Island Dreams - Evangeline Kelly Page 0,1

I’d seen a cherry lemonade stand outside the hotel and a cold drink sounded good. I left the hotel premises and strolled along a path near the sand, the light breeze toying with the stray hairs that fell out of my messy bun.

Only a few people stood in line at the cherry lemonade stand, so I waited until it was my turn and then stepped up to the counter. “I’ll take a large,” I said, forcing myself to smile at the guy at the cash register.

The man filled a big cup of ice with pink liquid and handed it to me. “Here you go, Miss.”

I paid him and backed up a step, not realizing the person behind me was so close. My shoulder rammed into something hard, and I flushed when I turned and stared into a well-defined male chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

I glanced up at the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and he scowled back at me, the muscle at his jaw tightening. He towered above me, and he was so good-looking, I gasped before I had a chance to stop myself.

He looked to be in his late twenties, and his white t-shirt strained across broad shoulders, revealing a muscular physique. My eyebrows rose, and I took in his lightly tanned skin and short brown hair, but it was the arrogant lift of his chin that kept me frozen in place. Maybe it was his confidence that was so intimidating, or the fact that he was looking at me as if he’d never seen someone so silly before. His blue eyes narrowed as if I’d inconvenienced him, and that, right there, rubbed me the wrong way. He had this entitled gleam in his eye that made me instantly dislike him, or perhaps I was just trying to excuse myself for not watching where I was going.

He smirked like he was used to women gawking at him, and I inwardly kicked myself for staring. “Plan on moving any time soon, sweetheart?” He glanced at his watch, and the corners of his lips lifted in a smug smile. “Or would you prefer to just stare?” His eyebrows rose as if challenging me to defy him. “I could take a picture and text it to you if that works better.” His words dripped with sarcasm, but there was an edge of playfulness there as well.

Our eyes met for a second, and the moment was almost electric, but I quickly reminded myself that he was too…perfect. Guys like that were all about appearance, and they rarely had a heart. This one had a mouth on him, and I wanted nothing to do with him. Something about this man got under my skin, but I didn’t want to lose my composure and cause a scene. I put a fist on my hip and frowned. “Maybe if you hadn’t stood so close…”

“Oh, so it’s my fault now? Shifting the blame doesn’t change what happened.” He winked, and my jaw dropped at his audacity.

Who did this guy think he was? I couldn’t tell if he was flirting or sporting an attitude. I opened my mouth to reply, but words evaded me, and I just stood there, blinking like an idiot.

“Any day now,” he said, checking his watch again, and he blew out a breath to make his point. He glanced to his right, and for the first time, I realized he wasn’t alone. A tall, slender woman with long reddish hair stood next to him, and she was just as attractive. “Does she speak?” he asked.

The woman gave me a once over, and a superior smile tugged at her perfectly formed lips when she turned back to the guy. “Aren’t you tired of attention from desperate women? It must get old.”

Desperate? Was she actually accusing me of hitting on him? My mouth dropped open in outrage, and it took all I had to restrain myself. “First of all, I am not desperate, and second, it was an accident. I can assure you, it wasn’t intentional at all. If he hadn’t crowded me, it wouldn’t have happened.”

She forced an icy smile like it was a strain to make the effort and then flipped her hair over one shoulder, running her fingers through the strands. “Right. Like I believe that.”

Something inside of me snapped. I was generally a patient person, but I’d already started this trip on the wrong foot, and these two were taking whatever joy I had left on this lonely vacation. I straightened