All he’d wanted to do was lose himself in Kelly and this place. She’d whisked him off like some dream, knowing exactly what he’d needed to pull him out of the work cycle he’d been drowning in.
He hadn’t seen it for himself—or maybe he hadn’t wanted to. But Kelly had. She’d been in tune with him from day one. No matter what he’d needed, she’d been there by his side. How had he missed the fact she had personal feelings for him?
Because he’d been utterly consumed with saving the world, at least that’s what it felt like most days, and he’d had complete tunnel vision.
That’s what had ended his engagement, though he wasn’t sorry that had happened. The feelings he had for Kelly over these past few days far surpassed anything he’d ever felt before.
And that scared the hell out of him.
“You’re thinking,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his over her chest. “I can practically hear you.”
“Just thinking of work,” he admitted.
Kelly tipped her head back and stared up at him. “That’s not allowed.”
He kissed her forehead. “I know, but I’m just wondering how you could be so aware of what I needed and I couldn’t see that you had feelings for me.”
“Who said I had feelings? Maybe I just wanted to jump your bones.”
Luke laughed. “Because I’m wide awake now and I can see it. You wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble for seclusion and you sure as hell wouldn’t have been intimate with me if you didn’t harbor strong feelings.”
She rested her head back against his shoulder and crossed her ankles out in front of her.
“No, I wouldn’t have,” she admitted. “But I also know this intimacy is all we can have. I won’t play second fiddle to anything, not even a career. I just wanted you to see me as more and I wanted to take this chance to make that happen.”
Oh, he saw her. He had no idea what to do now with all these emotions raging inside of him. Hearing her say she wouldn’t come second to anything made sense, but there was a ping of disappointment that she agreed they couldn’t be more. Clearly that’s what he had thought, but having the words out in the open seemed so final.
But what about a physical relationship? Who said they had to stop once they returned to Royal?
Only time would tell, and their days here were quickly coming to an end. They would both have to decide what would happen once they returned home and Luke had to find out if there was room in his life for anything other than Wingate.
Fourteen
Kelly let herself back in the bungalow after going to t
he gift shop once more. She’d seen a new sundress she wanted in the window the other day, but had gotten sidetracked by Luke and hadn’t gotten around to buying it. So she’d left him out on the patio drinking by the pool after their lunch and finally purchased it. She couldn’t believe they were leaving tomorrow morning. A part of her wanted to stay here forever, but they had to get back and start work again.
Not to mention the Christmas parties coming up, and then rolling into the new year, which would mean more meetings regarding the best ways to increase sales and generate new ideas for the company.
Kelly snuck into her room where she still kept her clothes, but she’d been spending her nights in Luke’s bed. She slid into the new strapless white dress that hugged her curves and had a wide slit going from her ankle to mid-thigh.
She made her way to the patio and stepped outside. Luke stood facing the ocean with his back to her, clearly still wet from his time in the pool.
“You like?” she asked, holding her arms out to the side.
He turned around and his mouth dropped. “That’s damn sexy.”
As much as his compliment warmed her, she couldn’t help but notice what he was holding. Kelly’s arms dropped to her sides as she took a step toward him.
“How did you get your phone?”
He had the widest smile on his face. “I saw you punch in the code once and I’m glad I did because I just had the best idea and I couldn’t wait to text Zeke about it.”
“What was that?”
As much as she didn’t want work life to interfere with what they had here, they were leaving tomorrow. She just wished she could’ve kept him from this for one more day. She wasn’t ready for that other life to creep in on their alone time.
“Why don’t we package our resorts to couples?” he suggested. “Instead of trying to appeal to families or corporate events, I think we should look into romantic getaways. Honeymoons, anniversaries, just-because trips. We need to market those to make guests feel like you and I do. Like work doesn’t exist or matter and they can escape from their problems.”