More men slowed as they passed, their attention lingering openly now. Some pretended not to stare. Others made no effort to hide it. Bridget felt every glance like warm fingertips sliding over her skin.
When she crossed her legs, she became painfully aware of the heat gathered between them.
“I could help you with that problem,” a playful voice said beside her.
Bridget turned to find a sun-bronzed young man grinning down at her with complete confidence. He radiated effortless charm, the kind that probably worked far more often than it should.
“I’m Phillip,” he said. “Nice to meet both of you.”
Bridget lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and examined him with exaggerated seriousness. “That’s interesting,” she replied coolly. “Because I wasn’t aware I had a problem.”
Phillip’s grin widened.
Squatting beside her chair so they sat eye level, he looked almost boyishly handsome—like a mischievous puppy who knew exactly how appealing he was.
“Well,” he said conspiratorially, “it just so happens I’m exceptionally talented with my tongue.”
Despite herself, Bridget laughed softly.
She extended one finger and lightly tapped the end of his nose. “Not today, Phillip,” she teased. “Run along before you get yourself into trouble.”
But Phillip didn’t move away.
Instead, his fingers closed gently around her hand.
Before Bridget realized what he intended, he drew the tip of her finger slowly into his mouth.
Her breath caught.
His eyes never left hers as his tongue glided teasingly against her skin—slow, warm, deliberate. The tiny sensation sent a startling pulse through her body, sharp as electricity. Heat raced up her arm, down her stomach, and lower still before she could stop it.
For one dizzy second, the entire noisy beach around them seemed to disappear.
Phillip released her finger gradually, smiling as though he’d just shared a private secret with her.
Bridget stared at him, suddenly very aware of her heartbeat.
Maybe he really was talented with his tongue.
But then again… so was Abel.
That thought made her pulse quicken even more.