All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [85]
"She loved to stargaze," Natalie agreed. "She liked this view, too, the ocean, the sky. We used to walk on the beach at sunset, and Emily would say, 'Can you believe that right now we're standing on the edge of the country, the very edge? Out there, across all that water, is another continent, a different way of life.' I guess Emily had a little of that Parish wanderlust in her blood."
"But she didn't get to go anywhere," Cole said heavily.
"Actually, wanderlust wasn't the right word. Emily was more of an armchair traveler. She was a watcher more than a doer."
"You're trying to make me feel better again."
"Maybe a little." She paused, watching his hard profile for a long moment. She could look at his face for a hundred years and never get tired of it. He was so attractive to her. His strong jaw, the hard planes of his face, his tan skin, the dark stubble along his cheeks. He must have to shave every day, she thought. His nose was long, his eyebrows thick, and his long dark lashes framed a pair of intense, curious, interesting eyes.
She forced herself to look away, to take a long, slow breath, to focus on something else besides the knot of desire growing in her gut, and the feeling of recklessness that was begging to be unleashed. She was sitting on the beach watching the sunset with the man of her dreams. Only, he wasn't her man, and this wasn't supposed to be romantic. She needed to start talking again, find a way to distract her traitorous body that was telling her brain to stop thinking and just let go.
"Something wrong?" Cole asked. "You're awfully quiet."
"Just thinking," she said desperately. "What— what are your future plans?"
He raised an eyebrow. "How far in the future are we talking about?"
"A year or two, maybe three. Do you foresee any changes in your career? Do you think you might still want to try being a foreign correspondent?"
"It's too late for me to make changes."
"It's not too late. You're thirty-two years old, not eighty. However, you're not getting any younger, so I'd do something soon."
"Thanks for reminding me."
"Seriously, Cole, if you want that old dream of yours, why don't you go for it?"
"I told you before. I have too many ties, responsibilities, commitments," he said, waving a frustrated hand in the air. "I'm trapped."
"In your head. Nowhere else."
"That's not true."
"It is true, Cole. You have choices. You just don't want to choose."
"You don't know what you're talking about. There are a lot of people who depend on me to put the paper out every day."
"Yet you've managed to take time off yesterday and today without the paper falling apart."
"The last few days are the only time off I've taken in the past ten years. My father and uncle spend more time on the golf course than they do at the office. I'm not complaining about them, because they deserve a break. They all worked hard for a long time, but I carry the burden now. I'm the oldest of the cousins that are involved. No one else is ready to take over and there has always been a Parish at the helm. Right now that's me." He paused. "Marty is coming along though. He's not bad. But he's only twenty-six."
She laughed. "And you were how old when you took over?"
"That was different. We were in a crisis. It's really only been in the last five years ..." His voice drifted away. "Okay, you've made your point. I guess I was about Marty's age when I took over."
"Here's what I think, Cole. You're never going to be satisfied with your life until you get on a plane and go somewhere far away and send back a news story about something. Otherwise, you'll always wonder what if. You used to be a man of action. Take some action."
"You want me to take some action?"
"Yes, I do," she said, meeting his gaze head-on.
"You're sure about that?"
She saw too late the wicked gleam in his eye. Before she could answer, she found herself flat on her back with Cole sprawled on top of her. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest at the intent look in his