"I don't think so."

c.r.a.p on a cracker. Did he have to feel so good and look so good and know how to read her? "I thought we established you have a thinking problem."

He laughed. The rumble through his chest reverberated through hers. She smiled despite the effort to keep her lips pressed together in a straight line.

"I need to kiss you, Honor. One kiss the way I want to kiss you, and then we can be done."

She closed her eyes thinking maybe when she opened them he'd be gone and she'd discover she'd hit her head on her way to the kitchen and dreamed the last ten minutes.

Nope. Not a dream.

"Tell me what you want." He shifted his hips, leaving no doubt as to how much he desired her.

But it wasn't just that. It was the way he looked at her, with hunger yes, but also something more. His gaze took her away from everything but the two of them.

She didn't deserve attention from a guy like Bryce, but right here, right now, she'd be a fool not to take what he offered. Just this once.

"I want you to kiss me." More than she'd ever wanted anything. She prayed the painful admission didn't hurt her quiet talks with Payton.

His smile, a little mischievous around the edges, had her melting into the sand. Then his lips brushed hers, and the stars collided. She cupped his face in her hands and shut her eyes.

Kissing had always ranked high on her list of favorite things to do, but Bryce took it to a whole new level. Forget about his mouth on her fingertips, this linked to all her happy zones and more.

He'd literally swept her off her feet and his kiss quickened the beat of her heart. His lips were soft and warm and hungry. His kiss moved through her like warm honey, filling all the places inside her that had been cold for so long.

He slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, licking her before he pressed further. She willingly opened to him, stroked his tongue, kissed him harder. He groaned. He tasted like champagne and everything good as he delved deeper and committed a full-on a.s.sault inside her mouth. His hand gripped her waist. They sank further into the sand.

She clutched his shoulders, smoothed her palms down his back. He pulled gruffly away, nipped at her ear. "You have no idea how much I want you," he said.

"Tell me," she murmured. She slipped her hands lower, covered his very fine b.u.t.t, and ground her pelvis against him.

"I want to lift this dress and do you right here."

His gravelly voice combined with the thick, hard length pressing into her stomach made her almost breathless. He kissed her jaw, her neck. His warm breath fanned over her collarbone before he lifted and fused his mouth to hers once again.

The kiss rammed every objection out of her bliss-hazed mind. With her fingers in his hair, she kissed him back. He caressed her mouth with perfect care and pa.s.sion one minute and hot, out of control lashes the next. The hand at her waist moved up to her breast. He cupped it, rubbed his thumb over her nipple. She spiraled close to the edge of release, just like she had the first night they'd met, when his barely R-rated touch set her body aflame with more feeling than she'd ever thought possible.

"Bryce," she whispered against his lips.

"Okay," he relented, as if knew he'd pushed her to the edge and she needed him to stop. He rolled to the side and helped her sit up, wiping her back of sand.

She pressed her fingers to her well-kissed lips, wanting to feel a little longer this incredible moment in the sand.

He jammed his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away."

All the feel-good sensations making her forget her loneliness fled. The regret in his voice pierced through her skin and bones. She wasn't sorry. What kind of person did that make her?

They stared toward the water in silence.

"What did you want to talk about?" Honor asked, not sure talking was any better than kissing, but the quiet bothered her. She didn't want to end things tonight on a bad note.

"Payton's list."

Would everything with Bryce come back to Payton? Her heart went on lockdown. "No, thanks."

"I can't pretend I didn't see it."

"Yes, you can." She glanced at his profile. "Why does it even matter to you?" She knew the answer to that, didn't she? Payton still mattered to him and he wanted to know more about her best friend. Make sense of a list that maybe surprised him? Payton hadn't been the easiest person to get to know. There were days even Honor felt like she was pulling teeth to get her friend to talk.

"I thought I knew the girl I was falling for, but now I'm second guessing everything we had," he said in a quiet voice. "Payton broke my heart and I guess a part of me is still trying to figure out why." He wiped at some sand on his pant leg.

"I don't know what to tell you," Honor whispered. She hadn't agreed with Payton's decision to cut Bryce out of her life, but the choice hadn't belonged to her.

He cast her a quick glance. "I've been thinking. Helping people is my business. It's what I do know. My clients have lists. Things they want to accomplish. And I help them achieve their goals. Helping you with Payton's list would help me, too. It's my chance to say good-bye."

Honor choked back tears. Whether she liked it or not, she and Bryce had Payton in common and running away from him wouldn't change that.

For several minutes they stared out to the inky, calm sea in quiet solidarity before Bryce broke the silence with, "There's a place to hot air balloon not far from here."

"Escondido. I know. That was the first thing I crossed off the list."

"How was it?" he asked with genuine interest.

Honor sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Amazing."

"Payton wanted to experience a birds-eye view?"

"We both did. She was afraid of heights. Even the thought of standing on a ladder freaked her out. But ever since we'd watched the movie Casanova with the scene of a hot air balloon ride over Venice, and I'd told her how much I wanted to try it, she wanted to work up the courage to try it, too."

"Good thing you don't share her same fear."

"We were actually really different. I think that's why we made such good friends. We complemented each other."

She'd never talked about Payton like this with anyone else before and it was nice. After Pay pa.s.sed away a general sadness fell over the town and by quiet agreement her memory stayed mostly in people's minds. Payton's parents moved to San Francisco to be closer to their son and his wife and life went on in their small beach community.

Bryce angled his foot so it touched hers. "Do you have a tattoo I can try and find?"

Knowing Bryce wanted to search her body for a tattoo put all sorts of dirty thoughts in her mind that should not be there. "Not yet."

"Not yet as in it's too soon for me to look? Or not yet you don't have one?"

She worked really hard not to smile. "I don't have one."

He raised his eyebrows in question. She jumped to her feet. "We'd better get back to the party." He'd already gotten her to say too much. Think and feel too much.

He put a hand on her arm to slow her speed walk. "What's the deal?"

"No deal. Just done talking about the list. And I'd like to remind you to keep quiet about it. This is only between us." She gave him a side-glance.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, but come on. Why haven't you gotten a tattoo yet? That's the easiest thing on there."

"None of your business." Did the guy ever stop with the questions? He should've been a lawyer rather than an agent.

He brought her to a halt by gently gripping her arm before sliding his fingers down to grasp her hand. "Come on. We've come this far. Don't hold out on me now."

His amiable tone combined with that face was totally unfair. She hated the power he had over her. Hated that one look at him turned her into Chatty Cathy.

"I'm afraid of needles," she relented. Her shoulders sagged.

"That's a common fear," he said without judgment. "Did something happen to trigger it?"

He stared at her and waited for more. d.a.m.n those irresistible eyes.

"When I was nine I had to give blood for some reason I can't remember. The nurse couldn't get my vein the first time so someone else came in. That person was worse. She had trouble too, and then panicked when I squirmed and she hit a nerve in my arm. I remember the pain shooting to my fingertips and I screamed. Ever since then I've been afraid of needles."

He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "Getting a tattoo is a lot different than giving blood."

She admired his mouth and how it made everything better. "I know. But just the thought of it makes me sweat. I'd be mortified if I pa.s.sed out while getting it done."

"Have you pa.s.sed out before?"

"No, but I always have to lie down for shots and my heart races and I can't look and it's really nerve racking."

"I could go with you." He dropped her arm and started to walk.

The bright, festive lights at Zane and Sophie's house lit up the beach. Voices m.u.f.fled a minute ago grew clearer. That's where she needed to be. Surrounded by people and noise and more champagne. She needed distance before she drowned in Bryce's attention. Plenty of guys were nice to her. But none had made her feel this way. And none had ever shared a secret this big with her before. So even though she wanted to toss his suggestion into the ocean where the fish could chew on it, she had to entertain his offer.

"Honor?"

"Maybe."

"Fair enough."

She forced a smile. There was absolutely nothing fair about the way her emotions had hijacked her rules for relationships. And her loyalty to her best friend.

"I never would have guessed Payton wanted a tattoo," he added, the tease and warmth in his voice disappearing.

"I know. It is out of character for her, but she did keep some things private."

"Even from you?"

"Even from me."

Bryce slipped off his sungla.s.ses and walked into the Happy Harpoon. No one stood at the check-in desk, but Midge pa.s.sed by running her hands down her Happy ap.r.o.n.

"Hey there, handsome. Grab a seat anywhere you like."

Bryce nodded at the silver-haired whirlwind and found a small booth that afforded him a view of the entrance. With time to spare before his lunch meeting with Cooper, he pulled out his cell to call Danny back and let him know no worries on not making it, but his phone chimed with a text message first.

Hey son, sorry it took me a few days to get back to you. Congrats on the new client. Proud of you.

Thanks, Dad. About to have lunch with my next new client, I hope.

The skateboarder?

Cooper Mitch.e.l.l. Kid's got it and I want it. Bryce looked up and said, "thanks" to the waitress for dropping off a menu.

I've no doubt you'll get him then. Dinner soon?

Yeah. Tell Mom I said hi.

Call - don't text - her and tell her yourself.

Bryce chuckled as he sat back and thought about his dad. As one of the best defense attorneys in Los Angeles, James Bishop played it heartless in the courtroom. But with Bryce and his younger sister the old guy was all heart. He pushed, sure, but only to the point he knew his kids could handle it. Bryce owed his strength of purpose to his dad.

"Bishop, you hanging around our town on a daily basis now?"

Blinking away his thoughts, Bryce focused on the ex-football player towering over the table. "Hey, Tango. Yeah, I've got a meeting with Cooper Mitch.e.l.l."

Tango nodded. "I'm thinking of making a comeback. Think you could handle me?"

Bryce chuckled. "As soon as they start the senior league, I'll let you know."

"Boy, I am never gonna be a senior and you'd best remember that." He flexed his biceps, the muscles bulging underneath his short sleeves. Point taken. The guy could probably lift a truck over his head.

"You showing off for me, old man? Because I should tell you, it's working."

Tango threw his head back and laughed. "Too bad my lady friend looks to be getting impatient." Bryce followed Tango's line of sight to see a woman waving her hand. "I'm sure I could teach you a few things," Tango added, eyebrows raised, before he moved on. Cooper took the seat across from Bryce two seconds later.

"Hey, Mr. Bishop. Sorry I'm a minute late."

Bryce took note of Coop's slight but safe rebellious look. No doubt he'd appeal to both guys and girls and bring a whole new set of fans to skateboarding. The good-looking gene definitely ran in the Mitch.e.l.l family. "No worries. And call me Bryce. Mr. Bishop is my dad."

Cooper blinked like he wasn't sure he wanted to be that friendly. "Mind if I say something first?"

"Not at all."

"I noticed something between you and my sister at the wedding and I want to remind you that my skateboarding and my family don't mix."

Bryce stiffened. He'd thought about Sunday night countless times. When he and Honor had fallen into the sand after the wedding and he'd finally gotten to lick inside her mouth, he had almost gone off. Then to talk like they had about Payton's list, he knew getting closer was the wrong way to go if he wanted Coop as a client. He and Danny had worked too hard to restore their reputation for Bryce to blow it now.

But sometimes lines blurred. Made more muddy by a shared past with Honor he couldn't ignore if he wanted to move forward.

"I hear you," Bryce said. "Your sister and I were just being friendly. I dated Payton before she pa.s.sed away."

"You were the guy she snuck off to see?"