What looked to be discomfort flickered in his eyes. Maybe she’d misread their chemistry and Devin was just politely sharing a meal with her. Disappointment set in. Bea prepared to give him an out.

  But genuine interest came back into his expression. “Do I get to find out more about you, too?”

  “Are you asking me as a journalist?”

  “Nope. As me,” he replied.

  “Then ask away.”

  His gaze held hers. “Ladies first.”

  Talking and sharing a meal flowed as easily between them as dancing together.

  Favorite songs. Hot or mild salsa. He liked his off-the-charts spicy. Wait. Had she really just confessed her go-to movies were holiday films...all year long? Devin was just so easy to talk to, and watching his smile turn into an unconscious sexy grin was an experience of its own.

  He leaned closer as he relayed a story about a Great Dane he’d recently fostered. “I’m sitting on the couch watching the game, eating vanilla ice cream with crumbles of salted-caramel chocolate chip cookies—”

  “Hold on. Not just cookies, but crumbles of cookies?”

  He shook his head. “No. Not just any cookies. Salted-caramel chocolate chip cookies. Crumbling them is the only way for them to perfectly blend with the ice cream. Everyone knows that.”

  She feigned seriousness. “I didn’t, but of course that makes perfect sense...”

  He kept a semi-straight face as humor gleamed in his eyes. “Glad I cleared that up for you. So, Chumley starts chasing his tail, like dogs do. Just as I put my bowl on the coffee table to check something on my phone, I see disaster coming. Before I can stop it, he loses his balance and his paw—or maybe it was his tail—hits the bowl, and it flies across the room, slams into the wall, and shatters. Chumley does a duck-and-cover move, then glances up at me with a what-did-you-do look on his face. I swear he thought it was my fault.”

  As Bea laughed with Devin, his sexy grin reappeared, and all she could do was stare at him.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “No.”

  In fact, everything felt just right. Maybe a little too right. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this good with a guy. Or wanted a kiss so badly. The desire to feel his mouth on hers grew into a persistent longing.

  As she dragged her gaze upward, she met his gaze. Who leaned in first? She didn’t know.

  When their lips met, it didn’t matter.

  One all-too-brief press of their lips turned into a second one. He cupped her cheek, and heat curled inside of Bea as she waited in anticipation. When he angled his mouth back over hers, she opened to him. The heady decadence of the kiss pulled a moan out of her as she grasped onto his forearm, his bicep, then his shoulder, fighting the urge to crawl onto his lap.

  Devin eased back. As he let go of her, he stood. “Dance with me.”

  The switch from kissing to him wanting to dance again confused her. As she stepped into his arms and he brought her close, the mix of need and barely reined in control she spotted in his eyes explained everything.

  But she didn’t want him to hold back.

  As if reading her mind, he rested his forehead to hers. “Bea...it’s not that I don’t want you, but we shouldn’t go beyond that kiss.”

  “Why?” She leaned away and looked up at his face. “Because you’re friends with my brother-in-law? Or because you’re a journalist, and my family and I have had some newsworthy events come into our lives?”

  Devin smoothed back a strand of red hair that had wandered in front of her eyes. As he took his hand away, a trail of tingles remained where he’d caressed her cheek. “That’s a big part of it...”

  As he took hold of her waist with both of his hands, she searched for the words to make him see her point of view. She’d taken a bold risk to follow her dream of opening a restaurant in Chatelaine. But when it came to her personal life, she’d kept it on hold for so long. Waiting for what? She didn’t know. But she wanted to move forward with what she felt...what she wanted.

  Bea called upon the boldness that had fortified her choices over the past months. “Whatever that ‘big part’ is, it doesn’t have to affect us being together right now. Why can’t we set that all aside, just for tonight?” she asked. “We don’t talk about it. We don’t worry about it. We just focus on being together and enjoying the moment.”

  He looked into her eyes. “And after that?”

  “Tomorrow, when the sun rises, we get back to reality.”

  Chapter Six

  Devin held Bea’s waist a little tighter, fighting the temptation to bring her flush against him and kiss her. If he did, he might not be able to stop.

  Lyrics from the song they were dancing to filtered into Devin’s thoughts. It was about a guy who’d encountered a woman who’d unexpectedly grabbed his attention, and now he was so caught up in her, he couldn’t let her go.

  Those words definitely mirrored how Devin felt in this moment with Bea. He hadn’t come to the wedding anticipating any of this—especially this connection with her that kept growing by the minute.

  She studied his face. “What are you thinking?”

  That if he gave in to what he was feeling, he would need until sunrise to get Bea out of his system. Maybe one night wouldn’t be enough. But on the other hand, if he walked away now, he would have regrets. He really liked Bea. And if one night was all they could have, he would take it.

  He caressed up and down her back, and she leaned more against him. “I was wondering how much longer you have to stay at the reception.”

  “Esme and Ryder should be cutting the cake soon. Shortly after that, they’ll leave for their honeymoon,” she told him. “Once that happens, there’s not much more for me to do, and if there is, I’ll figure out a way to move things along. I’ll text you before I leave.”

  He retrieved his phone from his suit jacket and gave it to her. After Bea added her information to his contacts, he called her number.

  “Bea...” Esme shouted from across the lawn. “It’s time to cut the cake.”

  “Okay,” Bea answered, then looked back to Devin. “Are you coming?”

  “Not yet.” He needed to cool off.

  As Bea started to walk away, he caught her lightly by the hand. She wasn’t from Chatelaine, and she’d only gotten a taste of what gossip was like in a small town from what had happened with the restaurant.

  He couldn’t resist one last reality check. “I’m sure people have noticed us together and they’re already speculating about what’s going on between us. If you’re hurrying to leave the reception, they might figure it out.”

  Bea came back toward him, rose onto her toes, and gave him a lingering kiss. Just a fraction away, her whispered words warmed his lips. “I know.”

  Just as she’d predicted, after the cutting of the cake, events at the reception moved along at a steady pace.

  Soon, the guests stood in a pasture near the lodge as Ryder and Esme exchanged hugs and kisses with family and close friends. A helicopter waited to whisk them away to the airport to catch a flight.

  As the craft lifted off, the couple waved. Everyone waved back, watching until it became smaller and smaller in the sky.

  Devin met Bea’s gaze across the lawn. Certainty was still in her eyes, and his heartbeat amped up. He couldn’t wait to be with her.

  * * *

  Later on, as he knocked on the door of her condo, taking it slow was the plan. But then Bea opened the door. She was still wearing the coral dress. As he took her in, from her long, red hair now loose around her shoulders down to her bare feet, he was more than just caught—he was lost.

  He walked inside, and Bea shut the door behind him.

  In the next instant, they were in each other’s arms, and he gave in to the need to feel her soft, full lips under his. Oxygen became secondary to the ever-deepening kiss that conveyed what they craved for just one night.

  Each other.

  He’d left his tie and jacket in the car, and Bea took over where he’d left off, unfastening buttons at the top of his shirt. Her moan of frustration vibrated into him, and she gave up, tugging his shirt from his slacks.

  With his sleeves already rolled to his forearms, Devin used the advantage and pulled his shirt over his head.

  As he tossed it aside, her gaze roamed over his torso.

  He worked out and had a toned physique, but maintaining a six-pack had taken a back seat to keeping up with his schedule and raising his daughter. But as Bea glided her hands over his bare skin, her touch ignited a sharp breath, resurrecting a swell of tiny muscles in his abdomen as hard as the solid ridge pressing against the front of his slacks.

  Need fired through his blood. But as he brought her close, he took the pace down a notch with long, slow kisses and even slower caresses as he pulled down the zipper on the back of her dress.

  Devin eased the straps from her shoulders, and Bea shimmied out of the dress. Coral-colored lace highlighted the combination of her smooth, silky skin, full breasts, and soft curves.

  Kissing her, he murmured, “You’re beautiful.”

  As Bea led him up the stairs, the mesmerizing sway of her hips was like a Siren’s call, beckoning him to follow.

  Urgency fueled them as they took off the rest of their clothing. The breathtaking view of Bea almost made him forget to take condoms from his wallet and lay them on the bedside table.

  Moments later, she lay under him, skin to skin. He savored every moan and deep sigh as he pleased her with more caresses and hot, branding kisses.

  Holding on to his shoulders, Bea trembled. “Devin... please. I need you.”

  Pausing briefly, he grabbed protection and put it on.

  When he returned to Bea, she reached for him, widening her legs to accommodate him. As he grasped her hips, the wonderful sensation of being inside of her almost overwhelmed him, but he held on to control.

  Eyes locked on each other, they moved as one. Entranced by the play of blissful emotion on her face, Devin became driven by as single-minded mission to bring her pleasure.

  Bea reached her peak. And soon after he joined her, finding his release.

  Later on, instead of leaving, Devin crawled back into bed and held her close. “You good?”

  “Very good.” Facing toward him, Bea fit like a puzzle piece finding its place.

  He shouldn’t get too comfortable, right? That’s not how a one-night stand worked. He should get dressed and say goodnight.

  But being with Bea, holding her...it was too hard to convince himself to leave.

  * * *

  Just after dawn, Bea awoke in Devin’s arms. As erotic memories from last night and earlier that morning played through her mind, she couldn’t stop a smile. She hadn’t experienced anything like being with Devin since...well, she had nothing to compare it to.

  “Hey...” His voice was husky from sleep. He wrapped an arm around her and caressed up and down her bare back. “Are you getting up already?”

  “Not yet.” She snuggled closer to his side and laid her head on his shoulder. As she rested her hand on his chest, the warmth from his skin seeped into her palm.

  Just as she was about to ask him if he liked pancakes, a buzz and a ding reverberated from the floor.

  “That’s my phone. Sorry—I better see who it is.” Devin slipped his arm from around her, leaned down, and fished it out of his pants pocket.

  She settled back on the pillows. So much for pancakes.

  Devin lay back down and checked the screen. “It’s my daughter, Carly. She can’t find her earbuds, and she’s wondering if she left them at my place. She wants to look for them this morning.” Sighing, he laid his phone on the nightstand. “Teenage priorities. She never gets up this early for school.”

  Bea knew he had a daughter but hadn’t realized she was a teenager. “How old is she?”

  “She’ll be fourteen in a few months.”

  Lying on her side, she faced him. “Raising a teen—I hear that’s an interesting experience.”

  Devin chuckled wryly. “You could say that. But it’s also amazing and baffling at the same time. She’s growing up and learning how to figure things out for herself. That’s the amazing part. But sometimes, trying to understand how a teenage girl’s mind works is like trying to solve a puzzle without clues. Almost everything I say or do, these days, is the opposite of what she wants.”

  Hints of frustration were in his tone, and Bea’s heart went out to him. Despite his frustration, the soft rays of sunlight streaming between the slats of the window blinds illuminated parental pride on his face.

  She rested a hand on his arm. “When she’s older, I’m sure that will change. At least that’s what I’ve heard happens with teenagers.”

  “I hope it’s true.” Devin sat up on the mattress. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I better get going. Mind if I take a quick shower?”

  “Not at all.” As she sat up, she tugged at the sheet, holding it to her chest.

  Devin’s gaze dropped from her face to the curves of her breasts still peeking above the covers, and he swallowed hard.

  A part of Bea was tempted to let the sheet drop and go for round three. But he probably wanted to get home and change out of yesterday’s clothes before meeting his daughter.

  Pulling the sheet up higher, she asked, “Do you want coffee?”

  Devin cleared his throat. “That would be great.”

  She gave him a clean towel and one of the pre-pasted toothbrushes she kept on hand for travel. After finding out how he wanted his coffee, she put on a sleep shirt, made a pitstop in the other bathroom, then went downstairs.

  A short time later, Bea climbed back up the stairs carrying two full mugs of dark Colombian brew. As she slowed down, making sure not to spill hot coffee, she glanced down at the mugs and smiled. She and Devin weren’t just sexually compatible. They even liked their coffee the same way—a couple of teaspoons of sugar, no cream.

  That would have been a good sign...if they were at the start of a relationship. But they weren’t. She had a restaurant to run, and he had a teen daughter to raise. They were on different paths.

  Still, Bea’s mind started to wander, imagining what might happen next if those different paths converged, even for just a few more days. Would they meet up later and spend the rest of the day together? Then would they explore possible plans to see each other for the rest of the week or maybe a bit longer? As long as they both knew an end was in sight...

  As she walked into the bedroom, Devin walked out of the bathroom wearing just a blue towel around his waist.

  Her thoughts short-circuited as want curled in her belly.

  As he walked toward her, drops of water glistened on his muscular chest. She couldn’t tear her gaze away as a few droplets slid down his abdomen toward the edge of the towel.

  “Bea...”

  His voice snapped her out of a trance, and she looked up. Blatant need was in his eyes.

  Devin slipped the mugs from her hands, set them on the dresser, then came back to her. Taking her by the waist, he brought her close.

  “But your coffee...” The three-word question was all she could manage to say.

  “It can wait.” Devin leaned in. “This can’t.”

  He slanted his mouth over hers.

  In short order, his towel and her sleep shirt were on the floor. As he cupped her bottom, Devin brushed open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin of her throat. The evidence of his desire nestled against her belly. Holding tightly to his shoulders, she wound her legs around his waist as he swiftly carried her to the unmade bed.

  Every touch, kiss, and caress reflected all she felt. Impatience and pure need. By the time he entered her, she was trembling and nearly lightheaded with anticipation. Each swift, hard stroke delivered more and more pleasure until she splintered apart in ecstasy.

  Depleted from his own orgasm, Devin rose to his elbows supporting his weight. “You okay?”

  Floating in contentment, Bea smiled as she stroked a hand up and down his back. “I’m wonderful.”

  He stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer.”

  “Me, too.” But maybe it was better this way. If he hung around for coffee and breakfast liked she’d imagined, it would have been harder to watch him leave.

  Devin moved away from Bea and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. He moved to get up but stopped, staring between his legs. “Damn,” he whispered.

  Hearing concern in his tone, she grasped the sheet to her chest once more and sat up. “What’s wrong?”

  He glanced over at her. “The condom broke.”

  * * *

  Still processing what had occurred earlier in the bedroom, Bea stood with Devin at the kitchen counter holding on to her coffee mug. For her, having the cup in her hand was a nervous gesture more than a need for caffeine.

  They’d waited until coming downstairs to discuss what had happened. She’d never fully understood the saying about cutting through tension with a knife until now. It filled the room along with a heavy silence.

  Devin sat down his full mug. “I’m sorry. I should have noticed...”

  She couldn’t let him take all the blame. “We were caught up in the moment. It’s not your fault.”

  As she reached for his hand on the counter, he reached for hers, too.

  Devin released a heavy exhale. “This isn’t how I imagined this morning would end.”

  “Me neither.”

  His fingers tightened around hers as he looked into her eyes. “Whatever happens next, I’m here.”

  Chapter Seven

  Bea, Freya, and Tanya sat at a table in the empty café. The topic of their Tuesday-morning meeting was the rescheduled grand opening happening next week.

 

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