Page 48 of Trust and Obey

He shook his head. “No, as you can tell, they’re both in my corner. Plus, all the staff are kind of in each other’s pockets around here.” His grin was all mischievousness. “I have more dirt on them than they do on me.”

“You’re devious,” I said in admiration.

“And don’t you forget it, Mr. Grabby Guest.”

17

KENDALL

We got distracted making out some more—I could kiss that man all day.

But then, we noticed that the tide had let out. Grabbing my hand, Deacon grinned. “Come on, it’s low tide.”

I laughed, caught up in his enthusiasm, and let him pull me over to the tide pools so we could go look at all the little fishes and weird ocean critters.

I hadn’t been tide pooling since I was a kid, and certainly not while I had worked at the resort. The experience was… an interesting one. It was like having a mini aquarium in my backyard. It made me wonder what other delights I had missed in my own home.

It also gave me all the excuse I needed not to think about the fact that I had flat-out lied to Deacon.

Well, okay, that was an exaggeration, but I certainly hadn’t spilled the whole truth. Whether Deacon knew it or not, we shared a painful history.

Would he blame me for my dad all but destroying his life as a kid? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it would put an end to our relationship.

I was starting to realize that I didn’t want that.

He only had a few more days at the resort. I could keep it together that long.

Deacon nudged me with an elbow. “Hey, are you okay?”

I blinked and forced myself to come back to the present. Deacon had just found a pool full of starfish and little crabs in a rainbow of colors. Did that mean they were different species? No idea. I was a masseuse, not a biologist.

“I’m fine,” I said and fanned my face. “It’s just a little hot out here.”

Deacon nodded back up towards the head of the beach. A small cliff fell away where thick jungle met white sand, and in it stood a deep cave. The westward slanting sun threw the cave in deep shadow.

“Want to get some shade?” There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

I grinned. “Sounds like a great idea.”

We had to kick away a couple clumps of dried seaweed, but for the most part, the cave itself was scoured clean by the daily high tide. The sand was deliciously cool. I laid back down on it with a long sigh.

Looking amused, Deacon followed my example, laying back and then propping up on his elbow to watch me.

God, he was handsome. I reached over and swept a thumb across the sharp line of his jaw, trailing down his neck.

“Hey,” I said, intelligently. I blame the beginnings of sunstroke.

“Hey,” Deacon replied, lips curving up. Then he closed the distance and kissed me.

I sighed into his mouth. Yes, I’d had my share of self-recrimination and doubt over the last day or so, but moments like this made it worth it.

If only it could last forever.

Humming, I slid my fingers up into his hair.

Deacon’s breath caught and he pulled me close, his tongue darting in demand against my own.

His hands skimmed over my chest, hesitating down at my belt as if asking for permission. I canted my hips up to him.

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