Free Ex on the Beach by Kim Law Page A

interesting couple of weeks.”
    Light laughter lifted out of her and she dropped back to the sand to stare up at the dark sky, knowing she was a miserable mess, both inside and out. “Would definitely make for an interesting couple of weeks, but no. This wedding is important to me. I’ve got to focus all my attention on getting it right.”
    He went silent and she realized she’d just done what he’d always accused her of, putting the job before him. But she had to. The job was her life. He was not.
    She peeked over at him from beneath her lashes, wishing the moment could be as romantic as the dark, warm night suggested. “I can’t let a good time interfere with what could impact the rest of my life.”
    “Yeah,” he bit out. “I know.” He rose to his feet and held a hand down to her. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I brought work with me, too. Dad’s retiring in a couple months and I’m trying to get ahead of my own workload before I take on half of his.”
    She slid her cool hand into his warmer, much larger one and let him pull her up. “Jonathan still there?”
    There were four Kavanaugh boys — Mark being the baby — and from what she’d learned before, they were all equally ambitious. Jonathan was the oldest, and had already been at the Kavanaugh firm when she and Mark had first gotten together.
    “Yes. It’ll soon be just me and him unless we bring in a partner. Ryan is still in New York, happy as a fireman, and Eddie never came back to Boston once he left for college. He should be down for the wedding, though. I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
    She stared up at the man Mark had matured into, and couldn’t stop the shiver that wracked her body. He was hard and big and seemed unstoppable. She couldn’t imagine sitting on the opposite side of a courtroom from him. Yet he was the gentlest person in the world when it came to his family. He deserved someone who could be like his mother and stay home to raise his babies.
    The thought made her wonder what had gone wrong between him and Ms. Ryan, but that was one question she was not going to ask.
    “We’ll make sure not to kiss anymore so we’ll both be able to think straight,” Andie said. “That way both of us can get our jobs done.”
    Hooded eyes studied her mouth before slowly lifting to her eyes. Her thighs tingled, signaling they knew what he’d been thinking as he’d looked at her. “Sure,” he said. “That’s exactly what we’ll do.” He motioned with his head to the house behind them. “Go on inside. I’ll wait to see you in before I head back to the bar for my car.”
    Because he had to drive over to the hotel instead of simply going inside with her. Which made her feel guilty. Granted, it was a very nice hotel. The oldest on the island, and it came with a five-star rating. It also had a grand ballroom that Seaglass used for receptions when couples wanted something more opulent than an open-air, tented reception area.
    But still, until the remainder of the guests arrived, Mark was the only one from the group staying at the hotel. Even though the plumber had actually made it to the house earlier to take care of the problem in one of the rooms, she hadn’t told Kayla to move Mark over. It felt safer knowing he wasn’t just a few doors down from her.
    “Thanks, Mark.” She wasn’t really sure what she was thanking him for. Maybe the apology, maybe the good-bye kiss. And maybe just for seeking her out. She accepted now that she had needed to have a conversation with him, had needed closure, just as her friends had thought.
    They began walking toward the boardwalk that led to the back of the inn, and she almost smiled as she remembered tossing his shoes in the ocean. That had certainly made her feel better. Maybe she was thanking him for not losing his mind when she’d done that. Those shoes had to have cost a fortune.
    “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said. They reached the steps and she smiled up at him, giving