Free Seaside Heartbeats: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 2) by Stacy Claflin Page A

They'd just met, and had hardly spent any time together.
    Oh, but the time they did have together. He knew she was something special. And she would probably think he was crazy for feeling so many things for her already.
    They needed to spend more time together and get to know each other better. He needed to treat this like any other thing in his life. Take everything logically and not jump into anything too soon.
    Brayden pulled out some more books and set them down next to him. He picked up the first one and flipped through the pages not paying any attention. The only thing he could think about was the beautiful blonde across the room. Even as he looked at the pages, she was all he could pay attention to.
    If his emotions weren't screaming at him, what would he think about the situation? He would give it more time, and give them both a chance to get to know each other better to see if they were a good match. What if they had no similar values?
    Also, he knew how relationships ended with tourists—they never worked out. He was delusional if he thought otherwise. He looked back over at her and knew that he didn't care. The only thing he wanted was to get to know her more… and hold her close again. When he had put his hand on her shoulder and she'd leaned closer to him, he'd barely been able to think straight.
    The mixture of smells from her perfume and hair products had been a divine combination of sweetness. He'd wanted to pull her even closer, turn her around and kiss her. And the way she'd looked at him? It had almost been too much.
    He would have to speak with Jake and find out how things had progressed with him and Tiffany. How his baby brother had managed to be one of the few locals to convince a tourist to stay.
    It was strange in a way to think about going to Jake for advice about love, but they were all adults now, and Jake had been the only one of the brothers to have any real success. Well, Rafael had a girlfriend in LA, but that was a far different experience than falling in love back home.
    Not that he was in love. Love didn't happen that fast, and even if it did, it was something else entirely. Although, Lana herself was something else. He'd never met anyone remotely like her in all of his life, not in Kittle Falls or Dallas.
    Brayden looked back over at her. He found himself wanting to rush across the room, take her into his arms, and kiss her like she'd never been kissed before. To run his hand through that thick, soft blonde hair.
    She looked up, and their gazes met.
    "Find anything?" he asked, his voice cracking.
    "Not yet."
    They continued to stare at each other, strong feelings rising from Brayden's core. How was it possible they'd been joking and teasing each other just a little bit ago?
    Because that had been before she stood so close to him. Maybe what they needed was space. That way he could regain his composure and think with a clear head.
    He cleared his throat. "Let's keep looking."
    Lana nodded, and looked back at her book. Brayden couldn't take his eyes off her. No matter what she did, she was gorgeous. She was both sweet and sexy at the same time.
    As much as he knew he needed to get away to clear his mind, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her.
    "I'm going to look around at some other rooms," he said. "You want to stay here and look at books?"
    She nodded, bit her lip, and then looked down at the book in her hands.
    Brayden took a deep breath and then left the library. Once out in the living room, he released the air. He looked around at the room, trying to focus. He couldn't get Lana out of his head—how she looked, how sweet she smelled, and how soft her hands were in his.
    He walked through some rooms until he came to a living room that led to a deck. Fresh air would help. He tugged on the door. It stuck just like he always remembered, but then released, allowing him to go outside. He stared at the tree-covered hills, taking in the clean, woodsy smell.
    Serenity started in his chest as