The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was adding, subtracting, and multiplying. After my offer to help Cole with the business end of the Dune Scape, he had stuck me in the office with a box of receipts and a calculator.

I wanted to ask Cole about the phone call I overhead yesterday, but I didn’t want to embarrass him. Even though he had opened up a sliver of the bookkeeping to me, he was keeping the Dunes’s full financial situation guarded. I respected that. It couldn’t be easy to navigate this alone.

It didn’t take long for the tiny office to heat up. I walked over to the wall unit and cranked the air conditioner to the coldest setting. It was probably silly that I wanted to look cute for Cole this morning, but I had left my hair down.

He had seen me when I had braces. He had seen me when I scraped my knee playing soccer in high school. But I didn’t want those memories to stick. I wanted the grown-up version to be the Kaitlyn he remembered.

With the stickiness on my neck, I was regretting not pulling it up in a ponytail. Texas was hot. I searched the wooden desk for a rubber band. I gathered a handful of hair and twisted the rubber band around it. There.

It was almost lunchtime, and other than when he first set me up with the documents, I hadn’t seen Cole all morning. God, I hoped we didn’t have any more conversations about Ryan.

We had to keep this to ourselves. And we could. There was no reason for Ryan to know.

I turned back to the books. Cole’s grandfather hadn’t been much of a record-keeper. Now I knew why Cole always looked so frustrated and stressed. If I woke up to this financial confusion every morning, I wouldn’t be a happy person either. Even though the motel had been closed for a year, there were still bills that had to be paid and expenses that were due.

I was hungry. Cole had to be too. I decided to walk over to Peabody’s and pick up some sandwiches. My eyes could use a break from the number crunching. I tucked my phone in my back pocket and jogged across the street.

“Look who’s here.” Hank smiled at me from the bar.

“Hi, Hank. How are you?” I pushed my bangs out of my eyes.

“Good. Can’t complain. What can I get you today?” He opened the screen on the bar’s computer.

“Two turkey clubs with fries, to go, please.” My hands started tapping to the beat of a drinking song blasting from the jukebox. I hadn’t noticed it on my first trip to Peabody’s. The cowboy singer had played the entire night.

Hank looked at me. “Did you say two?”

“Yep. One for Cole and one for me.” I tried to sound matter of fact. It wasn’t my intention to garner questions, and I especially didn’t want to answer any.

The bartender chuckled as he typed the order into the computer. “You’re picking up lunch for Cole?”

“I thought I’d get him something since he’s working so hard to get the Dunes ready for the weekend crowd.” Bartenders were good at reading people—that I knew. I hoped Hank couldn’t see that I had a Cole crush written all over this lunch order.

“That’s mighty nice of you. He’s turned down everyone else’s offer to help him.” He punched in the last button and printed out a ticket.

“Really?”

Hank nodded. “Oh yeah, we’ve all tried to put in some hours to help him get that place ready. We know how much he wants to prove it can be done, but he’s a stubborn son of a bitch sometimes.”

I giggled. That sounded exactly like him.

“So, is this lunch strictly platonic?”

Hank was probably used to getting all of the good stories on the island, but I didn’t think he would be nosey. “Hank! You can’t ask me that. I’m helping him out a little at the office. That’s it.” I had probably just turned three shades of red.

He seemed unfazed by my protest. “Cole’s a good guy. A real good guy. And he’s been through a lot this year. He had to leave his grad school program when his grandfather got sick, and now he’s trying to turn that heap into something to be proud of. If anyone can do it, he can.”

“Did you say grad school?” My forehead scrunched into a confused expression.

“Oh yeah, Cole’s in an advanced engineering program at Texas State. Well, he used to be. I hope he gets to finish it one day, but as long as he’s working over there on the motel, he’s going to have to keep it on the back burner. Smart guy, that Cole.”

Cole hadn’t mentioned that part of the story when he told me he inherited the Dune Scape. It seemed like kind of an important detail. How did he manage that and being a single father?

“Hank, do you think he’ll sell it?” I thought about the possibility of Cole giving up on the motel.

The bartender polished a glass. “That’s hard to say. There aren’t many of us local business owners left on the island, so I respect him for trying to hold out. However, no one would blame him if he sold the place and moved on with his life.”

“Orders up!” the cook yelled through the kitchen window.

“Here you go, my dear.” Hank handed me two white paper bags. “Tell Cole I said hello.”

“I will. Thanks, Hank.” I was happy to have lunch in hand, but Hank had dispensed a backstory on Cole I hadn’t expected.

I walked across the street and thought about what Hank said. Cole had given up his education to help his grandfather, and now was plowing forward with a business that might as well be built on quicksand. He’d never have enough money to make all the repairs the buildings needed. I knew what my nightly rate was and with twenty-four rooms at that price, the income numbers just weren’t what he needed to run a business.

I checked the office first to see if Cole was inside, but my piles of receipts looked untouched. I started with the first room and knocked on each door until I found Cole precariously balanced on the edge of a bathtub.

“I brought lunch. Hank says hi.” I held up the bags before placing them on the dresser by the TV. “What are you doing up there?”

He had one leg on the tub and the other on the soap dish. His tool belt was fastened around his waist and he was wearing his white T-shirt that I associated as his self-proclaimed work uniform.

“This showerhead keeps spraying the ceiling. I’m trying to adjust the pipe and the setting so I don’t have to replace it. Not many replacement parts around here.” He twisted the wrench in his hand, keeping his eyes on the nozzle.

“Right.” My eyes followed the lines of his forearm. Each time he tightened the wrench, the muscles in his arms flexed harder.

I had gone over the expense budget this morning. Cole would be lucky to pay the utilities this month. He definitely didn’t have money for extra plumbing fixtures.

“Can I help or something?” I walked closer to the tub, admiring the view hovering above me.

“Yeah, I think the smaller wrench is on the vanity. Can you get it for me? I don’t want to move.” He nodded at the placement of his feet.

“Don’t do that. It looks like you could fall. I’ll get it.” I reached for the wrench and handed it to him.

“Thanks. I think I’m almost done.” He fastened the end of the wrench behind the showerhead and twisted the head a few times.

“I made some headway this morning on your numbers.”

“Really? What did you figure out, numbersmith?” His attention was on the pipe in front of him.

“It seems like you might have a few decisions to make.” I didn’t know how open Cole would be to discussing the real estate offers with me, but the reality of his situation called for a serious resolution.

“Good. I think that’s fixed. This room is done.”

Cole made a hop straight up and landed with both feet in the tub. I smiled at him, just as the showerhead sputtered to the floor of the tub and water spewed from the open pipe. I shrieked under the cold water.

“Turn it off! Can’t you turn it off?” I giggled while trying to turn the handles. Cole reached for the pipe above me, twisting the nozzle until the geyser ceased.

“Damn it. That actually didn’t work.” He rested his forehead against the shower wall. “So much for trying to save on parts.” Water trickled down the back of his neck.

I stood, my drenched clothes clinging to me. A few seconds passed before Cole turned around.

“Oh my God, I got you completely soaked. Sorry.” He laughed as he tried to wipe the water from his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m not the only one. Look at you.” I pointed to his white T-shirt. It hugged every muscle on his torso and it had become almost transparent from absorbing the water. My fingers reached forward, needing to trace the lines the wet shirt made against his skin.

I inhaled sharply, recognizing the shift in the mood. I felt his gaze lingering over the V of my throat, and the involuntary twinge in my belly as I looked into his eyes. The space between us was so charged with energy, it felt thick enough to grasp and push aside, like a curtain.

Cole pivoted as if he was going to step out of the tub. “Maybe I should get us some towels.”

I remembered how it felt last night when we were so tangled around each other it was hard to breathe. I wanted that feeling again. I wanted him.

“Cole, wait.” I clenched a handful of his wet shirt in my fist, preventing him from moving past me.

His eyes shot from my hand to my face. The expression he wore was a mix of lust and hesitation. “Kaitlyn, I …” He closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the shower.

I didn’t give him a chance to explain. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my body into his, and kissed him, holding nothing back. His lips responded with hungry kisses that tilted my world where it had never been. He tasted like the perfect combination of sweet and salty. I dipped my tongue into his mouth, eliciting a full moan from somewhere deep within his chest.

His hands slid along the curves of my hips until his fingers were tucked under the waist of my shorts. His palm pressed against my skin, gliding down until he had my bottom cupped in his hand.

“Ohhh.” I breathed into his ear as he squeezed me tightly against him. He took my mouth again and I melted into his hands.

We couldn’t stay in these wet clothes. We definitely should not stay in these wet clothes. My hands fumbled for the hem of his shirt.

The shirt slid over his chest and he stood while I stripped the wet fabric over his head. I felt an ache in the center of my body. I had never seen anyone I had wanted so much. There had to be a way to tell him.

“Cole—” He silenced me with a slow kiss before his fingers wound along the edges of my tank top, and then peeled it off my chest. His mouth was hot and his tongue was in and out doing that thing that made me weak in the knees.

The hardness of his tool belt pressed into my bare stomach. I reached down to find a way to loosen it from his waist.

“Hold on. Let me do that.” His lips broke from mine, and he unclipped the belt and laid the tools on the floor. “Better?” he asked while hitching me up around his waist.

“God, yes.” I latched my ankles together to keep from sliding down his wet and slippery waist.

His hands moved up my back and held my head, forcing my mouth back to his. I couldn’t kiss him enough, even if we were in this shower all day. Something about watching the water trickling down his tanned skin heightened everything that was happening. Pressed against him like this, wet and half naked, I knew there was only one way to release the frenzy building under my skin. I didn’t want to think about how temporary my stay in South Padre was. Or that after this week, we’d have to deal with the complicated reality of Ryan.

I didn’t realize he had stepped out of the shower and walked across the room until I felt the coolness of the sheets against my back. He laid me across the bed and stared hungrily at me.

“You. Are. So. Damn. Sexy,” Cole growled between kisses.

I arched my back a little so he could flick the clasp on my bra. He slid the soaked straps down my arms and tossed it on the floor. As much as I loved kissing him, my body was aching to feel his mouth in other places. I guided his head over my chest and bowed upward for him to take my nipple in his mouth. I cried out as he bit down and simultaneously slid his hand between my legs. My body was writhing. His fingers strummed my clit.

“Let’s get these off.” His eyes were serious and seductive.

He hovered over me, creating enough space for me to shimmy out of the running shorts I had put on this morning. Yes, they were tight and short, and yes, I might have had Cole in mind when I slipped them on. He looked down at the silky fabric of my panties now visible with my shorts on the floor.

“Pink?” He cocked one eyebrow higher than the other.

I stifled a giggle.

“These are wet too, so they have to go.”

The way he looked at me made me shiver. But I wasn’t cold—far from it.

“Take them.” I didn’t recognize my breathy voice.

He pulled the silky fabric down my legs, stopping every few seconds to plant kisses along my thigh. He threw the pink underwear next to my bra. I was completely naked, still slightly damp from the faucet mishap, and Cole was taking in every inch of me.

Cole sat on his heels and unbuttoned his shorts. I sat up.

“Let me,” I whispered. He smiled and dropped his hands to the side so I could unfasten the button.

I let my hands trace the defined muscles wrapping his waist. He was ripped. Cole had closed his eyes and was waiting for my next move. I ran my nails along his chest until I saw his muscles tighten. Taking my time, my hands roamed the hardness of his torso, feeling the rise and fall of his chest under my touch. My palms massaged downward until I landed on the buttons on his shorts.

He didn’t rush me, but waited patiently while I pulled on the zipper and freed the top button.

“Kaitlyn, what are you doing to me?” Cole groaned as I took him in my hand. “Uh-uh, no. Stop.” I froze. Was he going to stop this? Please no.

Before I had a chance to figure out what was wrong, Cole grabbed me around the waist and pulled me on top of him. I moaned. My hips fused against his damp skin and began rocking toward him, desperately wanting him inside me.

Cole’s lips crushed into mine, forcing his tongue in my mouth. I moaned out his name. “Cole, please.”

“I know, baby. I know. Is this really what you want?” His eyes darted back and forth, scanning my face for confirmation, but all I could focus on was that he called me baby. It sounded sweet, sexy, and a little like I was the only girl he had held like this.

My breath caught in my chest and Cole waited for my answer.

“I want it. I want you.” I kissed him hard. I wasn’t sure what else I could do to show him. My body was aching with pent-up passion for him.

“Darlin’, I want you too. More than you know.” I didn’t doubt him for a second. “Say it.”

“Fuck me.” I stared at him.

Cole’s arms reached around my back and pulled me against his chest before he rolled me under him. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he took his time. He kissed me, as if he needed to make sure our breaths were in rhythm. Everything he was doing was sexual perfection.

He pried my legs wide, running his hand through my center, teasing my entrance.

“Please,” I begged.

He pushed his cock against my pussy, coating it in my juices. I looked at him, realizing we were getting ready to do this without a condom.

“Do you have anything?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I can run across the street.”

“I’ve wanted you forever, Cole Thomas.” I looked in his eyes. I lifted my hips further so that his cock was now at my virgin rosebud.

“Fuck, Kaitlyn. I can’t.” He shook his head.

“I want it,” I moaned.

I was aching just thinking about him being inside me.

Our eyes locked on each other. We weren’t drunk. We weren’t hiding under the shadows. The sunlight streamed in. This was accepting us in the daylight.

“Fuck,” he growled.

My entire body arched off the bed as he pushed inside, sending a moan from my throat. I felt the full heat of his body spread through me as he moved in slowly at first. He grunted. His eyes closed. He pumped in and out, taking me to limits I didn’t know I could handle. I rocked against him, matching his movements and taking him deeper as I opened myself to him. My body surged with the energy building between us.

“You feel so amazing,” Cole growled in my ear. “Fucking amazing.”

He pushed his fingers inside my pussy and ran his thumb over my clit.

“Shit.”

That was it; I was lost. I clung to him, accepting the shattering spiral that consumed me.

I shuddered all over when his hips pushed me to the point I couldn’t hold back any longer. Our bodies trembled together, and I held on to him with everything I had, wrapping my legs tighter around him. I had never felt this close to anyone before and I didn’t want it to be over. He filled me. Consumed me.

“I’m going to come,” he groaned.

He buried himself inside me, emptying his release. I felt the fire spread through me.

Cole lowered himself next to me and kissed me fully on the mouth.

“You are incredible. You know that?” He was smiling and his eyes were sparkling in the afternoon sun. We hadn’t bothered to pull the curtains—one of the perks of being the only guest at the Dunes.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I smacked him on the chest.

He kissed my forehead and collected our clothes from around the room. “These are still wet. I can throw them in the dryer for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Cole grabbed one of the room towels, tucked it around his waist, and darted out the door.

Holy shit. What had just happened? I didn’t know I was capable of actually locking away my doubts, but for the last hour, I had silenced any thinking and let my body take over.

There was no hiding the fact that I had just had the most amazing sex of my life, but deep down I knew it was something more. The way our bodies felt together, the way I connected with his breathing, the way he looked at me as if I was the hottest girl in the world—I shook my head. Just thinking about him touching me started the craving for him all over again, and he had just walked out of the room. How could I feel like this?

Two minutes later, he walked through the door.

“Did you say something about lunch?”

I wrapped a towel around my chest. “Yes, it’s on the dresser. Are you hungry?”

With what he had just done, I would willingly bring him lunch everyday if it meant I could feel half of that passion. He was unbelievable.

Cole looked at the white bags of sandwiches on the dresser and then me. Just when I thought he was reaching for his lunch, he jumped on the bed and ripped the towel off me. I squealed.

“I am, but I’m not quite finished with you. We have to wait for those clothes to dry anyway.” His breath was warm along my stomach and the yearning I had for him started all over again.

“By all means, take your time, cowboy.”