Page 53 of Places I've Never Been

“They go through all that pain,” Mattie said. “All that work, just to leave it behind. I wish I had my notebook right now.”

She settled down cross-legged on the sand and stared with wide eyed introspection at the turtles.

Bayo smiled. “I leave you to watch as long as you like. When you are ready, lunch will be served at the rest area.”

Bayo walked quietly back the way they’d come.

Adam leaned against the rock wall behind Mattie, but he was more interested in watching her than the parade of prehistoric creatures in front of her.

Tina glanced around. “Is this it? I thought we could pet them or something.”

“No, don’t,” Mattie cried out. “If you touch them, they’ll feel threatened and they won’t finish laying their eggs.”

“How do you know?” Tina looked at Cooper. “She can’t know that.”

“I watched a documentary,” Mattie said wryly.

“I’m hungry,” Cooper said. “I’m going for something to eat.” He turned to leave, then looked at Tina. “Coming?”

“I guess.” Tina clicked her tongue. “I told you we should have a spa day instead.”

“We should have gone to the caves,” Cooper said.

Tina snapped something in response, but Adam couldn’t make it out.

He waited until he couldn’t hear their voices over the sound of the surf, then settled onto the ground near Mattie with his back against the rocks.

They sat in easy silence for a few minutes. The turtlesbasked in the sun, reaching a level of relaxation he only dreamed of experiencing. He was hyperaware of the woman sitting next to him. The shirt she wore hugged her body like a second skin. He wanted to trace her curves with his hands and discover the real woman underneath. His fingers twitched, but he forced himself to stay put.

“I don’t think they’re going to last much longer,” Mattie said in a voice so low the wind almost swept it away. “Cooper and Tina, I mean. She seems unhappy.”

“I’ll be shocked if she lasts two more days.”

Mattie looked at him with troubled eyes. “Poor Cooper.”

He shrugged. “It won’t be the first time one of Coop’s relationships tanked while on vacation. One girl ditched him during dinner the first night to go off with some actor from Australia. She had the hotel move her stuff out before he got back. On the plus side, at least she didn’t trash the room. He has bad luck with women most of the time.”

“Maybe he just hasn’t found the right one.” Mattie scooted back until she leaned against the rock next to him, pulled off her shoes, and dug her toes in the sand.

“Maybe he should stop taking his girlfriends on vacation.” Adam shook his head. “They just don’t get it. I think they all expect to be the center of attention on trips like this, but with a guy like Cooper…”

“The music comes first,” Mattie filled in.

He smiled and bobbed his head. “Yeah.”

“I get that.” She watched the turtles with a faraway look in her eyes. “It’s hard, when you love something so much to pay attention to anything else sometimes.”

“Yes,” he agreed. He studied the curve of her face, the slight flush in her cheeks, and the smooth line of her neck, memorizing every detail. “Yes, it definitely is.”

Chapter Thirteen

Mattie could feel Adam’s stare, hot and intense, along the side of her face, and his words sent a little thrill through her chest. They barely knew each other, but they’d spent a lot of quality time together over the past couple of weeks, and she liked him. A lot.

There was more to know about Adam Brooks. She should find out all she could.

For the song.

It was only professional.

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