Page 18 of Two Favors Repaid

He grabbed her around the shoulders, and she felt his leg lock behind her knee. She would have lost her balance, except he grabbed her and held her in place. He lowered his head towards her until she could see specks of gold in his deep green eyes. She held her breath as his head came even closer. Their lips touched. Her pulse sky rocketed. She opened her mouth and let him in. He explored her mouth softly and gently for a minute, not increasing the intensity.

It was the most intimate moment she’d ever experienced. He tasted fresh and salty, and she couldn’t get enough of him. She gave a breathy moan, hoping it would go on forever.

Unfortunately, Rob chose exactly that moment to end the kiss. He straightened his arms, pushing her away though still holding on to her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean …”

“I did,” she said, still breathless. She stood on her tiptoes and stepped in closer, pushing against his arms. She got close enough to feel his heartbeat. He was anything but calm. He didn’t resist as her mouth found his. The second kiss was as delicious as the first and went on until they both had to come up for air. Finally, she pulled back. Her knees felt shaky.

“That was …” Rob looked shaken.

“It was,” she said, nodding. “But I need to get back to town.”

“I’ll drive you.”

#

Rob

It was a slow morning even by Sharp’s Cove standards, which meant Rob had plenty of time to relive the kiss. He spent half the morning trying to coax Mrs. Robinson’s feline from a tree and would probably have spent there all day had the cat not gotten bored in the end and decided to jump from the tree onto her roof.

A part of him refused to feel guilty for the single most amazing kiss of his life. They were both consenting adults, and he’d admired Emma from afar for years. She’d looked so lovely that morning, the temptation had been too hard to resist.

The rest of him knew it couldn’t happen again. Emma had gone through a traumatic event last year. She needed someone who would help her get through that. She needed him to be a friend, not a man who’d maul her.

So it couldn’t happen again—even if that kiss would stay with him forever.

Alma called just as Rob was getting ready to stop for some lunch. Rob sighed as he listened to the dispatcher. Food was going to have to wait. He drove down to the docks and parked the patrol car by the eastern pier, close to the spot where he parked every night while heading home to his boat.

It was almost three years ago that he’d bought the thirty-year-old boat. He’d spent the first year restoring it until it was in a state where he could move in. That same day he’d handed the keys to his apartment back to his landlord. He’d never regretted it. He might not be spending much time in the water anymore, but he still loved the feel of it under his feet.

He walked past his own boat and most local boats and headed to the far end where the larger pleasure craft were docked. He stopped at number 33 and admired the beautiful sailboat for a second.

Too bad the owner’s such an asshole.

As if summoned by Rob’s thoughts, a man appeared on the top deck. Jeff Carlysle was in his fifties, fit and bronzed beyond reason. As usual, he wore tan chinos and a gently wrinkled dark blue linen shirt. The man seemed to have an endless collection of both of those items.

A part of Rob couldn’t help but admire Carlysle, a man who’d made his first billion by the time he turned thirty. Rob had grown up poor. He knew what it was to go to bed without dinner and knew also that there was something much worse than hunger, and that was watching those you loved go without. In his case, his little sister.

So yes, he might admire Carlysle for his success, but the man was still an asshole who lorded his money over the town and used his friendship with the mayor to try and get special treatment from the sheriff’s office.

“Ah, Officer Hope,” the man said in a loud, jovial voice, “it’s about time you showed up.”

That’s Chief Deputy Hope to you, and it’s been less than fifteen minutes since you spoke to Alma.

Rob barely restrained himself from uttering the petty reply. He nodded noncommittally instead.

“Mr. Carlysle. What can I do for you?”

The older man walked across the platform and jumped onto the pier. Rob hoped he’d be feeling half as sprightly ten years from now.

“Somebody was outside my boat last night.”

Rob stared blankly at the man. As far as he knew, Carlysle didn’t yet own the pier.

“It’s high season, Mr. Carlysle. Perhaps the owner of a neighboring vessels was—”

“Don’t be an idiot, Hope. This was at four in the morning. I looked out the window and saw a slim man skulking around. He certainly didn’t look like he owned any of these boats.”