Page 57 of Places I've Never Been

“Tina, what do you want to drink?” Cooper called out from somewhere behind his girlfriend.

“Whatever. One of those umbrella drinks. It doesn’t matter.” Tina rolled her eyes. “It’s not like they taste like much of anything but sugar.”

Cooper stepped into view and took Tina’s hand with his. “Come on, the food’s ready.”

“I’m not having anything now if we’re doing dinner later,” Tina said. “And those two are too busy getting down in the sand to eat.”

The amount of innuendo laced with sarcasm she managed to fit into that sentence was worthy of a five-star gossip columnist.

Cooper looked at Adam, and an entire unspoken conversation passed between them.

Mattie scrambled to get her sandals on and her. “I’m starving.”

“Right.” Cooper tugged on Tina’s hand. She fell into step beside him.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to do it in a sandpit full of turtles anyway.” Tina’s voice trailed off until they were blockedfrom view by the rocks.

Adam turned back to Mattie. His face was full of apology and passion, longing and regret.

Mattie closed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” he said. “Mattie, look at me.”

She heard him move closer and put a hand up to stop him before anything else happened. “It’s not fair. To you, I mean. We can’t do this. Please. We have to stay focused on work.”

“Why?” Adam’s intimate tone would unravel her resolve if she let it. “What’s so wrong about one little kiss?”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

How could she make him see what had to be, when all she really wanted was another kiss, and then another, then more? She wanted what she shouldn’t have. It was island magic, nothing more than that.

It was the same thing Devon had done to her, only now she was the one doing it to Adam.

“It’s just the song, Adam. Nothing more. It’s not real.”

Chapter Fourteen

Adam blinked at her, momentarily stunned by her announcement. “What do you mean it’s not real?”

“I was excited. By the song, I mean. That’s all. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”

“Are you trying to say you didn’t like it? Or that you don’t like me.” He wanted her in a way that sucked the ability to reason out of his brain. That had to be why her words made no sense.

“I need to keep things professional. You understand, don’t you?”

“Sounds like a swear word.”

The kiss had been unexpected, mind numbing, and glorious. He could still feel the press of her lips on his, and he wanted more. A lot more.

Dammit, she did too. He could see it in her eyes.

“Please, can we just go to lunch?”

“Mattie…”

She looked away. “If we don’t leave soon, Tina might actually get snotty.”

“Mattie, look at me.”

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