In Over Her Head: An Anchor Island Novel by Terri Osburn (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

she landed against his chest, her cobalt-blue eyes nearly level with his, her scent, sweet and warm, surrounding him. His free hand cupped her waist as she stood pressed against him with her lips parted and a soft hue rising on her cheeks.

“I didn’t say no,” she murmured as her eyes dropped to his lips.

The invitation was too much. Nick told himself to step away, but when her tongue trailed along her bottom lip, he forgot all the reasons this couldn’t happen. Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth to hers, feeling more than hearing her soft sigh. Her arms slid up his chest to wrap around his neck and the moment she opened for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss, Nick’s cell phone went off, blasting “Born To Be Wild” through the living room.

Lauren leaped away as if scalded, nearly falling backward over the coffee table. He reached to catch her, but she managed to right herself and retreat to several feet away. They stared in silence, her slender fingers pressed to her lips as his phone continued to blare.

“You should get that,” she finally said, and Nick wanted to hurl the damn phone against the wall.

Instead, he crossed to the kitchen counter and answered it. “What?” he said upon seeing his sister’s name on the screen.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “You told me to call to talk about Mom’s birthday present. So I’m calling.”

He’d forgotten about that. “Sorry, I was in the middle of something.”

“Do you need me to let you go?” Mia asked.

Unsure how to answer, Nick turned to check on Lauren and found the room empty. Moments later, his front door click shut.

Running a hand through his hair, he crossed the living room, saying, “Let me call you back.”

Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call on his way outside but there was no one around. No retreating taillights. No sound of footsteps on gravel. She must have walked, but other than knowing she lived farther down the lane, Nick had no idea which cottage was hers. Only three others on the street had permanent residents, leaving the other six as rentals, and he wasn’t about to knock on random doors.

Returning inside, he looked at the phone in his hand. The first thing he did was turn down the damn ringer. Then he fired off a text to Mia saying he’d talk to her tomorrow. She’d only ask questions he didn’t feel like answering right now. Hell, he didn’t even know the answers. What just happened had been mutual but stupid. He had his rules for a reason.

Retrieving his beer and the remote, Nick dropped onto the couch with a sigh and spotted the adventure park card on the floor. Picking it up, he heard her words in his head.

I don’t trust anyone.

Everyone trusted someone. And if they didn’t, they had a good reason. So what was hers?

He tossed the card onto the table and pressed play on his show. Lauren Riley was none of his business, and if he had any sense at all, he’d leave her the hell alone. Especially after tonight. But then he caught her scent still lingering in the air and considered taking Mia’s suggestion and making an exception.

8

Lauren paused at the entrance to Pilar’s and took a deep breath. She’d messaged Jackson first thing that morning to say she’d be late and that he should let the rest of the staff inside. They were to have a seat in the dining room and wait for her.

None of this was because she’d slept in or hit traffic—a laughable idea on this sleepy little island—but due to an impromptu morning meeting with Will Navarro.

Though she’d left Nick’s place without the business card—for obvious reasons—a simple internet search had brought up the adventure park website. Lauren had gathered the information she needed to make the presentation to Will, and then tossed and turned all night imagining her boss laughing her out of the office.

Not that she’d blame her. This was a crazy idea, but Nick had been right. Lauren had watched the video on the park website and giant jungle gym didn’t do the place justice. She’d never had a fear of heights, but then she’d also never climbed five stories up and attempted to travel from one pole to the next via a dozen chairs suspended in the air by three ropes.

Taking on this challenge would either mold the team as one or make it clear she’d need a whole new staff.

The loss of sleep had been for nothing since Will approved the plan immediately. She’d not only agreed to pay their entry fees, but each staff member would be paid their normal daily wages. Now to convince the team to cooperate.

“Good morning,” she said upon stepping inside. “Thank you for waiting.”

“Morning,” the crew said in unison and with the expected amount of enthusiasm, which wasn’t much.

Setting her hurt feelings aside, Lauren was determined to push forward and get everyone on the same page. Preferably her page. The previous evening had brought two realizations—compromise was sometimes necessary and Nick Stamatis was an amazing kisser.

If she was honest, Lauren would admit that the latter had contributed the most to her inability to sleep, but no one needed to know that. Especially not Nick. The kiss had taken her by surprise. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a man, and Nick Stamatis wasn’t just any man. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome—so cliché and yet so irresistible.

She’d taken the coward’s way out—not her proudest moment—but retreat had been necessary to keep from jumping his bones. When passing his house on the way to meet Will that morning, she’d stomped on the gas as if he might come out and catch her. Proof that she could not think rationally where Nick was concerned.

Of all the cottages on this island, why did Will have to give her one so close to his?

“I think we all can agree