Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,45

night and ravishing him instead. “Although … the dessert menu looks good,” she couldn’t help suggesting, not wanting the night to end.

“Another time, maybe,” Noah said, looking uncomfortable. “All this rain, we don’t want to get stranded if the bridge washes out.”

Speak for yourself.

Evie stifled a longing sigh. Whatever moment had just passed between them, it was well and truly over. And judging from the way Noah gulped down the rest of his coffee and briskly settled up the check, it looked like that woman’s interruption had thrown enough cold water on the mood to rival the downpour outside.

Noah got to his feet, politely holding out his hand to Evie to help her up. His fingers closed, warm around hers, and just the brief touch was enough to make her shiver with sensation. “Are you cold?” he asked immediately. “Here, take my sweater.”

He stripped it off before she could object, and Evie couldn’t resist pulling it on. The wool was still warm from his body, and it smelled just like him. She snuggled into the soft fabric, breathing deeply, inhaling the scent. “Thanks,” she murmured, even though it was just a pale imitation of being wrapped in his arms for real. “Ready to make a run for it?”

They dashed through the rain to Noah’s truck and made the drive back to Sweetbriar Cove in comfortable silence. At least, Evie hoped she seemed comfortable, because inside, she felt anything but: her blood was running hot, and her pulse kicked every time she glanced over at Noah, his profile lit up by headlights on the highway, his fingertips drumming an idle rhythm on the steering wheel.

Did the man know the effect he had on women?

Probably, she thought ruefully. He must have been on dozens of dates in the past few months—no wonder it was all no big deal to him. She was the only one getting wound up in a breathless tangle just watching the curve of his wrist, the way he’d pushed his sleeves up to reveal his tanned forearms, lightly dusted with golden hairs …

By the time he turned down the sandy road towards the inn, she was just about ready to melt. It was a good thing the work crews had packed up and cleared out for the night, because she needed to take a long, cold shower to get her temperature back down to normal.

Or a nice hot one. With Noah …

Evie was grateful for the dark, because at least it hid her blushing cheeks. “Well, this was fun,” she said brightly as Noah pulled up outside the inn. “Thanks for all the AAAHH—”

Evie let out a yelp as the front of the truck suddenly lurched downwards, like it was falling off a ledge.

Noah cursed. “Sand,” he said, throwing the truck into reverse. “I didn’t see where the asphalt ends.” He hit the gas, but there was just a grinding noise as the tires spun.

The truck was well and truly stuck.

Noah climbed out, and Evie followed him, trying to hold up her jacket to shield them from the rain. “Can you call a tow truck?” she asked as Noah got down on the ground to check on the front wheels. Even in the dark, she could see they were buried past the hubcaps in wet sand.

“Eddie will have closed the garage hours ago,” he said, straightening. “And anyone who comes out now is liable to get stuck too. I’d better call and get a ride. Either that, or I’m walking home,” he added with a grin.

The rain poured down around them, plastering Noah’s hair to his scalp and running in rivulets over his jaw. Evie was stunned into silence for a moment, just staring at him. Standing there. Looking like that.

Dear Lord, this man wasn’t playing fair.

Maybe that’s why instead of offering him a ride home herself—or insisting he call a cab to pick him up—she opened her mouth and said the very last thing that would bring her blood pressure back down to earth.

“You can stay here for the night.”

“Are you sure?” Noah asked, looking surprised.

“Of course!” Evie blurted, even though she was anything but. “Come on, we’ll catch a cold if we stay out here talking about it.”

They ran for the shelter of the porch, and Evie unlocked the front door, her heart pounding. What had she just done? All those vows of self-control, and she’d just invited the man to spend the night with her.

Well, not with her, exactly, but still! Noah had been playing