Barefoot Bay: Castle in the Sand (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free Page A

her smile, and her sweet, caring heart.
    If they were going to be stuck together for a least a few weeks, they had to find some way to get past what had happened between them. Not that he expected forgiveness would come easily. He had been destined for an arranged marriage when they started dating, and he never should have taken up with anyone while that was hanging over his head. Tony knew it was totally his fault; now he had to find a way to get Josie to forgive him.
    Even if she couldn’t love him again.

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
    Why was he staring at her? That Tony was in her house was bad enough. That he was staying with her for—God, she didn’t even know how long—was something else. How would she keep it together? The meltdown she’d had after he left last time had been epic, and she couldn’t tell anyone why.
    Her parents, her brother, her friends—no one knew why she was crushed when he left, because no one knew they were together. No one. At the time, she’d thought keeping their relationship secret was the smart thing to do because he was her brother’s best friend. Now she knew he wanted it quiet because Josie would never be accepted by his family, because they had arranged for him to marry someone else.
    So the wounds, the betrayal, were still raw. There hadn’t been a fight or ultimatums given; he’d just left. She would never forget how empty and lost, how totally abandoned, she’d felt.
    Catching his scent when he was standing near her in the kitchen, every memory came back. Every touch, every kiss they’d shared, every laugh. There hadn’t been anyone since Tony, and she didn’t know if there would be ever again.
    She watched him take a deep breath before moving in her direction. All at once, Josie wondered if she had it in her to talk to him again. Probably not, but it was becoming more and more obvious she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t run away forever.
    “Well, you aren’t trying to avoid me. That’s good.”
    “That’s not my style.” She was a liar. It was totally her style. “What brings you to Florida, Your Highness?”
    Shoving his hands in his pockets, Tony glanced away. The dig wasn’t necessary, but he deserved it. “Don’t call me that, Josie.”
    “What? I’m supposed to go back to plain old ‘Tony’? Because you’re just like everyone else? Right?”
    “Josie, I’m sorry about everything. About how you found out, about leaving the way I did…”
    “About the paparazzi stalking me and my family, making it impossible to go to work? To have a life? Or the way I was the butt of everyone’s jokes about how they must have made a mistake because someone like you would never be with someone like me .”
    “I wish it never happened.”
    “You made that clear when you bolted out of town without looking back. Was I just something to do until you got married, Tony?”
    He grabbed her hand, and Josie reeled at his warmth. It felt like he was caressing her broken heart. “No. I never meant to hurt you. Once I’d been called home, it all went to hell. You never should have been dragged into the mess, but information got away from us…”
    “Seriously? I was dragged into it because you lied to me and someone in your government wanted to make sure I knew my place was not with you,” she said hoarsely. “You had to know this would be a bad idea. Why are you really here?”
    “I have to lay low for a while. Nick thought this would be a good place to do that. He’s a security expert. I trust him, and I trust you.”
    “How flattering. And what did you do, exactly? Explain this to me.”
    Blowing out a long breath, Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t do anything. I got caught in the shower by a ruthless girl with a phone.”
    “So a woman took pictures of you in the shower and you thought it would be a good idea to hide out with me? Are you nuts?”
    “Josie, no, please listen—”
    “I don’t have to listen to you. What are you going to do?