Cami led Seth back across the boardwalk and down several quiet side streets. She wasn’t sure she could find it again, but knew it was near the lighthouse. They passed many summer cottages, elaborate two- and three-storey homes, displaying beautifully coiffed lawns and wide porches.
Cami continued walking, scanning each house. Halfway down Artic, she stopped. “There it is.”
“There what is?”
“Your new school.”
Seth groaned. The dilapidated, three-storey house needed fresh paint, the roof was riddled with Swiss-cheese holes and the wide, wraparound porch sagged in several places.
“No. It’s too small.” He shook his head. “It isn’t at all what I had in mind.”
Cami grabbed Seth’s hand and pointed to the house. “Yes. This is – could be yours. Imagine the possibilities. You can’t give up on your dream now. Not when you’re this close to success.”
Seth pulled her to face him. “What makes you passionate?”
Cami was surprised at his question. “My work. I love to teach, same as you.”
“No.” He tapped her heart. “In here. All you’ve spoken of is what youmustdo for others. What do you dream for yourself?”
Cami was taken aback. There wasn’t anything she did for fun, for herself.
“I don’t know. I don’t let myself dream . . . in there.”
“I’d like to change that.” He took her face in his hands and brought his mouth down to hers. Their lips touched, lightly at first, then more demanding as they both tumbled into the moment, their tongues entwining. He tasted like everything she’d always wanted; sweet and dangerous. Hot desire clawed at her.
Cami clamped down her emotions and pulled away. “I . . . can’t do this. Not now, not ever.”
“I can’t believe you don’t feel me in your heart.” His hand skimmed the front of her jacket, sending tremors through her.
Cami ran a finger along his jaw, enjoying the slight rough texture. “I believe in you and your school. If you go to the bank tomorrow, you’ll find this house is not only for sale, but will sell at a very reasonable price.”
As she drew back, he captured her hand and covered his heart. A strong, rapid beat thumped against her palm. “Come with me.”
Cami had no idea what the future held for her, but knew his future didn’t include her. “I can’t.”
The last rays of sunset had faded to a deepening blue as they stopped in front of the Harbor House.
“Seth, I’ve had a ‘spectacular’ day. You’ll never know how great it’s been.”
He stroked her cheek. “You deserve ‘spectacular’ every day.”
Cami’s mind was in turmoil, her heart in an uproar. She hadn’t realized how much she missed being kissed and touched and held in a man’s strong arms. “This isn’t my reality.”
“I can make it so. It doesn’t have to end here . . . now.”
Cami shivered. More suggestion, more heat. No. She wasn’t a one-night-stand girl. “Yes, it does. I have to go.”
Seth nodded and opened the front door for her. “I’ll escort you to your room.”
“I don’t have a room here.”
“Where are you staying, then? I’ll walk you home.”
Cami paused, her situation striking her hard. “I . . . I don’t know. I don’t have any room and I have no money.”
“Then you shall be my guest.”
Cami hesitated, the implication thick between them.
