Cape Cod Promises (Love on Rockwell Island 2)

Lord knew her love hadn’t been anywhere near strong enough...

Darn it. She’d come here tonight to have fun with the girls, not fall deeper into her Do I still foolishly love Trent Rockwell? hole. But before she could change the subject, Jocelyn nodded toward the front window.

Trent and his brothers were walking into the restaurant. When they entered, Reese’s ability to think evaporated with the night breeze that followed them inside.

Chapter Five

THE HIDEAWAY WAS supposed to be the perfect place for forgetting about Reese for an hour or two while hanging out with his brothers. But the moment Trent walked in and saw Reese sitting with Sierra, Shelley, Annabelle, and Jocelyn, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman he still loved.

The amber-colored blouse she wore set off her wide, surprised eyes, and her hair was loose and carefree, the way Trent had always loved. The din of the restaurant fell away, and all that remained was the pulse of energy blazing a path between them.

“Go on.” Derek gave Trent a gentle nudge.

Reese was watching Trent with the same mix of confusion and interest as she had last night, while he was hit with such longing for the woman he’d once called his own that he wasn’t sure he could handle a single drink.

“What are you doing here?” Shelley asked, clearly thrilled to see Quinn as she rose to kiss him.

“Kissing my girl.”

“Hey, guys.” Sierra smiled up at them rather than asking why they were crashing her girls’ night. “Pull up a seat.”

Trent tore his eyes from Reese long enough to catch a glance between Sierra and Quinn that he couldn’t read. Had Quinn known they were going to be here? Had he and Sierra planned this to try to push him and Reese back together?

But by the way his brother pulled up a chair beside Shelley, draped an arm over her shoulder, and whispered something in her ear that made her flush, Trent figured it was far more likely that Quinn simply couldn’t stand to be apart from Shelley—rather than that he was setting his hand at matchmaking. The guy was so damn happy it was sickening. Great for Quinn and Shelley, but nauseating all the same.

Ethan and Derek pulled up chairs from another table and sat beside Jocelyn and Annabelle, leaving only the space beside Reese for Trent. As he reached for an empty chair from the table behind Reese, he couldn’t help but wonder about his siblings again. They’d never done any matchmaking before. And yet...

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked Reese.

Though she shook her head, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. He could see the pulse beating fast at her throat—and when their eyes met, the breath caught in his throat.

It had been ages since he’d seen that look in her eyes, but it was one he’d never forget. It was the look she’d gotten seconds before they’d ripped each other’s clothes off in the bathroom of another restaurant ten years ago...or on the golf course late at night...or on the beach under the stars…

That look surprised the hell out of him, though it shouldn’t, because he knew he was giving her the exact same one.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked away.

Apparently she hadn’t realized she was giving him that look, either. Not until he looked back at her with it mirrored on his own face.

That turned him on and worried him at the same time. Their sparks were definitely still there. It hadn’t been his imagination the other night. But her reaction just now, turning away, fighting the connection—that made his stomach twist.

“I’ll bet the five of you got quite a few glances tonight,” Ethan said in his easy way.

Trent clenched his jaw against the idea of any other guy looking at Reese, even though he knew it happened all the time because she was so damned beautiful. Damn it. He’d better get a grip on his emotions, or he’d end up tangling his hand in her hair and kissing her like he’d been aching to do since he’d bumped into her at Shelley’s.

He knew from their history—and from that look—that they wouldn’t stop there.

He stole another glance at her, and when she caught him looking, her lips parted on a silent gasp. Their knees brushed under the table, and heat seared through him. As their eyes held for another beat, he longed to tell her so many things.

You look incredible.

It’s so nice to be near you again.

I’m so sorry for everything I did wrong.

I’m dying to kiss you.

Knowing he had to put space between them before he did something stupid, Trent rose to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her. “I’m going to the bar to get a pitcher of beer.”

After Trent ordered the pitcher, he watched from the bar as Reese frowned and fidgeted nervously with her hands in her lap. Just as he was returning to the table with the pitcher and glasses, Reese pushed back her chair and made a beeline for the door.