Enticed by His Forgotten Lover (Pregnancy & Passion #1)(40)

He grinned at her cheeky response. “Let’s go hit the shower.”

Seventeen

“You’ve done a good thing, Mr. de Luca,” Silas Taylor said as they stood on the patio of Laura’s house.

Bryony’s grandmother had invited everyone over for tea and lemonade and for some of her famous peanut butter cookies. And by everyone, she meant whomever happened to wander by.

Such a thing baffled Rafael, who was used to strict guest lists and checking invitations at the door. Laura didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the more guests that meandered through, the more delighted she seemed to be.

There was no entertainment. Conversation drifted from one mundane topic to the next or people just stood around, enjoying the day and inquiring as to the health of yet another islander who was either family, friend or both.

“My investors probably wouldn’t agree,” Rafael said dryly as he turned his attention back to the sheriff.

Silas shrugged. “They’ll find something else to invest in. Those kind always do. People are always looking for places to put their money and there are always people willing to take it. Seems to me it wouldn’t be that hard to figure it out.”

Rafael wanted to laugh. Or shake his head. Months of financial analysis, blueprints being drawn up, investors courted, endless planning on his and Ryan, Devon and Cam’s parts all reduced to a few words so casually tossed out.

“That may be so, but I lose credibility and respect in the process,” Rafael said evenly. “Next time I want their backing, they won’t be so willing to give it.”

“And what will you gain?” Silas asked as he looked in Bryony’s direction. Bryony, who stood in a small group of people looking so damn beautiful that it made Rafael’s teeth ache. “Seems to me you gain far more than you lose.” With that, Silas slapped him on the shoulder.

“Something to think about, my boy.”

Then he walked away, leaving Rafael to shake his head again. Boy. He wanted to laugh. Granted the sheriff was at least thirty years older than Rafael, but no one had called him a boy since he’d been a boy.

Time was running out. His BlackBerry was full of voice-mail notifications and missed calls, and his inbox was bursting. His week would soon be up, and Dev would come down with Ryan and Cam to kick Rafael’s ass.

For the past several days, Rafael had willfully ignored everything but Bryony and their time together. They’d spent every waking moment walking the beach, cooking together, laughing together, talking of nothing and everything.

They made love, they ate, they made love some more. There was an urgency he couldn’t explain, almost as if he wanted to cram a lifetime into as few days as possible because he feared it would all slip away from him.

Tomorrow decisions had to be made. He couldn’t hold them off any longer. He still had no idea what he would do, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t—lose Bryony over a resort. Over money.

“Can I get you something, Rafael?”

Rafael turned to see Bryony’s grandmother smiling at him. He smiled back and shook his head. “No, I’m okay. Don’t let me keep you from your guests.”

“Oh, they’re fine. Besides, you’re a guest, too. How are you liking your stay so far?”

Again Rafael’s gaze found Bryony. This time she lifted her head as if sensing that he watched her and her face lit up with a gorgeous smile.

“I’m enjoying it very much. I’m only sorry I can’t remember when I was here before.”

Laura stared thoughtfully at him for a long moment and then put her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe it’s better that you don’t.”

She patted him and after offering those cryptic words, she turned to talk to another group of people.

Rafael shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to stare out over the water. He hadn’t ever been someone who practiced avoidance, but he knew that was precisely what he was doing. Here, it was as if he existed in a bubble. Nothing could intrude or interfere, but the outside world was still there, just waiting. The longer he put off the inevitable, the more he dreaded it.

“Rafael, is something wrong?”

Bryony’s soft voice slid over him at the same time her hand slipped through his arm and she hugged herself up to his side.

He disentangled his arm from her grasp just long enough to wrap it around her waist and then pulled her in close again.

“No, just thinking.”

“About?”

“What has to be done.”

Instead of pressing him for answers as he thought she might, she said, “Why don’t we take off, go for a long walk? Mamaw won’t mind. She’s having fun being the center of attention. She won’t even notice we’ve gone.”

Unable to resist, he leaned down to kiss her brow. She was so in tune with his moods. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she could read him so easily. He’d found that he could pick up on the nuances of her moods just as quickly. He anticipated her reactions much like she did his own.

It was something he imagined a couple doing after years of marriage.

When he drew away, she took his hand and tugged him toward the stone path leading through the garden and down the dune onto the sand.

Sand slid over his toes but he found he didn’t mind as much as he had when he first started wearing these ridiculous flip-flops.