meaning. “Lead on, babe. I love surprises.”
Felicity wasn’t at all sure he was going to love this one, but she had to try. Time was running out.
***
Zane was no stranger to sexual games. Unlike his surprisingly innocent wedding planner, this wasn’t his first round of blindfolded shenanigans.
But it was the first time he could remember feeling this charged and ready, this connected to the other person—especially when all their clothes were still on. For Zane, who’d started to find his constant merry-go-round of party hookups and short-term flings boring, this was a major breakthrough.
He knew he was jaded. How could he not be, when he’d spent his entire life making sure he experienced everything near-limitless wealth and power had to offer? But this—what he felt when he was around Felicity Carlson? This was something new. Zane laced their fingers together tightly, climbed into her car when she opened the door for him, and let her drive him over Sanctuary Island’s winding, graveled roads to an unspecified location. He was entirely prepared to throw himself into whatever new adventure awaited him at the end of his blind journey.
But he could never have prepared for what Felicity had in mind. The car stopped and Felicity hurried around to help deal with the seatbelt and the door handle. Zane was pretty sure he could have managed it himself, but he wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to get Felicity’s hands all over his lap.
Entirely focused on her nearness and the fresh apricot scent of her skin, it took Zane a minute to register the smell of salt on the brisk breeze. He froze for an instant, feeling the shifting grit of sand under his soles, and his chest tightened in lung-squeezing panic.
“Are you okay?” Felicity’s alarmed voice pierced the ringing in his ears. “Wait, let me take off the blindfold. We’re there.”
Zane didn’t need the blindfold off to know where she’d taken him. “The beach.”
He blinked his eyes open against the dazzle of the sun off the waves, and stared out onto the scene of all his nightmares.
“I thought…” Felicity faltered, twisting the tie between nervous fingers. “It’s the one potential party location we never really checked out. Not up close and personal.”
Clenching down on the panic and despair that wanted to suffocate him, even when he stood merely at the edge of the road running along the beach, Zane squared his shoulders. “It’s fine. You’re right, we should check it out.”
She was never going to give up on the beach, which even Zane could admit was the most obvious location for the reception. Not unless he could convince her it really wouldn’t work. So that’s what he’d do. He’d step out onto the sand, walk down to the foamy white edge of the water, stare out over the dark, treacherous waves…
“Are you coming?” Felicity asked, raising a hesitant brow at him over her shoulder.
Zane couldn’t move.
He stared down at his feet, willing them to carry him forward, but they were rooted to the gravel shoulder of the road as if he were a centuries-old tree. “You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Felicity’s eyes widened, and Zane controlled a wince. Even he could hear the raw edge to his voice. “What’s going on? You really don’t want to go down to the beach with me.”
Zane closed his eyes. He couldn’t hide it. And since he couldn’t hide it, maybe the only thing to do was to tell her about it. Maybe then she’d see why the beach was the worst setting in the world for a wedding reception.
“I don’t go to the beach.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hood of Felicity’s sensible blue sedan, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I haven’t since I was a little kid.”
That was the easy part. He’d said that much before, with a shrug and an easy change of subject, distracting whoever had asked with an invitation to do something more fun, exciting, exotic, and
Felicity wasn’t at all sure he was going to love this one, but she had to try. Time was running out.
***
Zane was no stranger to sexual games. Unlike his surprisingly innocent wedding planner, this wasn’t his first round of blindfolded shenanigans.
But it was the first time he could remember feeling this charged and ready, this connected to the other person—especially when all their clothes were still on. For Zane, who’d started to find his constant merry-go-round of party hookups and short-term flings boring, this was a major breakthrough.
He knew he was jaded. How could he not be, when he’d spent his entire life making sure he experienced everything near-limitless wealth and power had to offer? But this—what he felt when he was around Felicity Carlson? This was something new. Zane laced their fingers together tightly, climbed into her car when she opened the door for him, and let her drive him over Sanctuary Island’s winding, graveled roads to an unspecified location. He was entirely prepared to throw himself into whatever new adventure awaited him at the end of his blind journey.
But he could never have prepared for what Felicity had in mind. The car stopped and Felicity hurried around to help deal with the seatbelt and the door handle. Zane was pretty sure he could have managed it himself, but he wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to get Felicity’s hands all over his lap.
Entirely focused on her nearness and the fresh apricot scent of her skin, it took Zane a minute to register the smell of salt on the brisk breeze. He froze for an instant, feeling the shifting grit of sand under his soles, and his chest tightened in lung-squeezing panic.
“Are you okay?” Felicity’s alarmed voice pierced the ringing in his ears. “Wait, let me take off the blindfold. We’re there.”
Zane didn’t need the blindfold off to know where she’d taken him. “The beach.”
He blinked his eyes open against the dazzle of the sun off the waves, and stared out onto the scene of all his nightmares.
“I thought…” Felicity faltered, twisting the tie between nervous fingers. “It’s the one potential party location we never really checked out. Not up close and personal.”
Clenching down on the panic and despair that wanted to suffocate him, even when he stood merely at the edge of the road running along the beach, Zane squared his shoulders. “It’s fine. You’re right, we should check it out.”
She was never going to give up on the beach, which even Zane could admit was the most obvious location for the reception. Not unless he could convince her it really wouldn’t work. So that’s what he’d do. He’d step out onto the sand, walk down to the foamy white edge of the water, stare out over the dark, treacherous waves…
“Are you coming?” Felicity asked, raising a hesitant brow at him over her shoulder.
Zane couldn’t move.
He stared down at his feet, willing them to carry him forward, but they were rooted to the gravel shoulder of the road as if he were a centuries-old tree. “You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Felicity’s eyes widened, and Zane controlled a wince. Even he could hear the raw edge to his voice. “What’s going on? You really don’t want to go down to the beach with me.”
Zane closed his eyes. He couldn’t hide it. And since he couldn’t hide it, maybe the only thing to do was to tell her about it. Maybe then she’d see why the beach was the worst setting in the world for a wedding reception.
“I don’t go to the beach.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hood of Felicity’s sensible blue sedan, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I haven’t since I was a little kid.”
That was the easy part. He’d said that much before, with a shrug and an easy change of subject, distracting whoever had asked with an invitation to do something more fun, exciting, exotic, and
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