I imagined myself getting sticky with him. It was a nice thought. A deliciously hot and sticky thought. But not one I was ready to do tonight. My body was just too tired.
I clicked the unlock button on the car and then smacked my forehead with my palm. “I forgot the tip jar!”
Noah grinned. “But I didn't. Here you go.” He handed me a neat roll of bills and one quarter.
“Noah...” I eyed the massive roll, seeing mostly fives and tens. “We have to split it. You did most of the work anyway with all the girly drinks.”
Noah laughed. The sound was light and floated on the night air like it had wings. “I don't need the money.”
“Why not?” I asked. Suddenly it dawned on me. “You're more than just a bartender, aren’t you?”
“Yes. But Jack paid me more than enough to tend bar again.” He smiled. “I want you to have it. Seriously. Use it for something fun.”
“You're sure?” I asked once more before taking the money. It seemed like everyone here was giving me crazy amounts of money tonight.
“Very sure.” He leaned forward and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. The touch of his lips fanned the embers in my stomach to an achy burn. I closed my eyes. I wanted to say yes to him, to go with him to his room and let those arms wrap around me, but I knew I should say no. I needed to stay strong. He was handsome, but I didn't need a one night stand.
“Thank you,” I whispered. He pulled back and opened the car door for me to get in. A true gentleman.
“Have a wonderful night, Izzy.”
I sat down on my imitation leather seats, and he closed the door. He gave me one last dazzling smile before turning and heading back to the house. I watched his figure outlined by the yellow light of the porch for a moment before starting the car.
The engine mumbled quietly as I pulled out and onto the empty road to get home. It was close enough that I could have walked, but I liked the ease of a car on these late night jobs. I turned onto the main road, my headlights bright against the dark night.
I could still feel his lips on my cheek. He had been funny and charming. No mention of a wife or a girlfriend or anything to give me warning. He had been protective. I nearly hit the brakes to turn around and go back. I wanted to feel those muscled arms encircling me. I wanted to feel those lips again.
No, I told myself firmly. He's just a tourist. You don't even know his last name. He's going to leave just like they all do. Best not to even get attached.
I nodded, proud of myself for staying resolute and ignoring the way my heart cried out that I should go back. My head, not my body, was who I needed to listen to. No matter how wonderful he had seemed.
Sandcastle Kisses: Chapter 5
I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. My dreams had been invaded by an irresistible man with blue eyes and unending charm. The best part was that in my dreams, I didn't have to stop. I didn't have to be responsible, reasonable, or nervous. I could do anything, and everything, that I wanted. Waking up, I was sad to leave my dreams behind. They had been some of the best dreams of my life.
I stretched my hands over my head, looking over to see a neatly made bed in the opposite corner of the room. Brooke was already up, which meant that there was probably some leftover breakfast in the kitchen. Brooke was always good for leaving me breakfast after work nights.
I quickly got ready, running a brush through my hair and finding my wetsuit. Despite my diet of fish and tropical fruit, it was still snug across the hips. Eh, I thought, I don't need to impress the sharks today. Sunglasses and some sunscreen completed my morning preparations.
I walked quickly to the kitchen and found two deviled eggs waiting for me in the fridge. Brooke made the best deviled eggs, and she knew they were my favorite. I couldn't ask for a better roomie. I stuffed one in my mouth and carried the other out of the kitchen to the back porch.
Outside, the big porch wrapped around the house. To the right was a sandy beach where we had built several holding pens for containing sharks for research or rehabilitation. We had several sheds set up by the pens to hold more equipment and gear.
The house backed out onto the water with a little dock for our two research boats. The building had once been a decently sized home, but Dr. Algos had transformed it into a marine biology research station over twenty years before I had even arrived. The only part of it that actually looked like a house anymore was the outside. The three bedrooms were now for research assistants and their projects, the living room was filled with different sized fish tanks, and the dining room was full of computers and research equipment. Even the kitchen had an attached area where we could prep shark bait.