Stranded in Paradise (The Blake Boys Book 13) by Rhonda Laurel

glazed over with lust as she’d made her way into the water. It was nice to know he wasn’t made out of stone. That was the trouble with those introverted brainy types—it was difficult to know what they were thinking. Jared reminded her a lot of Bo. He was handsome, intelligent, reserved, and had a hotness he didn’t flaunt. She could tell Jared liked the attention the ladies were giving him, but he never reciprocated. The women went all-out with the flirty laughs, the subtle hair tosses, and the seemingly innocent biting of the lower lip, and they didn’t have the slightest effect on the man. And it was a shame because those were some of her best moves.
    He liked eye contact. She didn’t mind, but it was a little more intense for her tastes. He made promises with his eyes if one dared to stare into them long enough. She could tell he didn’t do casual dating, no matter how much fun it was. Summer said the family spoke of his playing the field since his divorce, but she doubted it was exactly that way.
    She kept swimming about, careful not to get too far away from shore. The little island was quite the tucked-away jewel of escape, if one wanted to be there on purpose. She wondered which family member had called in this extra activity. Only a die-hard romantic would think of such a cheesy scenario as being stranded on a deserted island with a handsome guy, catching their dinner and having to survive the night together. The scheme had Summer written all over it. Since getting into a relationship with Bo, her twin sister had become romantic and sentimental. It was a joy to see.
    She began to tire of swimming and besides, it looked like Jared had caught something. He was proudly holding up a fish in his hand as he waved her in. She exited the water then went over to examine dinner. He’d caught two fish, but the one he was holding could feed an army. “He’s pretty big.”
    “Yep. Big enough for the two of us. Come on, let’s get this bad boy on the fire.” Jared started gathering up their things.
    “He looks like a—”
    “Don’t say it,” Jared interrupted.
    “Say what?”
    “The minute you humanize this fish with a cute nickname and a backstory, you’ll want me to throw it back in the ocean. We’ve been at this for hours, and I’m starving. He’s being sacrificed because he’s aware of his place on the food chain.”
    “OK. I’ll call him Seamus. I could definitely carve up a Seamus.” She grinned.
    Jared started up the path, then stopped. “Why Seamus?”
    “Ex-boyfriend.”
    “Ah.” He chuckled.
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    Once they were back at the cabin, Jared got dinner started while Autumn washed the sea water off her body in the outside shower. He had to admit it was messing with his concentration trying to prepare the fish while she was just a few feet away cleansing her body. Autumn had looked gorgeous frolicking around in the water while he’d waited for dinner to cooperate. He’d managed to play it cool, trying not to appear affected when she’d asked him to apply some sunscreen on her back. When she handed him the tube and held her hair up so he could get at her shoulders, he forced himself to think of getting his finger jammed in a car door, being hit by a bus, anything that would take his mind off the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers.
    He hadn’t thought about Taylor’s crazy proposition all day. But he knew she’d be wanting an answer when he returned home. Why didn’t he just flat out say no? Because he wasn’t purged of all his feelings for her. What was there left to feel? He’d been very cautious about feeling anything for anyone these days. He’d end things with anyone who had a glimmer of hope in their eyes that their casual dating would turn into something else. Being divorced and unattached worked for him.
    The sun was beginning to set. The fish had finished its second turn on the grill, and the veggies had finished roasting. It was time to eat. He threw a