been special, and Steve had felt it, too. Her heart knocked against her ribs. A man with shoulders wide enough to carry her burdens.
Steve’s shoulders were the widest she’d ever seen.
No. Impossible. I don’t want a relationship.
Opening the door, she stepped inside. The man stood. His presence stole the breath from her lungs. She put a hand out to steady herself. Lord, his shoulders brushed both sides of the narrow hallway, but it was more than just his size. It was him . The way he looked, all hot, muscled male, and the way he smelled, like a warm summer day, and the way his eyes took all of her in as if he’d been looking for her, and then, there she was—sort of startled, but happy.
No. No. No. No. There is no man looking for me, let alone this one. Get a grip, Shannon.
“All set?”
She nodded. “Yes. Let me get my purse and a hat.”
He stepped back into the widest part of the camper and turned sideways, allowing her room to scoot past. Once inside the bedroom, she leaned against the wall. Eyes closed, she focused on her breathing, which hadn’t been normal since she first saw Steve on her doorstep. Going off for the day with him could possibly be the worst idea she’d ever had.
It’s all Nadya’s fault. She put that crazy idea in my head. There is no man. There is no man. There is no man.
“Shannon? Is everything okay?”
Okay. So there is a man. She pushed away from the wall, grabbing her purse from the bed and her hat from the dresser. Jerking open the door, she faced him. “Everything is fine. Just fine.” She scooted past him. “Let’s go.”
The drive to the beach was quiet. She didn’t know what to say to him. Somehow, he’d gotten under her skin, and she was torn between the path she’d chosen for herself and the path a man like him tempted her to follow.
She had good reasons for the life she’d chosen, and up until she’d noticed a little girl standing alone amid the confusion and chaos of a potential disaster, she’d been content. Looking back, she decided she wouldn’t have done anything different. Megan had been in danger. And somewhere within Shannon, the heart of the mother she’d once been still beat. She could no more have turned a blind eye to the child’s distress than she could have stopped breathing.
I can’t do this.
A few days before, she would have said, “I don’t want to do this.” But then she’d met Steve, and wants had turned to needs.
He had her thinking about things she had sworn never to contemplate again and reassessing everything in her life. His showing up on her doorstep only made the situation worse. Why couldn’t he have just left her alone? Why did the one man she’d been attracted to in years have to be the one who couldn’t be satisfied with a one-night stand?
He pulled into a parking lot facing the beach. A few optimistic souls paddled around on surfboards, waiting for a wave to come along. From the looks of the ocean water, they might as well pack it up and go home. Other than a few lacy whitecaps breaking on the shore, the water appeared calm.
“Want to get out and walk a while?” His voice jerked her back to the here and now. “Or we can just sit here.”
“Let’s walk.” She opened her door, slapping her hat on her head as her feet slid to the ground. She had to end whatever Steve thought they had before it went any further, and the things she needed to say required lots of space. The cab of one pickup truck couldn’t possibly contain all the hurt inside her.
She slipped out of her sandals then took off down the deserted stretch of sand, needing the few seconds it would take for him to catch up in order to gather her courage. She made her way to the wet sand left behind by the receding tide and gave in to her need for open spaces. The early morning sun, coupled with the salty breeze, cleared the cobwebs from her brain.
“What’s your hurry?” he said, matching his long stride to her shorter one.
“Sorry.”
Steve’s shoulders were the widest she’d ever seen.
No. Impossible. I don’t want a relationship.
Opening the door, she stepped inside. The man stood. His presence stole the breath from her lungs. She put a hand out to steady herself. Lord, his shoulders brushed both sides of the narrow hallway, but it was more than just his size. It was him . The way he looked, all hot, muscled male, and the way he smelled, like a warm summer day, and the way his eyes took all of her in as if he’d been looking for her, and then, there she was—sort of startled, but happy.
No. No. No. No. There is no man looking for me, let alone this one. Get a grip, Shannon.
“All set?”
She nodded. “Yes. Let me get my purse and a hat.”
He stepped back into the widest part of the camper and turned sideways, allowing her room to scoot past. Once inside the bedroom, she leaned against the wall. Eyes closed, she focused on her breathing, which hadn’t been normal since she first saw Steve on her doorstep. Going off for the day with him could possibly be the worst idea she’d ever had.
It’s all Nadya’s fault. She put that crazy idea in my head. There is no man. There is no man. There is no man.
“Shannon? Is everything okay?”
Okay. So there is a man. She pushed away from the wall, grabbing her purse from the bed and her hat from the dresser. Jerking open the door, she faced him. “Everything is fine. Just fine.” She scooted past him. “Let’s go.”
The drive to the beach was quiet. She didn’t know what to say to him. Somehow, he’d gotten under her skin, and she was torn between the path she’d chosen for herself and the path a man like him tempted her to follow.
She had good reasons for the life she’d chosen, and up until she’d noticed a little girl standing alone amid the confusion and chaos of a potential disaster, she’d been content. Looking back, she decided she wouldn’t have done anything different. Megan had been in danger. And somewhere within Shannon, the heart of the mother she’d once been still beat. She could no more have turned a blind eye to the child’s distress than she could have stopped breathing.
I can’t do this.
A few days before, she would have said, “I don’t want to do this.” But then she’d met Steve, and wants had turned to needs.
He had her thinking about things she had sworn never to contemplate again and reassessing everything in her life. His showing up on her doorstep only made the situation worse. Why couldn’t he have just left her alone? Why did the one man she’d been attracted to in years have to be the one who couldn’t be satisfied with a one-night stand?
He pulled into a parking lot facing the beach. A few optimistic souls paddled around on surfboards, waiting for a wave to come along. From the looks of the ocean water, they might as well pack it up and go home. Other than a few lacy whitecaps breaking on the shore, the water appeared calm.
“Want to get out and walk a while?” His voice jerked her back to the here and now. “Or we can just sit here.”
“Let’s walk.” She opened her door, slapping her hat on her head as her feet slid to the ground. She had to end whatever Steve thought they had before it went any further, and the things she needed to say required lots of space. The cab of one pickup truck couldn’t possibly contain all the hurt inside her.
She slipped out of her sandals then took off down the deserted stretch of sand, needing the few seconds it would take for him to catch up in order to gather her courage. She made her way to the wet sand left behind by the receding tide and gave in to her need for open spaces. The early morning sun, coupled with the salty breeze, cleared the cobwebs from her brain.
“What’s your hurry?” he said, matching his long stride to her shorter one.
“Sorry.”
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