Free HIGH TIDE by Maureen A. Miller Page B

Nick hesitated, looking into the inlet at the seawall.
    “I admit that I wanted to find some fault with this property,” he turned to her, “but there is no fault here. Your construction is not responsible for dead tuna washing up on shore.”
    “You harbored these ill feelings towards Manale, Nick...maybe others do as well. Maybe enough to sabotage it.”
    A dark expression crossed his face. For a long time he studied her...a long enough time to make her uncomfortable.
    “Don’t get carried away,” he uttered quietly.
    “I won’t.” The words hung in the air, and took on a deeper meaning. “Nick, you came today, to the beach. I didn’t think you would.”
    He turned away, giving the impression that he was searching the grounds. Only her steadfast silence forced him to look back. “I—” his hand wrapped behind his neck, “I wanted to talk to you.”
    Instinctively, her arms crossed. Here it comes, she thought. The tone of his voice was obvious. What single attribute of hers made him want to end this fledgling relationship—if she could go so far as to call it that? It wasn’t a relationship—he had simply kissed her .
    But God, was it a kiss that he could so easily walk away from?
    Maybe she had come across as too professional, condescending even. Maybe he preferred a superficial partner that he didn’t have to battle with.
    Studying the crisp lines of the white shirt that molded his chest, Briana sensed tension there. Irrationally, she wanted to reach out and ease it. She wanted to touch him again, to feel the sleek line of those muscles, and to be caressed like she had under the moon. But, that was simply a spell cast by its magic. Today under the sun, in the wake of a geological quirk, she knew that there would be nothing between them.
    Solitude smothered her.
    “Talk about what? Last night?”
    “Yes.” Pain lurked in his eyes. “Briana, look—I, the moon, and the way you looked, I took advantage of the situation. I’m sorry.”
    So that was it. Simple enough. Why did his words hurt so much?
    She could handle it though. She was strong.
    “We both took advantage of the situation, Nick. It’s okay.” That sounded convincing. “Umm, look I have to get back into town and write up a report, and I have to get our security guard over to the beach—”
    Nick felt like punching the coarse bark of the palm tree next to him. If not that, he’d like to let slip the curse on the tip of his tongue. Or, if neither of those options worked, his third was to fore-go it all and grab Briana and kiss her until both of them were hot and wet in the sand.
    The third option tempted him so much that he took a step forward.
    “Yeah,” he hesitated, “I’ve got about a thousand stops to make myself.”
    If only he could be blind to that wounded look in her eyes. That kept him in check. Let her go to her office. Let her go make her calls. That was what her kind did. They didn’t want hot and wet in the sand. They wanted air-conditioned suites and gym memberships.
    But if she was truly one of them, then why that raw gaze, as if she echoed his very same desires?
    ***
    “Geez, Bree, dead tuna ?  That doesn’t look good.”
    Briana crossed her arms against the chill of the air-conditioned office. “Thank you for pointing that out.”
    Naoki managed to look contrite, but a frown quickly wove the black eyebrows behind his dark frames. He lowered himself into the visitor’s chair.
    “What do you need me to do?”
    In search of a diversion, Briana approached the window and watched a coast guard vessel chug into port. “There’s nothing for you to do. The marine biologists are on their way, and—”
    “And?”
    When it was evident she was not going to respond, Naoki offered, “Bree, why don’t you go home? You’ve been working nonstop, and you have to let the researchers do their jobs.”
    She glanced over her shoulder. “What about you, Takanawa? You’re supposed to be on a date.”
    Incredulous, Naoki