later?”
“I like your plan,” Sophie said.
They spent the rest of the afternoon together in the sun and in the water, ending the day on jet skis, and afterward finally separated, agreeing to meet up at seven for dinner.
In her room, Sophie pondered the day. For most of it, she hadn’t thought about her boyfriend, and while she did experience some guilt for having sex with Ransom, she didn’t regret what she’d done. Would Keith have regretted sleeping with the waitress if she hadn’t discovered the lewd texts on his phone?
Ransom was an amazing lover, exciting and sexy, and paid her the attention she’d been craving for a long time. Tomorrow he’d be leaving, and as time ticked by, she contemplated broaching the topic of staying in touch. He could be a backup plan, in case Keith didn’t act right again.
Her cheeks heated. The thought of hooking up with Ransom again was ludicrous. Theirs was a one-time experience and not meant to be repeated. Besides, she lived in Atlanta. Ransom lived in Chicago. While he seemed to enjoy her company, that didn’t mean he’d want to stay in touch.
She pulled on a spaghetti-strap white dress and silver sandals, and was in the middle of pulling her hair into a topknot when a knock sounded at the door. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was quarter to seven. Ransom was early. She smiled at her reflection, anxious to see him, the ever-present flutter in her belly evidence of how much she looked forward to his company.
Broadening her smile into a welcoming grin, Sophie flung open the door, but her smile collapsed like a house of cards, and she froze, gaping at the man standing on the other side. Shock ricocheted through her insides as she stared at the familiar face.
Instead of blue eyes, she saw dark chocolate. Instead of lustrous dark brown hair, she saw onyx black.
“What are you doing here?”
Keith Wong stood with both hands braced on the doorframe, his lanky body dressed in a chest-hugging T-shirt and jeans.
“You won’t return my calls, but I came to prove to you that I’m a changed man.” His smile was soft and regretful. “Happy birthday, baby.”
Chapter Seven
Her voice sounded weird. The lighthearted vibrancy from earlier was gone and replaced with a guarded tone. Something was wrong.
“I’ll be there in a minute and we can go to dinner,” Ransom said. He had a surprise planned. He’d called the restaurant and informed them it was her birthday. They arranged to have a cake and candles ready, and the staff on hand to serenade her at the end of the meal.
“No.” The single word came out fast—almost frantic.
“What’s the matter, you want to cancel our dinner?” he asked half jokingly. He looked forward to spending their last night together. In fact, he hoped it wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other. True, they lived in different cities, but he’d done the long-distance thing before, and it worked well enough. He wanted a shot with Sophie, assuming she was interested and willing to dump her douchebag boyfriend.
“Something’s come up.”
Her voice fell even lower, and a chunk of worry landed in his gut.
“You don’t sound like yourself.”
“Can you just meet me somewhere else? Please. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”
Ransom stared at the expanse of beach and water outside the glass door. “When do you want to meet?”
“Right away.”
They agreed to meet at the lobby lounge.
“I’ll see you in five minutes,” he said.
Hanging up the phone, he mulled the conversation, trying to figure out what could have changed. He had absolutely no idea, and the uncertainty troubled him, tightening the bundle of unease in his gut.
He picked up the box wrapped in white with a hot-pink ribbon. Inside was a conch shell necklace with a clamshell pendant covered in gold. A dusting of light pink infused each round bead. The colorful beads reminded him of Sophie and fit her style. He’d been excited when he bought
“I like your plan,” Sophie said.
They spent the rest of the afternoon together in the sun and in the water, ending the day on jet skis, and afterward finally separated, agreeing to meet up at seven for dinner.
In her room, Sophie pondered the day. For most of it, she hadn’t thought about her boyfriend, and while she did experience some guilt for having sex with Ransom, she didn’t regret what she’d done. Would Keith have regretted sleeping with the waitress if she hadn’t discovered the lewd texts on his phone?
Ransom was an amazing lover, exciting and sexy, and paid her the attention she’d been craving for a long time. Tomorrow he’d be leaving, and as time ticked by, she contemplated broaching the topic of staying in touch. He could be a backup plan, in case Keith didn’t act right again.
Her cheeks heated. The thought of hooking up with Ransom again was ludicrous. Theirs was a one-time experience and not meant to be repeated. Besides, she lived in Atlanta. Ransom lived in Chicago. While he seemed to enjoy her company, that didn’t mean he’d want to stay in touch.
She pulled on a spaghetti-strap white dress and silver sandals, and was in the middle of pulling her hair into a topknot when a knock sounded at the door. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was quarter to seven. Ransom was early. She smiled at her reflection, anxious to see him, the ever-present flutter in her belly evidence of how much she looked forward to his company.
Broadening her smile into a welcoming grin, Sophie flung open the door, but her smile collapsed like a house of cards, and she froze, gaping at the man standing on the other side. Shock ricocheted through her insides as she stared at the familiar face.
Instead of blue eyes, she saw dark chocolate. Instead of lustrous dark brown hair, she saw onyx black.
“What are you doing here?”
Keith Wong stood with both hands braced on the doorframe, his lanky body dressed in a chest-hugging T-shirt and jeans.
“You won’t return my calls, but I came to prove to you that I’m a changed man.” His smile was soft and regretful. “Happy birthday, baby.”
Chapter Seven
Her voice sounded weird. The lighthearted vibrancy from earlier was gone and replaced with a guarded tone. Something was wrong.
“I’ll be there in a minute and we can go to dinner,” Ransom said. He had a surprise planned. He’d called the restaurant and informed them it was her birthday. They arranged to have a cake and candles ready, and the staff on hand to serenade her at the end of the meal.
“No.” The single word came out fast—almost frantic.
“What’s the matter, you want to cancel our dinner?” he asked half jokingly. He looked forward to spending their last night together. In fact, he hoped it wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other. True, they lived in different cities, but he’d done the long-distance thing before, and it worked well enough. He wanted a shot with Sophie, assuming she was interested and willing to dump her douchebag boyfriend.
“Something’s come up.”
Her voice fell even lower, and a chunk of worry landed in his gut.
“You don’t sound like yourself.”
“Can you just meet me somewhere else? Please. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”
Ransom stared at the expanse of beach and water outside the glass door. “When do you want to meet?”
“Right away.”
They agreed to meet at the lobby lounge.
“I’ll see you in five minutes,” he said.
Hanging up the phone, he mulled the conversation, trying to figure out what could have changed. He had absolutely no idea, and the uncertainty troubled him, tightening the bundle of unease in his gut.
He picked up the box wrapped in white with a hot-pink ribbon. Inside was a conch shell necklace with a clamshell pendant covered in gold. A dusting of light pink infused each round bead. The colorful beads reminded him of Sophie and fit her style. He’d been excited when he bought
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