Page 80 of Rival Hearts

“Are we?”

I nodded. “We are. I’m onyourside.”

She considered it for a moment, and then her face broke into a beautiful smile.

“I think we can make that work.”

I slid my hand behind her neck and kissed her again, sliding my tongue between her lips. She kissed me back, and heat grew between us. When I broke the kiss, she was breathless.

“And then you do that just before we have to go?” Her pupils were dilated, lips parted.

“I just had to kiss you properly before we get back and the world will be looking again.”

She nodded.

We worked together, pushing the boat back into the water. I lowered the engine and started it. It started without a hitch this time.

A part of me had hoped it wouldn’t so that we could be stranded here a little longer. I could take her back up to that lighthouse and have my way with her…

But things were going to change from now on. I would talk to Gabe. I would see her more often—as often as I could—and we would see where this went. I wanted to explore the future with Charlotte.

For the first time, I was optimistic about the way forward, and not only when it was about business.

For the first time, I was excited about my personal life, a relationship, and for the first time since I could remember, the little voice at the back of my mind didn’t scream that I wasn’t good enough.

Because maybe, just maybe, Icouldbe.

23

CHARLOTTE

Iwas head-over-heels in love.

When I first met him, I thought he was a pompous asshole who was full of himself, grumpy as hell, and willing to buy the world’s good graces with as much money as he could throw at him.

As I got to know him, his tough exterior had slowly fallen away, and he was such a sweet, soft soul underneath that hard shell.

My stomach erupted in butterflies whenever I thought about him.

I want to be with you. I’ll talk to Gabe. We’ll figure this out.

He’d seemed so serious when he’d said that. He really wanted to be with me.

I hadn’t come to Rhode Island to find a relationship. Love hadn’t been on the cards at all—I had so many things I wanted to achieve, and being in a relationship had felt like it would just get in the way of that.

But if I could be with Alex and still do what I loved, that changed everything. After all, didn’t they say that was how itworked? When you weren’t looking for love, it came right up and bit you in the butt.

Or kissed you on the mouth.

I chuckled at the idea, and then my stomach did another little twist, thinking about the night we spent together.

Alex had touched me as if he’d never touched a woman before, as if I was delicate and beautiful and rare. He’d kissed me as if he’d never wanted to stop.

And I hadn’t wanted him to. I flashed on his hands trailing down my body, his mouth following in the fire he left in their wake. He’d been so passionate, so eager to devour me. And, at the same time, he’d relished in the moment, as if he was committing every second to memory, holding our connection in the palm of his hand like a treasure.

When I got home, I took a shower, washing the rain and salty seawater out of my hair. The shower filled with the scent of the musty lighthouse mingled with the smell of our sex, and I closed my eyes. Alex’s eyes were so warm whenever he looked at me, and I shivered despite the hot water when I thought about the feel of his lips on mine—determined, demanding.

After washing my hair and scrubbing my body, I dressed in clean clothes and dried my hair. It was good to be home, clean, comfortable, and dry. But I wouldn’t have hated being with Alex on the island for a while longer.