Love of a Marine (The Wounded Warriors Series Book 2) by Patty Campbell Page B

put Queen’s service vest on her, and she sat patiently while they portioned out who would carry what. “Atten’hun, for’ard harch!” He took the lead and they followed like a squad of raw recruits until he stopped at a nice flat stretch of sand. “Halt!”
    Amber and Santos screamed with laughter, and Graciella shook her head. He snapped out the big blanket, spread it, and pointed. “Towels here, picnic basket there, cooler on the other side. Snap to, soldiers.”
    “You’re funny, Macfearsome.” Santos set a smaller blanket and towels in the spot Cluny’d indicated and lifted the folded umbrella. “Where should I put this, Captain?”
    “That’s Sergeant to you, jarhead. Troops are dismissed. Smear on some sunscreen and take Queen for a swim.”
    They peeled off their T-shirts and stood impatiently while Cluny and Graciella applied sunscreen to their backs and arms, then they grabbed the belly boards and ran to the water. Queen barked and galloped alongside them. To avoid a confrontation with the lifeguard, Cluny had waved, pointed to her vest, removed it, and gave her permission to go. You knew summer was finally here when the lifeguard towers were manned from early morning until dusk.
    Cluny opened the large umbrella and placed it to give maximum shade on the blanket. Graciella pulled her beach caftan over her head, and his heart nearly stopped at the sight of her in a bikini. Her long slender arms and legs were in precise proportion to her sleek dancer’s hips and torso.
    Oh, Mama!
    He swallowed, took off his jeans and T-shirt, folded them neatly, and set them to the side.
    She plopped her big floppy hat on her head and leaned back on her hands. “What a perfect day.”
    “You got that right.” Perfect day. Perfect weather. Perfect spot. Perfect kids. And the perfect woman sitting next to him. It didn’t get any better than this.
     
    * * *
     
     
    The man had a strong, lean body. The body of a hardworking man who kept himself fit. She glanced sidewise through her dark glasses, hoping he didn’t notice her gawking. His well-defined shoulders, chest, and belly didn’t have an ounce of flab. Cluny dangled his big hands from the raised knees of his powerful legs. She smiled at his big feet.
    “You like my big feet?” He grinned. “Caught you looking. Don’t be embarrassed. We got that out of the way, now we can relax and enjoy ourselves.”
    She sat straight. “OK, just for the record, how big are they?”
    “Size thirteen. You could use one of my sneakers for a lifeboat.” He winked and pointed at her feet. “Yours are kinda big too.”
    Graciella laughed and leaned back on her elbows. “I deserved that, but I’ll go to my grave before I’ll reveal any statistics.” Her cheeks and neck warmed, and it wasn’t due to the bright sun.
    Cluny shifted, lay on his belly, and squinted at Amber and Santos. “He’s got the hang of it now. They’re having a great time.” He dropped his chin on his folded arms. “God, I remember the first time I saw an ocean. It was when Dwayne and I were stationed at Camp Pendleton as a couple of raw recruits. He got a charge out of my reaction. Born in California, it was old stuff to him. We were twenty years old and invincible. We knew everything.”
    She laughed and glanced at him. He had a beautiful, manly back. She itched to touch it. “Cluny, do you have sunscreen on your back?”
    “Only where I could reach.” He rolled his head to the side. “Wanna do the honors?”
    Instead of answering him, she reached in her tote bag and withdrew a large bottle of SPF 30, knelt next to him and squirted a good-size dollop between his shoulder blades. She hesitated with her hand an inch from his skin then began to massage the silky lotion over him. Cluny’s back felt as wonderfully strong as it looked. She closed her eyes at the sensuous tingle she experienced when he groaned with pleasure. It had been more than ten long years since she’d put her hands on a man