Masquerade by the Sea by Traci Hall

Author:Traci Hall [Hall, Traci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kendelle Press
Published: 2015-09-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Immediately embarrassed for over-sharing his deepest emotions, Heath released Jolie’s hand. It was her fault, he thought, for making him feel too comfortable. When was the last time he’d let down his guard? Even before the accident he’d been careful with his heart.

Jolie slid her sunglasses up to the top of her head and studied him with her hazel eyes, more gold and green than brown in the morning sun. She wore a white crocheted bikini top that contrasted with her skin tone beautifully. And the low slung linen shorts?

The woman should be illegal.

Long, tanned legs and narrow feet. A gold ring centered the index toe and her nails were painted light pink. Her hips flared, the skin on her stomach looked soft, her breasts full.

“I am sorry,” she said, her voice like whiskey over rocks. Sensual and velvety. “It took me a whole year after I lost Melody to find I could breathe again. Sometimes there just isn’t a reason for the shitty hand we’re dealt.”

She blinked and averted her gaze, but he’d have to be blind to have missed the glistening tears before she put on her shades.

“Listen, forget I said anything. Caught me in a weak moment.”

Jolie flipped her hair back, her attention on the water ahead. “Really? Emotions are weak?”

“Duh.”

“And now you’ve reverted to being twelve.” She snorted and didn’t look at him, studying the GPS thing and then the horizon.

He walked across the small bridge deck. Fourteen steps. He balanced against the roll and wave of the boat and peered over the other side. “Do you ever see dolphins?”

“Chicken!” Jolie shouted with a chuckle. “You, Heath, are an emotional chicken. But that’s okay. I like you anyway. And what better place to find yourself than the ocean?”

“The mountains,” he immediately countered. She liked him? He wasn’t stupid and felt their mutual attraction but liking was different. Liking implied friendship to go with the sex. He kept his back to her and massaged the muscle behind his knee, turning around after a moment as if he was fine.

Jolie was cool and confident, one hand on the wheel while the other held her coffee cup, which had to be cold by now. “The mountains haven’t been that good to you.”

Ouch. Heath thought of the accident that had killed his parents, but quickly filed that memory away, next to the avalanche that changed his life. He sprang to their defense. “Mother Nature. Utah has snow, you have hurricanes and shit out here. Tsunamis.”

“That’s the other coast.”

“Whatever. You know what I mean. I watched the hurricane coverage a few years back. No thank you.” He pointed to the mangrove-covered islands. “Out here? You’d be toast.”

Jolie peered over her shoulder at him. “As you can see, people live here just fine. You have to prepare for a storm. There is plenty of warning to make it off the Keys.”

They rounded a smaller marina and a few houses—a neighborhood in the middle of the bay. “I’d rather stick with the devil I know.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.