Page 44 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“It’s the folklore associated with Dragonfly Pointe,” he admitted, giving her a side glance. “Supposedly kissing at Dragonfly Pointe means everlasting love.”

“Really?” She winked. “Good to know. Go check out your room.”

He walked down the hallway, peeking inside. “Geez. It looks totally different.”

“I thought it could eventually serve as your guest room,” she admitted. “Neutral shades of blues and greens. Only a touch of floral with the vines.”

He laughed. “I actually don’t mind. The reason I’m so into antiques is because I grew up having to tag along with my mother and Danielle Loughlin, who must have gone to every auction in the state. Jake and my dad came along most of the time too. With the help of an interior designer, Danny’s purchases have been used as décor throughout the Inn and even in the cabins. She and Jake keep a whole warehouse full of furniture so they can switch things up every few years.”

“The rooms are definitely some of the most beautifully decorated I’ve ever seen. And I should know, with all my travels.”

He nodded, noticing her gaze had turned heated.

“Well,” she said. “Let’s go for a quick swim before you have to drive me back.”

“Okay,” he answered gruffly. “I’d like that. I haven’t gone for a moonlight swim in a while.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Wren wasn’t sure that it was fair to lead Jeff on, but she couldn’t seem to resist the guy. It was strange how much they seemed to have in common.

Was she being a tease? No, not really. There was something about him that made her feel vulnerable – that made her see how much was really missing from her life.

Not to mention she wanted to know what it felt like to have his hands all over her, to run her own hands through his hair, over those strong broad shoulders, and through the dusting of hair covering his chest.

Would she continue to feel that same surge of excitement each and every time they touched?

Because she especially wanted to know what it would feel like when his mouth finally covered hers.

She stepped out to the deck through the French doors, and promptly began to strip off her clothes, leaving them on the deck.

“Are you coming?” she called out, peeking in at him through the door.

“Holy shit,” she heard him mutter as she ran from the deck along the pathway toward the pier, jumping into the water when she reached the end of the dock.

* * *

“Did I really just see Wren Matthews totally naked?” he asked himself out loud, definitely dazed as he stepped up to the door, looking down at the pile of clothes she’d left. “Yep.”

He started laughing as he walked outside, pulling off everything but the shorts he wore beneath his jeans.

Jeff made his way onto the pier, walking to the end where she was wading in the water.

She stood, giving him a come-hither motion with her fingers. “Get out of those shorts, Callahan. I don’t have any hangups about seeing what remains of your injured leg. Let’s get that behind us, shall we? It’ll make it easier for us to have that out of the way before we end up in bed together.”

He blinked, before barking out a loud laugh while slipping off his shorts and tossing them onto the grass behind him. “I can leave on the prosthetic can’t I, since it’s waterproof?”

“That’ll be fine,” she muttered, waiting for him to jump into the water.

Despite the enticing glimpses of her breasts, he very deliberately stayed away from her as they started doing laps, discussing some of the other improvements he planned to do outside when they stopped for a break.

“How are you coming along with the music you left with today?” she asked.

“Well,” he admitted. “I’ve got a couple more ideas for you too, which would still give you the opportunity to dance.”

“Hmm. That sounds intriguing. When I’m here, I promise I won’t bug you while you’re working. It was overpowering, theamazement I felt when I first heard your polished versions of my recordings. I noticed that you combined some of the recordings into one.”

He nodded as they studied each other face to face. “Sometimes, after I listen several times to your voice, I completely change my mind about what I’m planning to do with the recordings.”

---