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He’d kissed Sarah Lewis. Then he’d backpedaled his way out of acknowledging that the kiss had had an impact on him.
His emotions were a mess. The impulsive kiss itself had been fantastic, and that judgement wasn’t coming from a place of not having kissed a woman in years. Sarah Lewis was an amazing kisser.
Her lips had been soft and delicious. They’d instantly fallen into a rhythm so in sync, it was as though they’d been kissing each other forever, the heat between them off the charts. All the sexual tension that had been building had exploded as soon as their mouths and bodies had connected. He’d enjoyed the kiss far too much.
But was he really ready to kiss someone else? Move on with someone? Just seconds before the kiss, he’d claimed he wasn’t sure, and the passion that had ignited between them hadn’t helped clarify things.
He should never have gone back to the inn in the first place. Canceling on his night out with the guys had been foolish. His intentions had been muddled, falling somewhere between wanting to help Sarah finish the renos as soon as possible to get her out of town again and simply wanting to see her after the tense, strained dinner with his in-laws.
He ran the wax over his surfboard a final time and sighed. What the hell was he supposed to do now? They still had renovations to finish at the B&B. He couldn’t avoid her.
Most troublesome was the fact that he didn’t want to. He did somehow have to make up for the blunder, but how did he do that without addressing the kiss and whether or not it would be happening again?
Did she want to talk about it? Did she want to kiss him again?
He doubted it. What woman would after that aftermath of excuses and regret?
He stood and forced a smile as he addressed that morning’s group. Mostly beginners. Should be an easy class. Focus on balancing on the board.
Balance. Not an easy thing to do when his world felt like it had been upended the night before.
“Okay, everyone ready to get out there in those waves?” he asked the group.
“I am!” the camp counselor, a young girl about eighteen who was eyeing a group of male surfers with obvious interest, said.
Wes forced a smile. Obviously he’d be in charge of making sure these kids didn’t drown that morning. “Wonderful,” he said. “Today, we’re going to learn to stand on the board. It sounds easy, but believe me, it can be tricky,” he told the kids. “Head on down to the water’s edge, and I’ll be right there.”
He picked up his and Marissa’s surfboards and glanced across the beach to where she sat reading a book on the edge of the boardwalk. “Hey!” he called out.
She glanced up, and Wes hesitated.
Don’t try so hard to put her into a box she doesn’t want to fit in.
Sarah’s advice the night before had impacted him as much as the kiss. She was right. He was trying to encourage Marissa to be someone she wasn’t. That stopped now.
“Make sure to put on sunscreen, okay?” he said, putting her surfboard back on the sand and joining the others out in the water.
He may not have a clue how to fix things with Sarah, but at least he could start making a better effort with his daughter.
…
Sarah rolled the painting tarps in the last room and pushed the furniture back into place. That day, she’d attacked the walls with a new urgency. These renovations couldn’t be done a moment too soon. Her desperation level to get back to the city was higher than ever. This inn was now the site of a second rejection from Wes Sharrun.
Unbelievable.
The guy wasn’t interested in her years ago and he wasn’t interested in her now. The impulsive kiss had been silly. She hadn’t been thinking. She’d been wrapped up in the moment.
Why couldn’t it have been a bad kiss at least? If her high school crush had turned out to be a horrible kisser, knowing she’d never get a chance to kiss him again would be easier to swallow. Instead, his kiss had been everything Sarah had always thought it would be. Emotional, passionate, and delicious. His desire had shocked the hell out of her in the best possible way.
Until the aftermath had her feeling even worse than before.
“Hello?” Whitney’s voice drifted up the staircase from the foyer.
“Up here!” Sarah called, hearing her friend’s heels on the staircase. Normally, she’d be excited to see Whitney that day to gush about the long-awaited, pined-after kiss, but now, she’d keep it to herself. Damn Wes for stealing her opportunity for a hot gossip sesh with her bestie.
“Wow! I cannot believe this is the same place,” her friend said, admiring the room, as she handed Sarah one of the coffee cups she carried. “Everything looks amazing, Sarah.”
The smell of dark roast hazelnut reaching her nose was like a lifeline. She hadn’t slept at all the night before, and the coffee was definitely needed. “Thanks so much. So it should be easy to sell, right?” she asked, taking a sip.
