Free Seaside Seduction by Sabrina Devonshire Page B

always have to be like that.”
    I wanted to say that nothing would happen to me, that I would stand by her, take care of her, and make sure she never had another difficult day in her life. What’s wrong with me? This internal dialogue didn’t sound as if it were coming from a man who ran a multi-billion dollar enterprise, who had just planned to explain to his new lover that a long-term relationship could never work.
    “What do you mean?” Her eyes widened, the gold flecks in her irises showing an intensity, a desire I interpreted as her wanting me to say what we had mattered.
    The words I wanted to say— I’m the one you can depend on forever —never escaped my throat. “Someday you’ll meet someone you can always depend on.”
    The glitter in her eyes flickered and dissipated. “It happens in romance novels, but it’ll never happen in my life. I’m so afraid if I let myself fall in love with someone, he’ll end up dead.”
    “You’re so cynical.”
    “No more than you, Nick. You avoid relationships because you’re afraid they’ll interfere with work. I avoid them because I’m afraid they’ll take away the control I need not to go crazy with suffering. I can’t endure losing someone I love again. I just can’t. Right now I don’t even know if my brother’s still alive. Maybe he’s gone, too.”
    I smoothed away more tears that streamed from her eyes. “Please don’t cry.” I’ll make everything right for you. “I’m sure your brother is okay.”
    “You don’t know that. All this talk is upsetting me. Please just help me forget what I don’t want to think about.” Her gaze roved over my nakedness, and I knew right away what path we’d be taking.
    When her fingers raked through the hair on my chest and then trailed down toward my erection, I lost all desire to argue and claimed her lips in a desperate, hungry kiss.
     
    * * *
     
    Our lovemaking delayed breakfast, but I still craved my morning run. I peeled back the covers and walked over to my dresser. “Do you mind if I fix our breakfast when I get back from my run?”
    “No, of course not. Can I go with you?” Selena sat upright in bed, the covers sliding down to reveal her bouncing, beautiful breasts. “A little exercise might clear my head.”
    We hadn’t discussed exercise with Dr. Mendez. “Okay, but you probably shouldn’t do anything too strenuous.”
    She laughed as she bounded out of bed naked, her demeanor back to happy and carefree. “I can’t imagine running would raise my heart rate as much as what we did just now.”
    My eyes scanned all her curves. The tantalizing view and her candor sent another erogenous surge to my cock. The woman’s turning me into a nymphomaniac. I walked to my closet and pulled a terrycloth bathrobe from a hook and held it out to her. “Here, put this on. Then you can go to your room to fetch some running clothes.”
    “What do I need clothes for? No one else is here.” She dashed from the room butt naked, leaving the robe in my hands.
    I’d pulled on shorts and underwear and was slipping on shoes and socks when she returned, wearing short pink running shorts and a white tank top. She looked so adorable, I wanted to rush over and kiss her on the forehead. Who knows where that could lead. Instead, I clasped my hands behind my back.
    “I’m ready.” She bent over and squeezed the empty toes of her shoes with her fingers. “The shoes are a little large, but I think they’ll work. I wore an extra pair of socks to fill them out more.”
    “Yeah, my mom has big feet for a woman five feet tall.”
    Selena laughed. “I’m just the opposite. I don’t know any women my height who only wear six and a half.”
    “Well, I think you look cute in those pontoon shoes.” I put my hand on her back and started moving toward the door. “Now let’s go.”
    We stepped out the back door, strolled across the patio and down the stone stairs onto the sand. The sun burned bright in a clear sky; the sea