Strangely pleased at his reaction, Anna placed the fork in the middle of her empty plate. "That was rude of me. I have no excuse other than it was the best banana bread I've ever eaten. The flavor combination was perfect."
She held herself very still, watching in fascination as he worked to master his control, breathing out a sigh when his shoulders finally relaxed. "I'm sorry," she offered.
James huffed out a bitter laugh. "You don't realize what you do to me, Anna. If only I could explain it so it didn't sound crazy."
"It wouldn't sound crazy." Anna didn't flinch when his gaze pinned her to the barstool.
"You don't know that," he ground out, his voice suddenly deeper. "You have no idea what I've dreamed about nearly every day since I set foot on this godforsaken island, or the sleep I've lost thinking about it."
Anna nearly swallowed her tongue, shocked he'd admit something so personal with her. But even more so because he had confirmed her suspicions.
It was more proof that this relationshipwasmeant to be, and James was destined to be hers. Rather than terrifying her, the thought now excited her on an elemental level.
James dropped the towel on the island. "Come on. Let's get out of here before I do something stupid." Anna's lips curled at his teasing tone and his eyes narrowed as he continued, "Like drag you upstairs to my bed and not let you out until we're both too exhausted to move."
Her smile dropped, along with her jaw. A hot flash of lust washed through to her core. His admission unlocking the doors to her own inner cravings.
Again, she wasn't sure which stunned her more: that he blatantly announced his desires or that she absolutely loved it and now wished he'd follow through on his warnings.
Sunset Key
James held Anna's hand as she stepped onto the bobbing ferry platform.
"Careful," he muttered as he followed close behind, his hand dropping to her hip. The edge of his mouth twitched. He could say he was only doing it to steady her, but at this point, he looked for any excuse to put his hands on her.
She was a magnet for him, constantly attracting and drawing him in. The realization that she wasn't pulling away anymore or trying to put space between them brought a real smile to his face. His Anna had finally stopped fighting their attraction.
His Anna… My Anna. I love the sound of that.
"We're so glad you could join us, Mr. Armstrong." The resort concierge ushered them into the enclosed cabin that protected them from the wind and spray and motioned them toward a cushioned bench.
To his relief, Anna didn't hesitate to sit next to him. Rather she nestled herself into his body as he draped his arm around her. It was immediately intimate and comfortable in a way that warmed his heart.
He'd nearly lost his self-restraint earlier watching her eat that slice of banana bread. It had taken everything he had not to splay her out on the island and worship her body then and there. They wouldn't have left the house for days if he had done that. At this rate, he'd need to see a dentist from all the teeth grinding he'd been doing around her.
His spirits were buoyed by the fact that she merely watched him with an amused twinkle in her teal eyes as he fought forcontrol. She’d boldly held his gaze, her sweet, plump lips parted in excitement.
Then he'd shocked himself by admitting to her that he'd been haunted by dreams every night since his arrival. And he’d nearly revealed that the dreams had been abouther.
Now, she was nestled into his side, chatting with the concierge about the small island they were quickly approaching. It felt so right to have her next to him, like the final piece of his life's puzzle had been put in place.
She didn't know it yet, but there was no way he'd let her go now. If he did, there was no hope for him to stay sane. Anna was his, she was made for him. He'd do whatever it took to get her to admit she felt the same.
"I read once that Sunset Key had been a military equipment depot during the Cold War. They'd called it Tank Island, or something silly like that," Anna commented.
Her hand dropped casually onto his thigh, and his pants tightened as a rush of desire cascaded through him.
Damn it! I’m not a teenager anymore! At this point, I’ll be touring Sunset Key with a boner.
"That's right. I'm impressed you know that." The concierge replied, thankfully oblivious to James’s struggle.
Anna shrugged. "I love the history around here. It's always so colorful."
"I agree," the concierge answered. "Sunset Key was a depot for several decades, then the government sold the island to a developer in the late eighties. It took several years to clear out the old military equipment. After that, several individual homes were built along with the resort, which has only changed hands once since then."
"That's fascinating!"
Anna leaned into him, her head dropping on his shoulder. Not one to waste an opportunity, he pulled her even closer, his hand fitting onto the curve of her hip.
