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Discussing her parents wasn’t Lacey’s typical topic of choice on a first date. Heck, it wasn’t her topic of choice on any date. Yes, eventually she would tell her boyfriend about the tragic day that took her parents’ lives, but never so early.
“I’m sorry, Lacey.” Drew breathed into her hair.
“Thank you.” She tightened her hold, relishing the scent of his cologne and the gentleness of his heart. The way Drew silently pulled her into his arms spoke volumes. She had to remind herself that for all intents and purposes, Drew was just a man she’d met a few short hours ago, pretending to be her boyfriend.
Why is it so easy to be with him?she wondered.
Drew kissed the top of her head before they both sat back down at the table. The waiter came with their meals, and they dug in, falling into an awkward silence. Lacey set her fork down and gazed out toward the rising moon’s reflection as it bounced off the calm water. She let out a sigh before turning back and catching Drew’s unreadable expression. There was nothing like dropping the morbid topic of death to ruin a mood.
“So, do you come here often?” Lacey asked before sliding a piece of seared scallop into her mouth. When the corner of Drew’s lip quirked up, she realized what she had just asked and how it sounded. After an eye roll, she followed up with, “I meant the island. Do you take many vacations?”
He wiped his lips with his napkin. “At least once or twice a year. I usually come the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but my schedule freed up early, so I came before the holidays.” Drew held Lacey’s gaze. “And I’m so glad I did, or we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“I highly doubt you dine alone.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” She hated that his admission caused asmall ache in her heart. Of course he didn’t. With his looks and big heart, he probably had a different woman on his arm every day. Suddenly, unwanted images of Drew applying sunscreen on a swimsuit model flashed in her head.
“You don’t need to pretend to be my boyfriend. Really, I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t want to keep you from having fun. You should be enjoying your vacation, not stuck with a stranger who accosted you on the beach. I think I’ll be able to handle the next five days on my own.”
Drew’s head tilted to the side at that. Didn’t she explain it well enough? Trying again she added, “Drew, what I’m saying is, you’re off the hook. It was wrong of me to get you involved in all my panic and anger.”
“Hold on a minute. When I said I don’t dine alone, it was because I’m usually with Ethan. He’s the reason I come down here. We’ve been friends since middle school. And as far as what happened on the beach, trust me, it would have happened eventually. Now… let me confess something to you.”
Lacey’s blood hummed in her veins, and her brain twirled with scenarios of what he possibly had to say. As it was, her libido still hadn’t relaxed since their lips met. It was a kiss for the ages, one she had mentally pinned to her vision board, and one that all others would be compared to.
“The beach wasn’t the first place I saw you.” Once again, he reached across the table to place his hand on hers. “When you first arrived today, I saw you in the lobby. It took everything I had not to rush up to you then, but I figured I’d let you get settled.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. So I don’t care about your ex or anyone else vacationing at Spero. It’s you I care about. It’s you I want to get to know. And it’s you I want to pretend to be involved with until our time is up.”
Despite the fact they had just met, Lacey didn’t want to think about saying goodbye… yet.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said suddenly. “There’s someplace I want to show you.”
Everything about the man sitting across from her made Lacey feel comfortable. Drew said she wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met before; well, she could say the same about him. Everything about the way he moved and talked—not to mention his sexy-as-sin wink—made him stand out from every other man she knew. There was a quiet sensuality about him.
Twenty minutes later, they were back at the hotel. Music played from the lounge area, but Drew guided her out the back door, down a path that wound through a corridor of palm trees, until they hit the sand. Lacey stopped walking and slipped off her sandals, and Drew his boat shoes.
Alarm bells should have sounded in her head when Drew brought her to a secluded, sectioned-off area, lit by a few lanterns, and labeledRESERVEDwith a cushioned cabana built for two, but just like earlier on the beach, they didn’t. Instead, she comfortably lay beside him and stared up at the stars.
She realized that after the bomb she’d dropped about her parents she’d neglected to ask about his. “Do you have a large family?”
“I do. Two brothers, Mark and Charlie, and a sister, Natalie. All are married and two have kids. Mark has a daughter, Victoria, and Charlie has Jasper and Jackie.”
“You must be a great uncle.”
Catching her off guard, he threaded his fingers with hers. Lacey stared at their hands. She couldn’t help but wonder if talking about his family spurred his desire to connect. She felt a pang in her heart. “I try. According to my mom, I spoil them too much, but she’s one to talk. I spent a few days at my parents’ before coming here, and there had to be at least fifteen gifts on her bed, waiting to be wrapped.”
Lacey couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a grandmother’s job, right?”
Drew chuckled. “I suppose.”
“Where do you fall in birth order?”
“I’m the third. Mark is the oldest, then Nat, me, and Charlie. He’s a computer genius.”
She loved the pride in Drew’s eyes when he spoke of his family. “And your parents?”
