Page 24 of Two Tickets to Paradise

"Okay, so I'm nervous, but probably not for the reason you might think."

Vince shifted his duffel bag and waited for her to continue, his eyes warm and open.

"I invited you on a lark, but it wasn't just because I was trying to do something nice for you, I was doing something nice for myself. I like you so the whole 'friend thing' isn't a lie." She wasn't sure if he would hear her words and believe them with the nervous vibration in her voice. "But the more time I spend with you, the more we talk and joke and," she made a vague gesture between them, "whatever it is that we're doing, I feel likeI'mcrossing that line from friend to more than friends and I think Cam might see it written on my face."

She looked up at the ceiling and found herself struggling with her words but that didn't shock her. She was struggling even more with her feelings.

"Cora."

She closed her eyes and felt her throat tighten up.

"Cora," his voice was warm and the hand that touched her forearm was warm as well, "look at me."

She did what he asked even though she was worried that she was going to embarrass herself.

"I know you're worried about your brother and how he's going to act or how he's going to feel about me being here and about what this is between us."

She turned her head to look away, but stopped when she felt his hand touch her cheek.

Cora lifted her gaze and met his, closer than she'd expected it to be.

He smiled and she felt his gaze move over her face like a caress. "I'm just letting you know what's going on in my heart and my head. I do think there's something building between us, Cora." He turned his hand so that his thumb swept over her chin. "I'd be lying to say that there isn't. So, if you're worried aboutyour brother reading into your feelings, he'd probably read into mine, too. That's not a bad thing-"

"It is," she countered, "especially because he takes the whole big brother thing really seriously."

Vince's smile was disarming and he stepped in closer making her feel like the whole world around her was shrinking into just the space around them. "I'm not worried, Cora. I appreciate that you're nervous about this, it means you'd care if he kicked my ass."

She laughed out loud, a chuckle that was almost a cough.

"And I'm not a big brother, but I can imagine what it would be like to walk in his shoes. I'm guessing his biggest concern would be to make sure that the guy with his sister was going to treat her right and step up to make sure other people treat her right, too. So I think he'll give me shit. I've gone through shit being in the military. I can handle that. I just want to be clear between you and me, Cora. If we end up as friends after this," he shrugged and nodded, "okay. I'll take that, but..."

She sucked in air when she heard 'but.' It wasn't intentional. It was instinct.

He shook his head, smiling at her. "I'm hoping for more, Cora. I think if we'd met somewhere else where we didn't have a clock ticking over our heads, I'd like to think that I would have asked for your number-"

"And I would have given it to you," her cheeks warmed as his smile deepened.

"And we'd go on a bunch of dates and somewhere down the road we would have ended up here, in Hawaii, together."

Her skin tingled as the sweep of his thumb slowed and drew closer to her lower lip.

"Regardless of how we got here, Cora, I want you to know that I want to be here, with you."

"Yeah?" Her voice caught a little in her throat.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And I'm hoping that you'll give me a chance to romance you while we're here. Who knows where we'll end up by the time we head home to Chicago?"

"Who knows?" She drew in a breath as he leaned closer. "But I think I want to find out."

He was close enough that she could feel his breath against her lips and that gentle touch sent sensations all over her body. "Then let's see what happens."

She opened her lips to agree with him and felt their lips brush against each other.

They froze for a moment, their eyes searching for something in each other's gazes.

Later, they'd end up debating who kissed who first, but at that moment, it didn't seem to matter.

All she could think about was what it felt like to kiss Vince Lazar.

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