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My heart thunders as Callan pulls me close, his eyes smoldering. He presses his hand into my back, and right here in the middle of the dance floor where all eyes can see us, he bends down and crushes his lips to mine, claiming me in a way that will have the entire town gossiping for days on end. As soon as his lips are on mine, I’m lost, forgetting where we are, forgetting everything but how good it feels to be in his arms again. I love his touch, love his kiss. His hands roam my back as he kisses me until I don’t have a brain cell left.
Then he pulls back, his eyes so dark and intense I’m afraid we’re both going to burst into flames. He lifts a hand and caresses my cheek. I can barely breathe as I stare at this beautiful man who’s thrown me so far off my game, I don’t think I’ll ever win another match again.
“We can stop playing these games and you can come to my room tonight,” he says, his voice a low purr that hits me in all of the right places. “Quit fighting us.”
With this, he releases me and walks away, swallowed up in the crowd of people. I don’t move for a moment, feeling completely lost. I finally make my way back over to Emily and Jess, my cheeks hot, my body on fire.
“Well, that was hot,” Emily says as she fans herself.
“I want some of that action. That was like a scene out of my favorite book. Did he say, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn?” Jess says in her best Rhett Butler impersonation.
I try to shake off my wobbliness and push down the intensity of what I’m feeling. I fear it will always be this way around Callan. He makes me feel things no one has ever made me feel before. Why does it have to be him of all men?
“We might need to call the fire department to put out the fire you two started,” Jess says.
“Look who’s talking. You’ve been all over Zach all night,” I point out.
“That’s just for fun, but he is a hot tamale. I might have to lock lips with him before he leaves,” Jess says. This breaks the tension and Emily and I laugh. Thank goodness for my friends who keep me grounded. She then pulls out the forty dollars and hands it over to me. “I last just over two hours before I got bored.” This breaks the tension and we all laugh.
“So that’s it?” I question. She shrugs.
“You never know. He is hot, but there are a lot of fish in the sea.”
Emily and I look at each other and shrug. If she can’t even be tamed by a man as hot and charming at Zach Brannigan, there’s no hope for the rest of the population. We might have to go on a worldwide tour to find the right man for Jess. Sounds like a blast.
We soon leave and crash at my place. We make popcorn, eat a bunch of ice-cream, and watch chick flicks until we all pass out. It’s a great way to end a day full of turbulence. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’m sure it will be another adventure.
Chapter Fourteen
Callan
As I sit in the corner of the Mermaid Café, sipping on my coffee, trying to work, my mind keeps wandering back to Sasha. Since meeting this woman, she’s all I can think about. I don’t have time for this. I’m a busy man with a heck of a lot to do. None of this seems to matter, though.
This woman has imprinted herself on my every thought. I can’t find anything I don’t like about her. She’s full of life, always smiling, and pushes my boundaries further than I ever thought possible. Even her attempts at running me out of this town don’t matter. Her desire to drive me away only makes me want to come closer. Absolutely everything about her is intoxicating.
What am I going to do about this, though? While I don’t want to ignore this thing between us, I’m chasing a woman, knowing I’m leaving. Is that fair of me? For once I’m thinking more of another person’s feelings than my own. Is this the maturing my brothers are talking about? If so, I don’t like it one bit. I prefer the days of thinking of nothing but my own needs.
Still, I must find a way to win this woman over. No matter how much I try to talk myself out of it, I want to spend time with her, and I want her to enjoy me, and enjoy our time together. I don’t want her heartbroken when I leave, but we’re two mature adults who can appreciate an affair and not hate each other at the end. Good, decision made. I feel better already.
I grab my briefcase and pull out the plans for the resort I want to build here. It really is large and beautiful. Most places would be thrilled to have it in their community. Not only can their own citizens take full advantage of it, but it brings in added tourism, making a town like Seaville thrive.
My gaze drifts over the blueprints as I turn the pages. Instead of focusing on the profit margins and incredible amenities, I’m thinking about Sasha and how she believes this will destroy her town. Seaville is small and quaint. I can better understand after being here a few days that the community doesn’t want huge changes. Who am I to come in and demand they accept something they don’t want? I’ve never thought that before.
I’ve always believed progress is the only way in life. There can be compromise though. Maybe I can still build a resort, but make modifications... meet in the middle. Something here would be perfect, and I’ve been sent here for a reason, so Gramps obviously believed I’d do what is right. Maybe the man had more faith in me than I have in myself.
We can all win though. Perhaps a more intimate resort, something more kid friendly. One kind of resort brings in a crowd this town doesn’t want, and another brings in a family friendly group. I want to build something that will benefit the town without overwhelming it. I stare at the plans a while longer then pick up my phone and call my designer. He answers quickly.
“Hi, Callan. What can I do for you?”
“I’m thinking of making some changes to the resort plans,” I tell him.
“I thought you loved the plans,” he says, sounding confused. We worked on this plan for months, and I’m not easy to work for. I demand a lot of changes until I’m perfectly satisfied. I was, until I got here.
“I do love the plans, and I’d love to build this resort as is... somewhere, but it won’t work for Seaville.”
“Have you decided to build there then?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I need new plans to know if I want to move forward or not.”
