Page 14 of Escape to the Sun

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If she’d beena little unsure about the job at Casa del Sol, once Heather was shown her room, which was so much more than a room, all doubt vaporized. Sherri called it casa de esperanza.

Hope house.

It was perfect.

Built the same as the big house, with bamboo walls and thatched roof, esperanza was a much smaller version, only it was better because her house sat directly over the ocean. It was set far enough from the main house that she would have privacy, but it was close enough that she’d be able to take care of things there and easily get back and forth.

The room held only a bed, a dresser, and a chair, but the real living would take place on the wraparound deck. She left her backpack on the bed and walked outside. There was no rail on the deck. Instead, there were hammocks strung in each corner, oversized wooden chairs against the walls, and the best part of all—a large wooden swing suspended just right so she’d be able to swing into the beautiful blue water below.

But that would have to wait.

She had to finish unpacking and then formally accept the job. Sherri had explained it as the manager of the bed-and-breakfast: handling the bookings, client relations, and overseeing the basic staff she had who did cooking and cleaning. It sounded perfect, and if it meant staying in this little corner of paradise, it pretty much didn’t matter what the job was—she would take it. From the moment she’d set foot on the dock, she’d felt at home somehow. In only a few minutes, she was calmer, more settled than she’d been in five years in Shelter Bay.

“Knock knock.” The voice came from somewhere around the corner of her house. “Anyone home?”

There was no real door, but large sliding shutters that would protect her in the event of heavy rain or a storm, so Heather walked around the porch to greet her visitor, although she already knew who it was. Her body did, too. The heat that flooded her was immediate, intense and unsettling.

Ash leaned against the bamboo wall, looking sexy as hell, totally at home. And damn, did that man not own a shirt?

“Come on in.” She hoped she sounded relaxed and casual, but she doubted that was the case. “I was just getting settled in.”

She turned, knowing he would follow, and questioned the sensibility of being alone with the man. After all, they’d only just met; she knew nothing about him besides he was somehow connected to Sherri and her new job, although Heather still couldn’t figure out how. And she did not want to risk losing a job she hadn’t even started yet because of a man she didn’t even know.

“This was always one of my favorite bungalows at Casa del Sol. Sherri’s done such a great job with all of them, though. It’s a very special place.”

Heather turned to see that Ash had walked right through the room, and was out on the porch in the very spot where she’d just been standing. She left her bag still unpacked and joined him outside in the growing darkness.

“It really is a special place. I’m looking forward to getting to know it.”

They stood so close, she could feel the heat of his body and smell the salt on his skin.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” He turned to face her, the look in his eyes leaving no question that the attraction she’d felt for him was entirely mutual.

A moment later, when he cupped her face in one hand and used the other to pull her close, any hesitation she had about getting involved with Ash dissolved into the night air. All she could think about was the thrumming in her veins and the need to have his mouth on hers.

It was Heather who closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his in a kiss. He answered her need by pulling her even tighter to his hard body. His tongue parted her lips, clashing with hers. Heather’s hands slid up his bare skin; her fingers dug into the muscles on his back in a misguided effort to control the sensations that flooded her.

Ash’s hand left her face and slid down her body to the hem of her shirt. His fingers easily slipped beneath the fabric of the T-shirt. The shock of his touch on her bare skin stopped her.

What was she doing?

From somewhere behind her, Thor, who’d been waiting just outside her room, whined. It was just enough of a distraction to bring her senses crashing down. Heather pulled out of Ash’s embrace. Her hand moved to her mouth; her fingers danced uneasily on her lips while she composed herself.

“We shouldn’t…I shouldn’t… I mean, I’m not saying I don’t want to. It’s just…well, I just got here.”

“Later then.” Ash chuckled and when she finally brought herself to look at him, he was grinning. “I understand,” he said when their eyes met.

She wasn’t sure he did, but he didn’t seem all that upset by her sudden change of heart, and that made it less awkward somehow. Although she got the impression that Ash probably didn’t get upset about much.

Heather looked at him for another second before she turned out to stare at the darkness. The stars were starting to pop out on the black canvas. It never failed to surprise her how quickly it got dark in Panama compared to Idaho. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

Ash spoke first. “Anyway, that wasn’t the real reason I came out here.” She could see the lie on his face. “I just came to see if you needed help finding your way back in the dark.”

She nodded. “That would be good.”

“It can be tricky if you don’t know where you’re going.”

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