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Oh, for goodness’ sake! She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. She had to get on with her life. Mark wasn’t responsible for the way she felt—she was. She’d let it all get to her. Nothing had changed. Not really. He was still the same Mark she’d always known. OK, so he was a good kisser—or, to be more accurate, he was an exceptional kisser—but just because he knew how to kiss a woman senseless, that didn’t mean that their friendship was affected. She was being pathetic.
‘I’d love to go for a walk,’ she said firmly, lifting her small chin and giving him the brightest smile she could manage. ‘I’ll just grab some breakfast and then I’ll change.’
They gathered together a picnic and set off from the house, following the coastal path along the edge of the cliff and down towards a rocky bay.
Holly walked steadily, her gaze fixed on the sea and the rocks. It was either that or give in to the compulsion to look at Mark who was striding ahead of her, a rucksack on his broad shoulders, long muscular legs eating up the ground with ease. And if she looked, she’d dream. And dreaming was no way to sort out the tangled mess inside her head.
At a curve in the path he paused, watching the antics of two boats in the bay.
‘What on earth are they doing?’ Mark frowned, his eyes narrowing as he watched the two boats dropping anchor and heard the sound of raucous male laughter. ‘The currents here are deadly so I hope they’re not planning to swim off the boat—especially after drinking. Alcohol and water are a pretty lethal combination.’
‘It’s a pretty cove,’ Holly murmured, lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she followed the direction of his gaze. ‘It doesn’t look that dangerous.’
‘Don’t you believe it,’ Mark said grimly, his firm mouth unsmiling as he watched the horseplay on the yacht. ‘The current is strong, the rocks are vicious and the water is freezing.’
Holly bit her lip. She’d forgotten how well he knew this area. ‘Should we warn them?’
Mark shook his head. ‘Technically they’re not doing anything wrong so it’s really none of our business and, anyway, they’re too far away to hear us.’ He stared at the boats for another moment and then gave a small shrug. ‘Come on, I want to show you the view further on. You can usually see seals and basking sharks from the top of that hill.’
By the time they reached the top of the hill they were both out of breath.
‘It’s fantastic!’ Holly stared across the bay, wishing she weren’t quite so conscious of his every movement. He’d dropped his powerful length onto the grass and closed his eyes as if nothing in the world troubled him. Oh, bother, bother, bother! Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Instead of Mark the friend, suddenly all she could see was Mark the man. And what a man...
She stifled a groan, fighting her own thoughts.
Why had she never noticed the powerful swell of muscle underneath his shirt or just how strong and muscular his legs were? She must have been blind.
His voice cut through her thoughts, deep and very male. ‘See any sharks?’
‘Sharks?’ Holly cleared her throat. She hadn’t given the sharks a thought. Hiding her blush, she delved into his rucksack for the binoculars. ‘No. But I don’t really know what I’m looking for.’
‘A fin.’ Mark propped himself up on his elbows, openly laughing at her. ‘You’ve seen Jaws, haven’t you?’
‘I never believe what I see at the movies,’ Holly mumbled, horribly flustered by him. She held the binoculars to her face, relieved to have a reason to look away from him. ‘I don’t see anything. Just sea.’
‘Useless woman—here, let me.’ Mark sat up and took the binoculars from her, his fingers brushing hers and sending a current of electricity running through her body.
He squinted through the binoculars and, safe from detection, she treated herself to a brief look at his profile, her eyes drifting hungrily over the hard ridge of his cheekbones and resting on his rough jaw. Obviously he hadn’t bothered to shave that morning and the dark stubble made him look wickedly sexy. Just looking at his firm, well-shaped mouth made her stomach tumble as she remembered every tingle and thrill that had run through her body when he’d kissed her. He was breathtakingly good-looking and for the first time in her life she was beginning to understand why women behaved so stupidly around Mark.
In fact, if she didn’t rapidly pull herself together, she was going to be joining all those silly females she’d laughed at over the years.
And it was all because of one kiss.
Just one kiss was all it had taken to open her eyes...
‘Nope—can’t see any. I’ve brought you up here under false pretences.’ He lowered the binoculars and turned, his grin fading as he caught her studying him. ‘Holly?’
His dark eyes narrowed questioningly and she swallowed hard.
Oh, help! She’d been looking like a dreamy female, she knew she had!
‘I thought I saw an insect on your neck,’ she mumbled, blushing deeply as she scrambled hastily to her feet and swept her long blonde hair away from her face. ‘Let’s find somewhere for a picnic, shall we? I’m starving.’
‘An insect?’ He repeated her words with gentle emphasis and for a moment his gaze was searching. Then he rose to his feet in a fluid movement and dragged his eyes away from her.
‘That’s usually fairly private.’ He gestured towards another little cove. ‘We could eat there and have a swim if you fancied it.’
Without waiting for her reply, he set off down the path and she stared after him, her heart thumping. Private. The cove was private? She would have preferred a bustling harbour with plenty of people to take her mind off Mark. Private was just going to make things worse.
