Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(27)

Now that was a tempting idea. The meeting was with a supplier, and could easily be shuffled. She could answer e-mails in the car on the way to . . . wherever it was he was taking her. And the phone calls she could shift off to her assistant.

“Done.”

His lips curved. “I like a cooperative captive. We’ll stop by your place so you can pick up a few things.”

She shifted in her seat to face him. “Are you sure I won’t call for help?”

At a stoplight, he drew his sunglasses partway down, those gorgeous eyes of his offering up such sexy promise it was all she could do not to self-combust with an orgasm right in the passenger seat.

“Now why would you want to do that?”

Oh, it was on.





Eleven





Barrett waited in Harmony’s kitchen while she went upstairs to pack a bag.

This hadn’t been his intended plan for the day, but sonofabitch, she’d scared him today when she’d almost fainted in the hallway of the community center. Sure, she’d had a meal and she seemed fine now, but he still wasn’t convinced. He intended to hang out with her for the rest of the day and make sure she was going to be all right.

Despite wanting to keep his distance from her, he wouldn’t abandon her when she needed him. And today, whether she said she was okay or not, she needed him. So he was going to spend the remainder of the day assuring himself that she was indeed over her hypoglycemic episode.

And while he was at it, he’d also see to it that she had another few meals.

She walked into the kitchen, bag in hand. She’d changed out of her dress and into flowery capri pants and a white tank top that showed off her pretty damn buffed arms. At least her muscle tone meant she typically ate well and worked out. That meant something to him.

“Okay I packed a swimsuit and another change of clothes.” She cocked her head to the side. “You aren’t like . . . flying me to Jamaica or anything, are you? Because I have three appointments tomorrow.”

He laughed. “As fun as that sounds, no. We’re going to the Sandpearl Resort over at Clearwater. Spend the day at the beach, in the water, and we’ll eat. They have a great pool and an even better restaurant.”

“As delightful as that sounds, I have a pool here. And just how many times do you think you need to feed me today?”

“As many as it takes to quell this panicked feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

She stepped up to him, laying her hand on his arm. “I can’t tell you how sweet your concern is, Barrett, but honestly, I’m okay now.”

“I know. But you can take the rest of the day off. Sun’s out, and the beach is calling. We’ll get a cabana and you can chill.”

“Okay. We’ll chill. Sounds fun.”

“Good.” He took the bag from her hands. “Let’s go.”

Harmony had no complaints about taking the rest of the day off. There was nothing like relaxing in front of the Gulf. When they got to the resort, she was surprised to discover Barrett had booked them a room.

“Easier to change clothes that way,” he said, as he led them up to their room.

Now that she was feeling one hundred percent herself again, she was intrigued. “Of course.”

He’d gotten them an oceanfront room, which couldn’t have been easy considering this was the height of summer vacation time. But she wasn’t about to complain about the amazing view once she stepped fully into the room. She headed straight for the balcony and walked outside. The heat was oppressive, but the balcony was shaded and there was a lovely breeze. Plus the view of the Gulf was spectacular.

Barrett stepped beside her, and the spacious balcony suddenly seemed closed in.

Not that she minded having his big, gorgeous body next to hers.

“Ready to hit the beach?” he asked.

“Absolutely. I’ll go change.”

She picked up her bag and went into the bathroom to change into her bikini. She pulled on her cover-up and slid into her beach flip-flops, then came out of the bathroom to discover Barrett had already changed into his board shorts and a tank top.

She wondered what he would have thought if she’d come out of the bathroom while he was naked. She certainly wouldn’t have minded seeing all that muscle in the buff. And maybe their afternoon would have turned out completely different.

She grabbed her sunglasses and sunscreen, then turned her phone to silent mode. She’d already told Rosalie she was out for the day and given her instructions to shift her appointment and answer some calls for her, so she was cleared until tomorrow.

After this morning’s debacle, she was actually looking forward to a little downtime.

She followed Barrett to the elevator. They rode down to the lobby and walked out to the pool area.

“I thought we’d get a private cabana on the beach, unless you hate sand.”

She laughed. “I don’t hate sand. Sand is fine with me.”

They walked out onto the beach and Barrett stopped at the rental shack. He filled out the paperwork and they were shown to a private spot that was more like a small room. She’d expected an umbrella and a couple of lounge chairs, not this open-air room with a roof, a sofa, chairs and a sliding door that closed for privacy.

Sweet.

“This is nice,” she said, sliding onto the lounge.