“I’m meeting with the staff about the event in ten minutes. Hopefully it won’t be a late night for me since I have an early morning lesson tomorrow.”
The pounding in Quinn’s head amplified. He swallowed a groan when he thought of another pounding—no, throbbing—in a different area altogether. Maybe he’d take a long, hot shower and relieve his stress with a bar of soap and his hand.
“You should join us tomorrow. Maybe Carly will come clean. Then you can find out why she dumped your ass before graduation.” The bantering tone in Woody’s voice had vanished.
“I might hold you to that.” Quinn grabbed the folder and headed back to his office.
His friend had been right about one thing. He still ached for the woman who’d waltzed in and turned his controlled and settled life upside down…again.
Chapter Four
A school of neon yellow fish swam by. Such beautiful fish! She circled around in amazement and kicked up sand in the clear blue water. She had survived her first stand-up paddling with minimal scrapes and now celebrated by wading in the breathtaking ocean.
Woody shot past her on his board, howling in glee. Despite his patience and skill teaching her, his mannerisms had changed. He still acted goofy and flirty, but caught her off guard several times with intrusive questions. Like Quinn’s yesterday.
She stared off into the horizon. Seeing Quinn again had resurrected a whole slew of memories she didn’t want to acknowledge. She’d also made the mistake of telling Cass about their reintroduction. Her sister freaked out and insisted she return home on the first plane available. Carly had to promise she wouldn’t get caught and would be careful while she spied in order to get off the phone. She’d begin right after her lesson.
“You better slap some lotion on. The sun can be brutal around this time.” Woody glided over to her, pushing his board ahead of him. Water coasted down his throat and muscular chest. She was a sucker for a nice set of abs on a man. This man had that and then some.
She batted a fly away from her face and winced. “I’ll end up freckling even worse.”
“I love a woman who wears freckles well, like you.”
“Thanks,” she said, splashing water on her shoulders. “After we’re done here, I may take a trip into town later and visit, Burn…Town? Damn, I can’t think of the name.”
“Cockburn Town,” he announced in a deadpan voice.
“Cockburn? You’re teasing me!” She burst out laughing.
“Not at all. It’s our capital city. A few other islands have their own Cockburn as well. I guess the name is popular. Lots of cocks here in the Turks.” His lips twitched.
“And the biggest one is next to me.” She paddled toward shore and attempted to stand.
When her legs buckled, Woody caught her and held her steady. “Careful, your muscles aren’t used to this kind of exercise.”
She stared at him, but he only smiled back, showing no signs of pretense. The vivid color of his eyes matched the clear sky above.
He winked. “Cockburn isn’t Vegas, but it’s a fun place to visit. You can find great souvenirs there for Carly and your friends.”
Her stomach dropped. Had she slipped up and volunteered where she lived? Also his constant mentions of her sister’s name and the barrage of questions worried her.
“Is the sun getting to you? You’re shaking.” He draped an arm across her shoulder. “Maybe you should sit under the umbrella for a spell. I brought a cooler with drinks and some snacks.”
She’d had only coffee this morning, too edgy to eat anything, expecting Quinn to surface again.
“I am a little hungry.” She allowed him to guide her onto the beach then stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of a man dressed in dark swim trunks standing near their umbrella.
Speak of the devil. Quinn looked like a woman’s wet dream. Curly dark hair dotted his chest and traveled into the waistband of his swimsuit. His biceps and pecs were on display in all their brawny and toned glory.
Can a man get arms like that from having too much sex? I’m really stretching, coming up with ridiculous reasons for Quinn looking fabulous and edible.
The men slapped hands. She moved forward, adjusting the straps of her navy, one-piece bathing suit.
“Hello, Cassidy. I found these on the blanket. Are they yours?” Quinn stressed her—Cass’s name—and held out her sunglasses.
“Yes, thanks.” She grasped them, but he held on, leaning close to her.
“Surprised I’m here?” he whispered.
She searched his face for any signs he suspected her ruse, but his pleasant expression gave nothing away. “Glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to join us, bro.” Woody bent down in front of the cooler.