Page 24 of Tempting Me

“Do not blame me for your lack of manners, Luca.”

“I have manners, Shay.”

“Yeah, right, they are just beaming with light right now, Luca.”

“They were before you showed up, Shay.”

“Stop saying my name after every sentence, Luca.”

“You stop.”

“No, you stop.”

“Oh fuck, we’re proving her point,” I snap and then toss back my beer.

When I’m finished, I glance at Shay because, to be honest, I’m stunned that she’s still here.

Her eyes are on my throat, but as soon as she senses that I’m watching her, those golden irises flicker to mine.

“You’re still coming tonight, right?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Well, yeah, but we can't even be around each other for sixty seconds without fighting.”

“Looks like we need to figure it out.”

I move to walk away, but she reaches out, her slight hand wrapping around my wrist to stop me.

A rush of heat flashes through my body.

I jerk my hand back, my heart racing.

“Don’t come too early,” she says. Her tone is the one she uses with everyone but me. Between that and the way my body just reacted to her touch, I’m off balance.

Because I’m not sure how to respond maturely, as Grace put it, I lean forward to whisper in her ear.

“Now, now, Shay, that’s my line.”

She sucks in a breath, her attention now focused on my lips.

Fuck. She’s doing it again.

And when she looks at me like she is right now, my brain thinks we need to respond. Grab her, kiss her, push her against the brick building and press my body against hers just to feel the touch of her slender fingers holding on to me.

I don’t know how to respond to Shay when she’s anything but snappy or witty.

But then someone walks by and bumps her shoulder, pulling her from the trance she’d fallen into, and she huffs.

“You wish.”

She walks off before I can say another word.

Which is fine. Honestly, I’m not sure where that conversation could have gone outside of becoming awkward anyway.

I pop back into Hudson’s Bar and set my empty glass down then head back outside. This time, I’m greeted with kids running around and tourists from the lodge chatting about how they can’t wait to get back out on the water before the sun goes down.

It’s a fresh reminder that no matter what issues Shay and I have, returning The Marina to its full potential is a common goal. Sure, I don’t own it and won't profit from its success, but my work will be everywhere people look in that place, and someday when I have my own family, I’ll be proud to take them there. It will hold different memories than it does now.

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