This Can't Be Love (Whispering Bay Romance 5)

rse he was checking her out. He was a healthy, red-blooded male and she wasn’t exactly a troll. And the bikini was, well, on the skimpy side. It had been expensive for all its lack of material, and an impulse buy. One that she’d questioned more than a couple times, but right now, the way he was looking at her, she couldn’t regret blowing her budget to buy it.

Since he was familiar with the area, she let Luke lead the way through the warm water. They snorkeled near the edge of the coast, next to some rocks. A tiny seahorse swam by and, as Sarah reached out to touch it, she couldn’t help but laugh in delight.

Afterward, they waded their way over to the floating bar where the band was now playing reggae music. The smell of coconut oil filled her nostrils and the salty breeze floated over her skin as they listened to the island rhythm. They made friendly small talk with other couples and Sarah hadn’t felt so relaxed in ages, except every once in a while he’d look at her as if…as if he wanted to kiss her again. If he did, she wouldn’t just be putty in his arms. She’d kiss him back and demand a whole lot more.

The band finished their set and announced they were going on break.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Starving,” she admitted.

They swam back to his boat. She dried off and slipped on her tank top while he fetched the cooler and set up their meal. The sun was beginning to set and it suddenly occurred to Sarah that she was now the woman in the Luke/Jenna fantasy she’d created in her mind. Woman sitting on Luke’s boat wearing a bikini. Check. Basket of delicious food. Check. Romantic sunset. Double check.

How had today happened?

“About this afternoon at the dock,” she began.

He poured them each a glass of champagne and handed her one. “Yeah, Mimi never could act worth a damn.”

“I don’t understand. Why would your sister make all that up? About Jenna being sick?”

He screwed up his face. “Because she’s a hopeless romantic.”

“But I thought everyone wanted you and Jenna to get together.”

“That would be my mother and Viola. My sister, however, is intuitive enough to realize that Jenna and I have absolutely no chemistry.”

“Really? Because it seemed like she was hanging on your every word the other night.” Oops. That came out sort of…jealous sounding.

“What night?”

“Career night at the high school.”

At first, he seemed confused, then recognition set in. “She was hanging on my every word because she’s interested in hiring my company to do an environmental study to determine beach access parking.”

“Oh. And…that’s it?”

“Believe me, as far as I’m concerned Jenna Pantini is strictly business.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“If you’re asking if I’m romantically interested in her, then the answer is no.”

She swallowed hard. “Did you know that Mimi was going to pull a bait and switch?”

The way he looked at her made her stomach feel fizzy. Or maybe it was the champagne they were drinking. Or the way he smelled—a combination of fresh gulf air and warm sun that made her want to rub her nose all over his neck and chest. “A bait and switch,” he said, “implies that I’m stuck with something less desirable than what was originally advertised. As far as I’m concerned, that’s not the case here at all.”

Sarah’s face went hot. What was she supposed to say to that? She wished she was better at this subtle, sophisticated kind of flirtation, but she was definitely out of her league here.

“You knew I’d be the one going on today’s date?” Because she needed this clarified now. Before she did or said something foolish.

“Let’s just say Mimi was acting pretty strange. Or stranger than usual. She made up this whole thing about how I couldn’t pick up the picnic basket because of a chocolate cake and how she was going to deliver it to me personally at the marina, but it all sounded pretty hokey, so I knew something was up. So, while I didn’t know for sure that you’d be here,” he paused, “I hoped you’d be the one on this date.”

Okay. He wasn’t being subtle anymore. This was about as direct as you could get. He waited for her to say something. “That’s…nice.”

Gah! What a perfectly boring thing to say.

He seemed disappointed, too. He’d thrown the ball in her court and she hadn’t even tried to go after it. But she just couldn’t. If he kissed her again, she wouldn’t be able to stop at just a kiss. She knew that now. Then what? They were roommates, with another couple of weeks to go. Sex would change things up between them, but whether it would change things for the better or the worse, she couldn’t say. It was probably best not to go there. Probably…