Reid guided Maggie to the left, and they circled around until they were almost behind where they had emerged from the door.
“The ocean side,” he said, positioning himself behind her again, circling his arms around her waist. “See the boardwalk down there? And the waves pounding against the shore? This is where the surfers hang out all year. And if you look up, it’s the best seat in the house for the stars.”
Maggie followed his gaze up to the night’s sky, where the stars twinkled, and she was amazed at how they shown in the coastal sky.
“Where’s the Big Dipper?” Maggie asked, struggling to remember what she learned two years ago standing atop the planetarium in astronomy class.
“Right there,” Reid said, tilting her head a tad to the right. His hand grazed her neck and fiddled with the tie again before moving to her shoulder.
Maggie leaned into Reid’s touch, willing him to keep massaging her shoulder. The circles he was drawing on her skin were driving her insane. She forgot about the surfers, the beautiful view, and the stars. All she could hear was the crashing waves and the quiet sound of him breathing.
She wanted to know what he was thinking. He was cuddled up to her, and he had pretty much carried her all the way to the top. Surely, something was going to happen. She was definitely ready for him to make a move, judging by the butterflies taking flight in her abdomen. What had she said to Blair before the last cruise? No entanglements. Summer fun. Well, now was the time to put that plan into motion and hold up her end of the pact.
She turned so she was facing Reid and looked into his eyes. She looped her arms around his neck and tilted her head toward his.
“Reid?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Thanks for, you know. Thanks for bringing me up here,” she managed to finish.
His hands were at her bare back, stroking before bringing her face closer to his. Her blue eyes grew bigger, and then fluttered closed as she angled her lips toward his. Reid’s mouth was firm, but gentle when their lips met. Parting her lips for him, Maggie moaned as his tongue stroked hers.
Every nerve ending in Maggie’s body jolted to life the deeper the kiss became. It lit her from within like the 2,000-watt light that was spinning above them. She moved her hands down to his chest, feeling the taut muscles through the thin fabric of his T-shirt.
Reid meandered his kiss from her lips to her jawline before working his way to the sensitive spot on her neck below her ear. This was undoubtedly the hottest kiss of her life, and she wanted this feeling to go on. Like the view from the lighthouse, this feeling was beyond her wildest imagination.
For at least the third time in the last half hour, she felt her knees go weak, and she needed air. She wanted to press deeper into Reid, but she also needed to catch her breath. This was the kiss she had wanted for days, but never planned on it growing so intense this quickly, or stirring up so many feelings. As if survival instinct kicked in, she broke away and took a step that was an arm’s length from Reid. Immediately, she regretted it and wanted to be back in his warm embrace.
“You ok?” he asked breathlessly.
“I think so,” she offered. “That was ... well ... that was—”
“I know,” he said, stepping toward her, closing the gap between them, and shaking his head. She thought he was going to lean down and kiss her again, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the access door. “It’s a long way down, and we need to take it slow ... unlike the last few minutes. C’mon, let’s go find Blair and Justyn.”
Two
Maggie
“Riesling or pinot?” Maggie called over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator door.
She had finished a long, hot shower after an afternoon of sand dollar hunting. Now it was time to settle down on the front porch swing with Blair for a glass of wine and some all-important girl talk before they got ready for tonight’s party on Shirley Lane.
“Hmm, I’m craving something a tad crisp,” Blair responded from the porch. “Crack open that new pinot grigio.”
“Two glasses of pinot coming right up,” Maggie said, inserting the corkscrew and turning. She poured the wine in two antique-cut crystal glasses, adjusted the belt of her terry cloth robe, and headed to join Blair on the porch. A breeze from the sound blew, causing the wind chimes to clatter faintly. “Here you go.”
“Mmm,” said Blair, taking her glass from Maggie and a then helping herself to a sip of the gold liquid. “Hint of a pear finish, just like the label promised. Now that drinks are out of the way, let’s dish. We haven’t had the chance to discuss last night yet. I want to know what happened on top of that lighthouse. I know something did. I could tell by the look on your face when you got back to the boat, and you’ve been avoiding me all day. Spill it, G.”
It was true, well at least the part about them not having a chance to talk. It was well after 2 a.m. when they arrived home from the night cruise to the lighthouse, and neither had been in the mood to chat. Blair huffed upstairs, all but slamming the door behind her, before Justyn’s truck had reached the end of the driveway.
Maggie was lost in her thoughts, trying to make sense of that amazing kiss on top of Cape Lookout and wondering why Reid seemed to drift away from her as soon as it was over. The two barely said six words to each other on the ride back to the island. He simply squeezed her shoulder as a good-bye before she climbed into Justyn’s truck.
Maggie hadn’t purposely been avoiding Blair. Both girls slept in, and after breakfast, Blair darted off on a run. She must have needed to work off the lingering frustration from whatever happened during the late-night encounter with Justyn.
“I’m so confused,” Maggie whined. “Last night was amazing.” She took another sip of wine. “We kissed. Then, well. It was like he completely shut me out.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Blair said, sticking out her right hand and grabbing her friend’s left wrist. “Details. I need details. How was it? Was it as hot as you thought it would be? I mean, he’s totally adorable. And taking you to the top of the lighthouse? Please. That was such a scheme to get you alone.”
“You think so?” Maggie asked, her cheeks coloring.
Blair shot her friend a look that said you’ve got to be kidding me, and shook her head.