“Do your friends know you’re here now?”
“No.”
“I expect they warned you to stay away from me.”
Instead of denying it, she nodded. “Emily did, but she’s almost as cautious about relationships as you are. Sky had already told me to have sex with you, but I think she was a little surprised to discover how quickly I took her advice.”
He swore under his breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “You told them?”
“We talk about things.” She was up front and honest. “If I hadn’t told them, they would have guessed. They’re my closest friends. I trust them.”
And that was another difference between them.
What did he know about trust?
About as much as he knew about the sort of friendship she was describing.
He couldn’t imagine revealing such intimate details to another person. He’d never revealed anything, confessed anything or confided in anyone. He didn’t see the point of giving someone ammunition they could use against you when they managed to find plenty without help.
And never in a million years would he have discussed his sex life with anyone.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
She leaned on the railing and stared out at the sea, darkened to an oily black under a midnight sky. “When I was young I used to love this place almost as much as Castaway Cottage. Did you know Philip was offered a huge sum of money by a developer for the land? The same person who wanted to buy my place?”
“Yes.”
“Of course you do.” She traced her finger over the smooth wood of the railing. “You stayed in touch?”
“He was better at it than I was.”
She nodded in understanding. “Sometimes when you’re busy living your life, home seems very far away. How involved with the camp are you?”
He could have told her the exact extent of his involvement but that would have meant revealing information he made a point of not sharing.
“I help out when they need it.”
She gave a crooked smile. “You knew every path through the forest. You could name every tree and every berry.”
“I liked being outdoors. It made sense to me.”
“Philip tells me the sponsorship money has increased. That’s good. I still remember those kids who came from the city for the first time. They arrived here not knowing the difference between an oak and a pine and by the time they left they could build a camp in the forest and cook their own food.”
“I was one of those kids. It’s an important education. Connecting kids with the outdoors.” For him it had been more than that. It had been life changing and it had triggered his interest in nature and the wilder areas of the planet.
“Philip tells me the Marine Center is involved.”
“They run sessions on coastal ecology and the marine environment. He’s thinking of adding in archaeology.”
“Good plan.” She nodded. “I ran an archaeology club for local kids when I was in Cambridge. It was four times oversubscribed. Everyone wants to be Indiana Jones.”
“You should talk to him.”
“Which brings me back to my reason for being here. Do you mind if I spend time here over the next few weeks? I don’t want it to feel awkward.”
“It isn’t awkward.” It was other things, though. It was tense and arousing.
And it was dangerous.