Frankieknew without a shadow of a doubt that that single kiss would lead to much more.
What did she see?
Suddenly, with extreme clarity, Frankie saw a vision of the woman in the pink dress, the woman Simon had spent the night with. It had probably been only hours since he'd left her bed. Ap parently, now that Simon had gotten his “previous commitment” taken care of, he felt he could concentrate once more on Frankie.
Frankie stood up. “I see someone who's been my friend for a long time,” she told him as she crossed to the big bay window. “Someone who's about to make a really bad mistake.”
“It might be a mistake, but I'm not sure it's such a bad one.”
She turned to face him. “It is. Absolutely.”
He didn't move. He just gazed into her eyes as if he were looking for answers, searching for hidden truths. “How can you be so positive?”
Frankie wasn't positive. She wasn't positive about
any
thing when it came to Simon Hunt. Especially when he looked at her that way. But she steadily returned his gaze, and without a tremor in her voice she said, “Si, I'm on the vergeof finding Jazz Chester again, and I feel like this could be a real important milestone in my life.” She was trying as much to convince herself as she was to convince him.
“What if he's not as great as you remember him to be?”
“What if he's better?”
Simon was still watching her intently, and Frankie forced herself to stare back at him. He didn't quite believe her, and rightfully so. But what was she supposed to tell him? That she couldn't risk acting on this sexual attraction that had suddenly ignited between them? That she couldn't risk giving in to the temptations that her body desired because it wouldn't take much for her heart to become involved?
Shoot, her heart already
was
involved. When she daydreamed about Simon, she wasn't dreaming about a sexy bed partner. She was dreaming about a
lover.
And that was where fantasy and reality became hopelessly entangled. She dreamed about someone who did more than fulfill her passionate physical fantasies, someone who satisfied her emotional needs as well. Someone who used sexual intimacy as a means to express hisdeepest feelings of love rather than someone—like Simon—who played at love to achieve sexual gratification.
Frankie could pretend to be a willing participant in the kind of casual, no-strings relationship that Simon was so good at having. She knew she would enjoy the physical intimacies she saw promised in the heat of his eyes. In fact, a good part of her was tempted ….
Jazz, she reminded herself. It was only a matter of time before she found Jazz Chester again. Compared to Jazz's deep sensitivity, Simon would seem frivolous and shallow.
“Alice liked Jazz too,” she told Simon. “She was so certain that we were going to end up together, you know, get married. When Jazz didn't come back to Sunrise Key, Alice was almost as upset as I was. She told me that she wished she could wave a magic wand and make him appear. She said she'd do
any
thing to get the two of us back together. She didn't manage to do it while she was alive, but she just might be able to pull it off now that she's gone.” Simon finally looked away, and Frankie knew that she had won—this round at least.
And she herself was starting to believe her own words. Finding Jazz was going to be good.
Simon glanced up at Frankie again as she moved toward the bookcase and slipped the photo album onto the shelf. Damn Jazz Chester. He'd disliked what little he'd known about the boy, and those feelings held true for the man.
Simon had seldom had rivals when it came to a woman's affections. This jealousy he was trying hard to curb was an uncomfortable sensation. He didn't like knowing that he couldn't even compete with a man that Frankie hadn't seen for twelve years.
But that didn't mean Simon was going to give up.
“I think you're holding out for a dream,” he told her. Even if Jazz
weren't
married, he
What did she see?
Suddenly, with extreme clarity, Frankie saw a vision of the woman in the pink dress, the woman Simon had spent the night with. It had probably been only hours since he'd left her bed. Ap parently, now that Simon had gotten his “previous commitment” taken care of, he felt he could concentrate once more on Frankie.
Frankie stood up. “I see someone who's been my friend for a long time,” she told him as she crossed to the big bay window. “Someone who's about to make a really bad mistake.”
“It might be a mistake, but I'm not sure it's such a bad one.”
She turned to face him. “It is. Absolutely.”
He didn't move. He just gazed into her eyes as if he were looking for answers, searching for hidden truths. “How can you be so positive?”
Frankie wasn't positive. She wasn't positive about
any
thing when it came to Simon Hunt. Especially when he looked at her that way. But she steadily returned his gaze, and without a tremor in her voice she said, “Si, I'm on the vergeof finding Jazz Chester again, and I feel like this could be a real important milestone in my life.” She was trying as much to convince herself as she was to convince him.
“What if he's not as great as you remember him to be?”
“What if he's better?”
Simon was still watching her intently, and Frankie forced herself to stare back at him. He didn't quite believe her, and rightfully so. But what was she supposed to tell him? That she couldn't risk acting on this sexual attraction that had suddenly ignited between them? That she couldn't risk giving in to the temptations that her body desired because it wouldn't take much for her heart to become involved?
Shoot, her heart already
was
involved. When she daydreamed about Simon, she wasn't dreaming about a sexy bed partner. She was dreaming about a
lover.
And that was where fantasy and reality became hopelessly entangled. She dreamed about someone who did more than fulfill her passionate physical fantasies, someone who satisfied her emotional needs as well. Someone who used sexual intimacy as a means to express hisdeepest feelings of love rather than someone—like Simon—who played at love to achieve sexual gratification.
Frankie could pretend to be a willing participant in the kind of casual, no-strings relationship that Simon was so good at having. She knew she would enjoy the physical intimacies she saw promised in the heat of his eyes. In fact, a good part of her was tempted ….
Jazz, she reminded herself. It was only a matter of time before she found Jazz Chester again. Compared to Jazz's deep sensitivity, Simon would seem frivolous and shallow.
“Alice liked Jazz too,” she told Simon. “She was so certain that we were going to end up together, you know, get married. When Jazz didn't come back to Sunrise Key, Alice was almost as upset as I was. She told me that she wished she could wave a magic wand and make him appear. She said she'd do
any
thing to get the two of us back together. She didn't manage to do it while she was alive, but she just might be able to pull it off now that she's gone.” Simon finally looked away, and Frankie knew that she had won—this round at least.
And she herself was starting to believe her own words. Finding Jazz was going to be good.
Simon glanced up at Frankie again as she moved toward the bookcase and slipped the photo album onto the shelf. Damn Jazz Chester. He'd disliked what little he'd known about the boy, and those feelings held true for the man.
Simon had seldom had rivals when it came to a woman's affections. This jealousy he was trying hard to curb was an uncomfortable sensation. He didn't like knowing that he couldn't even compete with a man that Frankie hadn't seen for twelve years.
But that didn't mean Simon was going to give up.
“I think you're holding out for a dream,” he told her. Even if Jazz
weren't
married, he
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