Recipe for Temptation - Gina Gordon Page 0,50

away from clinching the knight in shining armor title.

She scrambled up from her seat and sidled closer to him. She couldn’t help it. She needed his warmth, his familiarity, that something he gave her that she just couldn’t put her finger on.

Without even saying good night to her siblings, they made their way along the beach toward the hut. She held her stilettos in her other hand and let the water wash over her feet with each rise of the tide. Cole had rolled up his pants and carried his shoes, too.

She took in a deep breath, letting the fresh, spicy air fill her senses. This moment was perfect. She felt free. Safe. Somehow saying thank you to Cole didn’t seem enough.

“The first time I ever saw the ocean was when I was sixteen years old,” he said, his voice low, barely a whisper against the sound of the waves.

She looked up at him in surprise. Had he really just revealed something about himself out of the blue? If this was his attempt at distracting her from the disaster that had just happened in that club, then it was working.

“Yeah?” she said softly. She didn’t want to push him. She was there to listen.

“Vivian took Finn, Neil, and me to the beach for two weeks the summer before Jack came to live with us.” He looked over at her. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

“I had a lot of firsts while living with Vivian.” His fingers brushed hers at their sides, sending an electric sizzle up her arm that settled in her chest, but she pulled away immediately. “First live professional sporting event.” He glanced at her. “Hockey, of course. First Christmas tree that wasn’t a meaningless token given by our group home. One that actually had presents under it.” He gave a sad laugh. “With a real tag that had my name on it.”

No wonder he was so broody. He’d spent most of his life with no love. Even her crazy family showed affection once in a while. She had expected his story to be sad, but this was heartbreaking.

Her fingers itched to reach out and touch him, but she held still. Their touching had to be reserved for inside the hut. She hadn’t just gone through the stress of denying a romantic relationship to blow it all now.

“How did Vivian find you?”

“She visited our group home—the one I grew up in, along with Finn, Veronica, and her brother, Mark. By then, Mark and Veronica were living two hours away with a nice family. So, it was just Finn and me left there with a heap of other kids. Vivian took pity on us, I guess, and became our new foster parent.”

Vivian Madewood had been a saint.

“Neil wasn’t so happy about us moving in. He’d had a chip on his shoulder for a while.”

“A chip on his shoulder? Neil?” She faked a gasp.

He laughed, and his teeth sparkled in the moonlight. She loved that smile. It always kicked up a flutter in her stomach.

The tiki torches that lined the boardwalk and stairs were burning brightly, guiding their way home. Only a few more steps to their hut.

“Penn?” he whispered beside her.

“Hmm?” She settled her gaze on the sand below, at her toes squishing against the abrasive grains.

“Thank you.”

“Whatever for?” She looked up into his eyes. “I should be thanking you. What you did for me tonight—”

He pulled her to a stop, seriousness darkening his gaze. “I wanted to. I owe you.” He shrugged. “I’ve been such a jerk for so long. Never giving you an inch. But you never gave up on me.” He kissed her hair. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you this week, and guess what, the world didn’t blow up without me watching over it.”

She could scarcely believe her ears. She was so happy she thought she might float away. But she wasn’t just happy with him; she was happy with herself.

“What I did tonight…” She looked up, biting her bottom lip. “Man, I’m going to catch a lot of shit for it tomorrow.”

“Either way, you were great. You were…more like you.” He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face.

Voices and laughter drifted from the resort. Lights twinkled in the distance as they stood on the path to their hut, sexual tension crackling between them.

“I should also thank you for pulling that stick out of my ass.”

She beamed up at him. “It was my pleasure.”

“Penn, I…”

She urged him