shivered at the thought. Even more than his promise to Patrick to keep her safe, he couldn’t live with himself if he lost her.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she buckled her seat belt across her lap and settled back against the leather seats.
He shifted into Reverse, backed out of the parking space and drove toward the exit, his focus on the road, the vehicles around him and everything else but that kiss. “We’re going to the Outer Banks, damn it.”
Ah, who was he kidding? He couldn’t think of anything but the kiss.
Shelby leaned forward as they crossed the Washington Baum Bridge onto the strip of land known as the Outer Banks. With her window lowered, she breathed in the salty tang of the air, her chest swelling with love for the island, love for the long stretches of beach and this crazy touristy piece of heaven.
The sun was low in the western sky, making the sky orange and the water glisten like a thousand black, sparkling diamonds.
“I love this place,” she said out loud, not expecting any response from Daniel. “It’s home to me.”
Daniel had driven all the way from the university without uttering a single word.
Shelby had been hesitant to break the silence, figuring he was still mad about her attempt to escape him. She wanted to be mad back. After all, she was more or less on a short leash with the bodyguard, unable to take a step without his approval or clearance.
Mad as she should have been, she couldn’t wipe that kiss out of her mind. When she’d been thinking about him naked, she hadn’t imagined how just a kiss would fry every brain cell in her head and leave her lips tingling for the next hour. Hell, they still tingled.
Sure, she’d dated guys, had sex with a couple of them, but none of them had kissed her like that and left her wanting so much more.
She sat as far away from him as possible in the confines of his SUV, running her tongue over her lips, tasting him there, and as she wondered what had triggered the kiss, one thing became perfectly clear. As much as she’d been thinking about him, he’d also been thinking about her.
Heat filled her insides, surging into places that shouldn’t be feeling warm while stuck in a car with a surly bodyguard for the next few hours.
When they crossed the bridge and she could see the Atlantic Ocean ahead, she felt a sense of relief, of coming home and excitement.
“There were a couple of times I didn’t think I’d see this place again,” she said, her fingers gripping the armrest, emotion swelling in her throat.
Daniel glanced her way. “Seems like you did your best to make it happen.”
She nodded. “I couldn’t give up. I knew my grandfather would be beside himself with worry. If for no other reason, I had to make it back for him.” She smiled. “But now that I’m here, I’m glad I made it back for me, too. I love the smell of salt, the beautiful sunrises you can only get here on the edge of the ocean.”
Daniel turned south along the long stretch of land that made up the Outer Banks, passing tourist shops, restaurants, hotels, cottages and all the places Shelby knew by heart. She’d ridden her bicycle past them when she was too young to drive and driven past them every day she went to school or on those rare occasions when she went to Raleigh to do some shopping at the big department stores.
She loved this place where people came to relax and vacation away from the stress of the bigger cities.
When she spotted the roofline of O’Hara’s Bar and Grill, excitement filled her and she could hardly wait for Daniel to park the SUV before she threw open the door and jumped out.
“Shelby,” Daniel said, his voice stern, brooking no argument.
She stopped and waited for him to join her, aware he’d saved her twice in the past two days, and she owed him something for that.
When she stepped into the bar, the waitresses and bus boys stopped what they were doing and rushed over to her, exclaiming and hugging.
“Shelby, oh, dear, sweet Jesus,” Lana Innman cried. “We were all so worried about you. You grandfather has been beside himself. How are you? Are you okay?”
Shelby’s heart swelled at the welcome and she blinked back ready tears. “I’m fine, just glad to be back.”
Marisa Webber joined the group hug. “Patrick said you’d been found, but I couldn’t believe it without seeing you with my own eyes.” She sniffed and brushed tears from her cheek. “We’d almost given up hope.”
“Yes, we had. Almost. But I knew you were tough and you wouldn’t let anyone keep you down long.” Lana hugged her again and glanced across at Daniel. “Wow. Who’s the hunk?”
Shelby bristled. “This is Daniel. He’s my…” she struggled with calling him her bodyguard, not wanting to sound like she was all that important.
“I’m her friend,” he finished for her, saving her the embarrassment.
With a grateful smile at him, she repeated, “That’s right, he’s my friend.”
“Just a friend?” Marisa asked. “If that’s all, can I have his number?”
Normally Shelby couldn’t be mad at Marisa; she flirted with all the male customers. She was kindhearted and fun loving and didn’t have a mean bone in her body. But after Daniel’s kiss, Shelby had a hard time taking Marisa’s flirting lightly.
Patrick O’Hara came out of the back office, grinning from ear to ear. “I told you she was okay. Now move, so I can get a hug in there.”
The staff stepped back and let Patrick in. He engulfed her in a bear hug. “I can’t seem to get enough of these.” He kissed the top of her head, the way he had when she’d been a little girl. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“We only came in to collect her things,” Daniel said.
“I’m glad. I was about to go through your bedroom and would probably have gotten the wrong items.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here now, and I can get what I need.” Shelby kissed her grandfather’s cheek. “Don’t forget you need to be back at the Winston Estate sooner rather than later.”
“I will, as soon as I put together the order list for tomorrow.”
“Don’t take too long.” Shelby hugged a couple of the others, then broke free and headed for the back exit and the staircase that led up to their apartment above the bar.
Daniel grabbed her arm before she put her foot on the first step. “Let me go first.”
“Fair enough.” She handed him her key and followed him up the stairs. “The lock can stick a little. You have to wiggle the door when you put the key in it.”
He inserted the key and attempted
