Page 12 of Switching Places

Stretching out on his towel, his long legs pushed into the sand.

“Don’t let me sleep long enough to get burned,” he mumbled, pillowing his head on his stacked hands.

In two seconds Emma heard the deep breathing. He’d fallen asleep.

Life in the fast lane, she thought wryly. She proved so exciting, her companion fell asleep before they’d been on the beach for ten minutes.

Logan awoke still feeling exhausted. His internal clock kept him from sleeping soundly. Time enough for that later when he’d sleep the night through. Opening his eyes a slit, he stared at Lily. She sat beside him, watching the surf. Turning his wrist slightly, he saw he’d been asleep for more than forty-five minutes. He was surprised she’d hung around.

As long as he’d known her, she had been too restless to sit still for any length of time. Always on the go, always wanting fun and people and action, it seemed unlike her to sit quietly on the beach while he slept.

Another inconsistency to ponder. Once he caught up on his rest, he’d figure it out. For now he liked looking at her. In the sun, the highlights in her hair shone almost gold. He’d always thought of her hair as just light brown, but the streaks of brightness added an intriguing aura. Her profile was perfect, with the wisp of bangs on her forehead teasing his fingers to brush them away.

She seemed paler than when he’d last seen her, but the golden sheen to her skin drew his eye, as did the sleek one-piece bathing suit. While far from old-fashioned, it nevertheless covered more of her than normal. Yet he found it alluring.

Alluring? Heck, this was Lily, the next-door neighbor he borrowed coffee from, not some woman to get involved with.

Yet he could swear there was something different about her, something that caught his attention. Attracted to her? He didn’t like the idea. When he’d first met her, he’d felt nothing. Over the past couple of years, nothing. Why today?

It had to be the jet lag. It had to be because he was so completely exhausted.

It seemed as if he were seeing her for the first time, seeing how drop-dead gorgeous she looked. And seeing a different side to her.

She licked her lips, her pink tongue darting out for a second. Desire gripped him. Shocked him. He couldn’t believe he had the hots for his neighbor. He didn’t like glamour women. Crystal had taught her lesson well, and shattered any illusions he might have held.

But for the first time he really saw Lily as a beautiful woman. And there was something different about her, something softer, almost sweet.

She turned, saw he was awake and smiled. Logan held still, amazed at the lust that swamped him.He wanted her. Here and now. In his bed, her bed, later. It didn’t matter, he wanted Lily Rambeau.

“Did that take off the edge?” she asked, her eyes bright with an innocence that surprised him.

“It’ll do.”

Stunned at his reaction, at his body’s response to the woman beside him, he pushed himself up and turned quickly toward the ocean. With the abbreviated bathing suit he wore, his lusty feelings would be clear for the world to see in about two seconds. A cool swim was in order.

“A quick dip will help me shake the dregs.”

Walking away before she could scramble to her feet, he plunged into the waves, swimming beyond the surf and into the deeper water. It wasn’t cold enough.

Lily followed and in seconds swam up beside him, keeping pace.

“Wow, this is much colder than I expected. Not at all like Virginia Beach,” she said, swimming in wide circles around him when he began to tread water.

“When were you in Virginia Beach?” he asked, kicking lazily.

Her hair was plastered to her head, droplets sparkled from her lashes. He wanted to taste the salt on her lips, the sweetnessbehind them. Meeting her gaze, he went on alert. She looked as guilty as a child caught stealing cookies.

“One time a while back.”

She moved away, Logan followed.

“Tell me about it, you never mentioned it before.”

He easily caught up, kept pace.

“The water there is much warmer. This water’s cold.”

“I’m surprised you came in. Usually you don’t.”

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