Second Chance in Paradise by Jennifer Peel

Author:Jennifer Peel [Peel, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-05-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Porter was brooding all the way back to the house. I wasn’t sure what to say as he pushed the limits of how fast a golf cart should probably go. When I gripped my armrest and let out an audible gasp due to the jolt of speeding over a bump in the path, he finally eased off the gas.

“Sorry,” he breathed out.

“No problem. I needed a good cardio workout.”

He still said nothing as we cruised toward the house.

“Do you want to talk?”

“Give me a few minutes to cool down.”

It was a thoughtful response. While he cooled down, I wondered what had him so upset. I knew from the moment he walked out onto the veranda that the meeting had not gone to his liking. His face looked wind whipped and I swore he eyed the bar like he needed a stiff drink. I was glad when he chose not to go that route. Growing up first with drug addict parents and then with a pair of people that had had their fair share of alcohol-induced fights, I realized early on that any substance that took away reason never helped any tense situation. It only exacerbated it. Porter had tried his best to be pleasant when he threw himself into the lounge chair next to me, but when I asked him if he wanted to leave, we couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I swore he was going to pick me up.

Porter said not a word until he came to an abrupt stop on his parents’ driveway. Before I could reach for my crutches, his hand was on my cheek. “I’m sorry, Holland.”

Naturally, I leaned into his hand.

His fingers inched up into my hair. “You don’t know how bad I want to kiss you right now.”

I had to swallow down the urge to let him. “Talk first.”

“Are you saying I can kiss you later?”

I peered into his hopeful eyes, gathering my thoughts. “Kissing you would mean something to me. I need to see what it means to you first.”

His thumb stroked my cheek. “It would mean everything to me.”

“How can I know that?”

“It’s my job to prove it to you. I intend to.”

I reached up, breathless, and took his hand and held it between us, knowing if I let it linger any longer on my cheek I was going to lean in and let him have his and my desire. My head kept telling my heart it needed to be patient. Do its research.

“Tell me what happened with your dad.”

He scooted closer, like I needed more heart palpitations. He blew out a breath big enough to rival the sea breeze.

“He’s never going to see me as anything but the kid that tore out of here. It doesn’t matter how successful I am, or that since I’ve been working for the Bristol, foot traffic has increased, and the last six quarters have seen their revenue increase upwards of thirty percent.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

He shrugged. “It’s taken some time, but my team and I work really well together.

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