herself while staring down at
the carpet.
“I,
um—hi,” she said.
“You sleep
well?” he asked. She could hear the grin in his voice, but she didn’t dare look
up at him.
“Yeah. That bed
is really great.” What would it be like to share that bed with Rain? She
stumbled toward the small kitchen area, still half-asleep and now thrown off-balance
by Rain. “I was gonna make some coffee. Do you want some?” She was safe now
with her back turned to him as fiddled with the coffee machine.
“Sure.”
“Okay. ‘Cause
I’m making some for myself, and I thought since I’m doing that maybe you would
like some. So I thought I would ask. I know you’re a coffee drinker.” Oh lord.
She was babbling. She fumbled with the filter.
She sensed him
behind her and tensed. She hadn’t heard him walk up, but he was barefoot. And silent as a ninja. Damn Rain. She ripped the filter she
was trying to pull from the stack.
“Here, why
don’t you let me do that?” He reached around her and grabbed the stack of
filters from her hands.
She moved away
as if she’d been burned by his touch. In a way, she had been. She shrank against
the far counter and watched him prepare the coffee.
“You still
going down to the beach today?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at her as
he did so. Oh yes, Lucky Number Slevin. She imagined Rain coming out of the
bathroom later wrapped in only a towel. She wouldn’t mind being a spectator to
that sight. Nope, she wouldn’t mind it one bit. Wait. She had to stop this kind
of thinking.
She cleared her
throat and said, “Yes. Yes I am. Right after coffee.”
“You’re not
going to eat anything first?”
“I’m not a big
breakfast person.”
“Most important
meal of the day, you know.” He glanced over his shoulder at her again.
She laughed, a
little too high, a little too nervous. “That’s what I hear.”
He started the
coffee maker. Then he turned to her and grinned. Why did he have to have those
perfect teeth? That perfect, radiant smile? “Why don’t
I take you out to breakfast? After coffee, before the beach? I’d like to make yesterday up to you. And to thank you for putting up with me.”
“I—um…”
“And then we
could go to the beach after,” he said. “That is, if you don’t mind me tagging
along.”
“You don’t have
to.”
“I want to.”
She stared at
him for a moment, trying to decide if it would be a mistake or not to encourage
this. She shouldn’t be hanging out with him. He was her wedding date, and that
was it. He could spend the rest of the time dreaming up ploys and chasing after
Carolina or doing whatever else he wanted to do. The more time she spent with
him, the more painful it would be when he was gone again. No matter what he
said, he wouldn’t keep in touch. Who knew when she’d see him again after they
got back to D.C.? And even if he did stay in touch, they would only be friends.
Good friends? And heaven forbid, if he did manage to Carolina back…Oh. Oh, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what would
happen then. Too painful.
Why couldn’t
life just come with an owner’s manual?
“Daph?” he
asked, peering at her with those gorgeous hazel eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” She
tried to swallow against her dry throat.
“So how about
it? Wanna hang out today?”
“Sure.” She
nodded. “Okay.” It couldn’t hurt. It was only breakfast followed by a lazy,
relaxing day at the beach. She’d probably be asleep on her beach blanket most
of the time.
She was wrong.
They got an
umbrella from the hotel’s stash and set it up on the beach along with two beach
chairs. Out on the beach, they had so much fun together. She’d forgotten how
much fun it was to spend a day with him. He seemed totally stress-free.
Carolina barely came up at all. When she did, Daphne brought her up as a test
so she could watch Rain’s reaction. He would change the subject shortly after
she was brought up every time.
She wore
the carpet.
“I,
um—hi,” she said.
“You sleep
well?” he asked. She could hear the grin in his voice, but she didn’t dare look
up at him.
“Yeah. That bed
is really great.” What would it be like to share that bed with Rain? She
stumbled toward the small kitchen area, still half-asleep and now thrown off-balance
by Rain. “I was gonna make some coffee. Do you want some?” She was safe now
with her back turned to him as fiddled with the coffee machine.
“Sure.”
“Okay. ‘Cause
I’m making some for myself, and I thought since I’m doing that maybe you would
like some. So I thought I would ask. I know you’re a coffee drinker.” Oh lord.
She was babbling. She fumbled with the filter.
She sensed him
behind her and tensed. She hadn’t heard him walk up, but he was barefoot. And silent as a ninja. Damn Rain. She ripped the filter she
was trying to pull from the stack.
“Here, why
don’t you let me do that?” He reached around her and grabbed the stack of
filters from her hands.
She moved away
as if she’d been burned by his touch. In a way, she had been. She shrank against
the far counter and watched him prepare the coffee.
“You still
going down to the beach today?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at her as
he did so. Oh yes, Lucky Number Slevin. She imagined Rain coming out of the
bathroom later wrapped in only a towel. She wouldn’t mind being a spectator to
that sight. Nope, she wouldn’t mind it one bit. Wait. She had to stop this kind
of thinking.
She cleared her
throat and said, “Yes. Yes I am. Right after coffee.”
“You’re not
going to eat anything first?”
“I’m not a big
breakfast person.”
“Most important
meal of the day, you know.” He glanced over his shoulder at her again.
She laughed, a
little too high, a little too nervous. “That’s what I hear.”
He started the
coffee maker. Then he turned to her and grinned. Why did he have to have those
perfect teeth? That perfect, radiant smile? “Why don’t
I take you out to breakfast? After coffee, before the beach? I’d like to make yesterday up to you. And to thank you for putting up with me.”
“I—um…”
“And then we
could go to the beach after,” he said. “That is, if you don’t mind me tagging
along.”
“You don’t have
to.”
“I want to.”
She stared at
him for a moment, trying to decide if it would be a mistake or not to encourage
this. She shouldn’t be hanging out with him. He was her wedding date, and that
was it. He could spend the rest of the time dreaming up ploys and chasing after
Carolina or doing whatever else he wanted to do. The more time she spent with
him, the more painful it would be when he was gone again. No matter what he
said, he wouldn’t keep in touch. Who knew when she’d see him again after they
got back to D.C.? And even if he did stay in touch, they would only be friends.
Good friends? And heaven forbid, if he did manage to Carolina back…Oh. Oh, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what would
happen then. Too painful.
Why couldn’t
life just come with an owner’s manual?
“Daph?” he
asked, peering at her with those gorgeous hazel eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” She
tried to swallow against her dry throat.
“So how about
it? Wanna hang out today?”
“Sure.” She
nodded. “Okay.” It couldn’t hurt. It was only breakfast followed by a lazy,
relaxing day at the beach. She’d probably be asleep on her beach blanket most
of the time.
She was wrong.
They got an
umbrella from the hotel’s stash and set it up on the beach along with two beach
chairs. Out on the beach, they had so much fun together. She’d forgotten how
much fun it was to spend a day with him. He seemed totally stress-free.
Carolina barely came up at all. When she did, Daphne brought her up as a test
so she could watch Rain’s reaction. He would change the subject shortly after
she was brought up every time.
She wore
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