across the street. Maybe you could come over for supper one night.”
“I’d like that.” Stone pulled a card from deep in his pocket and handed it to the other man. “I’ll be on the island all week. Give me a call when you have time and we’ll set something up.”
“Will do.”
With a wave, the couple left. Stone watched them go into the doctor’s office. Then he headed into the coffee shop where he took a stool at the front counter.
His thoughts returned to Stephanie.
There was definitely something wrong with him.
A dozen times a day, the urge to call her came over him, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she’d given him a phony phone number, he might not have been able to resist. All that time, he’d believed the urge would go away.
It hadn’t and now here he was, under her spell again. So caught up in the feel of her lips against his, her full breasts in his hands, he’d forgotten they were in plain sight of the entire town.
Of all people, he should know better. The stormy relationship between his mom and dad was a perfect example of everything he wanted to avoid. Add in the dozens and dozens of divorces he handled each year, and how every time he saw how miserable those people were, he swore never to fall into the marriage trap.
Stephanie was dangerous with a capital D. He liked her—liked her more than was healthy for his single status. And yet, she’d sworn she wanted exactly what he wanted.
A no strings attached fling.
What he needed was time away from her to put this whole thing between them into perspective. Too bad he’d had weeks away from her and failed to do just that.
If he was smart, he’d steer clear of her this week, let this thing between them cool off, but he had a funny feeling she might be the one person he could turn to to keep him sane.
He straightened his back and something inside of him hardened.
After this week, he’d cut her out of his life. Cold, impersonal, without a hitch to his lifestyle. She’d return to wherever she lived and he’d return home alone.
And there’d be no marriage-minded mothers or purse-toting fathers in his life.
CHAPTER NINE
Stephanie had turned her back on her parents, fully expecting them to follow Stone to the coffee shop.
Maybe she was being selfish, but she had the inclination to let Stone deal with them himself. She had enough on her plate this week. She didn’t need to play middleman between her lover and her parents.
Unfortunately for her, when she entered the doctor’s office, she heard the distinctive click of her mom’s heels as the older woman followed her in.
“Oh honey, a lawyer. I knew you could do it.”
If Stone knew what was good for him, he’d hightail it back to the estate, grab his things, and make a break for the Mainland. If she had the choice, she’d run from her parents, too. “He’s not my boyfriend, Mom. In fact, he’s nothing to me.”
Her dad followed them in, a concerned frown creasing his forehead. “Is that how you kiss a boy who means nothing? Then you’re giving him the wrong message.”
Stephanie looked around at the other occupants in the doctor’s office and felt her face heat. “Will you two please keep your voices down?”
Dora grabbed her hand and tugged her onto a chair. “Spill. Tell us all about him. Has he popped the question yet? When is the wedding?” She clapped her hands together and gazed up at her husband. “A double wedding, Tom. It’s a dream come true.”
The frown on her dad’s face deepened. He ignored his wife and focused on his oldest daughter. “Boys are trouble. Stay away from them and you’ll never go wrong.”
She lowered her voice. “What about Dane?”
“Dane’s different.” His furrowed brow deepened. “He’s like a son to me. The son I never had.” He speared his wife with a playful leer, the pained expression on his face momentarily gone. “Not for lack of trying, if I might add.”
Stephanie wrinkled her nose and felt her stomach