“You’re right,” Ashley said softly. “I should have one last look and then move on.”
* * *
Ashley didn’t like staying in the antebellum mansion at night. There were too many memories and too many shadows to face in the lonely and quiet house. But tonight was different. The islanders had decorated the beach with torches and flower garlands for her. They danced to the beat of a makeshift drum, sang old pirate songs and drank rum.
The gathering felt more of a coming-of-age celebration than a going-away party. She felt the love and understanding from everyone. She was going to miss them, but she knew they would be thinking of her as she started this new journey.
“Thanks for inviting me to Inez Key,” Ashley said to Sebastian as she curled against him while they took the winding staircase to the master suite. “I’m glad I came.”
“The islanders are really going to miss you.”
“Try not to sound so surprised,” she said with an exasperated smile. “Everyone on Inez Key has been like family to me. Clea treated me as an honorary daughter. I’m not sure what she thinks of you.” Ashley’s smile dipped as she remembered how the older woman had stared intently at Sebastian for most of the party.
“She’s angry with me because I’m the reason you’re leaving,” Sebastian said as he opened the door to the master suite. “She may always see me as the enemy.”
Ashley stepped out of Sebastian’s arms as she stepped into the master bedroom. She blinked when she noticed the change. The heavy furniture and the four-poster bed that once dominated the room had been replaced. The colorful and modern furniture changed the feel of the room. Erased the oppressive feeling she had whenever she had stepped inside.
“I forgot,” Sebastian muttered. “This room had too many memories.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m right where I want to be.” She cupped Sebastian’s face with her hands and kissed him. This might be the last chance she had to touch him and lay with him. After her month was up, she no longer had a claim to him.
She broke the kiss and reached for his hand before she silently walked to the bed. She crawled onto the sumptuous bedding and reached for him.
Sebastian didn’t seem to be in any rush. He cradled her face and brushed his mouth against hers. His gentleness made Ashley’s breath catch in her throat.
He continued to kiss her slowly. Sebastian pressed his mouth against her forehead and her cheeks. His lips grazed the line of her jaw and the curve of her ear. It was as if he was committing her features to memory.
“This is how I would have made love to you the first time,” he said as he dragged the thin shoulder straps of her dress down her arms. “If I had known you were a virgin.”
“Our first night was special. Perfect,” she insisted as she tilted her head back and arched her neck, silently encouraging him to continue. “I don’t need a do-over.”
“I scared you off,” he reminded her as he kissed a trail down her throat.
“I scared myself,” she corrected breathlessly as her pulse skipped a beat. “It was too much, too intense. I’d never felt that way before.”
“You wanted to hide,” he said as he reverently peeled her flirty sundress from her body. “That’s why you had rejected my offer.”
“It was stupid of me,” she admitted as she dragged the buttons free from his shirt. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against the warm, golden-brown skin she had just revealed. “I didn’t mean to come across as a coldhearted bitch.”
“What if I made that offer now?” Sebastian’s tone was casual, but she sensed he was not asking lightly. “How would you respond?”
Her heart lurched. “That depends,” she said huskily. “What is the offer?”
Sebastian shrugged off his shirt and lowered her onto the mattress. He stood before her, proud and male. “Come back to Miami with me.”
For how long? And in what role? The questions burned on her tongue but she remained silent. Would she be his occasional hostess or his arm candy? Would she be his hostess or his baby mama?
Ashley wanted to accept his offer immediately and not look too closely. Refuse to negotiate and dismiss any reservations. She loved him with a ferocity that bordered on obsession. She now understood why her mother had risked everything to be with the man that she loved. The only difference was that Ashley had chosen a good man. A man who would treat her with respect and adoration.