kiss. She tried to take a step back but his hand on her back prevented her from doing so. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she muttered in a low breath.
“Neither was I, but no harm’s been done,” he told her with a brief smile.
When moments passed and he just stood there looking down at her with his hand at her back, she said softly, “I guess we should head on down to the beach now.”
It seemed that he slid his hand the rest of the way around her waist before releasing her and saying, “Yes, we should.”
They walked side by side out of the house and down the brick walkway that led out to the beach. She tried to remember how things had been with D’marcus when she’d first been hired. He had been anything but friendly and definitely was all business. It was as if he had deliberately placed a wall between them that neither of them could ever breach. He was the boss and she was his employee.
Now things had definitely changed. Ever since that night he had apologized for his rash behavior when he had awakened to find her in his office holding the framed photo he kept on his desk, he had started being less demanding and more polite. What had remained was the professional barrier he had erected between the two of them.
But, for some reason, now she had a feeling that barrier was slowly being torn down. By his hands and not hers. More than once she had caught him staring at her. And then, just now in his study, she’d had a feeling he had come close to actually kissing her. A few more inches and their lips would have touched.
Opal sighed deeply. She was way out of her league here. When it came to men, she had no experience. None. The thought that she was still a virgin at twenty-seven didn’t bother her. No one knew of her sexual status but Colleen. She was sure her sisters assumed she had gotten intimate with Richard, the last guy she’d dated for six months about two years ago. For some reason, although Richard had wanted to move to that level in their relationship, she had not. His kisses hadn’t stirred her to the point where she had wanted to sleep with him, and she couldn’t see doing it just because it was something he wanted. It had to be something she wanted, as well. After Richard had quietly left the picture—when his old girlfriend returned to town—Opal had been glad she’d made the decision that she had.
She paused in her thoughts when D’marcus stopped walking. He stood looking out at the ocean and she followed his gaze. It was simply beautiful. Then she decided to ask him the question that she had thought of upon first arriving in San Francisco. “How can you give this up to live in Detroit most of the year?”
He slowly turned to her and his dark eyes held hers. “For a long while the ocean lost its appeal to me,” he said in a low tone. “The woman I was to marry lost her life in it.”
“I’m sorry,” Opal whispered, shaken by what he’d said. She had felt the pain in his words. She had forgotten that his fiancée had died two weeks before their wedding when the boat she was in capsized. Even after six years, it was evident that D’marcus Armstrong was still suffering from a broken heart.
“I’m okay now, but, for a long time, it was hard. In fact, she died before I bought the house, while I was still in college. I had figured buying a house on the ocean would be therapy to help me get over things, but it didn’t work.”
Opal nodded. She understood and a part of her regretted he was reliving painful memories because of the question she had asked him. “We can go back inside if you’d like.”
He surprised her by reaching out and taking her hand in his. “No, I’m fine. Come on and let’s finish our walk.”
He still held her hand as they walked slowly, side by side, along the sandy shores. She tried changing the subject by asking his permission to play something on his piano after they ate dinner.
He smiled over at her. “Sure you can. I’d
“Neither was I, but no harm’s been done,” he told her with a brief smile.
When moments passed and he just stood there looking down at her with his hand at her back, she said softly, “I guess we should head on down to the beach now.”
It seemed that he slid his hand the rest of the way around her waist before releasing her and saying, “Yes, we should.”
They walked side by side out of the house and down the brick walkway that led out to the beach. She tried to remember how things had been with D’marcus when she’d first been hired. He had been anything but friendly and definitely was all business. It was as if he had deliberately placed a wall between them that neither of them could ever breach. He was the boss and she was his employee.
Now things had definitely changed. Ever since that night he had apologized for his rash behavior when he had awakened to find her in his office holding the framed photo he kept on his desk, he had started being less demanding and more polite. What had remained was the professional barrier he had erected between the two of them.
But, for some reason, now she had a feeling that barrier was slowly being torn down. By his hands and not hers. More than once she had caught him staring at her. And then, just now in his study, she’d had a feeling he had come close to actually kissing her. A few more inches and their lips would have touched.
Opal sighed deeply. She was way out of her league here. When it came to men, she had no experience. None. The thought that she was still a virgin at twenty-seven didn’t bother her. No one knew of her sexual status but Colleen. She was sure her sisters assumed she had gotten intimate with Richard, the last guy she’d dated for six months about two years ago. For some reason, although Richard had wanted to move to that level in their relationship, she had not. His kisses hadn’t stirred her to the point where she had wanted to sleep with him, and she couldn’t see doing it just because it was something he wanted. It had to be something she wanted, as well. After Richard had quietly left the picture—when his old girlfriend returned to town—Opal had been glad she’d made the decision that she had.
She paused in her thoughts when D’marcus stopped walking. He stood looking out at the ocean and she followed his gaze. It was simply beautiful. Then she decided to ask him the question that she had thought of upon first arriving in San Francisco. “How can you give this up to live in Detroit most of the year?”
He slowly turned to her and his dark eyes held hers. “For a long while the ocean lost its appeal to me,” he said in a low tone. “The woman I was to marry lost her life in it.”
“I’m sorry,” Opal whispered, shaken by what he’d said. She had felt the pain in his words. She had forgotten that his fiancée had died two weeks before their wedding when the boat she was in capsized. Even after six years, it was evident that D’marcus Armstrong was still suffering from a broken heart.
“I’m okay now, but, for a long time, it was hard. In fact, she died before I bought the house, while I was still in college. I had figured buying a house on the ocean would be therapy to help me get over things, but it didn’t work.”
Opal nodded. She understood and a part of her regretted he was reliving painful memories because of the question she had asked him. “We can go back inside if you’d like.”
He surprised her by reaching out and taking her hand in his. “No, I’m fine. Come on and let’s finish our walk.”
He still held her hand as they walked slowly, side by side, along the sandy shores. She tried changing the subject by asking his permission to play something on his piano after they ate dinner.
He smiled over at her. “Sure you can. I’d
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