Aiden took my hand in his as we left the restaurant. The night air was still tropically warm and the ocean breeze ruffled my skirt. This truly was paradise.
“Walk on the beach with me?” Aiden asked, pulling me gently toward the sound of water. I would have followed him willingly into a volcano. A moonlit walk on the beach was better than I could have dreamed.
“That sounds great,” I agreed. It only took us a moment to reach the sand. My heels immediately sank and I knew I would twist an ankle if I stayed on them. “Hold on, I need to take my shoes off to walk in the sand.”
“Barefoot again?” he teased gently as he also removed his shoes. He finished nearly as soon as I did, standing beside me in the sand. “How tall are those heels?”
“Tall?” I shrugged. I had no idea the actual height, just that they were taller than my usual selection of heels.
“I like you this height better,” he told me. A warm flush went through me. No one had ever said that to me before. I always thought I was too short and needed heels.
“Really? I thought guys liked the tall, leggy blondes best.”
“I can't do this with a tall, leggy blonde,” he informed me, stepping close and draping his arm over my shoulder. Goosebumps and want skittered across my skin. I could barely believe that this handsome, funny, man was holding me on a moonlit beach. It seemed too good to be true.
The sand was soft and warm under my feet. The travel guides hadn't been kidding when they raved about Caribbean sand. The moon was rising slowly and casting pale, silver light on every wave. Everything had a magical glow that made anything seem possible.
“You said you have a brother,” I said as we walked. I wanted to know everything about Aiden. “Any other siblings?”
“Just Logan,” he replied. “You?”
“A younger sister.” I smiled thinking of her. “Are you and your brother close?”
“We work together, so kind of. We were really close when we were little, but when I left for college we grew apart.” He pulled me closer to him, as if he were searching for my warmth in the dark.
“You said your brother's name is Logan?”
“Yeah.” He paused and looked at me. “Why?”
“You're going to laugh, but I thought Ben was your brother.”
“Because we look so much alike, right?” Aiden puffed out his chest and tried to make himself bigger. All he managed to do was make himself look ridiculous.
“Yeah, I should have thought of that,” I agreed, giggling as he ape walked down the beach. Ben was just an overbearing boss, not a concerned brother. “You just said you worked with your brother, and I assumed.”
“I do work with my brother. He works for Travel, Inc. as well.” He grinned at me. “You might even call it a family business.”
“I would love to work at the same company as my sister,” I said honestly.
“Working with family isn't all it's cracked up to be.” The easy laughter was gone, replaced by a bitter humor. “It makes it hard to fire anyone, even if they do a terrible job.”
“What about your mom?” I asked quietly, curiosity getting the better of me.
“She died when I was twelve.
Dad wasn't exactly good with kids.” He shrugged as if it didn't bother him, but the slight tension in his voice belied the truth.
“I'm sorry.” I wasn't sure what else to say. I wanted to hold him close and take away all the pain that was edging into his voice.
“It was a long time ago,” he assured me, his eyes still distant.
“I'm still sorry,” I said quietly. I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled him closer to me. His arm tightened, and didn't let go. I wished I could carry some of the pain that obviously weighed heavy on his shoulders. I tried to think of something I could say or do to make him smile again.
We walked in silence for a moment until I tripped on yet another rock. Aiden caught me easily, preventing me from falling to the sand. Wrapped in his arms and dizzy with want from having him this close, my heart beat raced out of control. He was so damn handsome. The moonlight highlighted his strong jawline and striking features, while his eyes seemed to capture the pale light of the moon and reflect only beauty.
“You and those rocks just don't seem to get along,” he murmured quietly, smiling down at me in his arms.
“It's a good thing you're here to rescue me then,” I whispered, staring at his mouth. It was sensuous and made for kissing. Every fiber of my being wanted to taste him. I half expected Ben to pop out of nowhere and ruin the moment for a third time.