Sparks Fly

Angelina swore it took an hour. He must know his effect on her. She was absolutely certain he was deliberately torturing her.
    When he finally said, “Good night,” without turning to face her, then shut the door behind him, Angelina fell onto the bed gasping for air. She had been holding her breath while Will was in the bedroom with her. Within seconds, a bone-deep exhaustion hit her, and she couldn’t even muster up the energy to brush her teeth or take off her clothes.
    She woke up at midnight, momentarily disoriented before she remembered where she was. In New York. At Will’s mother’s house.
    His scent was all over the sheets and the pillowcase. It was self-torture lying there, breathing him in, having no choice but to relive the sweetness of his kisses.
    She sat up in bed and brushed the hair away from her face. Maybe a walk in the brisk night air would help to clear her mind. Stripping off her horribly wrinkled clothes, she rummaged around in her luggage for a pair of jeans. She slipped them on along with a hooded sweatshirt.
    A door from her room led out to the lake. She stepped out onto the deck and the moonlit view took her breath away.
    She would never grow tired of the vision of still water at night with the moon’s reflection upon it. For a moment, she felt a deep sense of peace.
    Angelina stepped onto the sand, which was cool and damp beneath her toes, ready to feel the water lapping against her legs. But when she heard a splash she stopped dead in her tracks, before moving to hide behind the thick tree trunk to her right.
    What was Will doing out swimming in the middle of the night?
    Afraid to even breathe for fear he might discover her spying, she remained standing behind the tree, gaping as he rose up out of the lake. Even though she could see that he was wearing swim trunks, he was still so physically beautiful that just looking at him took her breath away.
    When she inadvertently gasped, she clamped a hand over her mouth, praying he hadn’t heard her.

    No such luck. Will stopped his progression out of the water. “Is someone out there?”
    Angelina forced herself not to act like a coward. Stepping around the tree trunk, she said, “I just came outside for some air. I’ll go back in now so you can finish your swim in privacy.”
    He called out, “Come in the water. It feels great.”
    She had no idea her heart could race so fast. She was so tempted—more tempted than she should have been. “No, I can’t do that.”
    “There’s nothing like a midnight swim beneath a full moon,” he told her in a gentle voice that resonated all the way through her.
    The picture he painted was tempting. Incredibly so. She could see it all play out in her head—she’d join him in the water and then they’d end up kissing again ... or more.
    And then she’d hate herself in the morning.
    Still, she had to force herself to say, “Good night, Will,” and turn back toward the cabin.
    Back in the bedroom, Angelina stared at the four walls until she began to notice all of the cute touches in the cabin she hadn’t seen earlier that night. The walls and the ceiling were beautiful pickled pine. The room was bright and clean, yet warm and relaxed at the same time. Will’s mother had a natural gift for balance and comfort.
    And above the bed hung one of the most beautiful paintings Angelina had ever seen.
    A man and a woman were entwined on the sand. Love radiated from them.
    It was exactly the kind of love she longed for ... and feared she’d never find.

CHAPTER TEN
    Will was already up and staring blankly at his laptop when his mother came rolling into the kitchen looking worlds better than she had the previous day. Joyce whirled around in her wheelchair and poured herself a cup of coffee.
    “Angelina get here all right?”
    “She certainly did.” Will looked accusingly at his mother. “And what a surprise her arrival was.”
    “Don’t you take that tone of voice with me, young man. If I want to hire a Feng Shui expert, I’ll damn well do it.”
    Will had to work to fight back a grin. “If that’s your version of the tough-mom routine, it needs a little work.”
    Joyce chuckled. “I thought the damn added a nice dramatic flair.”
    Right then, Angelina walked out of the guest bedroom and Will momentarily forgot his mother was even in the room. Angelina looked more gorgeous than ever.
    But while he couldn’t take his eyes off her, she didn’t even seem to know he was in the room as she