CHAPTER SEVEN

NATALIE

I am in love and I don't know how to tell my dad. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July and my dad is coming back for the week. His plane lands in less than two hours. He's going to stay here in Love Beach at Luke's house and I don't think that Luke is going to go with my plan of pretending we aren't a couple while he's here.

"I can stay in the guest room for the week he's here. It wouldn't be bad and then he'll be gone until late August."

"What's your plan for then? Keep moving to the guest room every time he visits? Live in two different houses and just have sleepovers every once in a while?"

"Maybe we will have worked out a way to tell him by then and we will have been together longer. I think he might be more accepting if we've been together for more than two weeks."

We are sitting out on the patio having lunch. Luke stands and starts pacing.

His voice is fun of irritation when he says, "I'm not hiding how I feel about you. I'm the happiest I've ever been. I'm so in love with you and I will not hide that." I stare at him. He's never said he loves me before. "What?"

"You love me?"

"Of course, I do."

"You've never said it before."

"What?" He looks distraught at the idea of never telling me his feelings. I've never said mine either, because I didn't want to get shut down. He falls to his knees in front of me. "Sweet girl, I'm so in love with you. I have been since I saw you at your college graduation party. The last weeks with you in my home and in my bed have been the best in my whole life. I can't imagine never living a moment without you."

I go to my knees too and wrap my arms around him. "I love you, too. Luke, you have to know that you are everything to me. That's why it's important that you don't wreck your friendship with my dad. I know how important you are to each other. I can't choose between the two of you and I'm afraid he'll make me pick." Tears are streaming down my eyes.

"He wouldn't do that to you," Luke tries to reassure me, but I know my dad. He's overprotective of me. This summer is actually a great example. He might have acted like my staying with Luke was about having access to the beach for my thesis, which has been helpful, but he also didn't want me to be alone. He was worried about being out of the country and me having someone to make sure I was okay.

"Luke, can we please do this my way? I promise that we can tell Dad at the end of the summer. I just want this to be a good week and to have fun watching the fireworks tomorrow."

"Okay, but I can't promise that I won't try and sneak a kiss when he's not in the room. It's going to be hell sleeping without you."

"I know, but I'll give you a huge reward when he's gone for being so understanding," I promise.

"You better."

We both stand up and Luke pulls me up in his arm. I wrap both legs around his waist and he sits me on the table. I know that we need to stop, but I can't pull myself away from his mouth. Luke thinks it's going to be hard for him to go a whole week without being with me, but I don't want to be without him either.

* * *

LUKE

This was a terrible idea and it's all Cameron's fault. I've never been mad at my best friend, but right now I want to kick him out of my house. Natalie went to bed thirty minutes ago so that her father and I could do "boy stuff". What I want to be doing is pounding my cock into her and not listening to Cameron talk about his business problems.

"Are you okay, Luke?" Cameron asks. "You seem distracted tonight."

"I'm fine."

"Sure, and I'm Batman." He laughs, "What's going on with you? You haven't been responding to texts or returning calls. I know you're not busy with work. Are you seeing someone?"

Shit. "Nothing's going on with me," I promised Natalie that I wouldn't tell him about us, and I won't, but I want to. If I did, I could go join my woman in bed and do filthy things to her until morning.

"If you say so. How's Natalie doing? I was surprised she went to bed so early."

"She's good. She's been doing research during the day. I think she's gotten to know some people in town." Not an exact lie, we've gone up and down main street several times. "I've enjoyed having her here." I can't help but add.

"She's not cramping your style?" Cameron laughs.

"Does she cramp yours?" I ask, wondering about his dating life after the talk that Natalie and I had the first night she was here. Maybe if Cameron were dating someone he wouldn't care about Natalie and I being in love.

"You know I haven't been interested in anyone since Natalie's mom. I don't know that I ever will be."

He says the right words, but there's something underneath them that leads me to believe that he doesn't quite mean them. I think he might want someone.

"Natalie wouldn't want you to be alone. She wants you to be happy." I can't help but say.

Cameron narrows his eyes at me. "Have the two of you been comparing notes about me? Did she say something?"

"Not really. I've just gotten to know her better and I know she would want you to be happy like I do."

We both sit in the quiet after that. There is an awkwardness that has never been there before. I hate not being honest with him. I want to tell him about my happiness and about how much I love his daughter. How I plan to love her forever, make her deliriously happy, and help her achieve every dream.

Cameron and I drink together for another hour and then head to bed. He heads upstairs to the room next to Natalie's and I head to the room I should be sharing with her. I walk in, expecting it to be empty, but there in the middle of the bed is my sweet love.

"Natalie?"

She's asleep and slowly comes back around. "Hi."

"Hi, sweet girl. I'm happy you're here, but didn't we agree that you were going to sleep in the guest room."

"I am. I just wanted to say goodnight and I fell asleep." She sits up and I see that she's wearing one of my T-shirts and a pair of tiny panties.

"You thought I was going to be able to let you go when you look this fucking sexy?"

"I have to go back up there. My Dad is in the room next to mine. He'll know if I'm not there in the morning?"

"How? You can say you got up early or sneak up before he wakes up." I tell her as I kiss her collarbone. "I promise that I won't let anything happen. The staff will help.

"Luke, it's not a good idea." She moves her neck to the side, giving me better access. "But maybe we could do something really quick and really quiet."

"Do you think you can be quiet?"

"Do you think you can be quick?"

"Let's give it a try," I say as I push her back down on the bed and cover her body with mine.

* * *

Thirty minutes later we've learned that we can be neither quick nor quiet and that Natalie's dad had not gone to bed.