Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,65
that surely made diners comfortable and took full advantage of the water views from almost every window.
The smells emanating from the kitchen had been tantalizing, so she’d been more than ready to let Boone order all the specialties for her to try. The Cajun influence was evident, but not overwhelming. The fish and jambalaya had been seasoned to perfection.
She’d pushed aside an incredible crème brûlée after just a few bites. “No more,” she’d murmured with a groan. “I’m stuffed.”
“Want to take a walk before coffee?” Boone suggested.
She met his gaze. This is it, she thought. “Why don’t we have that coffee at your place?”
“Why don’t we?” he agreed softly.
If it had been up to her, they’d have fled from the restaurant, sped across the bridge back to Boone’s and raced across the lawn to the house, but there was no way the owner could make a quick escape. Regular customers wanted to speak to Boone, the chef had a few questions, even Boone’s second in command, Pete Sanchez, seemed to have a few burning issues that had to be resolved. By then even Boone had lost patience.
“Tomorrow,” he told Pete with a warning look.
“But—”
“Will this place fall apart if we don’t discuss this before morning?” Boone inquired impatiently.
Pete glanced at Emily, then grinned. “Nope. Enjoy yourselves.”
“No question about it,” Boone muttered as they walked away.
“Obviously he’s not used to you being on a real date,” Emily said, oddly pleased by the knowledge.
“He’s never seen me with any woman other than Jenny,” Boone confirmed. “It finally dawned on him just then that you must be special and that I had much better things to do tonight than going over one of his lists.”
“He’s good at lists?” Emily asked.
“He’s excellent at lists. Normally I consider that a plus. Tonight, not so much.”
“We’re free now,” Emily reminded him as they reached his car.
“Yes, we are,” Boone said, backing her up against it. “And I’ve been waiting all night for this.” He lowered his mouth to cover hers.
Emily felt his desire in that kiss and in his arousal. She gave him a gentle shove, tempering it with a grin. “Don’t you think it would be better not to start this till we can finish it?”
He helped her into the car, practically raced around to jump behind the wheel, then peeled out of the parking lot.
“This takes me back,” Emily said.
“To?”
“A time when you couldn’t wait to get your hands on me.”
“Seems that hasn’t changed,” he said with a heated glance in her direction.
“Do you wish it had?” she asked, needing to know if there was regret blended with the anticipation.
He blinked at the question. “Seriously?”
“I really want to know. Are you sorry that these feelings aren’t dead and buried?”
Boone sighed. “Are you going to make me sorry?”
“I’m going to try like crazy not to,” she said, knowing that tonight when she told him her plans would be the first test. She also knew she probably ought to give him that information before they took this next step.
“Boone, wait,” she said as they pulled into his driveway, stopping him before he could exit the car. “There’s something you need to know.”
He regarded her incredulously. “Now?”
She nodded. “I have to go back to Los Angeles sooner than I’d expected.”
The light seemed to drain from his eyes at that. “How soon?”
“Sunday. I have an important meeting Monday.”
“I see.”
“I’ll be back, though,” she said hurriedly. “Probably by the middle of next week. Next weekend at the latest.”
“Okay.”
She reached out and put a hand on the tense muscle in his arm. “Can I explain why this is important? Will you listen?”
“I said I was going to give this a chance, so I suppose I have to,” he said, though he didn’t sound happy about it.
She told him all about Sophia and about this passion of hers for helping women escaping abusive relationships and in need of shelter. “This is the first time she’s asked me to be a part of one of her projects, Boone. I suppose I could have turned her down. I know she wouldn’t have held it against me, at least not for long.”
She met his gaze, willed him to understand. “I got to thinking about those women, about the fear that must haunt them, about the kids who have maybe never known a safe place to live, and I couldn’t say no. I just couldn’t.”
Boone closed his eyes, sighing. “No, you couldn’t,” he agreed. “I think if