Falling for a Stranger Read Free

turned down the mermaid's kiss, because I want yours."
    "Another good line. You're full of them."
    "I'm not a player."
    "You've given me absolutely no reason to believe that."
    "I know," he admitted. "You probably won't believe me, but I haven't done this in a while."
    "So, why me?"
    "You have a smart mouth, and you're sexy as hell. I'd love to see you with your hair down. I'd love to show you how good we could be together."
    His husky tone sent another shiver down her spine. "How do you know we'd be good? You don't know me at all," she said, trying to maintain a strong defense against his charm. "We're strangers."
    "For now. But what better way to learn about each other?"
    "I'm not looking for trouble."
    "There's a light in your eyes that says that's exactly what you're looking for."
    She caught her breath, thinking he might actually be right about that.
    Drew tipped his head and walked away.
    She watched him all the way to the exit. When the door closed behind him, she let out a breath, wondering how she could possibly already miss him.
    He was just another guy—only he wasn't, and she couldn't put her finger on why.
    Maybe it was the seriousness that lurked just behind his smile. He wasn't like most of the guys who hit on her. Those she could handle. She knew they'd move on to the next woman before she could finish saying no . But Drew had left. He'd thrown down his invitation and walked out the door.
    He was going to wait for her. He was pretty confident she'd show up, but he was going to be waiting a long time.
    She turned her focus back on work. For the next hour, she served drinks, picked up empty glasses, and watched the minutes tick off the clock. Shortly before closing Drew's friend left with two women flanking him on either side. Apparently, he wasn't going to be alone tonight.
    At two a.m., she wiped down the bar and closed out the register. She said goodnight to Martin and walked outside, the scent of flowers and sea all around her. She paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath of sweet and salty air. The heat of the night echoed the passionate need burning through her body, a need that had been lit by the sexy smile of a stranger.
    She lived in a furnished rental three blocks away from the resort. The cottage where Drew was staying was only a hundred yards away.
    Indecision made her hesitate for a long minute. She hadn't been lying when she told Drew she wasn't into hookups, but tonight she was feeling restless and reckless. She wasn't going to sleep anyway. She was too worried about the morning, and the reality of what she was about to do.
    In six hours she could be dead.
    She wasn't being a pessimist, just a realist.
    Maybe she should spend those hours doing something that would make her happy, something that she never ever did. It had been a very long time since she'd thought of anything but the plan, the goal. Nothing else mattered but fulfilling the promise she'd made to her sister. But tonight, Drew had reminded her that she was a woman, and she was lonely and scared, defiant and determined—all at the same time.
    It was the worst possible time to get involved with anyone.
    On the other hand…
    She pulled the band out of her hair and let the long waves flow loosely around her shoulders. Then she walked down the path to the cottages, her nerves tingling and tightening with each step.
    She knocked on his door, turned the knob and stepped inside. The cottage was one big room, a small sitting area and a king-sized bed.
    Drew sat on the couch. He was reading a book when she walked in. It looked like some sort of mystery novel. It was silly, but the sight of that book pushed her over the edge. She'd always found intelligence to be a turn-on, and this man was smart, maybe too smart. He'd read her pretty accurately so far.
    But in a lot of ways, she liked his honesty. He hadn't set the scene with candles. There was no wine or champagne chilling. He wasn't trying to seduce her. He was just waiting…
    After a