Free Paradise Lust by Jocelyn Kates Page A

thought, looking at herself. She looked good, glowing in a way that she hadn’t for years. Her brown hair had a rich sheen to it, the sea-spray and humid air adding volume and texture; her shoulders had new definition and a sun-kissed glow; cheerful freckles had sprung up on the bridge of her nose; her slight frame suddenly had curves and suppleness where there had been none before—she was a bona fide hottie! She spun around, gave Danny a wink, and headed for the door.
    “Let’s drink coconuts again sometime,” she said. “Next time it’s my treat.”
    “It’s a date,” he said, giving her a slight wink that almost made her melt to the floor. Before she could give in to the impulse to jump back into his arms, she turned, opened the door, and stepped out into the warm breeze of a quiet dusk.
     

Chapter 9
     
    After Adele left, Danny sat on his porch for a long time. He was surprised at how relieved—almost euphoric—he’d been when she’d jogged up to his porch. The reaction was fueled by an emotion that was strange to him, one so unfamiliar that it had taken over hours to identify. Only now, as he sat by himself in the darkness, the warm air blanketing his barely-clothed body, did he become quite certain of what he’d felt.
    It was a feeling of recognition . He’d felt a flash of it the first time he and Adele had met, that night in the lobby, and it had been growing in intensity ever since. He recognized a like soul in her, if he were one to believe in souls. Looking into her eyes, he understood who she was, and felt, without knowing much about her at all, that she understood him, on the most fundamental level. The level that has nothing to do with what car we drive or what job we have. She understands , was the phrase that kept circling in his mind.
    Of course, there were other feelings: Attraction. Lust, if he was being honest with himself. Fondness—he genuinely liked hanging out with her. He’d even found himself walking past the yoga studio while her classes were in session, not so much to ogle the half-naked yogis (though that was part of it), but to get to feel as though he was clued in to what she was doing.
    He hadn’t felt this way about anybody since his first wife, Nikki, and he’d had no desire to experience such strong emotions since then. The ups had been incredible with Nikki, had given him new appreciation for what it meant to be alive, and to be in love, but the downs were even more intense. He’d left that relationship feeling a depth of grief that he didn’t know to be possible, as well as a sense of complete failure. Sure, her infidelity had been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but he knew that he was at least half responsible for the demise of their relationship that had brought her to an action like that. He’d thrown himself fully into something, and failed. It was a feeling he never wanted to have again.
    In the four years since then, he’d worked to pull himself out of that hole— and done a darn good job at it , he thought to himself, surveying his idyllic surroundings—and also to build up safeguards against something so devastating ever happening again. He’d found that it was quite possible to have a rich, fulfilling life, while building lots of wonderful relationships, without ever forging a particularly intimate connection with any one person. He had a family he adored, inspiring friends and colleagues, and lovely short relationships with incredible women. He felt he’d discovered the secret to true happiness, and it was this: fall in love with your life, not with another person.
    He pulled up his feelings again, examining his heart under the microscope of his mind, trying to convince himself that he was mistaken, that he’d mischaracterized his emotions toward Adele.
    Before he could settle into any serious consideration, his phone vibrated beside him. A wave of gratitude for whoever was calling washed over him—he didn’t want to think about Adele or