Chapter 15

fifteen

Fiona floated on a pool noodle next to Brady in the late-afternoon sunshine. They kicked about in the chest-deep water not far from Cam's house. "How's your wrist feeling?"

"Good." Brady turned, resting his weight on the two blue noodles he'd chosen from the box of various floaties and lake toys, heading farther out into the cooler depths. "It's not sore."

"That's good." Fiona followed him, still getting a kick out of Brady's swim trunks. Various dinosaurs wore sunglasses on his navy-blue shorts. "And it's not getting wet?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"You'll tell me if it does?"

He nodded. "But it won't."

She'd watched him like a hawk for almost an hour while they built a massive sand castle on Cam's small section of private beach. Then they'd moved on to play in the water with the child-sized waterproof cover protecting his splint.

For the last two days, she and Brady had stayed busy with tons of reading, puzzle making, Lego projects, and the occasional movie. They'd gone to the party supply store, where Brady had been deemed the official party planning helper as he put needed items in their cart. They had even enjoyed some easy cooking and baking together, but an active five-year-old could only be still for so long.

After an increasingly restless afternoon, she'd texted Cam, and they had both agreed that a little lake time would be good for Brady.

"Let's swim to the dock and back," he suggested.

She nodded, noting that he still had plenty of energy for the thirty-yard swim. "But we have to use our noodles to help us so you don't make your arm tired."

"I'm a good swimmer."

And he was. Cam had done an excellent job teaching Brady how to be safe in and around the water. "I agree. But we have to take care of your wrist until it's healthy again."

He scrunched up his nose. "Okay."

She smiled as they started toward the dock. "It's hard to be patient sometimes. Especially when we're used to being able to do things a certain way."

Brady sighed. "Yeah."

"You're doing a great job giving your wrist a chance to heal."

He touched the wooden post when they made it to their destination. "Yup."

"That was fast work. We made it all the way out here in no time."

Brady nodded. "That's because I'm a fish."

She grinned, loving his great imagination. "You're certainly graceful in the water. You remind me of a dolphin."

Brady grinned as his eyes brightened, clearly liking the idea. "Let's be dolphins and swim back to the beach. Then we can come back here again."

"Okay."

They started back to shore, both of them looking toward the house when Cam stepped out of the mudroom with a towel in his hand and a pair of hunter-green swim trunks tied low on his hips.

"Dad! Dad!" Brady took off, kicking his legs faster.

Fi moved slower, watching Cam smile and wave as her eyes traveled over his broad shoulders, powerful arms, and glorious pecs. She exhaled a shaky breath as she lingered on his washboard abs, remembering the numerous times she'd kissed her way down his sexy treasure trail.

He'd always been delicious, but this was next-level with the addition of more muscle mass. Cam clearly made regular use of his home gym.

"Hey, guys," he said as he reached the sand, turning to toss his towel on the rocks where she and Brady had left theirs.

Standing in the thigh-deep water in her black bikini, Fi noticed his tattoo—Brady's infant footprints and the date of his birth inked on his left shoulder blade. Determined to ignore the mouthwatering effects of Cam's excellent body, she forced herself to smile. "Welcome home."

"Thanks. How's the water?"

"It's great!" Brady jumped up and down as he stood chest-deep. "Come in, Dad. Come play with us."

Cam waded in. "How's your wrist?"

"Good. I can swim with my cast cover." He lifted his arm, waving it around. "My splint's not wet at all."

"Good." He moved until the water reached his waist, then abruptly stopped, looking at his son as he hummed the first few notes of the Jaws song.

Brady's eyes grew huge as he grinned. "Not Lake Shark!"

Fiona laughed, watching the game the two of them had clearly played before.

Cam grinned, then hummed again, walking Brady's way.

Brady screamed, heading toward the deeper water, but Cam caught him by the ankle, scooping him up and nibbling at Brady's shoulder as he growled.

Brady laughed so hard he barely made any noise. "Get Fiona, Lake Shark! Get Fiona!"

"Fiona doesn't want a visit from the lake shark," Cam said as he set Brady back on his feet. But then he turned in her direction, waggling his brow as he hummed the song.

Brady screamed again, jumping up and down, unmistakably delighted.

Fiona glared as she took a step back. "Don't even think about it, Lake Shark."

But she saw the mischief in Cam's eyes as he advanced, humming the song louder.

"Run, Fiona! Run fast," Brady shrieked.

And then she turned, taking Brady's advice, attempting to run to shore.

Cam hummed louder, gaining on her.

She screamed now. "Get out of here, Lake Shark!"

And then Cam closed the distance, growling as he wrapped his arms around her waist, nipping at her shoulder as he spun her to face a screaming, laughing Brady.

She gave up any fight, unable to stop laughing when Cam nipped at her neck this time, carrying her into the deeper water.

Brady charged forward. "Get the lake shark!"

Cam growled again, reaching for Brady. "No one can defeat the lake shark."

Taking advantage of his loosened grip, Fiona turned and launched herself onto him, using her weight to knock him off-balance.

Cam roared with laughter as he fell with a massive splash, taking her with him as he sat in the chest-deep water.

Fiona found herself sprawled against hard muscle and smooth skin as she landed in Cam's lap.

Brady joined the chaos, hooking his good arm around Cam's neck. "We got him! We got the lake shark!"

"Splash him! Splash the lake shark!" Fiona encouraged.

Brady went to town, sending a tidal wave of water crashing into both of them.

Cam laughed again, grinning into her eyes as his palms rested against the sides of her waist.

Grinning back, she added another wave of water to the cascade.

And then Brady fell, choking as he tried to stand again.

In an instant, Cam yanked Brady up by his good arm. "Are you good, bud?"

Brady nodded as he smiled, wiping at his eyes as he continued to cough. "Yup."

Fiona untangled herself from Cam's hold. She moved to shore, grabbing everyone's towels as the clouds started to roll in with the promise of the rain that was in the forecast for tomorrow. "Is anyone else ready to head inside?"

Cam walked out of the water with Brady following behind, taking the towels and handing one to his son. "Showers are probably a good idea before dinner."

Fiona did her best to wipe the worst of the sand off herself, knowing it was time to head home. Swimming with Brady was one thing. Roughhousing with his half-naked father was entirely another. "For sure."

They all wrapped up in their towels, starting toward the house.

"How was your day today?" Cam asked Brady.

"Good. We went to the party store. I was Fiona's helper. And I made grilled cheese."

Cam blinked. "That's impressive."

Brady nodded. "I put the butter on the bread with a knife, and then I put on the cheese. Then I flipped it in the pan on the stove . Fi only helped me a little bit."

"You did a great job," she added, finding it adorable when he occasionally called her by her nickname.

"Yup." Brady hopped about. "And I know about adding and taking away like kids do at big kid school. The plus means you add more, and the other one means to take it away."

Cam looked from Fiona to Brady. "You're adding and subtracting now?"

Brady beamed as he nodded. "One M&M plus one more M&M means you have two M&Ms."

Cam laughed. "Brady, that's amazing . I'm raising a genius."

Fiona smiled, loving the ring of pride in Cam's voice that Brady so clearly felt as they reached the door to the mudroom. All three of them took the time to dip their feet in the water bucket on the step. "He's a supersmart boy."

Brady walked in, absently wiping his soles on the mat. "I'm taking my shower."

Cam snagged Brady's soiled towel before he could run off. "Do you need any help?"

Brady ran for the stairs. "Nope. Big kids take showers without any help."

"Don't forget to feel the water before you get in. Make sure it's not too hot. And call if you need anything."

"Okay," Brady called, already halfway up the steps.

"Hopefully, he gets all of the sand out of his hair," Cam commented.

"Good luck with that." Walking to the laundry room, Fiona tossed her towel in the washing machine. "I'll be right back," she said, heading for the powder room.

Cam listened to the water turn on in the shower upstairs as he tossed his and Brady's towels in the machine, frowning when he heard Fi's disgusted "ugh" in the next room.

"What's up?" he asked as he moved to stand in the bathroom doorway, watching as she frowned at herself in the mirror. She looked amazing in her bathing suit—her great ass and gorgeous breasts accentuated in the sexy black fabric. The way the water dripped from her long, tangled hair down all of that glorious golden skin.

"I planned to stop at the store on my way home, but I look like a sand monster." She turned, extending her frown to him. "Thanks to Lake Shark."

He grinned when she tossed him her haughty reply, loving that she was trying to be annoyed but couldn't quite get there. "I'd say you got off easy. Lake Shark has a reputation for being brutal."

She struggled not to smile. "Hopefully, he won't be making another appearance anytime soon."

Cam shrugged. "When it comes to Lake Shark, there are no guarantees."

"Well, I can't go to the store looking like a drowned rat."

"I thought you said a sand monster."

She grinned now, rushing forward in the smaller space, giving him a shove.

He laughed as she did, holding her gaze when she did it again.

"I was going to grab my stuff and go, but now I have to shower first."

His smile dimmed. The idea of Fi naked and in his shower… It was already bad enough that he'd had his hands on her again. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd straddled him in the water. "You know where it is."

"You can tell Lake Shark that I'll try not to use all of the hot water." She sent him a sassy smirk as she attempted to move past him.

When her shoulder brushed his chest, he snagged her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. Because he couldn't take it anymore.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him—as her gaze darted to his lips.

Then he touched her—a brush of his knuckles against her jaw, testing them both. "You have some sand."

She swallowed. "Oh."

Then he cupped her cheeks as they breathed each other's unsteady breaths. Finally, he moved in, groaning as he captured her lips.

She moaned, automatically opening for him, welcoming his tongue as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pressing her body against his.

Another rumble erupted in his throat as he dove deep, tasting her as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. There was no time for slow and sweet as he pushed her up against the doorframe—just raw, greedy hunger for what he'd gone without for too damn long.

Their tongues tangled in a frantic dance as he reached down, lifting her by the back of her thighs, holding them fire to fire as he ground himself against her.

She gasped as she clung to him, her hips now following his lead.

And then they froze when Brady's footsteps echoed on the stairs down the hall.

"I'm all clean," he called.

Dropping Fi's feet back to the hardwood, they stared at each other, both of them fighting for their breath. "Friends can kiss, right?"

She nodded with rosy cheeks and swollen lips. "Yeah. Definitely."

They broke apart.

Cam fixed his swim trunks, doing his best to hide his erection as he walked to the kitchen, grabbing steak from the fridge.

"I'm clean," Brady repeated as he stood by the counter in a pair of fresh shorts from his drawer. "And I got that cast cover thing off all by myself."

Cam smiled. "Nice job, bud."

Moments later, Fiona walked out of the bathroom with her shorts on. "I should head out."

He swallowed, noting that her cheeks were still pink. He wanted her to stay so they could finish what they just started, but taking a couple of deep breaths wasn't a bad idea for either of them. "We'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I'll see you then." She gave Brady her attention. "We'll finish that Lego project in the morning."

Brady smiled. "Okay. Can I watch a show, Dad?"

"One. While I get dinner ready."

"Okay." Brady plunked himself on the couch.

Cam looked at Fi as she grabbed her purse and bag on the counter. "Hey."

She met his gaze.

"We're good?"

She nodded. "We're good." Sending him a small smile, she turned and headed down the hall.

He exhaled a long breath, smelling Fi on his skin. He had no idea where they stood, but now that he'd had a taste of her, he planned to do it again.