“This isn’t going to happen,” I said, meeting his eyes so that he could see I was serious.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said confidently. “I’m not the kind of man that gives up. Why do you think I got our moms involved? You can’t resist all of us pushing for this to happen. I get what I want, and right now, the top of that list is you. I’ll have you in my bed soon enough.”
I was appalled. I was no prude, but it was disturbing to hear him admit that his goal was to sleep with me and that he’d coaxed ourmomsto push us together. Something about that made my skin crawl.
Besides, I wasn’t looking for someone to just sleep with. Cole could be the best lover in the world, and I wouldn’t be interested because I didn’t like him as a person. I was at a point in my life where I wanted a real relationship with someone. I wanted passion and friendship and caring. I was hoping to eventually find the kind of love that would change my life for the better.
I wasn’t going to find that with Cole.
“I’m going to get a drink,” I said, quickly side-stepping him before he could pin me against the wall or something similar. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past him. “Don’t follow me.”
He didn’t, and I let out a sigh of relief as I ordered another margarita. I was going to enjoy the rest of this party, no matter what. My mom was busy catching up with her brother and I watched as Cole found someone else to talk to. It was a man that I didn’t know, and as I looked around, I realized there were quite a few people that fit that bill here. I assumed they were friends or family on Michael’s side.
My eyes latched onto a man on the other side of the room. I could only see his profile from where I was perched at the bar, but I could tell that he had one hell of a body. The kind that women fantasized about with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. And his arms were huge. Idly, I wondered what it would be like to be wrapped up in them.
Suddenly, Faith’s friend Poppy was in front of me. She started chatting immediately, a bundle of energy that was thrilled to be here and eager for someone to talk to. So, I gave her my attention, putting Mr. Muscles out my mind. I had enough guy problems right now, anyway.
* * *
The next morning,I went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, feeling lucky when I didn’t spot my parents or Cole there. The food was great. I had an omelet filled with meat and cheese and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
But my luck ran out as I walked out of the restaurant and into the lobby. There they were, my mom and Cole getting off the elevator together. I froze, watching them for a moment, but when Mom’s eyes started to sweep over the area, I made a split-second decision, heading for the door to the pool area.
I felt like a coward for scurrying away from the two of them, but I wasn’t in the mood for another attempt at matchmaking. Cole was already coming on way too strong and my mother’s barely concealed excitement about the whole idea of us together was starting to get under my skin. She was tenacious. We already had plans to meet later for snorkeling, but I was determined to steal a little time to myself before then.
Once outside, I by-passed the pool, heading for the beach instead. It was a sunny day with a cloudless blue sky overhead, the perfect weather for being outside. I wasn’t the only one that seemed to think so because the beach was already crowded with people in lounge chairs, laying out on the sand, and playing.
I wasn’t surprised, but I hoped to find a quieter place, somewhere that I could enjoy the peace that came with the sound of the waves and the feel of the warm sun on my face. I kicked off my flip-flops and carried them as I walked down the beach without a clue if I would actually find what I was looking for.
I was heading west, passing the people and other hotels along the shoreline. There were some cliffs up ahead where the beach ended, and as I got closer the amount of people became smaller and smaller. Then, there was an outcropping of rocks, with a tiny stretch of sand on the other side before ending at the sheer rock side of a cliff. There was no one here, and the sounds of talking and laughter from the tourists behind me faded away as I slipped my shoes back on and started to climb over the rocks.
As I came to the other side, I gasped in surprise to find a man sitting there on a flat rock with his back to me. I felt a flicker of unease at finding myself alone with a stranger, especially one that was so big, with bulging muscles and broad shoulders that stretched the fabric of his t-shirt.
But then he turned at the sound of my gasp and I recognized him. It was the man from the party last night, the one that I admired from across the room. He was even better looking up close, with a sharp jawline and brown hair that he kept cut short. His bright blue eyes were utterly captivating, and I found myself relaxing as I saw the open friendliness on his face.
I didn’t know him, even though he’d been at the party, and I knew that it was probably not smart to assume he was harmless, but my gut told me that there was nothing to worry about. I wasn’t sure why, but I immediately felt comfortable in his presence.
“Hi,” I said, giving him a smile.
He looked surprised to see me and strangely pleased. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“Hello. I’m Briggs.”
“Briggs?” I asked, shaking his outstretched hand. I felt a rush of warmth as we touched, the simple contact making my nerve endings come to life. “That’s unique.”
One side of his mouth twitched up in a sexy half-grin. “Actually, my full name is Jason Briggs, but I haven’t gone by my first name in so long that I don’t think I’d know how to respond to being called by it.”
“Well, Briggs, I’m Sage Morgan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Something about the way he said those words, with the slight sultry tone of his voice, made me think that he really meant it. A shiver ran down my spine, and I wondered if he felt the same spark of attraction that I did.
“What are you doing over here?” I asked curiously.
Briggs turned back to the small, unoccupied stretch of beach on this side of the rocks and pointed. I saw that I was wrong, it wasn’t unoccupied after all.
“Is that a sea turtle?” I asked in awe, even though I could clearly see that it was.