Page 27 of Love Me Sweet

But when her palms rose and pushed against his chest, Andrew let his arms fall to his side and stepped back.

In the brilliant light from the overhead sun, her lips looked as plump and full as a fresh strawberry. Her cheeks had turned a dusty shade of pink and her eyes were large and mysterious. “We agreed not to do this.”

“I remember.” Andrew was a smart guy. He recalled that post-sex conversation.

He’d been in full agreement with the plan to keep sex out of this immersion. Not because he didn’t want to have sex with her again, but because he wondered if that had been what had caused him to fall so desperately for her back in Boston.

While he thought he’d been thinking clearly when he proposed to her, when he’d planned a life with her, the strong sexual attraction between them might have affected him more than he realized.

Andrew lifted his shoulders, let them fall. “I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.”

He knew what his father would say to such a statement. Franklin O’Shea was a businessman who ruled his personal and professional life strictly on logic. Andrew couldn’t see his dad losing control over anything—or anyone—and that included Andrew’s mother, his wife of forty years.

“I know.” Sylvie exhaled a heavy sigh, before her lips tipped in a wry smile. “I appear to have the same problem.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“Keep working on our self-control?”

Her matter-of-fact tone made him laugh. “Sounds like a good plan.”

That settled, Sylvie began walking to the park’s gates. Beside her, Andrew fell into step.

“What’s on tap for the rest of the day?” Back in Boston, he’d been the one with the crazy schedule. Here, the situation was reversed.

“I need to start preparations for a wedding cake next weekend, but that doesn’t have to be done today.” When they reached the sidewalk, she turned in the direction of downtown, and her shop.

“Good.” Andrew couldn’t recall the last time he had nothing that needed to be done. “If I wasn’t here, tell me how you’d be spending your day off.”

Had he ever asked her that before? It wasn’t that he hadn’t been interested in her life, he had been, Andrew reassured himself. It was simply that, between the business he handled for O’Shea Sports and tending to patients, most of the conversations he recalled had revolved aroundhisactivities.

Sylvie’s eyes brightened. A sudden chill settled over him. If she said ‘shopping’ he’d stab his eye out.

“There’s a nice trail in Yellowstone. Her expression gave nothing away. Yet, he could feel her tension. “I like to bike. A couple of times I’ve even brought along some sandwiches with me and had a picnic by Jenny Lake.”

In Andrew’s mind, those weren’t the kind of activities usually done alone. Was this her way of telling him, she’d been seeing someone here in Jackson Hole? He doubted it had gone beyond casual, or the guy would be calling or texting.

“Who do you go with on these picnics?” He kept his tone as off-hand as hers.

She flushed. “There’s nothing wrong with spending time alone.”

Her chin jutted out, daring him to say differently.

Andrew felt a surge of relief. Only because, he told himself, he didn’t need to worry about some other guy wanting her attention during the next three weeks. Once Andrew returned to Boston, another guy was free to move in on her, but not before.

A tightness clenched his belly at the thought of another man doinganythingwith Sylvie, whether he was around to witness it or not.

“No,” he said, “there isn’t.”

Her jaw relaxed.

“That’s settled. We’ll pick up a couple of bikes and have a picnic.” Andrew glanced up at the sky. Bright blue and not a cloud in sight.

Her brows pulled together. “What are you saying?”

He thought that would be evident, but he didn’t mind clarifying. “I’m going with you. That’s the whole point of immersion. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I’ll be with you.”

She hesitated for only a second then shrugged.

Twenty-one days, he thought. By the time those weeks were over he’d know her inside and out. Then he could move on with his life, understanding that the two of them were too different to have ever stood a chance at lifelong happiness.

But as they continued down the sidewalk, he had to stop from whistling.

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