One iPod, one set of earbuds split between two ears, his and mine, while slow dancing, locked in Beau’s strong embrace… My belly was full from a delicious dinner. Life was so good. I had my face resting in the crook of Beau’s neck, breathing in the spicy, erotic scent of his cologne. Our bodies did a slow sway to the sounds of “Better Together” by Jack Johnson. Our shoes were kicked off, our bare feet sifting through the sand as we moved together, with a darkened Lake Michigan churning in the background. The full moon helped set the romantic scene. We were somewhere between the parked truck and a section of the beach we claimed as our own a couple of hours ago. Booming pops of fireworks sounded off in the distance from the shows in the suburbs.

“I dreamed of this day,” I said quietly, my eyes closed while breathing in another long inhale of his scent. “In my wildest imagination, I never thought we’d be this good.”

Beau chuckled, gently tousling me with the movement of his chest. “I did. It scared me. You’re so out of my league.”

Reluctantly, I angled my head to better see his face. He tilted his head in the other direction. His earbud slipped from his ear. “Where’s that coming from? I think we’re very compatible.”

“Huh,” he said. He cupped his palm against the back of my head, trying to lower my head back to his shoulder with a solid push. It was a playful gesture he frequently used when he wanted to avoid a conversation. He furrowed his brows at me when I resisted, prompting him to push a bit harder.

“Not happening until you answer.” I stopped moving as I continued to stare at him. The romance of moments ago took a backseat as I worked through all the possibilities of what I’d done to cause him to feel that way. “You’re going to have to tell me what I’ve done. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Then lay your head down or let’s go and finish the conversation in bed.” His easy grin caused one of my own, even understanding this was another attempted diversion by Beau. It also assured me that whatever caused the words wasn’t going to ruin our night. I tugged the earbud from my ear, letting it hang from my hand.

Beau’s smoldering stare held my attention as he stepped into me, his fingertips caressing down the length of my arms until his hands took mine. “Let it go. I shouldn’t have said it. Especially today. It’s been a great day.”

“Tell me now,” I murmured, clasping his hands. With him standing so sexy before me, I knew this needed to be finished before we took it into our home.

Since I stared intently at him, I saw the moment his expression turned to resignation, which meant I’d won. I wasn’t going to declare my victory now, but he’d know before we went to bed. “I don’t get along with your friends here as well as I did back home. They’re different. Here, it’s all so intellectual. They come off as better than me.”

“And I spent so much time with them today. Did I make you feel ignored?” I asked, releasing him as he walked away, moving toward our shoes.

“Come on. I’m not upset, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m happy that you have friends. You haven’t had many in your life,” he said. The full moon cast Beau beautifully. I wished I had a camera to capture the moment. When he turned back toward me, he knocked the shoes together to remove the sand and tilted his head toward the truck. “Let’s go. I’ve always considered you out of my league. You’re just so personable. You don’t see class differences. And honestly, all those qualities gave me a chance to bag a guy like you.” With a playful glint in his eye, he lifted his left hand, wiggling his fingers. “I can feel it on my finger all the time. How long do you think it’ll last?”