One couldn’t be that choosy when one only got lucky a few timesayear.
And they were on this island together for at least five days. Until the weekend, he’d said. So why not have a little fun, however it worked outbetweenthem?
Besides, she was getting out of the army in another three months, so her previously rigid rules about not mixing work and kink didn’t need to apply anylonger.
She still couldn’t wrap her head around that change in her career path. But the options presented to her had been…stifling. She’d had a fantastic run, but after twelve years, she’d hit a glass ceiling. And she hated herself for not seeing it coming, for buying into the myth that she could go thedistance.
And maybe she could have if she was willing to take a brutal posting instead of the…ten other choices she’d havepreferred.
Ohwell.
Lemons into lemonade. She was heading to college. A freshman at thirty. She snorted. Well, it would be interesting atleast.
Interesting.
That’s what she needed this week tobe,too.
Running away from Quinn just to hide on the beach at her resort, that was the safe, easy way out. And not interesting in theleast.
She stuffed a bottle of water and a book into a tote bag, put on her favorite oversized sunglasses, wrapped a purple sarong loosely around her hips, and headed off down thebeach.
There were three resorts loosely connected together. She was staying at the eastern most hotel, and Quinn had accosted her at the western most one. Her wristband allowed her to use the beaches for all three, so she headed all the way to the other end and found a lounge chair close to thebeachbar.
It took Quinn thirty minutes to darken her with hisshadow.
She slowly lifted her head from her book and lifted an eyebrow up at him. “Hello.”
He was wearing a black tank top and black shorts. He looked almost menacing as he towered over her, all tanned skin and black-ink tattoos. Those had been well-hidden beneath his uniform, and yesterday she’d been too busy being frosty to properlyappreciatethem.
The man wasbeautiful.
And cocky. “You came back to mybeach.”
“I supposeIdid.”
He laughed and settled on the chair next to hers. “Having a goodholiday?”
She shrugged. “It’s quiet. But there’s a gorgeous beach and unlimited rumpunch,so…”
“Surely we can have higher standardsthanthat.”
“I actually won this trip, so I’m notcomplaining.”
“Ah.”
And suddenly she found herself telling him in loose terms about the conference in Seattle, and how she was expecting more people here from that event. “I think it really was just something someone donated,youknow?”
“Yeah.”
“So anyway, it’s fine, but since I saw you here yesterday, I thought maybe I’d come back. See what you wereupto.”
“Which is why you parked yourself on the beach instead of coming to ask for me at thefrontdesk.”
“Well, a girl can’t trytoohard.”
He grinned at her. “And a boy can never try hardenough.”
“I like the sounds of that.” She was teasing, mostly. If they were going to do something this week, even if it was just a single night together, she’d make it good for him. That was important to her, even if she refused to do anychasing.
