Page 95 of Booked for Summer

His walls were too strong to admit it, past experience shoring them up, pushing back against his desire to go down on his knees and beg her to stay. For him. For ever.

He could give her something to think about, though, and maybe it would be enough. ‘That’s an impossible question to answer,’ he told her roughly, cupping her face. ‘But you need to know that I care deeply for you. That I want you to stay. I want us to have more time together.’

Tears filled her eyes. ‘I want more time with you, too.’

Hope danced around the edges of his consciousness, but he pushed it away because hope had got him into trouble before. ‘You can’t stay for me, Jade, or for what I can promise you, because I can’t make those promises.’ He heaved in a breath, touching his forehead to hers. ‘I’ve never felt so unbalanced, like I’m spinning out of control, unravelling. In business I know exactly where I’m going, what I’m doing. Here, now, with you, I have no fucking clue about any of it. I’m terrified if you go home, you won’t come back. But I’m also terrified if you come back, you won’t stay. I don’t know if I can open myself up to that rejection.’

She let out a shaky breath. ‘I’m terrified that if I stay you’ll become bored of me, or realise it was only about sex.’ Her voice began to crack. ‘Or you’ll realise others were right after all and I’m just blonde and pretty with no substance. Then everything I’ve achieved here, the confidence I’ve gained, the belief in myself, will vanish and I’ll be left broken-hearted and just plain broken.’

Christ. He’d spent so much time thinking of it from his side, he hadn’t factored in her insecurities, her doubts. ‘Don’t we make a great couple.’

She let out a strangled laugh. ‘I know.’ Her lips brushed his. ‘But at least we’re talking to each other. If we keep doing that, and explaining how we feel, then we can get through this without hurting each other because I think we’ve both endured enough of that.’

He bundled her into his arms, squeezing tight, emotions spiralling. ‘It won’t be easy. I’ve spent my life hiding my feelings so I’m bound to fuck up.’ He leaned back a little so he could look at her. ‘If I do, you need to remember I would never intentionally hurt you. These last few months have been the happiest of my life, and that’s the honest-to-God truth.’

‘For me, too.’ Suddenly, she stepped back. ‘Crap, I’ve got to get back to the shop.’ She gave him a tremulous smile. ‘The boss doesn’t like us skiving off in the middle of the day.’

‘Really?’ He drew in a breath, tried to steady himself. ‘I thought he positively encouraged it. As long as the sneaking off is done with him.’

She smoothed a hand through her hair. ‘How do I look?’

‘Like a dream.’

Reaching onto her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss on his lips. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere you want to go. See you later.’ As she reached the door, she glanced over her shoulder. ‘And don’t forget, it’s Jeremy and Leroy’s stag do tonight.’

‘Bachelor party,’ he corrected. ‘Do we have to go?’

‘As best man, attending is the least you can do. You should have organised it.’ Her eyes softened. ‘But you did sort out his flamingos, so I think he’ll forgive you.’

He snorted. ‘Jeremy is far too much of a control freak to let someone else organise his night out.’

She winked. ‘Is he? Or is he just careful about who he asks?’

‘You’veorganised it?’

‘Yep, and you can redeem yourself by swinging by the bookstore as soon as you’re done for the day. We’ve got about a hundred flamingo-pink balloons to blow up, a few jugs of pink-flamingo cocktail to prepare, and a gazillion flamingo decorations to put up.’

With that she blew him a kiss and sashayed out. He watched her with a bemused smile and, despite the flamingo-fest ahead of him, a sense of cautious optimism.

It was possible that the end of her three months wouldn’t mark the end of their time together, but instead be the start of a new, deeper relationship with no expiration date.

ChapterThirty-Three

Jade breathed in a lungful of fresh sea air and relaxed against the cream leather seat at the back of the yacht… nope, aft. When she failed to get the lingo right, Liam would simply stare at her, eyes gently amused, until she corrected herself. Turns out it was quite an effective teaching method. If only her own teachers had employed it. Then again, it was likely only effective when the person doing the staring was a broodingly sexy guy she spent a disproportionate amount of time picturing naked.

Handsome man, blue sky; anticipation hummed through her. What a perfect start to her Sunday.

‘Where are we going?’ She glanced over at Liam, who was busy doing something with ropes. He’d tried to teach her, but as she’d pointed out, quite reasonably, why would she want to learn when it was such a treat to watch him work, forearms rippling with muscle, biceps bunching and relaxing?

He said something, but her brain was too focused on the sexy rope show. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’

He gave her a knowing smile. ‘We’re going to the other side of the island. ’Sconset.’

‘The most picturesque place on Nantucket. So I read.’

‘I would agree.’

‘Is that why you’re building a house there?’

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