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Sawyer swallowed hard. He didn’t want to stop touching her. Her curves were crushed beneath him, soft and welcoming. Need stirred through him. He gazed into her hazel eyes and he was a teenager again. The ache in his chest reminded him of the love he’d felt for her. Of the love he felt for her now. And, hell, he felt almost as horny as he had done when he was a teenager.
Somehow he stopped rubbing her side. He let loose a lopsided grin and swiped a thumb along her grimy nose. “You’re not meant to be the one getting in trouble. That’s my job.”
“I don’t know. You’re a little off your game. I don’t think you’ve done one bad thing since you returned.”
“I might not have done anything but—” he flashed her a grin “—I have had some very bad thoughts.”
Inwardly, he wanted to smack himself. The words had tumbled out before he’d given himself a chance. He tried to shift off her but she grabbed his arms and held him in place.
“Some bad thoughts are okay.” She gave him a coy smile.
He drew in a breath through his teeth. Where had his sweet Maddie gone? This really wasn’t helping his cause.
“You might not think that if you knew what I was thinking now.”
Naked skin, hot kisses, her breathy cries in his ear...His pulse pounded hard in his skull, begging him to make it a reality.
She shook her head and her smile softened. “I’m not that easily shocked. I did date a bad boy once, remember?”
“Yeah, once.” He shifted away and pushed up to sitting, feeling his heart weigh down with dread. Had he achieved nothing? Did she still see him like that? “And now? Are you dating one now?”
Maddie pushed her hair from her face and sat up. She sidled closer and nudged him with her elbow. “I don’t know. Are we dating?”
“I hope so. As long as there’s no one else.” He thought of the man with the flowers.
“No, there’s no one else and no, I don’t think I’m dating a bad boy.” She reached over and looped her fingers in with his. Her gaze locked with his. “I think I’m dating a good man. I hope so anyway.”
She could have no idea how much the words meant to him. She wouldn’t know how his heart soared and he wanted to leap to his feet, push open the windows and declare to Ballicliff Bay that he didn’t care what they thought because he’d earned Maddie Green’s trust again. He might not deserve it but he’d done it. He’d almost, almost won her back. Now he just needed to persuade her to take a chance on marrying him again.
Chapter Nine
Really, Sawyer Steele was perfect. Maddie glanced at him as they walked along the beach front. Okay, not perfect. Sexy, yes. Insanely gorgeous. But too mysterious. Too... Sawyerish. He’d often been like that. There’d been times when he’d gone quiet and reflective. It didn’t seem to matter then but there was still stuff she didn’t know about him. Considering they were now officially dating, she really needed to know more.
He offered her his hand and she took it. Prickles ran up her arm. How silly that simply holding his hand had such an effect on her. But with his large, warm hand wrapped around hers, she struggled to remember any of the negatives. Her brain shut down and her heart thudded—not in the wild, erratic way it often did around him. No, now it simply pulsed hard and strong, whispering to her.He’s the one, he’s the one.
But how could she trust her judgement? Maddie was fairly certain all those teenage feelings clouded her grown-up sensible ones. She needed more time. She couldn’t rush into anything.
Chicken, her mind scolded.
She turned her attention to the lowering sun. Most of the tourists had packed up and the seafront stores were closed. A few seagulls scavenged for chips and picnic scraps, occasionally sitting on the railings to survey the beach. Several impressive sandcastles remained but they’d be washed away soon enough once the tide came in.
They paused by the railings and peered out over the sea. The large rocks they used to jump off framed the beach while the pier marked the other end of it. Orange streaks of sunlight burned through the sky and a few boats littered the horizon. Salt scented the air and the lap of waves mingled with the occasional squawk of a gull.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she prompted.
He turned his head to her. “Yes.”
She let her lips tilt. “I mean the view.”
“So did I.”
Her cheeks scalded. How could such simple words feel so sinful? He needed to stop talking like that. It threw her totally off balance and stopped her from being able to make logical decisions.
“I bet you don’t get views like this in London.”
Sawyer turned his attention back to the sea. “No, though there’s a few nice spots.”
She let go of his hand and turned to rest her back against the cool metal railings. “Do you like living in London?”
