Sunsets at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  “What do you need, Ames?”

  “I’m pretty sure you know what I need,” she said in a husky voice as she pressed her hips to his.

  You don’t mean that. You’re just drunk. He clenched his jaw against his mounting desire. She was all he ever wanted, and she was the one person he knew he should walk away from.

  “Amy.”

  “Tony.” Her voice was thin and shaky.

  “You’re drunk.” He peeled her hands from his chest. She got like this when she was drunk: sultry, sexier, eager. As adults, she’d never taken it this far. She’d made innuendos over the years, but more in jest than anything else. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew Amy cared about him, but he also knew she sometimes forgot things. Important things. Life-altering events that were less painful if forgotten. He was certain it was why she drank when they were together and why he’d spent years protecting her. Not that she needed protecting often. Drinking was a summer thing for Amy, and really, she rarely drank too much. She didn’t drink when she wasn’t at the Cape. He knew this because over recent years, after Amy had graduated from college and settled into her business, he’d begun texting her more often. He’d been unable to ignore his need for a connection to her any longer. He could count on one hand how many times she’d made reference to drinking.

  “I might be a little drunk.” Her sweet lips curved into a nervous smile. “But I think I know what you want.”

  What I want and what I’ll let myself have are two very different things.

  He exhaled, took her hand, and turned toward the bed. “Sit down and let me help you get out of your heels and then I’ll go back to my room. I don’t want you to break your ankle.”

  She swayed on her heels and attached herself to his side again. “I don’t want you to go to your room.”

  Tony stepped back. The back of his legs met the dresser. “Amy—”

  “Tony,” she said huskily, taking him by surprise.

  “Ames,” he whispered. She was killing him. Any other man would have silenced her with a kiss, carried her to the bed, pushed that sexy dress up to her neck, and given her what she wanted. But Tony had made a career out of resisting Amy, protecting her. He respected her too much to let her make a mistake she would only regret when she sobered up.

  He gripped her forearms and held her at a safe distance.

  She narrowed her eyes and reached for him.

  For a breath he let himself fantasize about her touching him in ways he’d only dreamed of. Every muscle in his body corded tight as he reluctantly gripped her wrist.

  “Amy, stop.” He’d learned his lesson with her when he was a teenager, and he was never letting either of them go back to that well of hurt. “We’re not doing this.”

  The dark seductiveness that had filled her eyes when she was touching him was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Her shoulders rounded forward, and hurt filled her eyes.

  “Why?”

  He felt like a heel. Like a guy who should have taken her to bed, if only to love her as she deserved to be loved. Even if she might not remember or appreciate it in the morning. He draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

  “Come on, Amy. You’re drunk and you won’t remember any of this tomorrow. Let me help you get ready for bed.”

  “Don’t you want me?”

  Her broken voice nearly did him in, and when her arms went limp, he tightened his grip on her. “Amy,” he whispered again.

  In the space of a few seconds she pushed away from him, determination written in the tension around her mouth and the fisting of her hands.

  “Tell me why you don’t want me. What is it? Am I too flat-chested? Too unattractive?”

  “No.” You’re the sexiest woman I know. Anger felt so wrong coming from her that it momentarily numbed him.

  “I know I suck at seduction, but don’t these take-me heels or this stupid dress turn you on? Even a little?”

  “Your take-me heels? Boy, you are drunk. You don’t realize what you’re saying. Come on.” He reached for her hand and she shrugged him off again.

  “Come on, Amy. Let me help you.” Before I give in to what I really want and lay your vulnerable, gorgeous, sexy body down and devour you.

  “So that’s it. I don’t turn you on.” She paced the room on wobbly ankles, looking like she was playing dress up in her mother’s high heels—and it did crazy things to Tony’s body. He followed beside her in case she stumbled, fighting the urge to give in and show her just how much she turned him on.

  “Maybe if I had bigger boobs, or if I were better at acting sexy, or if I were smarter, you’d want me.”

  It surprised him that she avoided the secret they’d buried so long ago, but then again, after that summer, she’d never said another word about it. And he’d let her get away with that, believing it was the only way she could survive what had happened. Just like him.

  “Amy, it’s none of those things.” He did not want to have this conversation with her. He wanted to fold her in his arms and kiss the worry away.

  Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  Tony could handle a lot of things, but Amy’s tears melted his heart, and that he’d caused them was further proof he wasn’t the right guy for her.

  “Then why, Tony? Just tell me once and for all. Why don’t you want me? I need to know so I can decide about taking this job in Australia.”

  Tony opened his mouth to answer, but his thoughts were jumbled as he processed what she’d said. “Australia? I thought you said you weren’t taking it.”

  She crossed her arms, and he hated knowing it was to protect herself from his rejection. Tony felt like a jerk, but he knew that taking Amy up on her seduction would only dredge up bad memories and lead to hurting her. They’d spent a lifetime denying the past between them existed, even to themselves.

  “I said I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.” She dropped her eyes to the floor, and he slid a hand in hers, as he’d done a million times before. It was a natural reaction. Taking care of her. Protecting her. Helping her feel safe. He knew it could send her mixed messages, but he just couldn’t help himself. His hand had already claimed its spot with hers.

  “You’d give up everything you’ve built to run Duke’s resort? You’d move to Australia?” He had nothing against Duke Ryder. But the idea that Amy would change her life to help him just pissed Tony off.

  She sank down onto the bed and buried her face in her hands.

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and when she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip and kissed the top of her head.

  “Amy, you’re sexy, smart, and everything a guy could want.”

  She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her damp eyes. He felt like the biggest jerk on earth, and at the same time, his own heart was fighting tooth and nail against the space he was trying to maintain between them.

  He uttered a curse and scrubbed his hand down his face. “You are all those things, Amy, and so much more, but…”

  “But you like me as a friend.”

  He’d never seen so much hurt concentrated in one person’s eyes, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have compared to seeing it in Amy’s. He touched his forehead to hers, and he did the only thing he knew how to do without doing irreparable damage to their friendship.

  His lie came in a whisper. “No. I love you as a friend.”

  He loved Bella, Caden, and the others. What he felt for Amy was so much bigger than friendship, it threatened to stop his heart.

  She didn’t say a word, just nodded, and Tony knew in that moment that she wasn’t drunk enough to forget what he’d said by the morning—and he almost wished she were.

  (End of Sneak Peek)

  To continue reading, buy SECRETS AT SEASIDE

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  www.Addisoncole.com/Newsletter

  More Books By The Author

  Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers

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nbsp; (Includes future publications)

  Read, Write, Love at Seaside

  Dreaming at Seaside

  Hearts at Seaside

  Sunsets at Seaside

  Secrets at Seaside

  Nights at Seaside

  Embrace at Seaside

  Seized by Love at Seaside

  Lovers at Seaside

  Whispers at Seaside

  Stand Alone Women’s Fiction Novels

  by Melissa Foster (Addison Cole’s steamy alter ego)

  The following titles may include some harsh language

  Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)

  Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)

  Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)

  Megan’s Way (literary fiction)

  Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)

  Where Petals Fall (suspense)

  Strawberry Spice Jam

  1 cup water

  1–1.75-ounce package Sure-Jell pectin

  750 ml strawberry wine

  4 whole habanero peppers

  5 ½ cups sugar

  8 eight-ounce mason jars

  Add water to a large sauce pan and mix in the pectin slowly, bringing it to a boil. Add the wine, then remove the stems from the peppers and add them in to soak as you bring everything back to a boil. Now add sugar and return to a boil for three minutes. Let it sit for one minute, then remove the peppers and any seeds that are left and fill the jars.

  Recipe fills 7 to 8 eight-ounce mason jars

  Available on www.alsbackwoodsberrie.com

  Acknowledgments

  Writing the Sweet with Heat series has expanded my world in so many wonderful ways, the best of which is how often I get to interact with readers. Thank you for reaching out and letting me know how much you enjoy the characters and stories, for sharing my books with your friends, and for pitching in and helping with names, locations, and other fun facts on my Facebook fan page. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and hope you will continue to reach out.

  I’d like to thank Chelsea Monte’ Falin-Hammond for referring Cecily Smith, and Janet Matthews Waring for referring Chris Perdue to help me with cello research. I owe much gratitude to Cecily and Chris, professional cellists, for answering my questions and filling me in on all things cello related. I have taken fictional liberties for the story. Any and all errors are my own and not a reflection of their knowledge. Thank you all for your generosity and kindness. I hope I’ve done your profession justice.

  My brother Jon Cohen will probably cringe when he realizes he’s mentioned in the acknowledgments of a romance book and that the book is dedicated to him, but he gave me the drone in Sunsets at Seaside, and for that I am very grateful. Jon, you have an amazing brain. Thanks for sharing it!

  And to my editorial team, Kristen, Penina, Elaini Juliette, Marlene, Justinn, and Lynn, thank you for your meticulous attention to detail.

  I wish I could reach out and hug every one of the bloggers, reviewers, readers, and members of Team Pay-It-Forward, for their support and encouragement. Thank you for inspiring me on a daily basis.

  To my husband and children…you know the drill. I love you more than ice cream, but I’m on the fence with chocolate. Xox.

  Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She enjoys writing humorous, and deeply emotional, contemporary romance without explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.

  Visit Addison on her website or chat with her on social media. Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.

  Addison’s books are available in paperback, digital, and audio formats.

  www.AddisonCole.com

  facebook.com/AddisonColeAuthor