Summer Escape with the Tycoon

“My pleasure,” he replied gruffly.

He’d been married to Murielle for six years. Dated her for two before that, after meeting her through mutual friends. He’d been a typical guy in college and he’d dated as much as anyone. But this sweet interaction affected him as deeply as any of his previous relationships, including his marriage. And he’d known Molly less than a week. How could that be?

He stayed awake until Molly’s breathing evened out and the grip on his hand eased. Then he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Molly woke, she discovered Eric snuggled tightly against her on the single bed, the second bed he’d pulled over next to hers now empty. He was still outside her sleeping bag, dressed in his sweats and hoodie, but he must have got cold in the night and moved closer for body heat.

Not that she was complaining. His arm was draped over her ribs possessively, his thighs next to hers. It had been a long, long time since she’d awakened next to a man, and it made her want to move closer. To unzip the sleeping bag and remove some of the barriers between them.

It also made her think of the night before, and the horrible nightmare, and how he’d been there to hold her hand and talk her through it. Just as bad as the near drowning, had been remembering the rescue. How unfair that she’d been saved only two months before Jack had been taken from them.

Eric sighed in his sleep and tenderness washed over her. He wasn’t just incredibly sexy; he was a good man underneath. The story about how he’d helped his mother after his dad had left said a lot about the man he was.

Morning light filtered through the fabric of the tent, and when Molly shifted a little, Eric’s eyelids fluttered open. They met hers for a moment, and her heart gave a solid whomp against her ribs at the connection that flowed between them. She liked him, sure, but there was also this elemental attraction that she kept trying to ignore but refused to be locked away. He lifted his hand and put it against her cheek and she closed her eyes for a moment, lost in the tenderness of the touch.

“Did you sleep?” he asked, his voice rough from disuse.

She nodded. “Much better, after...”

A small smile curved his lips. “Sorry about the close quarters. I got cold.”

“You didn’t need to stay,” she said, though she was incredibly glad he had.

“Yeah, I did.” He moved his hand off her ribs, and she suddenly felt a little bit cool from the lack of contact and the weight of his palm on her sleeping bag.

“Well, thank you. I slept better with you here, for sure. No

more nightmares.”

“That’s good.” They were practically whispering, even though there wasn’t a sound from the other campers. “I should go, though. Because, you know.”

“Because someone might see you leaving my tent?”

“Yeah. That.” He smiled wider. “We keep telling people there’s nothing going on, but...”

“Yeah. We seem to keep ending up together.”

Eric leaned forward and, to her great surprise, kissed her forehead. “I’m gonna go before I do give them something to talk about. Are you okay to paddle today?”

She wasn’t, but she’d figure it out. She also knew the important thing was to get back in the boat. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

He slid off the bed and stood, then stretched, moving his arms out to the side instead of up in the air, where they would have touched the top of the tent dome. Then with a wink, he slipped into his sandals, unzipped the flap and disappeared.

Molly flipped to her back and stared at the ceiling. There was something going on between them, and it wasn’t just friendship and comfort. The big question was, what did she want to do about it? And were they possibly on the same page?

* * *

They avoided making eye contact during breakfast, but when they arrived on the beach to get ready for the day’s trip, Shawn approached. “Hey, you two. I thought maybe today you’d like to go in a two-seater. It’s a little more stable and we were thinking it might make you a little more comfortable, Molly.”

She hoped she wasn’t blushing. Still, why should she? Why did it matter what people thought? So what if she and Eric had struck up a...friendship on this trip? Courtroom confidence was one thing, but when was she going to be more self-assured in her personal life?

She thought back to attending the benefit with Ryan and how she’d found it very easy to turn down any offers of more than friendship. She’d had no problems with self-assurance then. So maybe it was Eric. Maybe it was him plus the discovery that she was going to be making a life change that had her all discombobulated.

But once again, her brain asked, Who cares?