Now, they lay nestled together atop her comforter on the floor in front of the fireplace, the game board and pieces scattered around them. The flames cast a warm glow throughout the room, but it didn't come close to capturing the radiance around her.

His sunshine on a rainy night.

He lifted up onto an elbow and gazed down at her. Her blond hair tumbled around her shoulders in a s.e.xy mess. Scratch marks from his stubble marred her neck, collarbone, and swells of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

She cupped his cheek. "I loved your B.S." The affection in her eyes and in her tone belied her claim she had no interest in relationships.

Fall in love. The last item on Payton's list sprang to mind. He and Honor had talked about everything else and while he'd gotten over his initial hurt at discovering Payton might not have loved him like he'd thought she did, he wondered how the request affected Honor. She'd been mad about the tattoo. Was she angry about that, too?

He drew lazy circles on Honor's chest. "Can I ask you about the last wish on Payton's list?"

Honor's eyes widened and she quickly sat up, reaching for the blanket haphazardly lying at their feet to cover herself up. "What about it?"

He rolled onto his back and laced his hands behind his head, hoping his relaxed position would unknot the tension rolling off her in waves. "It's a big deal, and I'm a.s.suming Payton knew how you felt about it." Had Honor ever been in love? Had someone hurt her and triggered the guard she rarely let down? Did they also have that in common?

"She did. I confided in her about everything." Honor's gaze settled on the orange-red flames in the fireplace.

"Do you want to fall in love?"

"No."

He wasn't really surprised, but he was curious. "Why not?"

She looked away. "Because I'll fail at it."

And therein lay the reason she hated to let her guard down. Bryce didn't let the risk of failure stop him from going after what he wanted. But if Honor didn't believe she deserved success, she'd never stop running from it.

Honor cracked open one eye. Sunshine seeped through the slats of the window shutters, but the last thing she wanted to do was wake up. Muscles that had never been sore before smarted in the best possible way-the multiple o.r.g.a.s.m way. Bryce had worshipped her body from head to toe and she'd responded like never before. He'd loved her thoroughly. Completely. Naked in each other's arms, every fear, doubt, barrier between them, had ceased to exist. For a little while longer she wanted to enjoy lying on the floor wrapped up in those delicious memories.

She didn't have to roll over to know Bryce was gone. She felt his absence in the stillness, the chill at her back. They'd had their one night stand and he'd slipped away. A flutter filled her stomach and head. Best night ever, even if she'd been hoping he'd stick around for coffee.

Better he hadn't.

Her back cracked as she stretched her arms above her head. Gah. Is this what it felt like to have s.e.x over and over again? Maybe she'd just lay here a while longer to hold on to the sensation.

Turning to her side she tucked her hands under her cheek. A tiny ember glowed in the fireplace, Scrabble pieces littered the floor, blankets, and pillows strewn about brought a small smile to her face.

A long stretch of Sat.u.r.day lay before her and she had nowhere to be, but she got up and went through her morning routine. Shower. Dress. Coffee. Sitting at the kitchen table, she palmed her yellow smiley face mug and tried not to think about Bryce. She hadn't been overly talkative last night when the conversation turned to love, so afraid he would see she wasn't capable of it.

Not in the way he deserved.

The sting of rejection flared in her chest, which was stupid. She'd gotten what she wanted out of last night. No strings s.e.x so she could cross if off Payton's list. Only the accomplishment shouldn't hurt. It shouldn't feel like she'd lost something when she never had it in the first place.

Or wanted it. She'd made sure her head knew the night meant nothing, hadn't she? Focused on Bryce's warm skin, lean muscles, perfect mouth, deft hands.

Not the man.

She finished her coffee and got to her feet. She needed to swim, needed to drift in the ocean and let the current carry away all her stupid thoughts.

Halfway down the hall to her room so she could change into her wetsuit, the doorbell rang. Her heart stopped. It wouldn't be him.

It was.

"Hey, can we come in?" Bryce said, his eyes eating her up, his smile the one she pretended he kept just for her.

"Uh, sure." She opened the door wider and let "them" in. "What are you doing here? I thought..."

He looked around her living room before walking to the kitchen to put the small aquarium in his arms down on the counter. Once his hands were also free of the white plastic bag he'd carried, he turned and almost knocked her on her b.u.t.t with the pure, unfiltered joy on his face.

"First off, you were sound asleep when I woke this morning and looked so peaceful I didn't want to disturb you. That's why I left without saying anything." He took her hand in his. She had no choice but to move closer.

"And second, I did leave with every intention of driving home." His thumb stroked her knuckles. "But I can't stop thinking about you. I wish I could, but I can't. So, what I have here is a gift." He drew her to the countertop. "This is a puffer fish."

The pentagon shaped tank stood about two feet tall. Blue rocks filled the bottom. A plastic plant and treasure chest sat atop the jagged stones. The cute little fish had big eyes and a rounded body with black polka dots and fins on either side of him that fluttered like hummingbird wings.

"He's staring at me."

"He knows a beautiful thing when he sees it."

She had no answer for that. No idea what to think or feel about his admission. For the moment, she'd go with the flow.

He slid the tank closer to the wall to plug it in. The treasure chest yawned, tiny bubbles floated up. "The filter should be good for a while. Can I have a clean gla.s.s?" Honor grabbed one. He filled it with water from the tap and poured it into the tank, continuing to fill-and-pour until the water level in the tank had risen almost to the top. Next he added a couple of clear drops of liquid from a tiny plastic bottle.

"Have you ever had a fish before?"

"No. You seem pretty knowledgeable, though."

"I had my own tank for a few years when I was young." Bryce held up a small container. "This is his food. He only needs a flake or two once a day."

"Got it." She leaned closer with her elbows on the counter, her nose almost touching the gla.s.s. "I should name him."

"You should."

"What do you think of Jaws?"

Bryce laughed. "I like it."

They watched Jaws for a couple of minutes in comfortable silence. Bryce's gesture overwhelmed her and she didn't know what to do or say next. Finally she decided on, "You bought me a pet." For some reason it seemed necessary she acknowledge that aloud.

"He's more than a pet."

She puzzled over that as she lifted up and faced him.

"He's who you can fall in love with without worry."

Her legs shook. Bryce caught her around the waist before she collapsed to the floor in a heap of love and longing and devotion.

"Whoa." He brought her flush against his hard, warm chest and abs. "You all right?"

No. She wasn't. Not by a long shot. "Bryce," she said softly.

"Honor," he answered just as quietly.

"No one..." She swallowed the emotion clogging the back of her throat. "No one has ever thought about me the way you do." He'd made her promise to Payton a real possibility. Fall in love, Pay had listed. Not fall in love, get married, and have babies. She was halfway to loving Jaws already. By tomorrow she'd be all the way there. And she'd feed him every day and talk to him every day and watch him swim every day.

If she simply took the words as Pay had written them, then she'd followed through.

"That makes us even," Bryce said, "because I've never thought about anyone the way I do you."

She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him. He cradled her face with his big, strong hands as hers snaked through his soft brown hair. She feasted on his lips and tongue until she had to come up for air. "Thank you," she whispered.

"My pleasure."

"Do you have plans for today?"

"That depends." He toyed with her hair and even though she knew it impossible to feel something through the fine strands, her scalp tingled.

"On?"

"What you have planned."

"I was thinking about spending the day in bed."

His eyes went all dark and seductive. The dimple in his chin deepened. "The one night stand is off the table?"

"No. But maybe we could bend the rules a little. Extend the night to include the day. Just this once." She knew it was wrong to keep him with her, to continue what they'd had into daylight hours, but she couldn't help herself. Guilt still sat in the back of her mind because she was here with Bryce and Payton wasn't, but worse was her heart and body had overruled the logic she'd come to live by since Lance. The truth she held above all else: She didn't have the capacity to truly love someone and not hurt him.

For a little while longer, though, she wanted to pretend that nothing else existed but her and Bryce.

"I'm all yours," he said with a grin, and a part of her wished that were possible.

Chapter Ten.

Early Monday morning Honor walked down Main Street toward the Beach Cafe to grab coffee before she hit the mayor's office. Spring Break was around the corner and she had a ton of work to do for the annual street fair.

A group of seagulls squawked overhead in the clear blue sky, drawing her attention up. It was beautiful after rainy days. The air cleaner, the sights and sounds crisper. Like living in a postcard.

She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth just before a burst of hot pink rounded the corner and she choked out a laugh. Coming at her was Midge and her "Street Team." The walking group-Midge, Mrs. Landry, Shirley, and Mrs. Jamison-all wore bright pink Just Do It T-shirts and the hot pink tutus they'd acquired when they power jammed through their first Color Run a few months ago. 'Power jammed' was Mrs. L.'s phrase and she made sure everyone knew it. They walked around town every morning to stay fit. Look up 'fit' in the White Strand dictionary and there was a bonus definition: keep your nose in everyone's business.

The main reason Honor giggled, though, had everything to do with the team's new leader. He'd also donned a tutu.

"Yo, Honorlicious," Dylan said, his blonde Einstein hair standing in crazier disarray than usual.

"Nice outfit." Honor came to a stop with her hands on her hips.

Dylan grinned. "Right?" He brought the group to a halt by putting his hand up, arm bent at the elbow before he leaned forward and whispered, "They're paying me so I'll wear whatever they want." Straightening he said, "I'm whipping these ladies into shape for the Cove 5K."

"That's great." Honor put up her palm to high five the team of adorable older women.

"Honor," Mrs. Jamison said, pulling her into a hug. "Please thank that boyfriend of yours again for coming to my rescue Sat.u.r.day night."

"Oh, he's not-"

"And tell him he must let me repay him for sending a plumber over yesterday to put a snake in my drain."

Mrs. L. got a gleam in her eye and pressed her hands together. "Tell us again how long his snake was, Betty."

"Long. And when he bent over-"

"Whoa," Honor and Dylan said at the same time. "I'm gonna grab some water. Be right back. You ladies stay put," Dylan said, disappearing down the street and leaving Honor alone with four sets of eyes narrowed on her like they wanted all the details of her s.e.x life.

"Now that he's gone, we need the scoop," Mrs. L said with a wink, "Betty told us what a hottie your boyfriend is."

Honor bit the inside of her cheek. Leave it to the four busiest bodies in White Strand to get her alone first thing in the morning after the best weekend of her life. "He's not my-"

"You should have seen his muscles straining through his wet shirt," Mrs. J. said.

The team nodded like they wished they had.

"He's not my boyfriend. And what are you doing checking out someone young enough to be your grandson?

"I may be older, but I'm not dead."

Honor sucked in her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"He's also very charming," Midge said, ignoring Honor's boyfriend reb.u.t.tal and reminding her Bryce had been into the Happy Harpoon several times.

He wasn't a stranger in her town anymore.

"You ladies are impossible. We're just... friends."

"Friends with benefits." Mrs. L. said like she'd just coined the term. The rest of the group grinned. At least they were enjoying this.

"It's not like that, either." Could she rewind the morning and take a different route please?

"What is it like?" Midge asked. Her grandmotherly voice was inquisitive and sweet, a combination that usually got her the answers she wanted.

"Umm..."

Shirley's hip hummed and she jumped. "Oh, that's my cell," she announced. She lifted her tutu and retrieved the phone. "It's a text from Frannie. She wants to know what's this she hears about Honor and some hotshot agent with tight buns."