Page 25 of Phillip

“You’re seeing things.”

“—than you’re letting on,” he finished.

Her forehead furrowed. How did he know her so well? She stammered to explain her wandering.

“Are you going to tell me?” he asked. “Or I could guess. You were wandering around the estate—”

“Stop.” Ashley balked. “Your ability to read people is irritating.”

“My ability to read you.”

Her stomach bottomed. “It’s irritating.” It irked her in ways she didn’t know were possible. She wanted to storm away or wrap her hands around his throat, or better yet, wrap herself to him, and she nearly swooned at the idea of a kiss. Instead of strangling or kissing, she lowered her voice and controlled her words with calm precision. “There’s not. I’m a wandering ambler. End of the story.”

“Sure.” Phillip’s mouth quirked, making it evident that the subject hadn’t been dropped. It was only on mute.

She rolled her eyes, irritated that her poker face had gone away with her nerves of steel. They’d run off together, maybe to New Brunswick or Quebec, somewhere that would serve cocktails and celebrity gossip that didn’t revolve around anyone she knew.

The silence made her skin crawl. It seemed as if even the shorebirds and the waves were quiet, waiting until she explained herself. “I’m partially to blame for our little run-in earlier.”

He hummed like a detective. “How’s that?”

Good question.I was snooping…“I was curious—”

“That’s not new.” Phillip paused to face her and crossed his arms, his universal signal that he was giving his full attention.

That wasn’t what she needed. “I wanted to know what the rooms looked like, and the first door wasn’t closed. I peeked.”

His eyebrow arched, and his lips twitched.

“The next one. It was slightly open, and…” She shrugged and feigned as much nonchalance as she could muster. “We collided.”

His dancing eyes brightened, and his deep-barreled laughter broke as a wave crashed against the backs of her legs. At least the silence was gone.

Finally, he teased, “Guess that’ll teach you.”

Her eyes rolled. “Give me a break.” A strong wave smacked her from behind, and her balance faltered. She grabbed her skirt, failing to keep the fabric from the water as she searched for her footing.

Phillip lifted her from the water. The effortless move made her feel as if she could fly, then made her head spin, locked in his arms.

The wind blew her hair, drawing a curtain around their faces as he slowly set her down.

“Rogue wave,” he said, not taking his hands from under her arms.

Wet fabric stuck to the backs of her thighs. Her hands slid down his chest, and she felt a heat deep within. Carefully, she removed her palms from his chest. The lack of contact revived an ache she couldn’t quite forget. Her internal war reignited. Wanting what she let go of. Hating how that made her feel. Another wave came again, though this time with far less power. Still, she used it as an excuse to step away.

He caught her arm, and she swallowed hard. One of them had to say something.

But each, apparently, were lost as to what they should do, so they didn’t. She backed another protective step away from their pull, fearing their attraction of polar opposites. College mistakes wouldn’t be the only problem if she let their paradoxical chemistry call the shots. Ashley couldn’t let down The Laumet Society. She wouldn’t embarrass herself with a business partner like Brock Blackthorne. And her mother… She could never give Mother another chance to point out the flaws of a good man.

Her hand pressed to the small of her throat. “I can’t do this.”

“Do what?”

This. Us.Tears burned behind her eyes. Shehadn’tbroken up with Phillip only because of a stupid goat or because he hadn’t fit into the cookie-cutter image that her mother had raised her to see as love. Ashley ended things with him because he was irresponsible and selfish. He lacked foresight of the future, and… and… none of her reasons had ever been true. She’d always known that, but they were too different, doomed to fail. “I have to go.”

She spun. Again, he caught her. Her chin snapped up. “Let me go!”

“I have no intention of letting you run away this time.” Though he let go of her arm. “You have questions to answer. That much you owe me.”

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