What a Woman Wants by Brenda Jackson Page B

were sitting together or that his dark eyes were boring intently into hers. “I know, but when I think of what she was going through alone,” she said, fighting not to let his presence overwhelm her. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest. “And she did leave the three of us letters but didn’t shed any light as to what she was going through,” she said to get her mind back on the right track. “Instead she pleaded with us to live each day to the fullest and do whatever we want to enjoy life and not live up to others’ expectations and standards.”
    “That was some good advice. Maybe the three of you should take it.”
    “We are,” she said, thinking that his strong jaw, sensuous lips, and sculpted nose were right in her line of vision. “That’s why we’re here on the island together. This is where the four of us met as teenagers one summer, so it seemed fitting to come back here in her memory.”
    “Sounds like a good plan.”
    “Yeah, I think so, too.” Monique’s words faltered when she saw his head beginning to lower to hers and knew exactly what he planned to do, and the split second before their lips touched, she quickly stood to her feet. “Do you need help with breakfast?”
    He smiled as he slowly stood and placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “You’ve asked me that already, and the answer is still no. Everything is ready anyway. All I have to do is set the table and, before you ask, no, I don’t need help with that either.”
    She nodded nervously. “Okay, I guess I’ll go wash up, then.”
    “All right.”
    Monique quickly moved toward the bathroom, thinking if she didn’t escape at that moment, she would definitely be sorry. She and Lyle had almost kissed, and she didn’t know how she felt about that. After closing the bathroom door behind her, she leaned against it and let out the breath she’d been holding. No matter what, she would not let herself get attracted to Lyle. She refused to do that.
    Shane handed Faith
a bottle of iced water and smiled. “Your first lesson went well. You caught on quickly.”
    She smilec back. “I had a good teacher. Besides, all I did today was practice hitting balls.”
    “Yes, but developing good stroke form is important. It helps to avoid unnecessary arm injuries later,” he explained. “And because tennis involves a lot of side-to-side movement, you’re going to need a pair of shoes that’s not only cute but also built for lateral stability,” he said, glancing down at her feet and grinning. “Don’t wear those back tomorrow. They can easily cause an ankle injury.”
    She nodded. “All right. Anything else?”
    “Yeah. I found your outfit distracting.”
    Faith blinked. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. She glanced down at her pastel-pink-and-white V-neck tennis top and matching short tennis skirt, along with her cute pink sneakers. He had already explained why her sneakers wouldn’t work, but she couldn’t fathom what could possibly be wrong with her outfit.
    “And just what’s so distracting about it?” she asked, glancing up at him before glancing around at other females playing tennis on the courts. “I’m not the only woman wearing this style.”
    “Yes, but they don’t have your legs.”
    Again she couldn’t believe what he’d said. Did the man say whatever he thought? She lifted her chin. “I thought we were keeping this professional.”
    He took a huge gulp of water from his water bottle, then went so far as to squirt some on his face. “We are. I’m just being honest. An instructor’s concentration is important.”
    “Then that’s your problem and not mine.”
    “You’re right. It is my problem, but I figured maybe you should know.”
    “Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe I should look for another instructor.”
    Shane grinned. Damn, but her lips became full and pouty when she got mad. And on top of that, her chest heaved, and a heaving chest did wonders to