Chapter 1

I shivered in the cool air as I sat by the cabana waiting for him. I knew he'd gotten my e-card. But what had been his reaction when he found it?

Here I waited for him. Not wrapped up with a bow but sitting on the chaise dressed in a robe that covered my red bikini.

Everyone had given him their birthday present except me. I hadn't brought anything to my friend's house when I spent the night.

Except myself, and some things in a night bag ... but I knew why I had accepted Tiffani's invite to help her celebrate her father's birthday.

Tiffani had been an accidental pregnancy that pushed two college students to marry earlier than planned. Her father traveled a lot as president of a securities firm and her mother had headed back to school after raising Tiffany and her younger brother Luke. Luke was overseas doing his military stint before he'd go to college and eventually work for his father.

Devlin had arrived back from a job last night to celebrate his birthday. A few years shy of 50, he cut an impressive figure. His body hardened by his training when he'd been a mercenary. He's always been rough around the edges.

That's why he fascinated me. I'd watched him from a teenager's eyes until I'd grown older and now having just turned 19, I viewed him much differently.

I knew he viewed me differently too. I'd known that since the night at the beach house. I'd accompanied Tiffany's family to barbecue after a day of swimming and sunning on the exclusive strip of beach. We'd been cleaning up, me and Devlin while Tiffany was outside and Gloria his wife was running an errand in town.

The tension had been building up between us all day. The way our eyes met on their way to look at something else, anything else but each other. The way he had carefully embraced me when I had arrived being oh so careful where he placed his hands. His wife wasn't too far away after all and neither was his daughter.

I knew he had learned to be careful before I entered the picture. But that just fascinated me all the more about him.

"So what you think of the beach here?"

His attempt to keep it casual while we had washed dishes and put them away in the cupboard ... with him dressed in shorts and a casual shirt and I in my pink bikini which showed off my tanned skin and cutoffs which accentuated my legs toned by running.

"It's great," I said, putting a dish aside, "When I'm older and settled in a career I'm going to have a house like this one to retreat to..."

"Yeah it's great ... when I'm home after an assignment," he said, "So relaxing, the water's warm and the kids have always loved it."

I didn't want to be reminded that one of his kids was my best friend. So I tried to keep it casual, though my heart beat inside my chest.

"Thanks for inviting me ... coming back from my first year at college it's been so stressful with exams."

"But you're doing very well aren't you," he said, "Sometimes I wish Tiffany had your outlook on the future. I doesn't give it much thought."

I wasn't thinking about Tiffany right now but I smiled anyway.

"Yeah well it's not always what it's cracked up to be," I said, "I feel like I've missed out on a lot."

"Like what?"

I felt suddenly shy under his intense gaze. His dark hair slightly rumpled and his grey eyes crinkled at the corners from years in the sunlight. When those eyes looked at me like now, it made my insides heat up.

"Like going to parties ... making lots of friends ... having a boyfriend."

He smiled.

"There's plenty of time for that," he said, "You're very pretty I. I imagine you've attracted your share of attention."

"Maybe but I just don't have the time..."

"Now you do ... now that it's summer," he said, "I know you have that job at the nursery ... Mac's a good guy."

"Yes he is ... and I've loved working for him in the summers," I said, "Maybe it's time to make time for finding someone ... at least for the summer."

I felt something change in the air between us. He reached out and played with a strand of my hair.

"Damn I ... what I just thought," he said, "I should be shot for it."

I liked the way his fingers felt when they brushed my skin.

"For what ... what were you thinking?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"No ... forget it ... we're almost done here and Gloria will be back soon."

I took a step toward him.

"Not yet I won't ... please tell me ... did I do something wrong?"