Page 5 of Falling Fast
But Tawny seems to have forgotten her wild days. She took over at the inn when Grandma was ready to retire and she works seven days a week keeping things going. She’s a total control freak, so it works, but man, does she need to lighten up. Especially when it comes to my social life.
With a sigh, I pick up one of the books I’m reading, a regency romance novel, and lose myself in the pages for a short while.
But when my tea is all gone, I glance at my phone to check the time. Oh fudge! I’ve only got about ten more minutes until I’m supposed to meet Marcus. My heartbeat quickens at the thought of seeing him and I can’t help but hope I might have a reason to hug him again. He smelled so good, like the ocean, but in a sexy man way. Hopefully I can manage to get through the afternoon without being even more of a bumbling idiot, but let’s face it, awkward should have been my middle name, not Jean.Sorry Grandma.
I go inside, put some cash and a lip gloss in my pocket, and grab my sunglasses. With a quick check in the mirror to make sure my hair isn’t looking too insane, I head out the door to find Marcus.
When my eyes land on him in the parking lot, I realize that after only an hour, my memory of just how handsome he is had faded. This man is sex on a stick, and I’m filled with a desperate wanting to explore every inch of his gorgeous body.
It’s still a mystery as to why he’s here, but I think I’m going to enjoy solving it. With a man who looks like he does, who looksat melike he does, there’s no doubt in my mind.
This is going to be an interesting afternoon.
Chapter four
Marcus
Ella walks up to me and I shift my stance in an effort to hide my growing arousal. Fuck, I’m a grown-ass man, I should have more control than this, but something about her gets to me, deeply. And it’s not just physically, my soul is calling to me to claim her as my own. Which is fucking insane, after only spending an hour with her. But I’ve learned in business to always trust my gut, so I guess I should trust it here as well.
I hold myself back from reaching out and pulling her into my arms, aware that she might not be feeling as intensely attracted to me as I am to her, but I can’t stop my hand from reaching out to grasp hers. The smile she beams at me is a relief. Maybe she is, in fact, on the same page.
“So, Ella Enchanted, where to first?” I say, and immediately cringe at the ridiculous nickname.
She stops walking, and because we’re holding hands, I jerk to a stop as well.
“Oh no, no you don’t. Don’t you dare compare me to some silly princess. I’ve heard all the nicknames, and I’ll tell you right now, don’t use them. Besides, you can’t honestly tell meyouknow who Ella Enchanted is.”
She’s got some sass in her now, and I like it. But weirdly enough, I also liked nervous Ella.
“Okay, okay, sorry, I blame my buddy’s daughter. She’s made me watch more kid movies than I can count.” I apologize, squeezing her hand and tugging her closer. My other hand reaches up to softly cup her chin. I lift her sunglasses up onto her head so I can see her mesmerizing eyes. “How about I just call you beautiful?”
Her eyes soften, and she smiles. I get the feeling she hasn’t been called beautiful before, and I want to pound on my chest like some ridiculous caveman and claim her as mine.
“Come on, let’s go.”
She sets off down the tree-lined sidewalk of the inn’s driveway and I can’t hide my surprise.
“I thought we were driving.”
Ella just laughs.
“Why? Everything you’ll want to see in town is within walking distance. Outside of town is just homes, the nature reserve, a small winery, and some hiking trails.” She looks at me shyly and pauses before continuing. But what she says next makes me want to pump my fist and cheer. “I could show you that tomorrow if you’re interested.”
“There’s nothing I want more than to spend another day with you.”
Every word is the God’s honest truth, and the way she smiles at me says she’s pleased to hear my response. But deep inside, I’m aware I have a job to do here as well. At some point I need to scope out the land that Robert wants to develop. His vision is a gated community full of luxury vacation homes, and before arriving here, I would have said it’s a great investment. Now I’m not so sure his original plan is going to work. He wants high end with the amenities to service it. The little bit I saw on the way from the ferry to the inn showed a small town, with an old-fashioned main drag lined with small shops.
Not exactly what the rich buyers Robert hopes to attract will want. Still, maybe there’s a way to make it work. I consider telling Ella why I’m here. After all, maybe she can help. But I don’t want her to look at me differently once she knows I’m here to change her island. For now, I like the fact that we don’t have anything between us except attraction.
We walk in silence for a moment, and I find myself enjoying the simplicity of the moment. That realization is jarring, because the Marcus of yesterday would have been itching to move on to the next big thing. Instead, I’m relishing the feel of her hand in mine, the late summer sun on my face, and the surprisingly pleasant quiet. Instead of the cacophony of the city, I hear nature. Birds chirping, trees rustling, and somewhere in the distance is a lawnmower running. Maybe this isn’t hell after all.
Ella’s melodic voice interrupts my musing.
“So, tell me about yourself. We don’t get a lot of young single guys on the island. At least I’m assuming you’re single. Oh fudge, I hope you’re single because you hugged me and asked me to dinner, and now you’re holding my hand and…”
It would seem nervous Ella is back, so I stop her anxious rambling the only way I can think of.
I kiss her.
