Read Online The Firefly Cafe by Lily Everett - Free Book Online Page A

We
     should get up, Matt will be awake soon. And I need to get ready for the lunch shift
     at the Firefly.”
    Dylan shifted, but only to sling a leg over Penny’s bare calves and trap her more
     thoroughly on the mattress. “Not yet. Plenty of time.”
    Humming with pleasure, Penny relished the sticky slide of their naked skin, the crispness
     of Dylan’s chest hair and the combined scents of their clean sweat and satisfying
     lovemaking. “We don’t have plenty of time. But I’m not ready to get up yet, either.”
    A sweet, comfortable silence descended over the room, broken only by the dip and sway
     of the trees in the light breeze and the bright chirping of birds. Here in the heart
     of downtown Sanctuary, they were at least half a mile from the beach, but if Penny
     closed her eyes she pretended she could almost make out the sound of the waves lapping
     at the shore.
    “This island,” Dylan said, hushed and almost reverent. “It’s not like any place I’ve
     ever been—and I’ve been all over the world.”
    Penny frowned a little. How did a handyman have money for international travel? But
     he’d probably backpacked across Europe or ridden that motorcycle of his across Asia
     or something. “Sanctuary Island is special,” she agreed. “I’ve loved it ever since
     we moved here. I knew right away that it was the place to make our new start.”
    “The rest of the world isn’t like this.” He sounded almost angry, voice harsh and
     clipped.
    “What do you mean?” Penny asked.
    “Happy and peaceful all the time.” Dylan’s hand tightened on her hip.
    Forcing herself to relax, Penny breathed deep. “Well, Dylan, I don’t know how to break
     it to you, but not everyone on Sanctuary Island is blissfully happy, every minute
     of their lives.”
    He snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.”
    Dylan had been consistently bewildered by the friendliness of the townspeople he’d
     met, from her best friend Greta Hackley offering discounts at the hardware store when
     she saw how much he was spending on getting Harrington House fixed up, to random people
     walking their dogs in the park by the town square. It was endearing, if a little sad
     that he was so unused to basic human kindness.
    But Penny had a larger point to make. “You talk a lot about how different we are here
     on Sanctuary, how much has changed for you since you got here—but Dylan, don’t you
     see? It’s the same for us, for Matthew and me. We were okay before, we were fine.
     But then you showed up, and you changed everything.”
    She could feel it when his heart picked up speed to slam against his rib cage. The
     whole bed shuddered with it.
    “Penny…” His hoarse voice and clutching hands made Penny sit up to get a better look
     at his face.
    All angular jaw and sexy scruff, his sky-blue eyes were piercing even in the fading
     afternoon sunlight. He looked lost. Chest clenching, Penny cupped his cheek in her
     hand and met his gaze with every ounce of calm and certainty she possessed.
    “I know you’re only here for a job, and that this is temporary—a moment out of your
     life. But I want you to understand what you mean to us.” Pressing her lips together
     briefly, she amended, “To me. You’re the only man in, well, years, who has made me
     feel brave enough to take a chance on opening up. And last night, you showed me how
     wonderful it can be to trust another person, with my heart and my body.”
    Penny wasn’t prepared for the shattered look that washed over Dylan’s tense face.
     “Penny,” he said helplessly, and she rushed to reassure him.
    “No, no—I’m not trying to put pressure on you about staying on the island. I know
     that’s not the deal, and don’t worry, you never gave me the wrong idea about that.
     You know that I don’t do this kind of thing all the time, so obviously there’s something
     special about you … and I don’t want you to leave here without knowing how I truly
     feel. Because