be herself with them. Despite feeling stifled, she enjoyed the relationships she had with her family, and pretending to be a toned-down version of herself for a few days each year was worth keeping those relationships intact.
Once the trophy was successfully in her hands, Cole would have fulfilled his duty, and they could return home, back to their normal roles.
She wasn’t going to rest until that spot on the board of directors was hers. She needed her head in the game, not on Cole’s skills in the bedroom. A temporary fling on vacation was one thing. But she had too much pride to let a permanent relationship dictate her career. She was never going to let that happen again.
Chapter Twelve
Cole put on his flip-flops and headed down to the dining room to meet Penn and her family.
They had showered and dressed separately this morning for the first time since they’d agreed to take their relationship to the bedroom. Penn had been a nervous wreck when they’d woken in the hut. She’d barely spoken to him, tension and nervousness overwhelming her to the point of distraction. He knew she was terrified over what was going to transpire this morning, afraid her siblings would tell her parents about her inappropriate dancing. After what he’d seen last night at the table, he knew it was a distinct possibility.
But Penn wasn’t the only one in need of distance. Last night had been intense on so many levels. Not just the sex.
It was cooler this morning with the sun hiding behind a set of clouds as he wound through the pathway through the pools to the main building. For the first time since he’d arrived, he didn’t have a light sheen of sweat dampening his skin.
He’d gotten on stage and put on a show. In public where anyone could have snapped a picture. His desperate need to defend and protect Penn had become overwhelming, and he’d proven to himself that he could be more than just a moody, broody, pain in the ass.
But maybe chickening out last night was a blessing in disguise. He’d gotten so caught up in his lust for her that he had convinced himself telling Penn the truth about his past was a good thing. The last thing he needed was to burden her with the knowledge, to have her thinking about it while they worked together. He wanted no one’s pity. Especially when it came to Penn.
Sex had quickly become his go-to means of connecting with her. He could say so much more with his cock than his words ever could. And now that they were leaving in three days, that would have to be enough.
She was chewing on her thumbnail when he arrived at the buffet. He wasn’t surprised to see that she’d gone back to wearing a one-piece bathing suit.
The spot beside her was empty, and he took his seat, immediately noticing the sly grins and expressions of distaste from her siblings through the entire meal. He didn’t reach out and touch her, even though he wanted to. He kept his distance.
“Good morning, everyone,” Cole said, giving them his best fake smile.
“Mrs. Foster and I were just getting a detailed account of what you kids were up to last night.”
He tensed. Was he talking about dancing? Or did he somehow see them in the hut?
He glanced over at Penn.
“I didn’t raise you to be inappropriate in public, Pennelope. Family vacation is no time for indulging in…” Her father’s jaw twitched. “Sexcapades.”
“What’s a sexcapade?” Sarah asked, once again dancing in her seat to her own music.
“Really, Penn.” Cathy glared at her from across the table, rubbing her hand over Sarah’s hair. “See what you’ve done?”
He was shocked at the behavior of Penn’s family. He had been so adamant that if she let down her guard and showed them her true self, they would accept her just as she was. He had been terribly wrong.
He hated seeing her upset. He hated seeing her trapped inside her shell. And this morning, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible because he’d pushed her to give it a try.
Breakfast was tense and mostly silent. Penn didn’t look up from her plate once.
When breakfast was over, they all met in the hotel lobby where Harold handed out the lists for the scavenger hunt. There were twenty items needed for a perfect score, including a stamped card from the water sport rental hut, a receipt from the surf shop, and a napkin from every bar