The Last Lap by Christy Hayes

Author:Christy Hayes [Hayes, Christy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CAH LLC
Published: 2023-03-06T18:30:00+00:00

Bryan stepped back and watched Meg scurry out of the stockroom, his heart hammering, his body hungry with need. He sighed, long and deep, and rubbed the ache in his chest with a hand that wasn’t quite steady. He hadn’t meant to launch at her the way he had, drawing her up, backing her against the desk, fusing his mouth to hers like a frantic baby suckling his mother. The urgent need shocked him, had him questioning his control.

She’d destroyed him with her greedy mouth and roaming hands, meeting fire with fire. There was no staying away from her now, not now when he’d tasted her flavor, felt the force of her need. He was in so far over his head. Meg had the power to crush him if she decided he wasn’t worth the risk.

And what a risk he was. His brother and her sister dead. His stint in her hometown temporary. Her niece and store here. His job and life in Atlanta. Their grieving families.

With one touch of her lips, his mission in Florida turned a one-eighty. Corey was gone. Knowing what he’d done to make ends meet took second place to Meg. All he could see was Meg. Her courage in the face of tragedy. Her determination to shield her niece. And buried beneath a mountain of responsibility, a woman with flesh and blood needs he yearned to fulfill.

All he had to do was convince her to give him a chance. A big ask under normal circumstances. With everything stacked against him and the tactical error of showing his hand too soon with that kiss, he was in for the fight of his life.

His adrenaline pulsing, Bryan pushed away from the desk and roamed the cramped room with his hands clasped behind his neck. He prowled the small space from door to door, his focus on the woman whose voice he could hear in the other room like a whisper against his skin.

A slash of bold red and aquamarine caught his eye, drawing him to the corner of the room. He dropped his hands to brace himself and stare at the handful of canvas paintings leaned against the back wall partially hidden by boxes. Without much room to get a good look, Bryan chose one and carried it to a spot where the lighting was better and he could look his fill.

It was the ocean and the sky at sunset in soft focus. He recognized the point at the end of the island, the stand of mangroves, the crystal water, the blazing sky at dusk. It was exactly the image of Key West he’d take with him, that ethereal quality of the elements that seem too bright, too stunning to be real. He could taste the salty water, feel the heat of the sun on his skin.

“What are you doing with that?”

Bryan startled, jostling the painting in his hand. He hadn’t heard Meg enter. “Sorry, I saw it behind the boxes and wanted a better look. This is …” He struggled to find a word to express how it made him feel, serene and awed.

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