Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [93]
"Don't." He put his hand on hers. "Let me look at you."
Her hands slowly moved back to her side. "You are one beautiful woman," he murmured.
She stared back at him without moving. "Touch me, Tyler. Put your hands on my breasts, the way you did before. I want to make love to you."
Her words drove a wave of guilt through him. There was trust in her sweet blue eyes. And he didn't deserve that trust.
"Tyler, what are you waiting for?" she asked, her gaze narrowing.
Before he could answer, a shockingly bright light hit the room like a spotlight on center stage. Kate gasped and covered her breasts.
"Oh, my God. I forgot about the light," she said. "It's so bright!"
Shockingly illuminating, Tyler realized, and it had probably just stopped them from making a huge mistake. Tyler handed her the bra and sweater from the bench. "Do you want to put these on?"
She hesitated and then nodded. "I should, shouldn't I?" She put on her bra and pulled her sweater over her head with swift, jerky movements. "I don't know what came over me. I don't usually do stuff like this."
"I'm glad this isn't usual for you. I'm happy it was just for me."
She stared at him. "You stopped, Tyler. Even before the light came on. I saw it in your face. Why?"
He didn't know how to answer that question. There were too many lies between them, so he settled for another. "I don't have anything with me -- protection," he said. "I'm guessing you don't either."
"Oh," she said, her voice faltering. "I -- I didn't even think."
She got to her feet and looked out at the water that was now lit up by the light. "When you're on the ocean, a light like this can be a savior, the promise of a safe harbor. I never thought I wouldn't be happy to see the light." She turned to him. "I know it was smart to stop. I just kind of wish we hadn't. Because it felt good, and it's been a long time since I felt like that. I wanted to be selfish. It's a family trait, you know." She headed toward the stairway. "Let's go home."
Home? Where was that, he wondered. Logically, he knew his address in San Antonio. That's where his things were, where his friends lived, where his brother and niece made a life. So why was he starting to feel as if this island was home, as if wherever Kate was going was where he wanted to be?
Chapter Sixteen
Kate dropped him off at his hotel without even turning off the engine. She muttered a good-bye and took off as soon as he'd shut the door. It was just as well. This trip wasn't supposed to be about anything but finding Amelia's biological mother. And it was time for him to refocus on his goals.
He felt too wired to even think about going inside to his quiet hotel room. Most people in Castleton apparently felt the same way, Tyler realized, as he walked back through the town square. The food booths were being dismantled, but there were still crowds of people gathered around small tables, talking and laughing. A few people called out hello, people he'd met through Kate or on his own. He'd only been in town a few days, but they were making him feel like part of the community, part of their lives, and it was a nice feeling, almost too nice.
A small island in the Pacific Northwest was not the place to get attached to. There were no earth-shattering news stories here, no need for tough investigative reporting. It was a tourist destination, a place for fishermen and sailors, bikers and hikers, honeymooners and retirees, a place for people to relax, smell the flowers, enjoy life -- not a place for him. He liked to be on the go, flying in fast jets over countries whose names he could barely spell. He liked the unpredictable, the never-ending adventure.
Didn't he?
Then why was this scene so appealing? Why did Kate's small house charm him so? Why did he feel so attracted to a woman who had made it clear she