“You’re beautiful,” he countered. “You are everything I’ve been looking for all my life. The funny thing is, I didn’t know I was looking until I found you. And now that I have, I’m not going to let you go.”
Sophie swallowed hard. Was she hearing this right? She’d been so stunned to learn Trey wasn’t engaged that she’d forgotten to listen to the rest. “You want me?”
“Yes.” He bent close and kissed her gently. “Yes, yes, yes.”
A long silence grew between them as Sophie regarded him suspiciously. She wanted to believe him. The truth was there in his eyes. “I want you, too,” she said softly.
It was a risk she had to take, but for the first time in her life, Sophie knew it was the right risk. A giggle slipped from her lips. “I was going to go to your press conference and demand you tell me the truth.”
He grinned. “That would have been nice. We could always drive back to the hotel and you could do that. Tell them what a great guy I am and how I built fire on the island and made a hammock.”
“You’re missing your press conference?”
“I don’t need a press conference,” he said. “I’m going to be out of the public eye for a while. For the next fifty or sixty years. I’m hoping they’ll soon forget about me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, first, I’m going to take you out to lunch and then we’re going to go back to my hotel and we’re going to take a long bubble bath. And then, I need you to take the nail polish off my toes.”
“No, I meant what are you going to do. About your work, your job,” Sophie said.
“I’m going to build my resort. I told my father about my idea and he thought it was a good one. He’s going to back me on it financially. I’m going to move here while it’s being built. And after that, we’ll see what happens.”
“You’re staying here?”
He nodded and Sophie felt a smile break across her face. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to pretend she didn’t care, but she did. And if Trey was here on the island, they’d have plenty of time to explore all these new and wonderful feelings.
“So, now that I’m staying, I was wondering if you’d be my girl.”
“What would that mean?”
“It would mean that when Gabe puts his arm around your shoulder, you’ll tell him you’ve got a boyfriend. And when I have to go back to the States for business, you’ll come with me. And we’ll maybe spend the night with each other occasionally. Or always. Your choice.”
Sophie wrapped her arms around Trey’s neck and pressed her body against his. She gave him a sweet, tantalizing kiss. “I think that sounds like a good idea. Especially the always part.”
Trey nodded. “Then there’s only one thing to do.” He stepped out of her embrace and reached for the flower he’d tucked in his pocket. He brushed it across her lower lip, before tucking it behind Sophie’s left ear. “There. That makes it official. You’re taken.”
“Yes, I am,” Sophie said. With a laugh, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely. She would have a man for the New Year, and not just a lover, but a friend. And if all went well, they’d have many New Years to come. Suddenly, life seemed full of possibilities. And the islands didn’t seem so small after all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Hoffmann lives in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin with her two cats and her computer. In her spare time she enjoys golf, genealogy and gardening. She is also involved in local musical and theater activities with high school students.
