McCarthys of Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-3 (68 page)

“I was focused on all the wrong things. Maybe he never set the world on fire, but he sure did set
me
on fire. Still does.”

“That’s so exciting.”

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s the comfort. Am I attracted to him—again—because it’s comfortable? Because I know he won’t crush me? Or is it more than that?”

“You thought about him for seventeen years. That has to count for something.”

“True.”

“Don’t overanalyze it. Just enjoy it. After all you’ve been through, you deserve some joy. If being with Luke brings you joy, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Being with Luke had always brought her joy.

“You’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.”

“I have to be back by September fifth,” Sydney said, her blood going cold at the thought. “Sentencing for the guy who hit us.”

“Oh God, Syd. Do you have to be there?”

“Someone has to represent Seth and the kids. I try not to think about it, but it’s like my life is on hold in many ways until that’s over.”

“You’ve got a few weeks until you have to face that. In the meantime, you’ve got a sexy guy who sets you on fire.”

Sydney nodded in agreement and took the conversation in a lighter direction, but she still worried over whether she was entering into a relationship with Luke for the right reasons or because being with him was so damned easy.

When things had calmed down at the marina later that afternoon, Luke backed his truck up to the marina’s main building and pulled out the hose. He washed the grime and salt off the outside and was vacuuming the inside when Big Mac ambled up to him.

“Are you sick or something?”

“Very funny.”

“The only other possible explanation for this unprecedented event is a hot date.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Big Mac stood up to his full six-foot-four-inch height and dropped the sunglasses down his nose so he could take a good long look at Luke over the top of them. “Try pulling that evasive act on someone who hasn’t known you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper.”

Luke wilted a bit under the older man’s scrutiny, the same way he had at eight when he’d hung around the marina hungry for even a second of Big Mac’s time and attention. And Big Mac, being Big Mac, had taken the fatherless boy under his wing and kept him there ever since. “And your point is?”

“Rumor has it you’re seeing that Donovan girl again.”

“So what about it?”
 

“I just hope you’re being careful. That’s all.”

Luke ran a damp cloth over the dusty dashboard. “I am.”

“You sure about that?”

“Why don’t you say what’s on your mind,” Luke said, fighting off exasperation.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Big Mac leaned against the truck. “I remember how it was last time. That summer she didn’t come back.”

Luke could still recall the agony. No other word could do it justice—pure, unadulterated agony.
 

“I don’t want to see that happen again.”

“It won’t,” Luke said with more confidence than he felt. He’d do whatever he could to make sure it didn’t.

“She’s been through an awful thing. People come out the other side of something like that changed.”

“I can’t see how it wouldn’t change a person.”

“See to it she doesn’t use you to put the pieces back together and then move on like she did last time.”

“Now wait just a second—”

Big Mac held up a huge hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to overstep.”

“You didn’t. You can’t overstep with me. You know that.” Luke dropped the rag and rested his hands on his hips, fighting a range of emotion that included anger, fear and a bit of despair. “I hear what you’re saying, and I appreciate why you’re saying it.” Luke paused, took a moment to get himself together and then looked up at the man who meant the world to him. “Am I a chump for giving her another chance?”

“Nah,” Big Mac scoffed. “You’re only a chump if you ignore the handwriting on the wall telling you history is about to repeat itself.”

Luke responded with a brisk nod.

Big Mac squeezed Luke’s shoulder. “Have a good time tonight.” He walked away but left the weight of his concerns behind.
 

Turning back to the truck, Luke stared into the cab for a long time before he finished the job.
 

Chapter 8

Big Mac’s concerns stayed with Luke the rest of the day and into the evening as he showered and shaved. Wiping the steam from the mirror, he took a good long look at his reflection. He’d never had any trouble attracting female attention, but no matter how many women he met, there’d never been another Sydney Donovan. For years he’d actually made a concerted effort to connect with other women, but it just hadn’t happened. After a while, he’d stopped bothering and accepted he was fated to love just one woman in his lifetime.

“Maybe I am a chump,” he said. “How many guys would give a woman a second chance after what she did to me?” Even as he said the words, however, he couldn’t seem to work up the energy to be mad with her or to resent her for something that’d happened when they were little more than kids. Still, the worry nagged at him and took something away from the thrill of knowing he was going to see her again—soon.

Remembering how much Sydney liked seafood, he’d made a reservation at the Lobster House. He dressed in pressed khakis and a button-down shirt he left untucked. After rolling up the sleeves, he put on the shark’s tooth she’d admired and slid his feet into leather flip-flops. This was about as fancy as it ever got for him. He hoped it was good enough for her. He hoped
he
was good enough for her.

As much as he’d loved being close to her last night, the niggling doubts had him wondering if they were moving too fast. After all she’d been through, after all she’d put him through, maybe they were on a road to ruin. A wise man would dial it back a notch. He liked to think of himself as a wise man, but being around Sydney again made him question whether he was as wise as he thought.

Still, taking it back a few steps might be the best idea until he knew more about her plans for the future and whether or not they included him. He vowed to go slower tonight, to keep the physical contact to a minimum. That last part was crucial, because the minute he touched her, any resolve he might have would disappear. He had no doubt about that.

The ride to her house was as familiar to him as anything on the island. While there were only three miles between their homes, a world of difference separated them. His was small and cozy, while hers was large and sprawling.
 

When he arrived, Buddy came running out to greet him.

Luke squatted to give the dog his full attention. “Hey, boy.”

He was rewarded with an enthusiastic lick to the face that made him laugh.

“Sorry about that,” Syd said from the doorway.

Luke looked up as she stepped outside wearing a yellow dress that showed off her light tan. She’d worn her hair up, leaving her shoulders bare. A memory of trailing kisses over her collarbone the night before stole the breath from his lungs. Maybe he was a chump, but he couldn’t help wanting her with every fiber of his being.

“I think he likes you,” she said of Buddy, drawing Luke out of his thoughts.

“He’s a good boy.”

“Let me put him inside so we can go.” She called for the dog and led him into the house.
 

Through the screen, Luke could hear her talking to Buddy, giving him orders to behave while she was out. He smiled as he watched her kiss the dog’s face and pat him on the head.

She came outside carrying a small purse and sweater.
 

Luke leaned back against the clean truck and watched her come toward him.

“What?” she asked, her eyes darting over him in a show of nerves that touched him.

“Just admiring the view.”

She smiled and shook her head as if she thought he was full of it.

Forgetting all his resolve, he reached for her. “I missed you today.”

Looking up at him, she ran her tongue over her lips, and he went hard as stone. “I missed you, too.”

Tugging gently to bring her even closer, he watched her eyes go wide when she encountered proof of his arousal. He bent his head to kiss her softly. Her lips tasted like strawberries, and even though he hadn’t intended to linger—hell, he hadn’t intended to
touch
her—he couldn’t help but run his tongue over her plump bottom lip to get a better taste. “Mmm,” he said.
 

With her arms encircling his neck, her mouth opened under his, encouraging him to take more, and Luke was lost. Nothing else could compare to the way he felt when he was with her, and as he kissed her, it became clear to him that there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do to feel this way every day for the rest of his life.
 

“Syd,” he said, his lips still resting against hers.

Her fingers combed through his hair, sending desire rippling through him like a live wire. “Hmm?”

“Dinner.” He kissed her again, softly, gently.
 

“Oh. Right.” She let her arms drop from his shoulders but continued to stare at him with a befuddled expression that made his blood boil.

It took all the fortitude he possessed not to scoop her up, carry her inside and take what he wanted more than anything, what he knew she’d willingly give. Only the thought of what he might see in her expressive eyes afterward stopped him from acting on the urge. He couldn’t bear to see regret or guilt or anything other than the pure joy he would feel, so rather than scoop her up, he opened the passenger door to his truck and ushered her inside.

“It smells so clean in here.”

“It’s always like that,” he said with a grin.

She laughed, and just like that, his mood lightened.
 

He got in the driver’s side, and before he could buckle in, she reached for his hand. “Thanks for cleaning your truck for me.”

“No problem. It needed it anyway.”

After he put on his seat belt, he took her hand again, linking their fingers as he drove them the long way around the island.
 

“Where are you taking me?”

“To the Lobster House with a sunset thrown in.”

“Oh, yummy. My favorite.”

“I know.”

Over winding roads, he drove to the northernmost point on the island, where a lighthouse stood watch and the sun flirted with the horizon.
 

“Best spot on the island to watch the sunset,” Syd said, taking it all in.

“I love it here.”

“I remember that.”

He glanced over to watch a blush spread over her cheeks. Releasing her hand, he ran a finger along her cheekbone. “I know what else you’re remembering.”

She shot him a seductive look. “And what’s that?”

He took off his seat belt and leaned toward her. “You’re thinking about all the times we came here to make out.” His lips brushed against her ear, and he watched the goose bumps form on her arm. He’d always loved getting that reaction from her. She was so sensitive. So much for his vow to take it back a notch, to protect them both from too much too soon. Who was he kidding? He could no more resist her than he could resist breathing. “Syd. . .”

“Yes?”

He had to know. He
needed
to know. “Do you feel it, too?”

Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she looked at him. “Feel what?”

“
Everything
.” How else to put it?

She ran her fingers over the jaw. “Yes.”

Overcome with relief that he wasn’t in this alone, Luke gazed into her eyes. “I’m worried we’re moving too fast.”

“We probably are.”

“So we should—”

“Enjoy it.” She framed his face with her hands and kissed him. “We should enjoy it.”

“For how long?” He hated that he needed to ask.

“I don’t know the answer to that. I wish I did, but all I can give you is right now. I’d understand if that wasn’t enough—”

Luke kissed the words off her lips. “Do you promise you’ll talk to me about your plans? That you won’t leave me out of it?”

“The way I did before.”

“I’d rather not go through that again.”

“I promise I’ll talk to you.”

He twirled a lock of strawberry blonde hair that had escaped from her clip around his finger. “Then it’s enough. For now.”

“Most guys never would’ve given me a second chance.”

“I’m not most guys.”

“Believe me, I know that. Why did you give me another chance?”

Continuing to play with the strand of hair, he shrugged. “I’ve never felt everything with anyone else.”

“Luke,” she whispered, reaching for him. She drove him wild with her teasing tongue and soft lips.
 

They’d be late for their reservation, but Luke didn’t care about that. Not when he had the woman who’d haunted his dreams back in his arms. He ran his hand up from her ribs to cup a breast that was fuller than he remembered and felt her nipple harden against his palm.