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His brain didn’t get the memo to his mouth, though, and he found himself saying, “Have you got some free time tomorrow?”
She searched his eyes for a long, torturous moment. “I might.”
What the hell was he doing? Hoping her smarts would rub off on him, maybe? “Good.” He got to his feet. “I’ll pick you up at ten. Plan on being out for a few hours.”
“Where are we going?” She rose and followed him toward the door.
“The beach.”
“For hours?” She bumped into him when he stopped to open the door. He inwardly smiled.
“I didn’t say which beach.” He stepped into the hallway.
“Should I bring anything special?” Excitement sounded in her voice.
“Just your smile,” he said over his shoulder. And then he hauled ass before something else stupid came out of his mouth. What had just come over him?
He was headed north tomorrow to visit his mom and sister. They’d planned to come down for the festival, but Julia had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and wasn’t up for a few days away from home and her fiancé.
And now he was bringing Sophie along with him when there would be no one with prying eyes. Huh.
Chapter Five
The drive up the coast dazzled Sophie, and she let her astonishment at Zane’s taking her home with him disappear. She sat in the front seat of his rented convertible with the wind blowing her already-unruly hair into complete disarray, and she loved it. The warm sun caused sweat to trickle down the middle of her back, and she loved it. The sea sparkled like a thousand daytime stars shone down on it, and she loved it.
The impossibly handsome man in the driver’s seat kept glancing at her—her!—and she loved it.
They’d been mostly quiet on the drive, letting the scenery do all the talking. Sophie chewed the inside of her cheek—because of nerves, but also because she didn’t know what to say.
Were she and Zane friends now? They’d had some wonderful talks like they were, and if not, why the heck would he take her with him? She knew he felt bad about the surf lesson. She could see it in his tempestuous eyes when he brought it up. But this went way beyond making it up to her. And it went beyond helping his image, because they’d left the festival and inquisitive eyes behind them.
Her heart beat a little harder inside her chest at the thought that Zane might genuinely like her. She settled back into the leather seat, closed her eyes, and imagined him pulling off the side of the road to somewhere secluded and showing her that hereallyliked her.
Strip and put your hands on the hood, Sophie.
A shiver raced through her. And then, oh my heavens, Zane made a sharp left turn and her eyes flew open. Her pulse quickened. Her fingernails dug into the seat as she sat taller. They bounced down a deserted one-lane road, trees blocking the sun’s rays.
“Sorry about that,” he said, taking note of her open jaw. She clamped it shut. “I’m always a second behind that turn-off.”
“Wh-where we going?”
“My beach.”
“Yourbeach?”
“It’s not really mine, just a favorite. Not a whole lot of people come here. We’re only twenty minutes from my mom’s house but…”
“But what?”
The road narrowed and the bumpy pavement turned to dirt. Then the trees gave way and they came to an abrupt stop. White sand and a blue sea lay before them. It looked like a postcard, and Sophie couldn’t help herself. She let her question slide, undid her seat belt, and stood up to get a better look over the windshield. Zane turned off the ignition and rose beside her.
“I can see why it’s your favorite,” she said. Devoid of people, the unspoiled stretch of bleached sand and aquamarine waves rolling gently onto shore calmed and excited her at the same time. She could almost hear the water calling her name, beckoning her to slip into its vastness.
“Yeah?” He sounded pleased, but with a hint of doubt.
She studied him out of the corner of her eye. Even in profile, he was magnificent. And he had some seriously sexy hair growth above his mouth and on his chin, caramel-colored stubble streaking the blond. How scratchy would it feel on her skin?
“Yeah. It’s not only beautiful but secluded. You’ve probably brought lots of girls here.” She took a second to glance around.
