protective, possessive arm. It was a good place to be. When they caught up with the other couple, their group moved on, following Adam’s map .
Their comfortable friendship was another thing she’d missed over the years. Her ex had control over whom they associated with. Her only girlfriends were the wives of his partners. Women who filled a role just as she had. While the women themselves weren’t shallow, the only thing they had in common was their husbands.
Past. Over. Done. She desperately needed to learn to enjoy the present without comparing it to her old life. Feeling a nudge at her shoulder, she smiled up at Matt .
“Hey,” he said. “Where do you keep going? Is there something else you’d rather be doing?”
She shook her head. “I can’t think of anything better we could be doing.” At the flaring of his eyelids, she amended, “Well, there is that. But walking in Lahaina with you and our new friends is exactly what I want to be doing now.”
The old courthouse building was open and they stepped inside to view the museum. Locals displayed their artwork, in addition to the original furnishings. Jen stopped in front of a landscape and Matt stood behind her, crossing his arms in front of her and planting a kiss on the top of her head.
Adam whispered, “Are you sure you two aren’t a couple? I mean, you don’t act like people who’ve only been together a few days.”
Matt’s voice rumbled against her back. “How many days does it take to be a couple?”
Ben smiled. “Exactly. Some things are timeless. And fate seems to have known what she was doing bringing the two of you back together.”
Adam moved down to another group of paintings. Ben followed shortly. When Jen tried to step away, Matt held her in place. He spoke into her ear. “I guess it’s obvious to everyone else. I really screwed up not finding you sooner.”
She turned to face him. “You tried. What more could you have done?”
He glanced at the other visitors around the room and ran his hand over his short hair. “I don’t know. There must have been something.”
“Water under the bridge. I believe our lives went the way they were supposed to. Let’s enjoy what we have now, remember?”
A wicked gleam lit his eyes. “That reminds me. We’re going to take a little walk after dinner tonight.”
How could a flicker in his gaze send tingles through all the right places in her body? She shivered. “Are we? Anywhere in particular?”
“You’ll have to see.”
Chapter Five
That evening Matt held Jen’s hand as he led her down to the beach near the resort. “I know you’ll remember this place.”
She kicked off her flip-flops and wiggled her toes in the sand. “It is a rather infamous spot. So many wild nights, so much alcohol consumed.”
The sun hung low over the water , turning the sky and the waves a vibrant scarlet. They were alone on the beach, the rhythm of the waves the only sound. Matt laid his arm across her shoulders and stood beside her watching the light fade. “This is where I first noticed you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The first Saturday night I was here.” He pointed at the edge of the small clearing. “You were sitting on a log there, just watching everyone dance.”
With a laugh, she explained, “I hated to dance in front of people. It took three weeks before I got brave enough, and then only because Sarah dragged me out in the middle of the crowd where no one could see me move.”
“I thought you danced great.” Stepping back, he took her hands and tugged her so she rode his thigh, her skirt riding up. “Especially that one move you had.”
He cupped her hips and ground her pelvis against him, swaying to a tune in his head and taking her along. As his hands stroked up and down her back, he led her in the dirtiest dance, so much like the way she’d seduced him in this same spot on their last night that August.
“I was imitating what the other girls did. I know they danced like that
Their comfortable friendship was another thing she’d missed over the years. Her ex had control over whom they associated with. Her only girlfriends were the wives of his partners. Women who filled a role just as she had. While the women themselves weren’t shallow, the only thing they had in common was their husbands.
Past. Over. Done. She desperately needed to learn to enjoy the present without comparing it to her old life. Feeling a nudge at her shoulder, she smiled up at Matt .
“Hey,” he said. “Where do you keep going? Is there something else you’d rather be doing?”
She shook her head. “I can’t think of anything better we could be doing.” At the flaring of his eyelids, she amended, “Well, there is that. But walking in Lahaina with you and our new friends is exactly what I want to be doing now.”
The old courthouse building was open and they stepped inside to view the museum. Locals displayed their artwork, in addition to the original furnishings. Jen stopped in front of a landscape and Matt stood behind her, crossing his arms in front of her and planting a kiss on the top of her head.
Adam whispered, “Are you sure you two aren’t a couple? I mean, you don’t act like people who’ve only been together a few days.”
Matt’s voice rumbled against her back. “How many days does it take to be a couple?”
Ben smiled. “Exactly. Some things are timeless. And fate seems to have known what she was doing bringing the two of you back together.”
Adam moved down to another group of paintings. Ben followed shortly. When Jen tried to step away, Matt held her in place. He spoke into her ear. “I guess it’s obvious to everyone else. I really screwed up not finding you sooner.”
She turned to face him. “You tried. What more could you have done?”
He glanced at the other visitors around the room and ran his hand over his short hair. “I don’t know. There must have been something.”
“Water under the bridge. I believe our lives went the way they were supposed to. Let’s enjoy what we have now, remember?”
A wicked gleam lit his eyes. “That reminds me. We’re going to take a little walk after dinner tonight.”
How could a flicker in his gaze send tingles through all the right places in her body? She shivered. “Are we? Anywhere in particular?”
“You’ll have to see.”
Chapter Five
That evening Matt held Jen’s hand as he led her down to the beach near the resort. “I know you’ll remember this place.”
She kicked off her flip-flops and wiggled her toes in the sand. “It is a rather infamous spot. So many wild nights, so much alcohol consumed.”
The sun hung low over the water , turning the sky and the waves a vibrant scarlet. They were alone on the beach, the rhythm of the waves the only sound. Matt laid his arm across her shoulders and stood beside her watching the light fade. “This is where I first noticed you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The first Saturday night I was here.” He pointed at the edge of the small clearing. “You were sitting on a log there, just watching everyone dance.”
With a laugh, she explained, “I hated to dance in front of people. It took three weeks before I got brave enough, and then only because Sarah dragged me out in the middle of the crowd where no one could see me move.”
“I thought you danced great.” Stepping back, he took her hands and tugged her so she rode his thigh, her skirt riding up. “Especially that one move you had.”
He cupped her hips and ground her pelvis against him, swaying to a tune in his head and taking her along. As his hands stroked up and down her back, he led her in the dirtiest dance, so much like the way she’d seduced him in this same spot on their last night that August.
“I was imitating what the other girls did. I know they danced like that