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

Besides learning how to ask for what she wanted in the bedroom, she was also quickly mastering the art of after-sex banter. He put his arm around her and she automatically burrowed herself against his side. She felt soft and warm and small, and something stirred inside his chest. He could get used to nights like this.

He instantly wiped that thought out of his brain. In a couple of weeks, they’d each go their separate ways. This thing between them…it was great, but they’d both agreed it was just for fun. “What’s going on with your food truck?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Frida and Ed should be back pretty soon. What are you going to do then?”

“I already told you. I’m spending Labor Day weekend with my mom.”

“For your birthday,” he said.

She nodded. “Yep. The big one.”

“That would be a matter of perspective.”

He could feel her smile. “What did you do for your thirtieth? If you can still remember, that is.”

“I’ll ignore that since I’ve just proven that I have the stamina of an eighteen-year-old.” She laughed. “I went to Vegas with a couple of buddies,” he said.

“Ah. Drunken shenanigans. I’ve never been to Vegas but it’s always looked like fun.”

“You’ve never been to Vegas?”

“Not all of us are big-time jet-setters, mister.”

“Then we should go sometime. It’s great for a long weekend. I’ll even take you to one of those cheesy shows.” The minute he said it he wanted to kick himself. The words had just slipped out of his mouth, but he wasn’t serious, because a trip to Vegas implied a longevity to their relationship that neither of them was looking for.

“Sure, why not? Vegas it is.” She said it with the same tone you’d tell a casual acquaintance that the two of you should get together for a drink sometime. You both knew it was never going to happen, but it was a nice thought anyway.

He should be relieved that she hadn’t taken him seriously. Correction: He was relieved that she hadn’t taken him seriously.

“You never answered my question about the food truck.”

“I’m still a little bit away from what I need to buy the truck. After the cruise, I’ll probably spend a few weeks in Cocoa Beach. I have a friend who owns a bakery who’s always looking for help.”

“How much is a little bit?”

She sighed. “Five thousand.”

“You’re kidding? That’s all? I can write you a check for that right now.”

He went to get out of bed, but she put her hand on his arm, stopping him. “Absolutely not.”

“Okay, then we’ll call it a loan. It would be an investment. Hell, it would be a great investment. People will be lining up to eat your food”

“I said, no, Luke. And I mean it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s important that I do this on my own. Besides, it would make it weird between us. What if I missed a payment or something?”

“We could do it through my accountant.” Which sounded really cold. To lighten things up, he added, “And don’t worry, if you missed a payment, I’d treat you just like everyone else. I’d send your ass to collections.”

She raised a brow. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She visibly relaxed and he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her back against him. He’d never liked this kind of post-coital cuddling before, preferring to go directly to sleep or get up and do something productive if he wasn’t tired. For some reason, though, tonight was different.

Luke was beginning to think that Sarah had fallen asleep when she said, “Thank you for offering to loan me the money. That’s really sweet of you.” She stretched up to kiss him tenderly on the cheek.

“I have a spare kidney if you need that, too.”