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She studied him for a moment. “Don’t you ever get lonely?”
A denial teetered on the tip of his tongue, but it was a lie. Instead he said, “Aren’t you lonely spending all of your time working?”
Her gaze moved toward the open deck doors. It was a warm evening, and he had been airing out the house. “Would you like me to close the doors?”
She shook her head. “I was thinking it’s a nice night for a stroll on the beach.” Her gaze met his. “Would you like to join me?”
He looked at all the work awaiting him, not to mention the things in the attic. And then he decided it could all wait. If he had to hire people to finish cleaning out the house, he would do it.
But tonight with Jo looking at him with hope glinting in her eyes, he couldn’t turn her down. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone for a moonlit walk on the beach. And it would feel so good to put some distance between him and all these heirlooms that were supposed to mean something to him, and yet they meant nothing.
“Let’s go.”
They headed out through the patio doors. The full moon was shining brightly overhead. The moonbeams danced upon the water as the warm breeze rushed past them.
“It’s so beautiful.” The moonlight bathed her face and highlighted her smile.
“Yes, you are.” The words slipped past his lips, and for the first time, he didn’t regret admitting what he was thinking.
Josephine Turner was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever known. On the inside she was a kind and compassionate person, which just added to her outward beauty. How was it that she was still single?
Another gust of wind whooshed past them, making Jo’s hair flutter in the breeze. She turned to him. “You don’t have to say that.”
“It’s the truth.” He reached out and swept a few stray strands behind her ear. “You act as though no man has ever told you just how gorgeous you are.”
“Maybe I just didn’t expect to hear it from you.”
Her words seemed to strike a chord within him. “Then maybe I need to show you just how attractive I find you.”
Without thinking through the pros and cons of his action, he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. At first, she didn’t move. He worried she was going to reject him. The thought made his heart clench.
And then her mouth moved beneath his. Her lips were soft. With her in his arms, he felt like he was on top of the world. The power of her kiss flowed through his body, filling in the jagged cracks in his heart.
He drew her up close. Her soft curvy goodness pressed up against him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Her fingertips combed through his hair.
He didn’t want this perfect moment to end. He was afraid if she were to release him, that he would never be able to get this amazing feeling back again. At last he felt whole and complete—as though the ghosts of his past could no longer torture him, because they couldn’t get past the happiness now wrapped around his heart.
As Jo’s lips moved over his, he deepened the kiss. He didn’t know if it was the moonlight, Jo’s tantalizing kiss, or a little of each, but he didn’t want this evening to end. For a man known to be a workaholic, he had absolutely no desire to check his emails or review the many files on his laptop.
He could stand here all night with Jo next to him. Her kisses fed his starving heart. Her touch soothed his pain. And her presence grounded him—letting him know what it was like to have a true home.
And then to his utter disappointment, Jo pulled back. It was with the greatest regret that he let go of her. He already missed holding her in his arms.
She smiled at him. Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight. “You’re not good for me.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.” Even though he savored every moment of it. He knew the memory would fill his dreams that night.
“No-no-no. That isn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“That… That you keep distracting me from my work.” When he shook his head, she said, “And I don’t mind.”
He smiled. “You mean you’d rather be here with me?”
“I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be. And I know how crazy that sounds with so much on the line right now with the inn. But in this moment, I feel like I don’t want to go back to the inn or anywhere else. I just want to stay right here with you.”
He felt exactly the same way. It was foolish and unsustainable, but for this moment, they could escape their responsibilities. “Runaway with me.”
