Page 5 of Sunrise

Neither of us says a word as we drink our coffee and watch the sunrise. This porch is our haven. It's one of the smaller ones on the property, and while it is open for guests, its tucked-away location means few actually find it. I remember many mornings out here with my parents just like these, watching the storms roll in, sunrises, or watching the sky turn colors as the sun sets on the other side of the island. This is also a prime spot to watch the fireworks shot off by the town throughout the summer.

As the sun crests over the Atlantic Ocean, all my worries seem to come to a head with it.

"What if I fail at this?" I whisper.

If I fail, it doesn't just affect me and the Sunrise Inn. It affects Brynn and the Sunset Inn and all the tourism of Hummingbird Island. Our inns bring in a lot of tourism for the town of Seaview and the whole island, and while other smaller bed and breakfasts exist on the island, everyone would still feel the impact.

Brynn scoots close to me and wraps her arms around me.

"We sink or swim together, and I just have a gut feeling we are going to fly with this one. The town would help any way they could if they knew, and if he treats you like shit, you know they will have your back." She rests her head on my shoulder, and I rest my head on hers.

"I know. It's just there is no middle ground for this. It either goes great and helps the island, or it goes bad, and everyone suffers. Even if they have my back, they will still blame me if it goes bad, no matter what."

"So what? Remember that summer Jasper's dad tried to add sushi to the menu and gave everyone food poisoning? We all bounced back. Or the year that Sid kept dumping the fish guts in the harbor, attracting sharks, and no one could swim there all summer?"

I laugh. Sid is one of our resident fishermen. He brings in fresh fish for the restaurants in town, and he even sells fillets to tourists who want to cook it themselves. But he did learn his lesson.

"I'm going to go check the Sunrise Suite," I say as I stand.

"Lin, we just finished cleaning it from top to bottom less than twelve hours ago," Brynn whines.

"What if we left a window open, and a bird flew in and made a mess? What if someone broke into it? What if a window broke and a raccoon made a home in the bed?" A million more scenarios run through my head, and while Brynn tries to shake it off, I can see the concern in her face too.

"Okay, let's go check on it, then you are making me breakfast before I head to the farmers' market," she says and follows me upstairs.

We both take a deep breath and look at each other before opening the door to the Sunrise Suite. Thankfully, everything is right where we left it, including the folded towel in the shape of a Bertha made on the bed to welcome him.

"Breakfast," Brynn says with a smile on her face. I think she feels the same relief I am. We can do this.

Kade is late, but it's not like I have anything better to do than wait on him. I'm resisting the urge to go check on the Sunrise Suite again, but knowing Kade will be here any time, I don't want him to find the front desk empty. So I'm sitting at the desk reading a romance book Brynn just finished, and I'm so into it that I don't hear anything around me until the side door to the lobby slams.

The only person to do that would be Brynn, so I finish the paragraph I'm reading and take my time to mark my spot on my tablet before looking up at her. This doesn't stop her from talking, though.

"Girl, you will never believe who I saw at the farmers' market! Fucking Jasper is back."

She is still in love with Jasper, her ex, even if she won't admit it. They had plans after high school, and after a little hiccup, he followed the plans, and she didn't. Then our parents died, and neither of us could leave, even if we wanted to. Which we don't. We both love it here and intend to raise our families and take our last breath here. We have it planned out in detail.

She continues her story, not even waiting on my response. "I threw a kiwi at his face, and... OH. MY. GOD. Kade is here. I thought he'd be checked in by now!" She gasps.

My eyes snap to the front door, and I find Kade Markson staring at me. The heat in his gaze has me frozen in my place. I can feel every spot his sparkling blue eyes roam over me, and I suddenly wish the counter wasn't blocking me so I could feel that gaze on my lower parts.

His jeans hug his hips perfectly and show off his muscular thighs. His T-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders and displays his California tan and his well-built muscles. Muscles that I'm sure will do well to hold me against the wall as...

No. I need to stop these thoughts. The Hollywood playboy isn't interested in me, and if he is, it's just to add another notch to his bedpost and not for anything serious. I can't let myself go down that road. As sexy as he is, I won't be just another girl, even if it will be a cool story to tell tourists one day.

My eyes make their way back to his, and the air is sucked out of the room. Everything fades away, and time stands still. This has to be the Kade Markson effect everyone talks about. Just being in the same room with him is supposed to be intoxicating if what Brynn said is true. That's all this is.

I shake my head and paste on my best smile.

"Welcome to Sunrise Inn on Hummingbird Island, North Carolina's best-kept secret. If you give me just a moment, I have the paperwork Wren wanted."

At the mention of his manager, his eyes go stone cold.

"Well, Wren abandoned me in the airport, though I shouldn't be surprised. Also, I thought you signed an NDA, which means no telling your friends about me." He waves his hand in Brynn's direction without looking at her. Brynn starts making faces at him, which he either doesn't see or chooses to ignore. I have to bite back a laugh so as not to draw attention to her.

"No one is supposed to know I'm here. If I can't trust you to do that, there will be... consequences," he says with a bit more enjoyment than I think there should be in his voice.

Why does the word consequences bring images of him pulling me over his knee and spanking me? Why does that turn me on?

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