would be, a wave of desire began to build inside her. She wanted him to move closer, to brush up against her in the dark, then trail kisses down her neck, along the curve of her breasts…
You always make rash decisions, Darcy, her mother used to say. Reacting on gut instead of smarts. One of these days, it’s going to get you into trouble.
That pretty much summed up her entire relationship with Kincaid. Operating on guts instead of smarts. There was no way Darcy wanted to make the same mistake twice.
Damn it. This wasn’t the plan. She dumped out the rest of her beer, then got to her feet. “I’m beat, everyone. I better get home.”
She said her goodbyes, to everyone but Kincaid, then tossed the empty bottle in a recycle bin and started heading down the beach, carrying her cowboy boots. The cool sand felt nice against her bare feet, and the soft sound of the water whooshing in and out matched her leisurely pace. She wished the walk home would last forever, so she could go on listening to that soothing ocean song.
“Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Kincaid’s voice slid through her like melted butter. She told herself to keep walking. To not let the deep timbre of Kincaid’s voice stop her. But he said the words with that little tease at the end, the tease she had never been able to resist, because it came attached to his smile, and oh, how she’d loved his smile. How she had missed that smile, the way it would echo in her heart and lighten everything.
Darcy turned. “I said goodbye.”
“To everyone but me.” He closed the distance between them, until nothing more than a few inches separated them.
She could have reached out and touched his chest, or drawn in a breath and caught the scent of his cologne. She wanted to do all of those things, but instead she held her hands by her side.
“I was hurt,” he said, putting a hand over his heart for a moment. “Rejected.”
Darcy scoffed. “You? Hurt? Rejected? I don’t believe it.”
“I’m human, Darcy. I get hurt.” He shifted closer, and the tease dropped from his features. His eyes were dark, filled with mystery. “What happened between us?”
“What, just now? Nothing. I had to go and I—“
“I meant seven years ago. We were good, I thought, really good. And then…it was over.”
She shrugged, as if it was no big deal, as if breaking up with him all those years ago hadn’t been as painful as severing a limb. As if she hadn’t thought about him a hundred thousand times in the years since, and wondered how things would be different if Kincaid had stayed. If she had told him the truth and taken her chances. “It was a long time ago. We were young and stupid.”
“Now we’re older and presumably smarter.” He moved another step closer and settled his hands on her waist. Her body reacted to the touch in an instant, anticipation coiling inside her like a spring. She drew in a breath, watched him do the same. Her fingers itched to touch his chest, to feel the solidness of him beneath her palm. “What’s stopping us now?”
“Maybe I’m not interested.”
“Maybe you’re not.”
But she was finding it hard to breathe with him so close. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, back to his eyes. She’d never stopped wanting Kincaid. Never stopped thinking about him. She thought she should say something clever now. Something that would make him back away, but her usually quick tongue had nothing. Not a single word.
Kincaid raised a hand to her jaw, and when he touched her, it took every ounce of her willpower not to let out a little sigh. He ran his thumb along the delicate edge of her chin, then along her lower lip, his eyes never leaving hers. Heat built between them, fast, insistent, and Darcy found herself moving imperceptibly closer to him, dropping the cowboy boots onto the sand. Wanting, needing to know, to see if he still had that same power over her as he had years ago.
Kincaid leaned in, brushed his lips
You always make rash decisions, Darcy, her mother used to say. Reacting on gut instead of smarts. One of these days, it’s going to get you into trouble.
That pretty much summed up her entire relationship with Kincaid. Operating on guts instead of smarts. There was no way Darcy wanted to make the same mistake twice.
Damn it. This wasn’t the plan. She dumped out the rest of her beer, then got to her feet. “I’m beat, everyone. I better get home.”
She said her goodbyes, to everyone but Kincaid, then tossed the empty bottle in a recycle bin and started heading down the beach, carrying her cowboy boots. The cool sand felt nice against her bare feet, and the soft sound of the water whooshing in and out matched her leisurely pace. She wished the walk home would last forever, so she could go on listening to that soothing ocean song.
“Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Kincaid’s voice slid through her like melted butter. She told herself to keep walking. To not let the deep timbre of Kincaid’s voice stop her. But he said the words with that little tease at the end, the tease she had never been able to resist, because it came attached to his smile, and oh, how she’d loved his smile. How she had missed that smile, the way it would echo in her heart and lighten everything.
Darcy turned. “I said goodbye.”
“To everyone but me.” He closed the distance between them, until nothing more than a few inches separated them.
She could have reached out and touched his chest, or drawn in a breath and caught the scent of his cologne. She wanted to do all of those things, but instead she held her hands by her side.
“I was hurt,” he said, putting a hand over his heart for a moment. “Rejected.”
Darcy scoffed. “You? Hurt? Rejected? I don’t believe it.”
“I’m human, Darcy. I get hurt.” He shifted closer, and the tease dropped from his features. His eyes were dark, filled with mystery. “What happened between us?”
“What, just now? Nothing. I had to go and I—“
“I meant seven years ago. We were good, I thought, really good. And then…it was over.”
She shrugged, as if it was no big deal, as if breaking up with him all those years ago hadn’t been as painful as severing a limb. As if she hadn’t thought about him a hundred thousand times in the years since, and wondered how things would be different if Kincaid had stayed. If she had told him the truth and taken her chances. “It was a long time ago. We were young and stupid.”
“Now we’re older and presumably smarter.” He moved another step closer and settled his hands on her waist. Her body reacted to the touch in an instant, anticipation coiling inside her like a spring. She drew in a breath, watched him do the same. Her fingers itched to touch his chest, to feel the solidness of him beneath her palm. “What’s stopping us now?”
“Maybe I’m not interested.”
“Maybe you’re not.”
But she was finding it hard to breathe with him so close. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, back to his eyes. She’d never stopped wanting Kincaid. Never stopped thinking about him. She thought she should say something clever now. Something that would make him back away, but her usually quick tongue had nothing. Not a single word.
Kincaid raised a hand to her jaw, and when he touched her, it took every ounce of her willpower not to let out a little sigh. He ran his thumb along the delicate edge of her chin, then along her lower lip, his eyes never leaving hers. Heat built between them, fast, insistent, and Darcy found herself moving imperceptibly closer to him, dropping the cowboy boots onto the sand. Wanting, needing to know, to see if he still had that same power over her as he had years ago.
Kincaid leaned in, brushed his lips
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