Amy blushed and drew back.“Race you to the beach blanket.Last one there is a rotten egg.”
She took off, but Ray remained.Wading into waist-deep water, he made a show of washing the sand off his arms and elbows, buying time.
He rejoined her on the blanket.“I guess you won this one.”
“I guess so.”She grinned.
Ray lay on his back beside her, breathing in her scent.Surf and sand and sunscreen and just Amy.She was driving him crazy.All he could think about was burying his face between those perfectly shaped breasts.Or rolling over onto her body and…
“You never told me what you do for a living,” she said.
That brought his brain back to normal.
“Emily and I guessed that you’re a teacher.Well, Emily guessed, because she teaches high school, and she noticed how much patience you had with the kids.”She looked at him with anticipation.“Did we guess right?”
“No.Not a teacher.”
Amy was still looking at him, waiting for more.
He realized he couldn’t put this off any longer.“I’m actually between jobs right now.After college I sold cars for a while in Stillwater—customers love a football hero—but I got bored with that and moved on.My last job was selling tractors and heavy equipment in a town near my family’s farm.”The farm he’d been so hell-bent to get away from.“But nothing matches the rush of playing football.”
He glanced away a minute before daring to look back at her, fearing disappointment in her eyes.Her mouth was pinched, her expression thoughtful.She was probably figuring out a way to politely extricate herself from this loser.
In an effort to break the awkward silence, he asked, “What are your plans after you finish graduate school?”Listening to her ramble on about her career path, it was painfully obvious that Amy Pratt was leagues above him in the life-planning department.A girl like her was better suited to someone like his younger brother, Bobby.The kid had always been smart as a whip.He’d earned an academic scholarship to college, not a jock ride as Ray had.And, like Amy, Bobby had his whole life planned out.
“Hi, you two.”
Ray looked up to see Emily and Doug approaching.From their flushed and happy faces, he guessed they’d had a wonderful nap.The kind of nap his body ached to engage in with Amy.
What was it about this woman that pressed all his buttons?Nothing about his lackluster Oklahoma future matched her picture-perfect life.He should just walk away before someone got hurt.
Doug slapped Ray’s shoulder.“You up for some bodysurfing?”
Ray jumped to his feet and stripped off his T-shirt.“You’re on.”
“We have your room ready, Mr.and Mrs.Clarke.”The clerk behind the desk proceeded to explain to Carrie’s parents about all the amenities, including the free Wi-Fi and a long list of other things that no one really cared about.
Not seeing Carrie anywhere in the lobby, Amy wrapped the towel more tightly around her waist and twisted to face her brother.“You guys go on up without me.I’m going to say hi to Carrie’s folks.”
“Will we see you again tonight?”Doug asked.
“Emily will.”Amy turned to her future sister-in-law.“You’re still coming to the bachelorette party, right?”
“Absolutely.”She patted Doug’s arm.“This guy is ditching me early to keep a date with a football game in the bar.”
“Hey, you said you wanted to go to the party,” Doug protested.
“I do.”Emily sank into her fiancé and, raising her chin, lightly kissed his lips.“We can make our own fun later.”
Doug didn’t say a word, but he stared down at Emily like he’d forgotten anyone else was in the hotel.
The flash of heat between those two was so strong that Amy actually took a step back and resisted the urge to fan herself.
Ray lingered, his gaze shifting from the happy couple to her.For a brief moment she thought she saw the same hunger in his eyes.She probably did.She’d seen it on the beach, in the water, and, now that she thought about it, pretty much all morning during their Honolulu tour.Didn’t all men think about sex every nine seconds or something ridiculous like that?She’d only be kidding herself to believe he could feel about her the way Doug did about Emily.
When she’d swam up behind Ray earlier and knocked his feet—and his swim trunks—out from under him, he’d come up spewing water like Old Faithful, fire in his eyes, ready to lunge at the person foolish enough to tackle him.Instead his eyes had landed on Amy, and his expression had softened.Now a wary smile graced his features.She wished instead that the tender expression from before still stared back at her.
“I think I’ll get a cool drink in the bar,” Ray said.
