Part 16 (2/2)
”Whoa.” He brought her flush against his hard, warm chest and abs. ”You all right?”
No. She wasn't. Not by a long shot. ”Bryce,” she said softly.
”Honor,” he answered just as quietly.
”No one...” She swallowed the emotion clogging the back of her throat. ”No one has ever thought about me the way you do.” He'd made her promise to Payton a real possibility. Fall in love, Pay had listed. Not fall in love, get married, and have babies. She was halfway to loving Jaws already. By tomorrow she'd be all the way there. And she'd feed him every day and talk to him every day and watch him swim every day.
If she simply took the words as Pay had written them, then she'd followed through.
”That makes us even,” Bryce said, ”because I've never thought about anyone the way I do you.”
She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him. He cradled her face with his big, strong hands as hers snaked through his soft brown hair. She feasted on his lips and tongue until she had to come up for air. ”Thank you,” she whispered.
”My pleasure.”
”Do you have plans for today?”
”That depends.” He toyed with her hair and even though she knew it impossible to feel something through the fine strands, her scalp tingled.
”On?”
”What you have planned.”
”I was thinking about spending the day in bed.”
His eyes went all dark and seductive. The dimple in his chin deepened. ”The one night stand is off the table?”
”No. But maybe we could bend the rules a little. Extend the night to include the day. Just this once.” She knew it was wrong to keep him with her, to continue what they'd had into daylight hours, but she couldn't help herself. Guilt still sat in the back of her mind because she was here with Bryce and Payton wasn't, but worse was her heart and body had overruled the logic she'd come to live by since Lance. The truth she held above all else: She didn't have the capacity to truly love someone and not hurt him.
For a little while longer, though, she wanted to pretend that nothing else existed but her and Bryce.
”I'm all yours,” he said with a grin, and a part of her wished that were possible.
Chapter Ten.
Early Monday morning Honor walked down Main Street toward the Beach Cafe to grab coffee before she hit the mayor's office. Spring Break was around the corner and she had a ton of work to do for the annual street fair.
A group of seagulls squawked overhead in the clear blue sky, drawing her attention up. It was beautiful after rainy days. The air cleaner, the sights and sounds crisper. Like living in a postcard.
She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth just before a burst of hot pink rounded the corner and she choked out a laugh. Coming at her was Midge and her ”Street Team.” The walking group-Midge, Mrs. Landry, s.h.i.+rley, and Mrs. Jamison-all wore bright pink Just Do It T-s.h.i.+rts and the hot pink tutus they'd acquired when they power jammed through their first Color Run a few months ago. 'Power jammed' was Mrs. L.'s phrase and she made sure everyone knew it. They walked around town every morning to stay fit. Look up 'fit' in the White Strand dictionary and there was a bonus definition: keep your nose in everyone's business.
The main reason Honor giggled, though, had everything to do with the team's new leader. He'd also donned a tutu.
”Yo, Honorlicious,” Dylan said, his blonde Einstein hair standing in crazier disarray than usual.
”Nice outfit.” Honor came to a stop with her hands on her hips.
Dylan grinned. ”Right?” He brought the group to a halt by putting his hand up, arm bent at the elbow before he leaned forward and whispered, ”They're paying me so I'll wear whatever they want.” Straightening he said, ”I'm whipping these ladies into shape for the Cove 5K.”
”That's great.” Honor put up her palm to high five the team of adorable older women.
”Honor,” Mrs. Jamison said, pulling her into a hug. ”Please thank that boyfriend of yours again for coming to my rescue Sat.u.r.day night.”
”Oh, he's not-”
”And tell him he must let me repay him for sending a plumber over yesterday to put a snake in my drain.”
Mrs. L. got a gleam in her eye and pressed her hands together. ”Tell us again how long his snake was, Betty.”
”Long. And when he bent over-”
”Whoa,” Honor and Dylan said at the same time. ”I'm gonna grab some water. Be right back. You ladies stay put,” Dylan said, disappearing down the street and leaving Honor alone with four sets of eyes narrowed on her like they wanted all the details of her s.e.x life.
”Now that he's gone, we need the scoop,” Mrs. L said with a wink, ”Betty told us what a hottie your boyfriend is.”
Honor bit the inside of her cheek. Leave it to the four busiest bodies in White Strand to get her alone first thing in the morning after the best weekend of her life. ”He's not my-”
”You should have seen his muscles straining through his wet s.h.i.+rt,” Mrs. J. said.
The team nodded like they wished they had.
”He's not my boyfriend. And what are you doing checking out someone young enough to be your grandson?
”I may be older, but I'm not dead.”
Honor sucked in her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
”He's also very charming,” Midge said, ignoring Honor's boyfriend reb.u.t.tal and reminding her Bryce had been into the Happy Harpoon several times.
He wasn't a stranger in her town anymore.
”You ladies are impossible. We're just... friends.”
”Friends with benefits.” Mrs. L. said like she'd just coined the term. The rest of the group grinned. At least they were enjoying this.
”It's not like that, either.” Could she rewind the morning and take a different route please?
”What is it like?” Midge asked. Her grandmotherly voice was inquisitive and sweet, a combination that usually got her the answers she wanted.
”Umm...”
s.h.i.+rley's hip hummed and she jumped. ”Oh, that's my cell,” she announced. She lifted her tutu and retrieved the phone. ”It's a text from Frannie. She wants to know what's this she hears about Honor and some hotshot agent with tight buns.”
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