slowly let it run through his fingers. “I lay in bed last night thinking about how you felt, the way you smelled, the sounds you made. Did you think about me?”
“Yes,” she said, watching the sand sift through his long, slender fingers.
“And did you ache as much as I ached?”
She closed her eyes, remembering those hours she had tossed and turned the night before. “Yes.”
“I want to see all of you. I’ll bring a flashlight tonight.”
She swallowed hard and opened her eyes. “Can we talk about something else?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything.” She drew a deep breath and tried to ease the tension gripping her. “I don’t really know anything about you. Do you have a family?”
He nodded. “A mother, a stepfather, and a half sister.”
“Are you close?”
An affectionate smile illuminated his face. “Oh, yes.”
“Where do they live?”
“Sedikhan. My stepfather, Jon, is chairman of the board of the Clanad.”
“So that’s how you get so much time off,” she said lightly.
His smile vanished. “I do my work without shirking. There’s no nepotism in the Clanad.”
She had hurt him. “I didn’t mean to—” She broke off in exasperation. “Well, how do you expect me to get to know you, when you practically answer me in monosyllables?”
“There’s no use describing my family, when you’ll be meeting them soon.”
She stiffened. “You said they were in Sedikhan.” He nodded and picked up another handful of sand.
“I have no intention of taking a trip of that distance to meet your family, Andrew.”
“Not right away. I know you’re not ready for a commitment like that.” His gaze dropped to the sand in his hand. “But perhaps you and Cassie would like to meet Gunner and Quenby. They’re less than a mile away.”
Lily frowned. “You mentioned them once before. Tell me about them.”
“Quenby used to be my nanny before shemarried Gunner Nilsen. Gunner works for the Clanad, too, and has always acted as … well, as a sort of guardian. Would you like to meet them?”
“‘Sort of guardian.’ And the Clanad is ‘sort of a corporation,’ and your job is ‘difficult to describe.’” Lily shook her head. “You’re impossibly vague.”
He grinned. “Cassie told me how lack of precision annoys you. You have to have everything logical and neatly pigeonholed. Some things can’t be explained, Lily. You just have to rely on your instincts.”
“I don’t trust instinct.”
His grin faded. “I know.” He shrugged. “Well, do you want to meet my friends?”
She suddenly knew she very much wanted to meet Andrew’s friends. Perhaps they would cast a little light on the complexity of his personality. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”
He threw aside the sand in his hand. “Okay, in a few days.”
“Why not today?”
He smiled. “Because I think you’ll feel safercoming to me at night and letting me love you if I stay a stranger for a while.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it?”
No, he was right, she realized. She was not ready for emotional intimacy, even though she had accepted Andrew physically. How the hell had he known that about her, when she hadn’t even been aware of it herself? She experienced a frisson of uneasiness as she looked up into his calm face.
“No.” She quickly glanced away from him to Cassie. “There’s no hurry. I can wait to meet your friends.”
“How’s Cassie?” Quenby asked as soon as Andrew walked into cliff house. “And when am I going to meet her?” She gave Gunner, who was lounging in a chair in the living room, a meaningful glance as she walked toward the kitchen. “I’ve had nothing to do but eat, swim, and sleep since I got here. You know I can’t stand to be idle.”
Gunner made a face. “So she’s punishing me by taking over the cooking.”
“We can’t all be gourmet cooks,” Quenby said defensively. “And I need something to do.” She paused at the door and
“Yes,” she said, watching the sand sift through his long, slender fingers.
“And did you ache as much as I ached?”
She closed her eyes, remembering those hours she had tossed and turned the night before. “Yes.”
“I want to see all of you. I’ll bring a flashlight tonight.”
She swallowed hard and opened her eyes. “Can we talk about something else?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything.” She drew a deep breath and tried to ease the tension gripping her. “I don’t really know anything about you. Do you have a family?”
He nodded. “A mother, a stepfather, and a half sister.”
“Are you close?”
An affectionate smile illuminated his face. “Oh, yes.”
“Where do they live?”
“Sedikhan. My stepfather, Jon, is chairman of the board of the Clanad.”
“So that’s how you get so much time off,” she said lightly.
His smile vanished. “I do my work without shirking. There’s no nepotism in the Clanad.”
She had hurt him. “I didn’t mean to—” She broke off in exasperation. “Well, how do you expect me to get to know you, when you practically answer me in monosyllables?”
“There’s no use describing my family, when you’ll be meeting them soon.”
She stiffened. “You said they were in Sedikhan.” He nodded and picked up another handful of sand.
“I have no intention of taking a trip of that distance to meet your family, Andrew.”
“Not right away. I know you’re not ready for a commitment like that.” His gaze dropped to the sand in his hand. “But perhaps you and Cassie would like to meet Gunner and Quenby. They’re less than a mile away.”
Lily frowned. “You mentioned them once before. Tell me about them.”
“Quenby used to be my nanny before shemarried Gunner Nilsen. Gunner works for the Clanad, too, and has always acted as … well, as a sort of guardian. Would you like to meet them?”
“‘Sort of guardian.’ And the Clanad is ‘sort of a corporation,’ and your job is ‘difficult to describe.’” Lily shook her head. “You’re impossibly vague.”
He grinned. “Cassie told me how lack of precision annoys you. You have to have everything logical and neatly pigeonholed. Some things can’t be explained, Lily. You just have to rely on your instincts.”
“I don’t trust instinct.”
His grin faded. “I know.” He shrugged. “Well, do you want to meet my friends?”
She suddenly knew she very much wanted to meet Andrew’s friends. Perhaps they would cast a little light on the complexity of his personality. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”
He threw aside the sand in his hand. “Okay, in a few days.”
“Why not today?”
He smiled. “Because I think you’ll feel safercoming to me at night and letting me love you if I stay a stranger for a while.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it?”
No, he was right, she realized. She was not ready for emotional intimacy, even though she had accepted Andrew physically. How the hell had he known that about her, when she hadn’t even been aware of it herself? She experienced a frisson of uneasiness as she looked up into his calm face.
“No.” She quickly glanced away from him to Cassie. “There’s no hurry. I can wait to meet your friends.”
“How’s Cassie?” Quenby asked as soon as Andrew walked into cliff house. “And when am I going to meet her?” She gave Gunner, who was lounging in a chair in the living room, a meaningful glance as she walked toward the kitchen. “I’ve had nothing to do but eat, swim, and sleep since I got here. You know I can’t stand to be idle.”
Gunner made a face. “So she’s punishing me by taking over the cooking.”
“We can’t all be gourmet cooks,” Quenby said defensively. “And I need something to do.” She paused at the door and
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