“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Reed said, nudging her into her room. “Get some rest. And, Celia—”
“Yes?”
He kissed her roughly. “Be careful.”
He left before she could ask why he’d felt the need for that particular warning again. Something in his voice made her think he really was worried about something…but what? Damien’s possible reaction to her discussion with him? Surely not. Despite Damien’s exaggerated reputation, there had never been any hint that he was a violent man.
Tired now, Celia locked her door and headed into the bathroom. She shook her head at the disheveled reflection in the beveled-edge mirror. She’d wanted excitement on this trip, and she was certainly finding it.
So, how come she still felt like the world’s oldest living virgin?
Disgruntledly shaking her head, she changed and climbed into bed. Alone. As usual.
After briskly walking for almost an hour on the beach, Reed decided that maybe—just barely—he had himself under control enough to go to bed. He wasn’t expecting a good night’s sleep—not after sharing that bed so briefly and so unsatisfyingly with Celia—but maybe he’d get a few hours’ rest.
He was going to need them.
A virgin. He shoved his hand through his breeze-tossed hair and stared blindly out at the darkened horizon. How could he have known that Celia was so innocent?
Oh, sure, there’d been moments when he’d suspected…but he’d always convinced himself he was an idiot to even consider the possibility. At her age, with her looks, her yearlong friendship with Damien Alexander—well, it just hadn’t seemed possible.
“I’ve waited because I wanted it to be right, and it wasn’t before.”
“But it feels right now?”
“It feels right now.”
He groaned as the conversation replayed itself in his head. He’d known then that he couldn’t make love to her. Not yet. Not with so many lies between them.
Maybe he’d really known even before, when he’d opened his door to find her standing there looking so nervous and trying so hard to be breezy and nonchalant. It had taken a great deal of courage for her to come to him. A lot of trust.
He had discovered that he couldn’t take advantage of either.
A brief, humorless laugh escaped him. Funny, he’d never considered himself to be particularly noble, or selfless. He’d never wanted to be a candidate for sainthood. But tonight he’d known without question that Celia Carson deserved more than a quick tumble with a man who’d lied to her from the first time he’d spoken to her.
He fully intended to be the one to give her everything she deserved. Everything he had to give. But, first, he had to tell her the truth. All of the truth.
And then, somehow, he had to convince her to forgive him.
He thought of her quick temper and winced. It wasn’t going to be easy.
He turned and headed quickly toward the resort. He really needed to get some rest if he was going to be on his toes the next day.
Someone spoke from the shadows just as he reached the walkway beside his building. “I wondered if you were coming back tonight.”
The familiar murmur made Reed frown as he squinted to see the dark form that blended so well with the landscaping. “Kyle? What are you doing out here at this hour?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Let’s just say, I wanted to make sure you came back in one piece. Taking a big chance tonight, weren’t you?”
Reassured that nothing was wrong—at least, not seriously—Reed sighed wearily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know damned well what I’m talking about.” For the first time, Kyle sounded angry, though the conversation was carried on in cautious whispers. “We have a job to do, Reed. The guys we’re after play hardball. What do you think will happen to you if Alexander finds out you’re fooling around with his playmate while you’re waiting to catch him red-handed in a gun swap?”
Reed immediately became defensive. “Alexander’s busy tonight. He doesn’t even know I’ve been with Celia.”