes. “He loved that car. My mom went into labor when they were looking at it. In fact, he wanted to call me Shelby. My mom refused, so they compromised on the name Kelsey and he purchased the broken down Shelby Mustang.”
    Sean laughed. So did I.
    “Anyway, I can’t sell his dream.”
    “That’s just it Kelsey, it was his dream. Maybe he left the car to you so if he wasn’t around, it would give you the money to follow your dream.”
    I blinked. That sounded exactly like my dad. Why hadn’t I thought of it? But Sean had. I could sell the car, and not only pursue my dream, but also help my younger sisters. It felt right, like my dad had been waiting for me to come to that realization.
    “You know my Dad would’ve liked you.”
    Sean chuckled and shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t.”
    “Why do you say that?” Sean was an all around good guy and a future Marine.
    “Uh…because I’m having sex with his daughter.”
    “Oh yeah, he’d have killed you.” I went silent realizing what I’d said.
    “Kelsey, it’s okay to talk about him.”
    I smiled and nodded. It felt good. For the first time since his death I was able to remember my father with laughter. “Thanks. Now can I ask you something?”
    Sean reached over to the cooler for another beer. “Sure.” He popped the top and took a swig.
    “Why the military?”
    He nearly choked as he swallowed. I could tell he was measuring his words before he said them. “The simple answer is that I was raised to serve at an early age. My church. My school. My community. And now my country, like all the other Dempsey males.”
    I nodded, like I understood his decision to enter the armed forces, as if it would help me to understand my father’s call to duty. But it didn’t. Not that I wasn’t proud of my father. I was. So very, very proud. But proud didn’t get me my father at my college graduation. It wouldn’t get me my dream of having my father walk me down the aisle at my wedding. Proud wouldn’t get me Sean.
    “Why architecture engineering? And what’s the difference?”
    Relieved to be talking about something else, I delved into my answer. “It’s more than the design of a building, it’s about the materials, and the surroundings of the site. My focus is on creating new sustainable communities.”
    “Ambitious.”
    “I wasn’t raised to be a Southern Belle. Being a Marine’s daughter, I know how to change a flat, know the basic self-defense moves, in addition to baking a mean pecan pie.”
    “Pie. I like pie.” His hand drifted up my soapy thigh.
    He was so cocky and sure of himself. Of me. I gripped his hand to stop his progress. “Say pretty please.” I gave his wrist a little twist to show off one of those self-defense moves.
    The light in his eyes turned to blue fire. “May, I please touch your pretty pussy?” he asked in a rough whisper.
    I melted at the low desperate timber of his voice. I let go surrendering to him and to the fact that I had no self-defenses when it came to Sean, whether it was my body or my heart. None at all.
    He moved forward to position himself between my legs. Water sloshed over the sides of the tub.
    “Um, Sean, we’re going