LITMIR.BIZ

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over. Her gaze on Roman was clearly appreciative.

      Leah felt a weird twist in her chest.

      “Hi, Leah.” She was still looking at Roman.

      “Marian, this is Roman Bradshaw. From New York. He’s thinking of buying the Shark and Fin. I’m showing him around the Key a bit. Marian’s another artist,” she explained to Roman. “She’s a potter.”

      “I see. Well, welcome to Thunder Key, Roman Bradshaw.” Marian stuck her hand out and smiled flirtatiously.

      Roman took her hand briefly. Marian was tall, blond, self-assured. Everything Leah was not. Dammit, was she jealous? She had never felt this way before, and she didn’t like it. Marian was a sweetie, and truly, she’d been a good friend. She was the one who’d invited Leah to join the Artisans Cove group. She was single and manhunting—as Marian herself put it—and Leah had made a huge point of the fact that she wasn’t.

      But she hated how Marian was looking at Roman. It made her feel possessive and childish and ridiculous.

      “Thank you,” Roman said to Marian. Marian smiled.

      Leah pointed out some of Marian’s work, and Roman made some appreciative comments.

      After a few minutes Roman said to Leah, “I noticed they sell buckets of fish at the marina. How about taking a walk out there? I’d like to discuss a few things Morrie brought up with me on the phone.”

      A mix of feelings tangled inside her. She was stupidly flattered that he was showing no interest in Marian whatsoever. Instead, his heavy, cloaked gaze arrowed intensely on Leah. Which was exactly why, at the same time, she felt so horribly uneasy.

      “All right.” What else could she say, do? As long as they were discussing business, everything would be fine.

      But it didn’t feel like business when he opened the door of the shop, placed a gentle hand beneath her elbow as they walked out onto the boardwalk. Leah walked faster, moving away from his touch.

      “Bye,” Marian called. The bell above the shop door clanged as it shut behind them.

      “She liked you,” Leah forced herself to slow down enough to comment. “She’s a really sweet person. If you…you know, if you’re interested in having some fun, seeing the nightlife, Marian is really the person to show you around. She’s a lot of fun and—”

      She realized he’d stopped. She turned, looked back at him.

      “Are you trying to set me up?” He seemed amused.

      The reggae band was warming up. The sun beat down on the boardwalk, alive with tourists in the still-cool morning air. The underlying heat brushed her skin. Soon it would be another blazing-hot Keys day.

      “No, I—” She didn’t know what to say. She felt like an idiot every time she opened her mouth around this man. “You’re here on vacation. I guess it’s kind of a working vacation, but still… I’m sure you want to have some fun, and Marian—”

      “Look, I’m not interested in Marian. And I’m not trying to come on to you, either. But if I buy the bar, we’re going to be working together. You’re not interested in me. You’re a lesbian. I got it. You don’t have to keep telling me. Maybe you should date Marian.”

      Stupider and stupider. That’s how she felt. But she couldn’t help laughing. “I don’t think so.”

      “You’re really starting to damage my self-esteem,” he said, a teasing note entering his deep voice. “I’m going to need therapy if you keep telling me how much you don’t want to date me.”

      He stuck his hand out.

      “Friends?” he said.

      She met his now-serious gaze. “Friends.” She put her hand in his. There went the twist in her chest again, but what choice did she have? Morrie had been thrilled someone was interested in the bar, even if somewhat wary yet. Things were going well in New Mexico, and selling the Shark and Fin would mean he could make his move out there permanent. She owed Morrie so much.

      And if I buy the bar, we’re going to be working together.

      How had that thought not even entered her head till now? Somehow she had just assumed—

      “Wouldn’t you be going back to New York? I thought this was just an investment for you?”

      They left Smugglers Village, taking the boardwalk path that led to the marina. The sound of the reggae music filtered through the air.

      “I plan to move here,” he said.

      “Oh.”

      “You sound disappointed. Wow, I am going to need therapy.”

      He smiled, and she was struck by the even whiteness of his teeth, and the way his dark eyes lit with mischief. There was something so contradictory about him. His entire bearing was so businesslike, reserved, and yet when he looked at her, there was a hint of vulnerability to his dark, shielded depths, and then there were those moments of lightness, not to mention those flashing dimples. She just couldn’t figure him out, and she shouldn’t even want to.

      “No, I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Shocked, more like it.

      “You can’t see me living here on the Keys?”

      “No. Well, you’re from the city. You’re—”

      “What? You don’t even know me. How can you say that?” He tossed her own words back at her with another flare of light in his enigmatic eyes.

      She stopped in front of the marina, bit her lip. He was sexy, dangerous, all male. And so very close to her, his look on her so very intense.

      “You’re right,” she said abruptly. “I don’t have a right to say anything about you at all. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

      She couldn’t tell him what she was thinking.

      “You’re not completely wrong,” he said.

      She blinked. “What do you mean?”

      “I’m from the city,” he explained. “The life here on the Keys—it’s not me. Or, it wasn’t me. But things have changed. I’ve changed.” He looked out toward the water. Something in his face struck her as terribly painful, and her heart gave another wrench in response. Was he thinking of his wife, the one he’d lost in an accident? “I want it to be me,” he finished quietly.

      She didn’t want to feel anything for him at all, but the look in his eyes made her wish she was a different person, the type of person who could put her arms around him and comfort him. And really just be friends.

      “Do you believe people can change?”

      His question took her by surprise, as did the look in his eyes, as if her answer truly mattered to him. Which, of course, it couldn’t. Why would it?

      “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I guess it depends on how much they want to.”

      He didn’t say anything for a beat. “Come on,” he said then. “Let’s get a bucket.”

      She followed him inside the marina. He paid for a bucket of fish at the counter and they walked out to the pier. She experienced the familiar discomfort that walking over water always gave her, but managed to push past it. She still didn’t like the water, avoided getting in the sea to swim, but she’d gotten used to seeing it every day. It was part of Thunder Key. The sea was beautiful, and she didn’t understand her fear of it. She’d learned to live with it.

      There were a few tourists, but most of the early crowd was lined up at the dive shop and snorkel shack. The air was salty and fresh and clean. Watching Roman, she had the craziest urge to tangle her fingers through his hair, as if it would be perfectly natural, and ask him to tell her why he thought he needed to change.

      “So you had some questions

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