Page 97 of Booked for Summer

She was about to argue that his ego didn’t need any help, but then remembered the difficult childhood he’d had, the way he’d been cruelly ditched because he hadn’t been rich enough, and decided she was glad she’d massaged it.

He cut the engine and leapt into the knee-high sea, pulling the dinghy out of the water and onto the sand before helping her out. ‘Wow, this beach is beautiful. And there’s no one on it.’ Her gaze drifted ahead, to a huge grey house surrounded by a white picket fence, with steps down to the sand. When she turned back to Liam, she saw he was watching her. ‘Oh, my God, that’s it, isn’t it? Your new house?’

He nodded. ‘It was finished two days ago.’ He lifted a set of keys out of his pocket. ‘Want a tour?’

And that’s when she realised why he’d been so cagey about today. He’d wanted to show her his house. Unbelievably touched, she smiled and reached to kiss him. ‘Do the Brits love tea?’

They strolled up the steps, Liam carrying the cool bags while she took it all in. It wasn’t the only house along the beach, but there was enough space between them that it felt like it was. He’d kept to the Nantucket tradition of grey shingles with white trim, the steps leading up to a wide porch, rose bushes planted along the right side.

‘Grandma’s got her own entrance.’ He pointed to an attached wing. ‘I would have built her more, but she was happy with a kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom.’ He smiled. ‘And a door that gives her access into the main house.’

‘Adam called it your fuck-off mansion,’ she murmured as he pushed open the front door to let her in.

‘I’m not interested in what he thinks.’ Liam dropped the cool bags on the floor and turned to her. ‘I want to know what you think.’

‘Bloody hell, Liam.’ She walked around the ground floor in a daze, peeking into the rooms one by one. White walls, dark wood floors, feature grey-stone fireplace. Giant windows that overlooked the sea. ‘It’s incredible. Tasteful. Homely, but with a giant dollop of blow your socks off.’

She wandered into the huge kitchen, all white wooden units, chrome range cooker and luxury white-marble worktop streaked with grey.

When she turned, she found him staring at her, an expression on his face that was hard to read. But then his eyes fell to her mouth, and when they met her eyes again, what he was thinking was obvious.

Obvious enough to make her breath catch.

‘Would you like to see upstairs? To be clear, I mean the master bedroom.’

She swallowed. ‘Yes please.’

She gasped as he swept her into his arms, heart pounding as he carried her easily up the stairs. Burying her face in his neck, she wondered how on earth she was going to walk away from this, from him.

Yet how could she stay, when everything between them was so uncertain? One change of his mind and she’d lose her job, her accommodation, possibly her self-respect because who gives up their life on a hope and the whim of one man?

She’d also lose her heart, forever buried in Nantucket. Never to be seen again.

* * *

Liam watched as Jade filled the kettle with water and bent over the range cooker, pressing buttons until she found the way to ignite the gas.

Fuck, she looked exactly like he’d imagined she would. As soon as the builder had confirmed it was completed, he’d needed to show her. He didn’t know why, only that he’d wanted to see her standing in his home in her bikini top and tiny denim shorts.

But now he had, he knew the image would be forever imprinted on his mind. He wouldn’t be able to walk in here and not see her. Even when she was thousands of miles away.

‘Here.’ He rummaged in the cooler and brought out a box of teabags. He’d arranged for all the essentials to be delivered; beds, bedlinen, towels in the bathrooms, a sprawling sofa, televisions, dishware, pans and utensils for the kitchen. The rest he’d add to in time. ‘And you might want this.’ He slid the teapot he’d bought onto the granite island, took out the pastries and bread rolls and then walked over to the fridge to dump the rest of the contents of the cooler; breaded chicken, cold meats, milk, beer, wine, salad boxes.

He heard a gasp, and turned to find her holding the teapot, a look of awe on her face. ‘You bought me a teapot?’

He shrugged, like it was no big deal. Like he hadn’t scoured the island to find one, before giving up and getting a local potter to make him one instead. ‘Figured it might make that hot water more appealing.’ She inhaled a shaky breath, and damn if she didn’t look like she was about to cry.

‘Holy cow, it’s a worm.’ She sniffed, her hand tracing the daft creature he’d asked the potter to incorporate into the design. ‘A worm holding a book.’ She lifted her eyes to his, and the blue glistened. ‘You didn’t just buy me a teapot, you had one made for me.’

‘Teapots aren’t in high demand here, apparently.’

She carefully placed the teapot back onto the granite island before leaping into his arms. ‘Thank you. That is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given me.’

‘Jesus, Jade.’ He shifted them so his hands were under her perfect ass. ‘You deserve more than a freaking teapot.’

I’d give you the world.

She was warm and curvy in his arms, her eyes bright with delight, lips curved with pleasure, but the words were stuck in his throat. For too long he’d had to protect himself, to live with the mantra of not letting anyone see how he felt, he wasn’t sure he could live any other way.

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