Page 19 of Booked for Summer

Probably expected him to suddenly appear with a bowl of the ridiculously expensive cat food his grandma insisted on giving the pampered puss. He remembered a time she’d fed both of them for a week for the price of one of Bardot’s damn sachets. ‘Tell Bardot I’ll see her tomorrow evening. And if you’ve nothing else better planned, I’ll see you, too.’

Her laughter tinkled down the phone. ‘As if anything would be better than seeing my darling grandson.’

Satisfied he’d made the one important person in his life happy, he ended the call. Switching back to business mode, he phoned his go-to architect.

‘Flo has signed the contract so you can dig out those plans for the waterfront cottages again. I want work to begin as soon as the legal team give us the okay.’

ChapterEight

Jade’s stomach pitched as she stood on the wharf that evening. Day two and she’d agreed to have another drink with the man she’d nearly had sex with on day one.

God, she made bad decisions. No wonder Lauren had such a low opinion of her.

She was in half a mind to walk back to the bookstore when she spotted his tall figure striding towards her from the resort. He slowed when he neared her. Dressed in a sky-blue polo shirt, charcoal linen jacket and jeans that looked soft and expensive, he screamed rich and sophisticated. She looked down at her short denim skirt, her simple sleeveless top. She screamed clumsy and inelegant.

‘Hi.’

Her heart let out a loud thud. ‘Hi back.’

He tilted his head. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Er, I think I may have got cold feet.’

Liam frowned, moving forward a few steps. ‘Why?’

Nerves jangled and she clenched her hands to stop them from shaking. ‘What do you see when you look at me?’

He nodded, like it wasn’t a really odd question. ‘You mean besides a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with a body I thoroughly enjoyed exploring and want to see more of?’

The belly flutter returned, reminding her why she’d come here in the first place. ‘I like that, but yes.’

His gaze scanned her face, and she wondered if he was searching for the right words to guarantee the sex he’d not been given yesterday. ‘I see a woman who made me laugh, which is rare. Also a woman who surprised me, fascinated me. Enough that I was looking forward to seeing her again tonight.’

‘For sex.’

He frowned. ‘For a drink.’

‘So you don’t want sex?’

He let out a frustrated sounding exhale. ‘I don’t want anything you don’t willingly want to do.’

‘Good answer.’ Oh God, why was she making such a big deal of this? This gorgeous man, who only had to look at her to make her knees weak, had invited her for a drink. So what if his motive wasn’t pure, it’s not like he was pretending it would be anything more than a hook-up. And if they did end up having sex, it would be her choice. Her choice to sleep with a guy who said she wasfascinating, surprising. If she thought of her resolution about avoiding guys who underestimated her, he’d just seen more in her than anyone else ever had.

‘So, where is the best place on Nantucket to have a drink?’

His eyes flared and he placed his free hand on her hip, turning her to face him. ‘I’ll show you. But first…’

His mouth inched closer and as his gaze pinned hers, her stomach felt like it did at the top of a rollercoaster, all squirmy, a little fear mixed with excitement, adrenaline pounding through her. She could feel the heat of his palm through her skirt, smell his expensive cologne on her every inhale. Feel the tickle of his breath across her lips as his mouth hovered over hers.

‘Fuck, you’re breathtaking.’

Thiswas why she was here. He made her feel worthy of catching his attention. ‘I managed to avoid the smell of stale cocktail this time.’

He let out a low laugh. A second later, his mouth descended and all the breath rushed from her lungs as he started to slowly devour her, his tongue driving between her parted lips, his hips pushing against hers, letting her feel how hard he was.

She whimpered– honest to God, frigging whimpered– when he drew away. ‘Are you up for a walk? It’s about three-quarters of a mile but we can take a car if you prefer.’

‘A walk is good, providing my legs stop trembling.’

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