He hitched one shoulder as he stared out at the waves. “Killin’s never easy. But I’ve never taken a life without cause. There’s peace in that.”
She nodded solemnly. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a soldier.”
“Sailor, in my case. But semantics aside, most military men and women can’t imagine life as a civilian. It gets in their blood. In their brains.”
“Is it in yours?”
For a long while he didn’t answer. Eventually he said, “I’d be lyin’ if I said it wasn’t. But that don’t mean I’d choose to go back to it. I always knew I wanted out someday. That I wanted a normal life.”
She snorted. “I don’t think you’ll find anyone who considers treasure hunting a ‘normal life.’” She made air quotes.
“True.” A small grin twitched at his lips, and just that easily the gravity of the moment lightened. His tone was a bit too innocent when he added, “So back to the sleepin’ situation. I’ve been thinkin’ youshouldn’tsleep with me in my bed in a totally platonic fashion with a pillow fort built between us.”
“No?” She frowned.
“I’ve decided you should sleep with me in my bed in a totallynonplatonic fashion with nothin’ between us.”
She dropped her fishing pole and had to bend to retrieve it. All the blood rushed to her head. She blamed that for the squeaky sound of her voice. “Excuseme?”
“We should have sex.” He enunciated each word.
Oh my god!
Okay, so she could play this one of two ways. She could get all discombobulated and flabbergasted, which was surely what he expected. But she hated being predictable. So she quickly settled on option number two.
“Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “Let me think about that. Okay, I’ve thought about it, and while I concede it’s an interesting concept, I don’t think you could handle this.” She indicated the length of her body. “Doyouthink you could handle it?” She cocked an eyebrow suggestively, hopinghewas the one to get discombobulated and flabbergasted.
He swallowed convulsively before admitting, “Not sure, to be honest.” Then his expression turned lecherous. “But I’d love to give it a try.”
She laughed, remembering this was how it’d been between them before That Night.
Easy. Uncomplicated.Fun.
They’d been friends. Was it possible they could be friends again?
Is that the answer to how I should deal with him?
The idea had merit. If they were friends, she wouldn’t have to worry about losing her heart to him. If they were friends, she could look at all his teasing and flirting as amusing and entertaining without being scared it might turn into something more.
The longer she thought about it, the more she liked the notion.
Friends. Yeah. It could work.
“Haven’t you heard?” She slid him a sly smile. “All a man needs is a place to have sex, but a woman needs areason. So, what reason could I possibly have for sleeping with you?”
“Billy Crystal’s character inCity Slickerswas the one who said that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you’d know where the quote came from.”
“And thereasonwe should have sex,” he continued, “is simple. Because it would be fun.”
“Possibly,” she allowed.
“Definitely,” he countered, waggling his eyebrows.
“But it would also be complicated. And I detest complicated.” When her lure popped out of the water, she didn’t bother casting it back in. Instead, she propped the handle of the rod into the sand beside her feet. “So I propose an alternative. I propose we let bygones be bygones and agree to be friends.”
“Ow!” He grabbed his chest. “Did you get a splinter from driving a wooden stake into my heart?”
