“What?”
“Keep referring to our past.” Her lashes lowered. “I feel torn right every time you do.”
Expression indecipherable, he squeezed her fingers. “You’re in good company. Biscuit?”
With a quick laugh, she nodded. He released the tongs and the pastry dropped onto her plate. She couldn’t help thinking their simple exchange was the most honest they’d been with each other in almost thirteen years. It felt right, deep down in the place where she privately believed she and Carter had always been meant for each other.
But that was a dream she’d forsaken long ago, the night she left him standing on the dock in the rain without explanation. Only telling him that they were over. She was moving on. So should he. All so that she could keep the hotel she loved, caving to her father’s threat that he’d disown her, rejecting her forever if she continued dating Carter. That, and Daddy’s vow to ruin Carter’s future if she interfered on her lover’s behalf.
An awkward silence fell between them as Carter ate voraciously and Ellie picked at her food.
Reaching for the remote, Carter flipped on the flat-screen TV and channel surfed. “Still don’t get great reception out here.” He left it on the local weather, which came in crystal clear. “My cell phone barely has two bars. I guess there’s no reliable Internet.”
“On a clear day.”
Carter rolled his eyes.
The TV flashed, followed by several piercing beeps. An anchorwoman came on. “We interrupt this program for some breaking news. The tropical storm that formed in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend has gathered force in the past twelve hours.”
Ellie tensed.
“Named Hurricane Edgar, the category two hurricane is heading toward the Gulf of Mexico.”
“Whew,” Ellie exhaled.
“Great,” Carter muttered. “I need to leave Friday night. This storm better not mess with my flight.”
Ellie stiffened. “Friday? How will that give you time to set things in motion when you buy the hotel?”
Sighing, Carter stared at her steadily. “I’m not yet convinced it’s a good investment. I expressed that last night.”
“Things could...change,” she said evasively.
His lids lowered halfway and his gaze turned sizzling. “They could.”
A thrill zipped up Ellie’s spine. “I want to show you more of the hotel. There are so many things you haven’t seen yet.”
“Ellie—”
“Before your mind is made up, you should see how far this place has come.”
“Up to now, all I’ve seen is how far it hasn’t.”
The cutting remark nicked her pride. “Then come with me, and I’ll change your mind.”
“Hell yes I’ll come with you.” He shot to his feet. “The bed is ready—fresh sheets and all.”
Ellie arched a pert eyebrow.
“I could spend all day in bed with you. Remember when we used to do that?”
At the prompt, Ellie envisioned herself naked with Carter, their legs entwined, bodies writhing together. Perspiration soaking the sheets from hour after hour of sexual exploration, wave after wave of bliss.
Sensual heat spiraled through her, funneling down between her thighs where she ached for his touch, his kiss, his—
She crossed her legs. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Choose your words carefully, sweetheart. I can read into anything.”
“Are your perceptions usually right?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
This time Ellie responded to his sexual innuendo with a dash of her own spice. “Maybe you’re right again.”
She stood up from the table and moved toward the door. “Meet me on the veranda when you’re done showering.”
“The second after?” He scratched his ear. “What would the neighbors think? Me parading around in nothing but a towel.”
On her way out, she lifted a shoulder. “Then don’t wear anything.”
“What the...?” Dumbstruck, Carter stared at the door as if it held encrypted code to explain Ellie’s sudden turnaround.
Did she just agree to have sex with him?
He was about to run after her, scoop her up, take her to his bed and do things he’d fantasized about since he found her in his room Sunday morning.
One thought stopped him.
Was this a game she played with every investor who came knocking? Because it’s working .
Another thought came to mind that curled his hands into fists. Last night Ellie mentioned another investor. Had she played the same cards with that guy—with her aloof poker face and hard-to-get attitude? Only to turn sassy and irresistible?
Carter ran a hand through his hair, still damp from his run. The pent-up sexual aggression he’d released as his shoes pounded the sand suddenly returned with triple force. This time spiked with jealousy.