“I have you right where I want you…”
Rick smiled as he said the words and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged Lindsey so tightly that she actually felt a bit light-headed.
“I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.”
“I noticed.”
“Or my mouth.” He nuzzled the side of her neck, then pressed light kisses across her collarbone.
She shuddered, and slowly, deliberately, moved her hips against his. Her entire body tingled with awareness. She couldn’t believe their chemistry was still this strong after six years of not seeing each other. It was almost embarrassing.
“Let’s order room service,” he said. “We’ll eat on the balcony. Share a nice bottle of wine. Remember?”
Oh, she remembered all right. The cool air danced across her skin, making her shiver. Or maybe it was the way he stared at her, his eyes dark with promise and danger, as if his plans for her landed on the other side of wicked. The thought triggered a delicious tingle of anticipation.
“Perfect,” she whispered into his ear and kissed him gently once, twice on his cheek. “You’re perfect.”
Dear Reader,
When I was a teenager living in Hawaii, surfing was big. You didn’t have to watch the news or listen to the radio to know when the swells were up. Half an empty classroom said it all. I never thought about it then, but looking back now, I don’t think many people considered ditching school to go surfing was the same as cutting class. If they did, the beaches would have been crawling with truant officers instead of sand crabs. Surfing was simply part of the culture. That said, because I attended a small private school until my senior year, absences were not tolerated and yours truly was stuck at a desk sweating over Algebra.
Still, that didn’t keep me from the surfing beaches. Because there were boys there. Really cute boys with killer bodies. That was high school, though, and my tastes have vastly changed since then.
I never thought I’d write a surfer hero. But when it came time to create a second story for my Spring Break series, Rick Granger wiggled his way into my brain and stuck. He was perfect for shy, sheltered Lindsey. Who better to convince her that she already was the strong woman she wanted to become? The kind of woman who ended up helping Rick put his own life into perspective.
I very much enjoyed crafting both characters. I hope you enjoy them, too, as well as a glimpse of the quieter side of Hawaii.
Best wishes,
Debbi Rawlins
Delicious Do-Over
Debbi Rawlins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbi Rawlins lives in central Utah, out in the country, surrounded by woods and deer and wild turkeys. It’s quite a change for a city girl who didn’t even know where the state of Utah was until four years ago. Of course, unfamiliarity has never stopped her. Between her junior and senior years of college she spontaneously left her home in Hawaii and bummed around Europe for five weeks by herself. And much to her parents’ delight, returned home with only a quarter in her wallet.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Prologue
LINDSEY SHAW blinked when the champagne flute refused to come into focus. She couldn’t be drunk, or even tipsy. Not after only two and a half glasses. But then she rarely drank alcohol, and hadn’t eaten since the granola bar she’d forced down while on the plane this morning.
She looked over at her friend Mia and then her other friend Shelby. They didn’t look blurry. A bit flushed, happy, excited. She wished she shared her new business partners’ optimism over the gigantic step they’d just taken. But the truth was, she was scared to death.
“Uh, Lindsey, you do know we’re celebrating, right?” Grinning, Mia picked up the champagne bottle and started to refill glasses.
Lindsey quickly grabbed her half-empty flute. “No more for me until we eat something.”
“Seriously?” Shelby made a face. “And ruin our buzz?”
“I’m not flying back to Chicago tomorrow morning with a hangover.” Lindsey hadn’t meant to sound defensive. Now wasn’t the time to get squeamish. She’d agreed to take the plunge. Sign her life away. Give up her job. Move back to Manhattan. She wouldn’t change her mind now. Even though she wanted to throw up just thinking about the uncertainty they faced in starting the new business.
“Sometimes you’re just no fun.”
“Shut up, Shelby.” Mia set the bottle back in the silver bucket. “This is huge. Not that I don’t have total faith in us, but let’s be real. We are taking a big risk.”
Lindsey’s stomach clenched. The three of them had talked about opening the concierge/rental business ever since junior year in college, when their sorority had used the concept for a fundraiser. Then they had only rented themselves out, but the new business would be more comprehensive, renting out everything from designer purses and iPhones, to college students willing to run errands or host parties. It was a perfect concept for a city like Manhattan, and in theory she’d been all for it, until it meant giving up everything that made her feel safe and secure.
Mia happily lifted her refilled flute. “To Anything Goes.”
“I think we’ve already made that toast.” Shelby grinned and clinked her glass to Mia’s.
“A couple of times,” Lindsey murmured, then smiled gamely and raised her glass in solidarity.
These were her best friends in the whole world. She’d missed them desperately since moving to Chicago after graduation. It hadn’t been enough that they talked or texted every day, or that they got together twice a year. They were all busy with their jobs, and life seemed to be passing them by.
Mia had been the one gutsy enough to do something about it. She’d made the call, got them all on a conference line and reminded them that they’d sworn on their beloved iPods that once they’d saved enough money, they would take the leap. Lindsey admired Mia’s confidence and take-charge personality. And Shelby was just so charming and comfortable in her own skin that Lindsey was unashamedly envious. If she were going to gamble her future on anyone, it would be these two.
Not if. She’d already signed the loan documents. Two hours ago. Mia would turn in her resignation tomorrow. Shelby would submit hers when she returned to Houston on Monday. Lindsey had to step up and do the same.
She stared out the bar’s window at the gathering darkness, squinting when she thought she saw snow flurries. Certainly not impossible. It was early March after all.