His phone buzzed. A dozen tasks waited for him; he answered automatically, the familiar grind pulling at him like a tide.
But for the first time, he wondered if it was pulling himawayfrom something instead of forward.
He shoved the thought down and headed to the elevator.
Rowan was restless.
Bagel kept staring at her with disgust, as if he knew exactly what her problem was and how to fix it, if only she’d listen. He’d disappeared and chewed through some old ropes in the back, found some guidebooks, and shredded them to create another homey spot on his own terms. She hadn’t even disciplined him this time, leaving him to his rabbit happiness.
Someone should have it.
God knows, she wouldn’t let herself.
Muttering a curse, she wiped down the counter for the third time and rearranged shelves. Ever since her sexy visit to Everett’s office, things had changed. It had been easy to keep herself separate when his job and business life had been off-limits. It was like a game—a summer fling to treasure as long as the rules held.
Rowan figured it would be easy. Until the man had blown her mind by taking a surfing lesson. And then doing it again.
He cooked dinner for her. Held her all night long and never wanted to leave. Shared Kelsey with an open heart, trusting her with his daughter. Now, he’d invited her to an important dinner with his boss, who he needed to impress.
He’d told his assistant he was out surfing and canceled a meeting. For Kelsey. For her.
Rowan could have kept to the rules as long as he’d remained the same man she’d met. The grumpy control freak in a designer suit who didn’t know how to laugh. But he’d changed, and captured her heart, and she was terrified to face the truth.
Huffing out an annoyed breath, she wandered into Tino’s workshop. The scent hit her first—sharp resin and salt. Pushing through the warped wooden doors, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Dust motes spun in golden shafts of sunlight cutting through the slats, catching on the rows of surfboards lined against the wall. Each one gleamed like a sculpture, lean and perfect, as if they had been born, not built.
Tino bent over a board balanced on the shaping stand. His big hands moved in slow, steady strokes, the rasp of sandpaper singing low and rhythmic in the silence. The white foam curled away, falling like snowflakes to the ground. He didn’t look up.
“Morning, girl.”
“Hey, Tino.” Rowan stuffed her hands in her shorts pockets. “New order?”
He nodded once, still sanding the rails. “Kid wanted soft edges. Forgiving. He’ll wipe out plenty, but the board won’t punish him for it.”
Rowan watched his hands. “And the nose?”
“Rounded. Slower to catch a wave, but easier once he’s up. Not all boards gotta be sharp.”
She rocked on her heels and stayed quiet as he finished up. The rasping stopped. He straightened and ran his palm over the rail, eyes half closed as if he could hear the board breathing. Then he set the sandpaper aside.
“You keep staring backward,” he said simply.
Her throat closed. “Excuse me?”
Tino finally looked at her. His eyes were dark, steady, the kind that didn’t let you wriggle free. He tapped the blank under his hand. “Ocean doesn’t care about the wave you missed. Another’s already building.”
“I got back in the water.”
He gave a humph, shaking his head. “That’s not what we’re talking about, girl.”
Rowan’s chest tightened until she had to swallow hard. She thought of her father, of the injury, of the contests she would never surf again. She thought of Kelsey’s hopeful face in the white water.
But mostly? It was Everett that haunted her. The way his eyes blazed with fierce hunger when he was buried deep inside her. The tenderness of his hand on her cheek when he was listening, allowing her the space and silence to share. The laughter that rolled from his chest, finally unbound, wrapping around her in comfort. The way he loved his daughter and struggled with his demons that held more passion than she’d imagined.
It had only been a summer but he’d already changed her. Broken every rule.
She was in love with him.
She was so screwed.
