Page 35 of Awake in Cheshire Bay

Arm fully extended, but not locked, I shook my head, trying to ignore the sexy, jerk of a man whose exotic cologne ticked my nose with its spicy scent. Instead, I lavished attention on Dale.

“Eric, have you met Dale, my short order cook? He was gracious enough to bring over some more drinks.” I patted Dale’s arm for effect, which was probably a low blow as I worried Dale would misinterpret it and think I was sending out some truly mixed signals. I was the worst person in the world. No wonder karma bit me in the ass so hard.

The tension in the air between the four of us was thick as mud.

Eric shook Dale’s hand but failed to remove his glare from Antonio. “Dale, grab a beer and join the party. Food is next door, nicely spread out on the back porch, and there’s lots of it, so don’t be shy.” He flipped his gaze between Antonio and me. “You need my help to handle this?”

“No.” It was terse and full of spite.

There was so much anger flowing through my veins, all directed at me because I’d allowed myself to have feelings when I damn well knew better. However, I wanted to hear the man out.

“I’ll be right next door grabbing another plate if you need anything.” But he didn’t move, rather, Eric hung on the porch, leaning against the railing.

Out of the shadows, Mitch and Jesse approached.

“I’ve got this.” It was meant for all the men currently staring, and as unnerving as it was, in many ways it was a small comfort knowing my surrogate family was ready to protect me.

However, I wasn’t going to let the wolves circles any longer, and I motioned for Antonio to follow me away from the gathered testosterone, over to someplace with a modicum of privacy. Whatever we needed to discuss, this was between us.

He kept his distance respectable though, staying a few feet behind me.

I stopped at a part of the beach where the air was crisper since we were further away from the bonfire, but we were safely out of earshot. The overhanging moon cast shadows of us on the sand, illuminating a log to sit on.

“Ember?” His voice was soft and pleading for me to face him, but I kept my back to him. “Why you angry?”

“Because I’m confused.” I dug the toe of my shoe into the sand, burying it deep.

Antonio stepped around me. “I do not understand.”

Did I start with how he just abruptly left and failed to find a way to contact me? Or did I mention the feelings that suddenly and overwhelming bloomed in me, and how I’d never felt like that with another guy, even though it had been less than twenty-four hours, and how utterly ridiculous it was to feel those emotions so quickly?

I went with the latter. “I told myself over and over how you meant nothing as you were just a guest here and how whatever happened – not that I expected anything to happen – it was just going to be a one-night thing. But sometime between giving you a lift in the truck and the sun rising, something changed.”

He tipped my chin and looked into my eyes. “What changed?”

I twisted out of his touch, and for a moment my focus sprang to the deck where the three guys stood.

“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head.

They were only feelings, stupid girly, over-reacting feelings. I had tried to convince myself it had only been a dream, but over the past few days, I couldn’t get the final images out of my head. As much as I enjoyed splashing in the bay, and kissing him, and having sex with him, those last images were of her contorted face and venomous words.

“Was I just another notch for you? Sorcha said so. Said you did this at every layover.”

“Did what?” That sexy accent got under my skin like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

My breath hitched and as I sat on the log, my voice fell to a near whisper. Only the rolling waves were louder. “Made someone fall for you.”

A smile inched along the edges of his lips, and even with his face in a soft shadow, it was easy to see. “You fell for me?”

I jumped off the log when he reached out for me. “How could I not? You’re a smooth business guy. Wasn’t that your plan? Wine, dine and be everything I thought I needed, and then close the sale and disappear without a word.”

“No. Not all. You were…” He circled his hand through the air. “What the word is?”

As I waited for him to spit it out, I added my own descriptors, because they were so close to the surface in how I felt. “Pathetic? Weak? Easily gullible?”

He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on my shoulder. “No. You amazing lady.”

“Save it, pal.” I pushed his strong hand away. “I fell for your charm once, but I’m not doing it again. I can’t. It wasn’t real.” I stepped away only to feel his hand wrap around my wrist. My instinct was strike out, but I reigned it in. “Let go of me.” My strongest, bar-crowd breaking voice rolled out of me.