Beach Blanket Santa

if I just went.”
    “I thought we were going to discuss it?”
    He met her gaze with a placating smile. “I’m not sure what’s left to discuss. This place was apparently double-booked. Since this wasn’t Robert’s week to begin with, I’m the one who should go.”
    Thunder boomed outside and lightning crackled, sending splinters of light throughout the kitchen. Matt packed his cooler. “Sounds like that storm’s moving in even sooner than expected.”
    Sarah peered through the kitchen window at dark clouds rolling over the horizon. In the past few minutes alone, the weather had changed dramatically, though that often happened out here on this little-known barrier island that lay in close proximity to a broad expanse of others. The house sat on a narrow stretch of sand between the ocean and the sound and was accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles carried over on a ferry. No roads came out this far, and the rough-hewn trails worn flat by tire tracks were often washed over during heavy rains. A double booking was one thing, but she couldn’t have Matt braving the precarious trek back to the boat during a storm. “Maybe it’s not safe to drive.” As if to accentuate that point, the wind picked up, rattling the screen door.
    He strode to the sink beside her and peeked out the window as well. “It’s even darker over the sound.” Just then the sky opened up, releasing a broad curtain of rain.
    “Looks like you came back from fishing just in time,” Sarah said.
    “Seems like aborting your walk was a good idea.”
    She stared into mesmerizing blue eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Did this mean he would stay? At least for a little while?
    “I do think I should wait to get on the road. At least until this blows over.”
    Thunder boomed and rain drove down harder, smacking against the tin roof. “Conditions could be worse later.”
    “Then again, they could improve.”
    She didn’t know how driving in the dark would make things any better. That wasn’t really safe to do around here, even on a clear night. Surely Matt knew that too. “I don’t see how,” she said, her voice catching in her throat.
    He smiled, giving that sexy tilt to his lips.
    She reached out a hand to steady herself against the counter.
    “Since you’re stuck with me awhile, we might as well eat something.” He cocked his chin in the direction of her grocery sacks. “Bring any wine in those bags?”
    “A few bottles of white.” She reached in a bag and produced the evidence. “And, oh yes. A nice big bottle of Chianti.”
    He grinned, and Sarah’s foolish heart went all aflutter. “You pour, and I’ll cook dinner.”
    At the moment, a glass of wine sounded good. If she didn’t fear Matt would be counting, she might even have two. But her plus Matt Salvatore — plus alcohol — equaled trouble. She hadn’t quite forgotten that. This time, Sarah would have to keep her wits about her and watch every step. For there was really no way around it. Unless there was a dramatic break in the weather soon, the handsome heartbreaker was staying the night.

Chapter Three

    Sarah set down her fork and dabbed her pretty mouth with a napkin. “That was absolutely delicious. The best fish I’ve tasted in ages.”
    “I just hope I didn’t use up too many of our rations in preparing the wine sauce.” He lifted the bottle of chardonnay between them, offering to pour her another glass. She declined with a shake of her head.
    “I don’t think I’d better, thanks.”
    The deluge continued outdoors, slamming the house with fierce winds that howled in from the ocean and ripped in torrents across the sound. Their small refuge was a battering ram in the eye of the storm but fortunately had been built sturdy enough to withstand it. Over dinner, Matt had learned that Sarah now worked as an interior designer. It was an ambition she’d held since she was a little girl who’d meticulously stylized her dolls’ houses. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been considering leaving her stint as a receptionist for a political magazine and finally realizing her dream. She’d found a paid internship at a small design company in Northern Virginia and had eventually worked her way up. Sarah was glad to now have clients all over the District and in parts of Maryland as well, and Matt was proud of her for achieving her goal.
    While she was just as beautiful as before, in some ways she seemed more mature, like she’d gained inner