Page 60 of Happy Trails & Honey Pots

When I made the one-eighty turn, I quietly gasped at what I saw. Miles Ford was standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a white terrycloth towel.

“I’m sorry to bother you; I was just?—”

“You’re not bothering me. Come in.” He stepped back and held the door open with one hand while the other held the towel.

I’d had sex with Miles, but I hadn’t really taken the time to study his body. It had been a pretty overwhelming experience. I’d had a lot going on. Mainly the fact that I kept thinking,I’m having sex with Miles Ford.Seeing him in this context was a completely different experience.

I could appreciate his Adonis-like physique for what it was. The strength and tensile beauty of his broad chest, rounded shoulders, and chiseled arms. The corded muscles in his forearms and the dips and planes in his washboard abs. He was a superb male specimen.

My heartbeat sped as I walked past him and tried not to gawk. Instead, I glanced around the entryway. I scanned the marble floors and the grand mahogany staircase.

“This place is…beautiful. I came here once for a pool party.”

“You did?” He closed the door behind me.

“Yep.” I turned back to him. “Sandra Montgomery was in my class. The Montgomerys were one of the founding families of Firefly Island. Them, the Abernathys, and the Culpeppers. You’ve heard of Abernathy Manor, right?”

“The haunted house, right?”

“Yeah, that place. Well, Carlton Abernathy, whose family owned luxury hotels, purchased the island along with two of his fraternity brothers. Trenton Culpepper, whose father was an oil tycoon, and Benson Montgomery, who was heir to ashipping dynasty. The three of them attended Harvard together and bought the island to use as a private vacation destination. But after they graduated, they decided to move to the island and develop it, and now it’s Firefly Island.” I could hear myself babbling as I walked into the front sitting room, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“Oh.” Miles nodded and pretended like my history lesson was actually interesting.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for going to the birthday party today. You really didn’t have to do that. It was?—”

“I know,” he interjected.

“What?”

“I know I didn’t haveto. I wanted to.”

“Oh, well. Still, thank you. It meant so much to AJ. It was all the boys were talking about on the way to their sleepover and?—”

His demeanor changed, and so did the atmosphere between us. “AJ’s at a sleepover?”

“Oh, um, yeah. He wanted to stay at his friend Ritchie’s house. They have a pool and a movie room, so…” I licked my lips nervously.

“Do you have to work early tomorrow?”

“No,” my response barely registered above a whisper.

He took a step closer to me. The room was huge, but suddenly it felt small. Very, very small. Miles had a way of filling a space. It didn’t matter how big the space was; his presence was so all-consuming. All-encompassing. He commanded any room he was in. He had an air of authority and dominance that was impossible to ignore. He was at least five feet away from me, but I couldfeelhim.

“So, you don’t have to go home tonight.”

My breath was labored as tingles spread through my body. I knew exactly what this man could make me feel. The places thatbeing with him could take me. But I also knew the cost. The way my mind would obsess over every single second we’d spend together, playing it over and over again. I knew the way my body would ache missing his touch, his kiss. I knew how my soul would yearn to feel seen, to feel loved, to feel cared for, to feel protected, even if it was just for a few stolen moments.

I’d barely been able to get over him after spending one night with him. What would happen if I spent another?

“I missed you, Zoe. So bad. It drove me crazy. I tried to give you space, but it killed me not being able to talk to you, to hear your voice, to know that you were okay.”

“I was fine, I just…this is too complicated. It’s not…it could never be anything.”

I could see the pain my statement caused in his eyes. Was he actually hurt that we couldn’t be together? No. That wasn’t possible.

“Can you just stay the night? Nothing has to happen. We can just talk.”

“Talk?” Was that really all he wanted to do?

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